{"id":329,"date":"2023-11-12T10:53:03","date_gmt":"2023-11-12T11:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dimensionfx.net\/?p=329"},"modified":"2023-11-23T08:08:38","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T08:08:38","slug":"nat-habs-2023-sustainability-report-shows-we-really-do-have-the-power-to-change-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dimensionfx.net\/index.php\/2023\/11\/12\/nat-habs-2023-sustainability-report-shows-we-really-do-have-the-power-to-change-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Nat Hab\u2019s 2023 Sustainability Report Shows We Really Do Have the Power to Change the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

In July 2019, Natural Habitat Adventures pulled off the ultimate travel experience: the\u00a0<\/span>World\u2019s First Zero Waste Adventure<\/span><\/strong><\/a>,<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0a week-long excursion through Yellowstone National Park that diverted 99% of all on-trip waste from the landfill through recycling, composting, reusing, reducing and refusing. Basically, all the waste that they produced fit snugly inside a quart-sized mason jar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From the park\u2019s scenic Lamar Valley to its gurgling and bubbling Upper Geyser Basin, the group\u2019s 12 participants worked together to produce as minimal waste as possible while enjoying Yellowstone\u2019s vast offerings. They shared meals at restaurants to reduce food waste, opted for bulk snacks rather than individual bags of chips and pretzels to cut down on packaging, and utilized reusable cutlery and containers for their to-go meals. It was a groundbreaking journey, and a successful one, too. It\u2019s also just more than one of a dozen conservation travel milestones highlighted in Nat Hab\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>2023 Sustainability Report<\/span><\/strong><\/a>,<\/span><\/strong> an inaugural publication bringing together nearly 40 years of Nat Hab conservation work into one cohesive study.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrankly, we\u2019re probably a little overdue,\u201d says Court Whelan, Nat Hab\u2019s Chief Sustainability Officer, \u201cbut it kind of had to be the right time for the company in terms of our collection of stories, the momentum of information, and the impact.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nat Hab’s Zero Waste Adventure in Yellowstone National Park \u00a9 Court Whelan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Nat Hab\u2019s 2023 Sustainability Report Findings\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Founded in 1985, Nat Hab has always been a conservation company first in many ways, as well as a travel company. \u201cBoth this report and our tours prove that you can be both,\u201d says Whelan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Partnership with World Wildlife Fund\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

In fact, the 40-page compilation showcases a multitude of positive and life-changing projects, milestones, and partnerships that are a direct result of Nat Hab\u2019s \u201cConservation through Exploration\u201d ethos. These include the company\u2019s 20-year partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which initially began in 2003 as an affinity group, or a coming together around common interests. \u201cLike how an alumni group or museum may book out a trip and then sell it to their members,\u201d says Whelan. As the two organizations continued working with one another, however, they realized they shared many of the same values and viewpoints. So in 2013, Nat Hab and WWF formed a strategic partnership in which the former would run 100% of the latter\u2019s member trips. \u201cIn this way, we each get to do what we\u2019re best at and support each other along the way.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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For instance, Nat Hab\u2019s many adventures help showcase areas around the globe that WWF has deemed \u201cpriority places\u201d and are in need of added support. One example is leading\u00a0<\/span>expeditions to the Arctic<\/span><\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>where WWF supports renewable energy options for local communities. Or bringing travelers to\u00a0<\/span>Baja, California,<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0home to the highly endangered vaquita\u2014to see firsthand the extraordinary diversity of marine life that requires protection. This, in addition to the 45 million dollars that Nat Hab travelers have donated to WWF over the years, and the 1% of gross sales from all Nat Hat trips (as well as $174,000 annually) that goes toward supporting WWF\u2019s conservation efforts worldwide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nat Hab & WWF in Peru \u00a9 JJ Huckin<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Nat Hab\u2019s In-House Philanthropy<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Then there\u2019s Nat Hab\u2019s own in-house philanthropy, which is currently providing funds for 14 different projects across four continents. \u201cThese are small-scale projects that may not even be on the radar of many conservation groups,\u201d says Whelan, \u201cbut where a little bit of money goes a long way.\u201d Local enterprises like Uganda\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Ride4aWoman<\/span><\/strong><\/a>,<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0an NGO empowering women in Buhoma, Uganda, who are struggling with things like poverty and domestic violence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ride4AWoman<\/p>\n

