Tour Operator & Business Brochure

8/6/2019 Tour Operator & Business Brochure

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Tour Operator &

Business Brochure

Global Travel. Local Giving.



Welcome to iJourneyGreen!

It is an honor to have your tour operator join our team!

In the eternal words of St. Augustine, “The world is a book and those who do not travelread only one page.” Here at iJourneyGreen, we believe those words have never beenmore true. Travel is essential to understanding culture, perpetuating peace and visiting

monuments and people so unique, the memory will stay with us for a lifetime. After years of first hand evaluations of the detrimental impact of travel on both the environ-ment and local communities, we were prompted to design a solution for the travel com-munity at large.

From this most basic passion emerged the idea of a Travel Credit™, a charitable dona-tion that is shared between an environmental project and community project of a trav-eler’s choice. It seeks to reverse the damage of travel; to ensure that generations of trav-elers will be able to be inspired by the same sites, cultures and places which we all love.iJourneyGreen seeks to be more than simply an educational resource, we strive to actu-ally make a change in the world!

The mission at the heart of iJourneyGreen is one that nearly all travelers can engage in:to encourage travelers to develop lasting and meaningful connections to the places they travel.The wonderful part about iJourneyGreen is that it will provide your clients withthe knowledge that your business is actively engaged in promoting sustainable traveland we will assist in advertising your good work! We are delighted to have you join inour quest to travel to save the planet.

Warmest regards,

Jessica Finley and Christina Aushana



Table of Contents:

PART I: iJOURNEYGREEN AND THE TRAVEL CREDIT™ SYSTEM

1. A Traveler’s Obligation

2. Our Travel Credits™3. Elements of Sustainability

- Environmental Projects- Community Projects- Chart I: The Solution for Travelers

PART II: OUR CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM1. Why Choose a Corporate Membership?

2. Corporate Membership Levels & Package Details- Chart II: Corporate Membership Table

PART III: TOUR OPERATORS AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM1. The Role of Travel Providers in Promoting

Responsible Travel2. Offering Your Clients Travel Credits™

- Chart III: How It Works

PART IV: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS



PART I: iJOURNEYGREEN AND THE TRAVEL CREDIT™ SYSTEM

A Traveler’s Obligation:

“The encounters engendered among peoples through travel are not only a condition

for the realization of peace but a positive contribution towards peace.”

- Pope John Paul II, 1985

Every traveler is familiar with the joys and wonder of travel, but we do not always taketime to reflect on its detrimental impact. As travel impacts the 1.) environments 2.) theplaces and 3.) the people we visit, truly sustainable travel needs to support and invest inall three. Travel is the leading cause of global warming; planes, boats and cars emit moreCO2 than any other single source. Additionally, the socio-economic benefits associated with tourism are rarely dissipated among a country’s people.

As an industry, travel is one of the most harmful on the environment. We burn fossil fu-els in the use of electricity, our cars, flights and other transportation methods we use while traveling. Through a build up of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, pri-marily the burning of fossil fuels, global warming is on the rise. According to the calcula-tions of the Edinburgh Center for Carbon Management in Scotland, a Boeing 747 spewsout about 440 tons of carbon dioxide on a round trip from New York to London. That isabout the same amount that 80 S.U.V.'s emit in a full year of hard driving (NY Times,January 22, 2009).

Generally, the travel community agrees and recognizes that sustainable travel is the only way in which we can hope to preserve the beautiful places in the world. However, thus

far there has not been a mechanism for travelers to get involved. The solution is annualTravel Credits™, a holistic approach to combat travel damage and promote sustainabletourism.



Our Travel Credits™:

a. What Are Travel Credits™?

Travel Credits™ are charitable donations travelers purchase through iJourneyGreen’s

website. Each Travel Credit™ purchased is a donation that is shared between an envi-ronmental project and a community project of a traveler’s choice, making it the firstcredit of its kind to support healthy travel in two capacities instead of just one. TravelCredits™ are the first ever sustainability credits tailored specifically to the needs of trav-elers across the globe, from individual adventure-seekers to global tour operators.

A Travel Credit™ is a holistic approach to making all forms of travel green and sustain-able by providing local organizations with much needed financial and social support sys-tems. These credits, which are offered exclusively through our website, provide individuals, businesses, and tour operators with the ability to support the multifaceted as-pects of life in communities worldwide.

b. Why Choose Travel Credits™?

