3/29/12

Green Transfers for All!


This article was published by our friends at The Travel Word, who have agreed to its republication here. View the complete original article on their blog.

by WHL Group

The word of mouth is encouraging: More and more travelers are being responsible. Ever greater numbers are taking seriously the importance of hitting the road with more than just pure business or pleasure in mind. They may not think of themselves as fitting cleanly into some of the niche tourism categories – ecotourism, sustainable travel, responsible travel, local travel, voluntourism – but the mindful choices they’re making are meaningful.

Fittingly, the industry has been slow to respond. Some sectors have, however, been even slower than others. One of them – in which there appears to be a need for a global steward – is airport and intercity transfers. You know, ground transportation. What you need when you land at an airport and want to get to town – often your very first introduction to a place – or what you may desire when you’re ready to travel between destinations and don’t wish to rely on public transport.

Into this breach has stepped Green Path Transfers, which launched as a global provider of eco-friendly airport and intercity transfers. The newest subsidiary of the WHL Group, Green Path Transfers answers the needs of leisure and business travelers seeking cost-effective ways to reduce their carbon footprints. Through GPT’s straightforward online booking system, travelers and businesses can now hit the road confident that, for rates equal to those of other global providers, their transfers are in good hands and that they’ve made a beneficial earth-conscious choice.

Powering a Green Engine

In keeping with a vision to help build a sustainable and responsible travel industry, Green Path Transfers is on a mission to go green. In contrast to other global transfer-service providers, some with green leanings, the company has taken a novel approach to building its network of quality local operators.

This involves placing significant emphasis and focus on partnering with transfer companies that are already using low-carbon-emission vehicles, wherever possible, to operate transfers. Green Path Transfers has therefore only recruited established, service-minded transfer operators with a demonstrated commitment to a greener future, either through their pioneering use of zero- or low-emission vehicles or their movement toward adoption of sustainable practices and clean technology.

The green technology currently in use by Green Path Transfers partners includes:
  • Vehicles powered by recycled vegetable oil by Portland, Oregon’s ecoShuttle and San Diego, California’s Wherever Shuttle;
  • Engines running on renewable, non-toxic and all-natural fuels like biodiesel and ethanol in Colorado’s Vail Valley by Green Limousine, and Il Viaggio Travel in Costa Rica;
  • Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicles (ULEVs) and alternative-fuel cars using compressed natural gas (CNG) by Los Angeles-based Naturalimo;
  • Hybrids on the streets of Toronto under the Eco Taxi label.

Offsetting Carbon Emissions

Green Path Transfers further neutralizes any presently unavoidable emissions by 100% carbon offsets through reputable organizations like atmosfair and Blue Ventures Carbon Offset. This responds to the company’s recognition that “many of the local suppliers we work with are just starting the journey to using carbon-neutral transfer vehicles and hence we have decided to work with two organizations we believe offer innovative and extremely accountable/transparent offset options, in order to fully offset 100% of the emissions produced by our transfers.”

These partnerships with third-party carbon-offset organizations bring added peace of mind to travelers with the knowledge that their trips are helping to fund meaningful clean-energy projects worldwide. From solar energy programs in India to hydraulic irrigation systems for rural farmers in China, the initiatives Green Path Transfers supports through its carbon-offset partners extend far beyond tree planting.

Meeting Consumer Needs

“It’s crucial for us to embrace green and cleaner technologies and modes of transport for the long-term health of the planet,” says Adrian Cordiner, CEO of Green Path Transfers. “As transport is a main emitter of carbon, it’s a natural place to start in order to try to make a dent in global carbon emissions.”

The company recognizes, however, that its chosen green path is a long and challenging one. “We started this business because we want to change the way transport is done, whilst also making sure we offer unparalleled service and extremely competitive fares,” says Cordiner. “We are passionate about a greener future for the planet, and we love working with like-minded customers, operators and organizations to help shape that future!”

Local service providers and partners are chosen and vetted based on their ability to meet local and international green certification standards. To that end, Green Path Transfers has put in place a range of incentives and supports to move all local partners toward a greener future that includes upgrading their fleets to include any lower-carbon options available to them.