Ride4AWoman<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe provided two commercial sewing machines to the co-op there, and they\u2019re crushing it,\u201d says Whelan. \u201cThey\u2019re making amazing things for their village, as well as to sell to tourists. It\u2019s just fantastic seeing them generate income for the local economy.\u201d Another is the\u00a0<\/span>Oncafari jaguar program<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Brazil\u2019s Pantanal, which promotes ecotourism while increasing the tolerance of jaguars to the presence of safari vehicles. \u201cSay, one of their camera traps might have been ripped down by a jaguar in the middle of the night and they need a new one,\u201d says Whelan. \u201cWe\u2019re there to deliver.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Conservation Milestones\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Along with successfully pulling off the World\u2019s First Zero Waste Adventure, Nab Hab has garnered a bevy of conservation travel milestones. In 2007, it became the world\u2019s first 100% carbon-neutral travel company,\u00a0<\/span>offsetting our carbon footprint<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0by investing in a variety of programs that align with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). These include supplying energy-efficient cookstoves in rural Ethiopia, which helps reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (not to mention pressure on surrounding forests) that come with cooking over open fires, and contributing to Tomorrow\u2019s Air – Direct Air Capture, a process that extracts CO2 directly from the atmosphere and stores it away permanently. The following year, Nat Hab built the world\u2019s first hybrid safari vehicle,\u00a0<\/span>SafariOne,<\/span><\/em>\u00a0for use on U.S. national park trips.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nat Hab’s Electric Safari Vehicle \u00a9 Justin Sullivan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Setting the Bar High\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Not only are these types of industry-firsts like the above a great way to turn heads, says Whelan, but they also get people to pay attention to next-level sustainability ways of thinking. \u201cThey\u2019re a fantastic podium,\u201d he says, \u201cthe idea that if you do something really difficult\u2014you know, aim for the stars and land on the mountain sort of thing\u2014you can still have a really meaningful impact.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, going zero waste may not be in the cards for everyone (\u201cIt\u2019s actually pretty difficult to do,\u201d says Whelan), but knowing that it can be done might help other organizations go into their next projects or adventures with a more discerning eye. \u201cYou start thinking, maybe we can\u2019t be zero waste, but what about 80 or 90% waste-free?\u201d he says. \u201cBefore asking, \u2018What are some of the biggest waste offenders out there? What steps can we take that will be most effective?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nat Hab Expedition Leader teaching travelers about the Canyons of the American Southwest \u00a9 Courtney Kent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Nat Hab 2023 Sustainability Report Takeaways\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

In addition to an opportunity to highlight just how far Nat Hab has come since the company\u2019s inception, the report is also a way to inspire travelers\u2014both armchair and on-the-ground\u2014to continue perpetrating conservation culture wherever they happen to be. \u201cNot every single person has to be 100% behind every conservation or sustainability cause,\u201d says Whelan, \u201cbut just thinking about it, paying attention to it, and learning what’s possible.\u201d Maybe it begins with composting and recycling regularly or using package-free shampoo and conditioner rather than single-use bottles when you travel. Once we incorporate manageable things like these into our daily lives, he says, then it\u2019s about taking the next right step or learning the next right thing \u201cto move forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nat Hab traveler enjoys morning coffee using our eco-friendly thermos mugs. Sustainability is our priority, even on safari in Tanzania! \u00a9 Andrew Morgan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While Whelan believes that sustainability reports should be industry standard, he also realizes that Nat Hab has a superpower in its ability to provide larger-scale success stories that inspire, which in turn can help create or further propagate a larger conservation culture. In fact, that\u2019s Nat Hab\u2019s modus operandi: finding ways to propel both the travel industry and society further when it comes to conservation. \u201cIt only takes one more Jane Goodall or revolutionary idea to really change the paradigm on things,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And travel is one of the best ways to stir these kinds of ideas. Whether it\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>tracking Namibia\u2019s endangered black rhinos<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in the company of experts from Save the Rhino Trust or<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>witnessing millions of monarch butterflies<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Mexico\u2019s forested highlands, \u201cOur trips are having crazy impacts on peoples\u2019 lives,\u201d says Whelan, \u201cchanging their viewpoints and their worldviews, often forever.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The post Nat Hab\u2019s 2023 Sustainability Report Shows We Really Do Have the Power to Change the World<\/a> first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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