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RESPONSIBLE TRAVELLER
Tour operators launch green initiative to cut the use of plastic bottles by one million in 2020 Quench the thirst
SIX UK TOUR OPERATORS have formed an initiative called One Bottle at a Time. It aims to grow its membership to 100 operators and travel suppliers this year and eliminate up to one million plastic water bottles from their respective tours and countries of operation by the end of 2020.
On average, holidaymakers use up to four singleuse plastic water bottles each day on their breaks, so the target is to eliminate these across all of the companies’ holiday operations. The tour operators are Experience Travel, Holiday Architects, Pura Aventura, Selective Asia, Steppes Travel and Wild Frontiers, with all members working on logistics with local partners on the ground to introduce best practices so that clients can safely refill their reusable bottles. onebottleatatime.org
EMIRATES SAYS #STOPTHEWASTE THE EMIRATES GROUP’S third annual Chef Challenge highlighted the World Food Programme’s #Stop eWaste campaign. e competition rst selected four contestants from 36 entries based on criteria including their tips on how to reduce food wastage. ey were then asked to create a dish using speci c ingredients and equipment and judged on presentation, preparation and avours. Chef Romulo Paras won with his ‘King’s Chicken Soup’preme Bowl’, a version of which will go on sale at Emirates Flight Catering’s internal restaurants, with some proceeds donated to the World Food Programme’s ‘Share the Meal’ initiative.
JET BENEFIT 30% The amount emissions will drop on routes operated by Boeing 747s as they are phased out over the next decade. Current B747 CO2 emissions are 101g per passenger km and 92 kg per hour, according to carbonindependent.org
Eco hotel brands 1 VOCO A “tread light” philosophy, with locally sourced food, paperless check-out and more than half a million plastic bottles recycled so far to make the IHG brand’s bedding. 2 GREET The new Accor brand encourages hotels to “salvage” objects from second-hand sources or eco-responsible suppliers. 3 ELEMENT Part of Marriott, it o ers vehicle charging and bikes for hire, and uses recycled materials and in-shower dispensers to reduce plastics.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything
UAE-BASED HOSPITALITY COMPANY TIME Hotels is supporting local and regional communities by raising funds for a hospital caring for children with cancer and a marine conservation programme.
e hotel group has partnered with Egypt’s 57357 Children’s Cancer Hospital Foundation as part of a year-long charity initiative, raising almost US$9,500 for the treatment of sick children, covering the cost of examinations, tests, scans and of course medicine.
Closer to home, TIME Hotels’ marine conservation programme, in collaboration with the Emirates Nature – WWF, has raised more than $4,000 to help facilitate two key projects: e Gulf Green Turtle Project and e Marine Protected Areas (pictured).
e Gulf Green Turtle Project investigates the habitat use of Green Turtles to decipher their migration paths and raises awareness of the important role they play in the marine environment and the Marine Protected Areas project safeguards the protection of marine ecosystems, processes, habitats and species. TIME HOTELS SUPPORTS COMMUNITIES
3ECO READS
Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm The inspiring story of Knepp, a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex started by author Isabella Tree and her husband, the environmentalist Charlie Burrell. Their previously over-farmed and lossmaking estate has gradually become a nature reserve that is both profitable and a beacon for those who would like to see a fundamental change to land management in the UK. You can even go wild camping there. Picador; $8.97
The Condor’s Shadow: The Loss and Recovery of Wildlife in America Don’t be deceived by the title – this is a far-ranging book on every type of wildlife. While it shares some uplifting conservation stories, the general picture is dire. Published more than 20 years ago, David Wilcove’s book is a classic of nature writing, and one that looked forward to a time when the destruction of nature could be slowed or halted. Instead, the opposite has happened. Penguin Random House; $16.70
The Overstory Time for some fiction. Now out in paperback, Richard Powers’ winner of the Pulitzer Prize tells the story of a varied collection of individuals and couples who come to know and love trees, conservation and activism before joining together in a fight to save the giant redwoods being felled by the timber industry. An informative and enjoyable read for your next long-haul trip. Penguin; $8.97
Accor’s plastic pledge
ONE DROP AT A TIME CORINTHIA HOTELS has worked with water aid charity Just a Drop since 2012 and says that in that time more than 40,000 people have been helped by seven initiatives in three countries. Buwambo Primary School (pictured) and St Mark’s Primary School, both in Uganda, are two of the bene ciaries of the projects funded by Corinthia.
e pupils in each school now have water storage tanks, toilets and hand-wash stations. e next proposed project involves bringing safe water and hygiene management to 1,140 people in Cambodia. justadrop.org
HOTEL GROUP ACCOR HAS COMMITTED to remove all single-use plastic items from its guest experience, at all hotels globally, by 2022. As part of the pledge, the group is to join the UN Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, which was launched last month by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Tourism Organisation, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
dnata in green turnaround
AIR SERVICES PROVIDER DNATA has marked another sustainability milestone by conducting a turnaround of a ydubai Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircra using only zero-emission ramp ground support equipment (GSE) at Dubai International’s (DXB) Terminal 2.
During the green turnaround, dnata transported baggage with electric baggage tractors to the aircra and applied electric conveyor belts to o oad and load baggage and cargo.
e passengers of the airline’s Karachi and Faisalabad ights were disembarked and boarded through towable passenger stairs. When the aircra was ready to depart, it was pushed back from the gate with an electric tow-barless pushback tractor, positioning it ready for taxi and departure. roughout the procedure, aircra ground power was provided by Dubai International’s FEGP (Fixed Electrical Ground Power). dnata currently operates more than 100 eco-e cient vehicles at DXB and Dubai World Central. with electric baggage tractors to the aircra and applied electric tractor, positioning it ready for taxi and departure. roughout
DELTA’S C ARBON-NEUTR AL PL AN DELTA AIR LINES HAS MADE a US$1 billion commitment to mitigate all emissions from its global business over the next ten years, starting this month. e US airline said e orts would focus on three areas. ese include carbon reduction, with initiatives such as “a eet renewal programme, improved ight operations, weight reduction, and increased development and use of sustainable fuels”.
It is looking at carbon removal through investment in projects including “forestry, wetland restoration, grassland conservation, marine and soil capture, and other negative emissions technologies”.
Stakeholder engagement will also play a part, with a focus on “building coalitions with our employees, suppliers, global partners, customers, industry colleagues and investors to advance carbon reduction and removal goals”. Recent sustainability e orts by the carrier include eco-friendly amenity kits, and upcycling old uniforms and seats as travel accessories.
N A T U R A L G O O D L O O K S WANT TO BE COOL? Well, a light, summery linen suit from Boss could be just the thing, especially when you know it’s vegan… But what does that mean? It obviously doesn’t use any animal-based materials, but it has also been responsibly crafted in Germany using Italian linen. The slim-fit design has a subtle woven micro pattern and a partial lining for a comfortable, breathable feel. $737; boss.com