As opposed to carbon credits, which merely offset carbon emissions in the Earth’s at-mosphere, Travel Credits™ are concerned with the entire spectrum of issues that affectlocal communities around the world. These issues span across a wide range of side-effects that result from tourism, such as environmental and cultural degradation. Asglobal travel and tourism impact the environments, cultures, and people we visit, TravelCredits™ support and invest in all three. In this way, iJourneyGreen supports sustain-able travel that strives to protect all areas and aspects of a community’s well-being weimpact as global travelers.

c. How Do Travel Credits™ Work?

A Travel Credit™ is a charitable donation shared between an environmental project anda community project.

Chart I: The Solution for Travelers

Travel

Credits

Community

Projects

Environmental

Projects



Travel Credits™ seek to provide global aid and assistance in two major capacities:

Environmental Projects

We partner with a wide range of local environmental projects worldwide, many of whichare involved in creating renewable energy projects, energy efficiency programs, and ac-tively engaged in reforestation and forest protection efforts in their respective communi-ties. iJourneyGreen strives to find local environmental projects that are in the most needof funding and are implementing unique sustainable solutions to the environmental is-sues they are facing in their communities. Here are two environmental projects we arepartnered with that exemplify these traits:

• The WindAid Project,located in Trujillo, Peru, works alongside local communitiesand volunteers to provide wind energy as a renewable, affordable, and accessible en-ergy source to communities in Peru without access to electricity. By bringing together

volunteers from all over the globe and local individuals from these communities toconstruct wind turbines, the WindAid Project illustrates the beauty of collaborative work across differences in culture and language.

• The Great Baikal Trail Project, located in Irkutsk, Russia, is a local environmentalproject that aims to promote local sustainable development through low-impact eco-tourism. The Great Baikal Trail has carried out many trail-building projects aroundLake Baikal, providing hikers with environmentally friendly trails and locals with eco-conscious alternatives to industrial development. Along with volunteers, projects con-centrate on environmental education, restoration, preserving indigenous cultures andtraditions, and also promoting intercultural interaction.



Community Projects

Through our donation model, iJourneyGreen’s Travel Credits™ include charitable dona-tions to local community projects promoting sustainable community development andimplementing social programs directly in the regions travelers are visiting. Such pro-rams and projects o more general social programs which help these communities to

thrive amidst the effects of poverty. Here are two community projects we are partnered with that exemplify these traits:

• The Kranti Project, located in Mumbia, India, is a women’s rights organization thatrescues trafficked girls and socially disadvantaged young women by providing them with safe housing, a comprehensive education and personalized career opportunities.By equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to build ful-filling futures, the Kranti Project empowers these women to become agents of positivechange in their communities and the world.

• The Village Network Africa Project, located in the Kibaale District of Uganda, col-

laborates with rural villagers across communities in countries like Tanzania andUganda to implement sustainable improvements in water resources and health train-ing of volunteers. Village Network Africa is currently working in Terrat Ward in the Arusha District of Tanzania and assisting local communities by building rain catch-ment and check dam systems to provide clean water and to teach health promotionand disease prevention techniques to community members.

Your purchase of Travel Credits™ willhelp make your company a pioneer in

the world of sustainable travel!



PART II: OUR CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM

Why Choose a Corporate Membership?

At iJourneyGreen, we understand the many challenges that local businesses and strivingcompanies alike face when attempting to make sustainable practices a part of their daily operations. With these concerns in mind, iJourneyGreen has created an innovative Cor-porate Membership Program, allowing companies of all sizes to participate in giving back to the communities and environments they impact with their travels.

While our Travel Credit™ program provides individual travelers and groups of adventure-seekers with the opportunity to support sustainable travel initiatives, ourCorporate Membership Program also allows companies the ability to support and investin all aspects of sustainable tourism, from the ecological consequences to the cultural

impacts of global travel.

Chart II: Corporate Membership Table

We have four annual membership packages specifically tailored to the needs of busi-nesses and tour operators of different sizes. By buying into one of our membershippackages, a company can make a responsible decision to support sustainable tourism by purchasing a membership on behalf of its employees.

Each membership package also comes with a variety of perks that will enable companiesand tour operators to learn more about sustainability while benefitting from the causemarketing opportunities available to them as a result of partnership with iJourneyGreenon a membership level. For more specific details regarding the contents of each membership, please read on.