“Every little bit helps,” Cordiner adds. “We believe that, by being an industry leader in the use and support of cleaner technology, both in transfers and through offsets, we will inspire others to follow suit.”

THE TRAVEL WORD
The Travel Word is a blog that showcases responsible, sustainable and local travel. It is committed to inspiring mindful and independent travelers headed off the beaten path with local businesses making responsible and sustainable decisions about their destinations. The Travel Word is the online mouthpiece of the WHL Group, the largest local-travel company in the world.

3/14/12

Sustainable Wines and Harvest Festivals 2012

Grape stomping during the 2008 wine harvest festival in Isla de Maipo. 
© islademaipo.cl

by Marcela Torres


March and April are the wine harvest (“vendimia”) months in Chile and all wine-producing regions hold festivities to celebrate and promote new lines of wine of participating vineyards. This is a great opportunity to learn about the country’s sustainable wineries and taste some of their best organic wines.

Sustainable Wineries

Last year, the wine industry in Chile began applying the National Sustainability Code, established by the Sustainability Program of the Wines of Chile trade association, together with the Vinnova and Tecnovid technology consortiums.

Companies that apply to this certification process must undergo an evaluation of different sustainability practices and procedures throughout the Chilean wine’s value chain, focusing on three dimensions: “Green-Vineyard”, “Red-Cellar” and “Orange-Community”. So far, 20 wineries have received “green” certification and are allowed to use the 2011 sustainable management seal. These are: Anakena, Arboleda, Caliterra, Casa Silva, Cremaschi Furlotti, Emiliana, Errázuriz, Montes, MontGras, Santa Cruz, Santa Ema, Santa Rita, Ventisquero, Vía Wines, Miguel Torres, Maquis, Pérez Cruz, Carmen, Nativa y Sur Andino.

This is a big step for the wine industry in Chile, which last year saw its exports increase in 9.6% compared to 2010. The main destination markets were the European Union and Asia, which concentrated 41% and 16.6% of total exports, respectively.

Festival Calendar

Although some festivities have already been carried out, in the Colchagua Valley and Chillan, there are still other celebrations programmed for people who want to enjoy these events, which besides wines include handicraft exhibits, typical food, live music and some local traditions such as grape stomping.

March 23rd through 25th: Fiesta de la Vendimia de Curicó, Maule Valley.

March 24th: Fiesta de la Vendimia de Rengo, Cachapoal Valley.

March 30th and 31st: Boulevard del Vino en Talca, Maule Valley.

March 31st and April 1st: Fiesta de la Vendimia de Peralillo, Colchagua Valley.

April 13th through 15th: X Fiesta de la Vendimia del Valle del Maipo, en Buin.

April 14th and 15th: Fiesta de la Vendimia de Isla de Maipo, Maipo Valley.

Enjoy! Cheers!

3/8/12

Celebrating Women in Tourism

Silvia Vogel, owner of Alpacas Machalí, a rural tourism entrepreneurship in Chile. 
© Marcela Torres

by Marcela Torres


March 8 marks International Women’s Day and at Southern Cone Journeys we’d like to honor all the women who work hard each day to develop tourism around the world, sometimes under very trying circumstances.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in most regions of the world, women make up the majority of the tourism workforce, they also tend to be concentrated in the lowest paid and lowest status jobs in tourism, and they perform a large amount of unpaid work in family tourism businesses.

That’s why the UNWTO and the United Nations Women Organization are developing a joint Action Plan to Empower Women through Tourism that seeks to enhance the positive impact of tourism development on women’s lives, and, in so doing, contributing to the achievement of the Third Millennium Development Goal – "promote gender equality and women’s empowerment".

The Global Report on Women in Tourism 2010 –which was launched during the ITB 2011, in Berlin- was the first concrete result of this collaboration. Among other things, the study revealed that women are well represented in employment but tend to be working at a service or clerical rather than professional or decision-making level. It also showed there are proportionally fewer women graduates in services than in other fields.

