Carbon Footprint & Responsible Tourism
Carbon Footprint
The Travel Industry Climate Programme: www.ReduceMyFootprint.travel
Reduce my Footprint has been created by the travel industry to mitigate the effects of travel on climate change. Every day the normal activities of our lives have a direct impact on the volumes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and other "greenhouse gases" released into the atmosphere.
Our personal contribution to these emissions is often referred to as our "carbon footprint".
The Reduce My Footprint website provides you with a way to understand the impacts we all have, and also to calculate the CO2 emissions created by your travel plans. This provides the basis for you to contribute toward offsetting these CO2 emissions through various projects throughout the world.
Click here to reduceyour footprint.
Responsible Tourism
As members of AITO (The Association of Independent Tour Operators) we acknowledge the importance of its Responsible Tourism guidelines, which recognise the social, economic and environmental responsibilities of tour operating. We accept that we as Tour Operators should aim to be responsible in all our dealings on each of these three levels and we are committed to supporting AITO's guidelines:
- Protect the Environment - its flora, fauna and landscapes
- Respect local cultures - traditions, religions and built heritage
- Benefit local communities - both economically and socially
- Conserve natural resources - from office to destination
- Minimise pollution - through noise, waste disposal and congestion.
AITO is an association of individual, independent companies, each with our own distinctive style and field of operation. As such we each have our own ways of fulfilling the details of these responsibilities by:
- Establishing our own policies and involving our staff
- Informing our clients about Responsible Tourism and, where appropriate encouraging them to participate
- Working with our suppliers and partners to achieve responsible goals and practices
- Publicising good practice to encourage and spread Responsible Tourism.
All AITO members are encouraged to submit a Responsible Tourism Policy and AITO has set up a star system in order to recognise Tour Operators' work towards Responsible Tourism.
Vintage Travel is proud to have been awarded 2 stars and will continue to work towards evermore responsible tourism.