Corporate Membership Levels & Package Details

One Leaf Member:• Your company/business name on our website on our Partners Page• Blog feature written on your company and featured on iJourneyGreen’s website• Your company featured on our Facebook and Twitter feeds• Profile on your company featured in our monthly e-newsletter• iJourneyGreen members avatar/button provided for your website• iJourneyGreen stickers, bags, and other promotional materials shipped direct to

you

Two Leaf Member:•

All Benefits of One Leaf Membership Package• Press release on your company written by GoGreenPress.net• Press release written about your company will be featured on Earth-list.com, an

online hub of information about the latest eco news, green products, andenvironmentally friendly living

• Your company featured in our promotional press packets

Three Leaf Member:• All Benefits of the One Leaf Membership and Two Leaf Membership Packages• Partner’s information will be presented at quarterly lectures given to local

universities via iJourneyGreen as an opportunity that will market your company

as a support of sustainable practices.• Promotional material and profile on your business will be presented to San DiegoState University Students and University of California, San Diego students

• Funds donated from your membership to a local community project supported by your company. For example, one of our projects in Kenya, known as Widows forthe Environment, will plant a tree in their sustainable garden with a woodenplaque that will have your company's name painted on it

Four Leaf Member:• All Benefits of the One Leaf Membership,

Two Leaf Membership, and Three Leaf Membership Packages• iJourneyGreen Member For Life Button for your company’s website• Funds from your annual membership go toward the production of a wind turbine

to be built near a rural town in Peru and will help provide electricity to the localcommunity. Plaque with your company’s name will deem the wind turbine a giftfrom your company and images will be sent your company for promotional usethat will illustrate your company’s commitment to sustainability.

Online MarketingOpportunities

External MarketingOpportunities



PART III: TOUR OPERATORS AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

The Role of Travel Providers in Promoting Responsible Travel:

While the primary responsibility of a tour operator lies in connecting their clients to

some of the most beautiful travel destinations around the world, a tour operator’s com-mitment to sustainable tourism is becoming an increasingly important factor to moretravelers every year. No longer is the idea of ecotourism a quaint notion or a fleetingfixation of eco-conscious individuals; it is becoming an industry standard practice forthe tour operator and travel provider community.

In a recent survey conducted on UK travelers, it was noted that demand for sustainabletravel practices is rising, and that more “than 50% of tourists...endeavor to book ac-commodations that focus on minimizing negative impacts on the environment” (Adven-ture Travel News, June 12, 2011). In this way, it is clear that sustainable tourism nolonger resides in the realm of a niche market; it is a trend that many travelers want to

participate in. With this fact in mind, it is imperative that tour operators and travel providers of all sizes tailor to the needs of travelers and this new market of eco-conscious jetsetters.

However, sustainable tourism does not mean revamping every trip a tour operator offersin order to make it more eco-friendly; this would simply be inconvenient. To incorporatesustainable travel practices, tour operators need only provide their clients the option tominimize the impact of their travels on the environment and local communities in thetravel destination of their choice. By partnering with iJourneyGreen, this level of sus-tainability can be easily implemented by offering clients and travelers the option to pur-chase Travel Credits™ for a local environmental or community project of their choice.

Offering Your Clients Travel Credits™:

A tour operator’s attitude toward sustainable travel will inevitably have a lasting impacton their clients and the destinations, people, and cultures they plan to visit. By actively engaging in sustainable tourism practices, tour operators who choose to offer their cli-ents the opportunity to become responsible travelers through the purchase of TravelCredits™ will have have accomplished two noble pursuits - to allow their guests to makea meaningful and lasting connection to the places they visit and to positively impact thedestinations they serve as arbiters of sustainable tourism.

In order to tailor to the needs of individual tour operators, our non-profit will partner with your business in order to integrate our Travel Credit™ model into your tour opera-tor’s daily operations. A partnership could be as simply as this: you provide us with a listof travel destinations you offer guests and will provide you with a list of local environ-mental and community projects we are actively partnered near the destinations youserve. When clients decide to book a trip through your business, either you could allow them to donate to a project of their choice via a Travel Credit™ purchase or you could



purchase Travel Credits™ in bulk for a party of travelers booking a trip through yourtour operator. For a sample timeline of how this dynamic would function betweeniJourneyGreen and your business, please refer to Chart III: How It Works.