One of the study’s most interesting findings is that in Entrepreneurship, women are almost twice more likely to be employers in the tourism industry than in other sectors, and often employ more women than men.  That’s exactly what we see in Chile, particularly in rural areas.

During my visit to the WTM in London last year, I had the good fortune of meeting an Italian journalist, Iaia Pedemonte, who runs a very interesting website to promote gender responsible tourism around the world and to help women by spreading ideas and good practices in tourism. We had a lengthy conversation about the role of women in tourism and she kindly wrote an article about Southern Cone Journeys and another about some of the wonderful women entrepreneurs we work with in Chile.

After a decade of work on responsible tourism, Iaia put together this unique initiative that, among other things, is contributing to collect experiences, knowledge and tools , promote handicrafts and products made by women in tourist destinations, and bring together supply and demand, local people and institutions, southern and northern  hemisphere countries. The site also has a forum for networking in Gender Responsible Tourism, which is a great space for all stakeholders involved to exchange experiences and get to know each other.

It’s inspiring to see how many women around the globe are pushing forward the principles of responsible tourism and also making progress with alternative livelihoods that can be sustainable and, at the same time, help conserve natural and cultural resources that are valuable for all.

Happy International Women’s Day!

3/1/12

STEP 1 to obtain Sustainable Tourism Certification


 
Tourists visiting the Valdivian Rainforest in southern Chile. 
© Marcela Torres

by Marcela Torres

We have very exciting news this week! Why? Because we have just begun the process to obtain Sustainable Travel International’s (STI) STEP 1 certification for tour operators.

You may say: “So, what’s the big deal?”  Well, to begin with, let’s agree on the fact that all tourism can have positive or negative economic, environmental and social impacts. In order to mitigate, and hopefully avoid, negative impacts caused by our activities on the destinations and local communities we work with, through our operations we strive to: 
  • Minimize our impact on the environment during our visits.
  • Generate incomes for local communities by visiting locally owned attractions and hiring local guides.
  • Take economic, environmental and cultural factors into account when considering new destinations.
  • Encourage our clients to act responsibly and respect the local community, its culture and traditions
Therefore, it’s important for us as a responsible tourism operator to have an independent certification of our standards to achieve these goals. However, there are no eco-certification schemes currently in place in Chile. In addition to that, we decided that if we were going to go through this lengthy process it should lead us to obtain an internationally recognized eco-label so that nobody could accuse us of “green washing”.

We chose STI’s Sustainable Tourism Education Program (STEP), because it is a suite of online tools that help businesses and destinations of all sizes manage their impacts based on a comprehensive set of sustainability criteria and indicators, including components such as education and training programs, a self-assessment framework for measuring and benchmarking, and an independently-verified eco-certification process.

We also liked STEP because it is the only global eco-certification program in the travel and tourism industry managed by a non-profit organization and it is recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), and quickly becoming the gold standard for the industry.

I must confess, when we first saw the long questionnaire we need to fill out we were a bit overwhelmed. But to be honest, the STEP platform is very friendly and the process is great because it allows businesses to successfully integrate sustainable practices into their operations by taking an incremental long-term approach, ramping up their initiatives as time and resources allow. STEP helps facilitate this process through its three primary components or "steps."

Step 1 is the completion of a comprehensive online self-assessment tool that helps businesses begin to identify and measure key impacts, as well as become more informed about how to implement industry best practices. Companies can then go on to Step 2 and apply for the Bronze (Baseline) certification by submitting the Required Policies and Documentation for review by an STI-Accredited Assessor. Upon approval, applicants may proceed to Step 3, which consists of a third-party on-site assessment, performed by a local STI-Accredited Assessor who will verify adherence with STEP criteria and recommend Silver (Intermediate), Gold (Advanced) or Platinum (Industry Leader) certifications.

Well, we’re just starting with STEP 1 and will probably learn a lot from this experience, which I’ll be sharing with you on this blog as we move along. The important thing is that we have begun this crucial process, even if it’s by taking baby steps for now. Hopefully, we will soon be the first Chilean company certified by Sustainable Travel International. That would be an honor!