NEW YORK—In keeping with its ongoing commitment to be an industry leader in the area of sustainable and responsible travel, Ensemble Travel Group has partnered with Trees4Travel. Through this “business for good” partnership, the travel agency consortia will work with the organization that creates “Planet & People Positive Travel” programs to rewild the world through the creation of new forests in support of impoverished communities.
As the first U.S. travel agency consortia to partner with Trees4Travel, Ensemble’s member agencies will be able to offer their clients an opportunity to support its mission to help convert islands around the world from expensive and carbon generating fuel, to inexpensive clean energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal. The objective of this initiative is to reduce energy bills and transform the islands themselves from heavy carbon producers to the world’s first climate positive countries as part of Trees4Travel’s efforts to transform the lives of island populations by bringing them green, inexpensive energy.
There are several ways that Ensemble members can participate in the program. Primarily, this includes offering clients the option to purchase trees to ensure their trip is climate positive. As additional incentive, for every additional tree that a client purchases that goes beyond that objective, Trees4Travel will match that purchase with a second tree.
As part of their commitment to supporting communities around the world, Trees4Travel plants indigenous trees which will support the very poorest populations by providing means to an income through fruit and medicine farming instead of timber production or forest clearing.
‘A Direct, Positive Effect’
“Tourism can be and is a force for good,” said Nico Nicholas, Founder of Trees4Travel. “Together with travel advisors and their clients, we can make a difference in communities around the world where it’s needed most, and we can do it for less than the cost of a cup of coffee. That’s why we are so excited to partner with an organization such as Ensemble that is committed to sustainable and responsible travel, and to ensure that we can have a direct, positive effect, through the support of every travel advisor who shares this conviction.”
“We are really pleased to be able to continue partnering with organizations like Trees4Travel that are committed to ensuring the future of travel is a sustainable one,” said David Harris, CEO of Ensemble Travel Group. “We know that it’s possible to travel responsibly and sustainably and it’s incumbent upon the travel agency community to provide clients with opportunities to ensure that we do whatever we can to make positive and long-lasting impacts on communities around the world—especially those that are most vulnerable.”
Ensemble previously announced partnerships with other organizations committed to sustainable and responsible travel. This includes Cool Effect, which helps offset the carbon footprint of air travel, and the Travel Care Code, a network of academics and professionals committed to encouraging responsible travel by providing guidelines on how to reduce the impact of travel on the environment.
Ensemble also made this topic a focus of its Restart Sessions Video Series for members with a panel discussion focused on How to Travel Responsibly and Sustainably.