If a partnership of this nature interests your business and you would like to discuss youroptions, please feel free to contact us via our website, by e-mail, or by phone number.

Phone: U.S. - 949-616-5848Email: [email protected] Web: www.ijourneygreen.org

Chart III: How It Works

iJG calculates annual membership costs based on number of tours per year.

60 days before departure of the tour, TravelCredits™ will be purchased

EnvironmentalProject

iJG profiles Tour Operator on iJG Website,Facebook page, & Twitter feed

Community Project

60 days before the departure of the tour, iJG will send out packages to clients

iJG distributes funds to travelers’/tour opera-tor’s project of choice

http://www.ijourneygreen.org/

http://www.ijourneygreen.org/

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



PART IV: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What is iJourneyGreen?

iJourneyGreen is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides a way for travelers to

give back charitably to the people and places they visit.

2. How does iJourneyGreen choose its partners and projects?

We have chosen our partners through a mix of pre-existing relationships and continuedreviews of their progress. Additionally, we rely on reputable third-party organizations,to which we have

3. What is sustainable travel?

There is a lot of debate of what this term really means, but we think it is important to tell

you how iJourneyGreen views this definition. While we feel that travel is brilliant, wefeel that it needs to incorporate giving back to the cultures, environments, places andeco-systems we all enjoy visiting. To this end, we have created a platform that enablestravelers to travel responsibly and actively invest in the sustainability of every place wecherish in this world. Our annual membership packages both educate travelers, as wellas tangibly create change.

4. What is a Travel Credit™?

Travel Credits™ are the first ever truly holistic approach to making all forms of travel both green and sustainable for individuals and businesses. As travel impacts the envi-

ronments, the places and the people we visit, truly sustainable travel needs to supportand invest in all three. Thus, Travel Credits™ invest in environmental causes, microfi-nance, and social causes in the regions individuals and businesses visit. To learn moreclick here

5. Why purchase Travel Credits?

iJourneyGreen is changing the way in which we travel. With your donations, we are ableto ensure that the places we all love to visit are around for generations to come. By working with our trusted partners we can ensure money is directly invested in local projects helping to support environmental, social, and charitable causes.

6. Travel Credits™ vs. Carbon Offsets

One of our favorite descriptions of our organization was offered by someone just learn-ing about our Travel Credit™ program. She called iJourneyGreen, “Carbon Offset Plus”,signifying the next generation of offsets specifically for travelers. While Carbon Creditsoffer travelers a way to neutralize the carbon from their trip by balancing a measuredamount of carbon released with an equivalent offset, travelers impact many areas during



a standard trip beyond just carbon emissions. iJourneyGreen’s Travel Credit™ programinvests in all areas travelers impact on a trip: the environment, cultures, infrastructureand local resources.

7. How do Travel Credits™ create sustainability?

There is much debate on the true meaning of sustainable travel, but we think it is impor-tant to tell you how iJourneyGreen views this definition. We feel that real sustainabletravel is more inclusive than solely engaging in environmental preservation. It extends beyond environmental preservation to cultural preservation and the socioeconomic well-being of communities around the world. Thus, we have created a platform that en-ables travelers to travel responsibly, while actively investing in sustainability. Our TravelCredits™ tangibly create change through donations to grassroots environmental andcommunity projects in the region of a traveler’s choice.

8. How can your trip have a positive impact on the environment and local communities worldwide?

Our partner, CarbonFund.org, supports three types of carbon-offset projects: renewableenergy, energy efficiency and reforestation. While each is different, they all play an im-portant role in the fight against climate change. The projects CarbonFund.org supportsmeet the same high standards and certifications relied on by thousands of companies,organizations and governments to ensure quality environmental protection. We supporta combination of the three types of carbon offsets CarbonFund.org offers.

9. How are donations made?

We have spent a substantial amount of time determining which areas of the world wesupport based on travelers’ plans. As much as we’d like to promise that each TravelCredit™ could support a project in the specific destination a traveler is visiting, that isn’talways possible. There are many areas of the world (Arctic, Antarctic, remote parts of Africa/Asia) in which there are local projects we are not yet partnered with. With thisfact in mind, we make sure to donate travelers’ funds to the applicable region they are visiting. For instance, a traveler may visit Benin (a small country on the West coast of Africa) and there might not projects available there. In that instance, we would donateto projects within the same region – maybe Ghana or Nigeria – to ensure we are target-ing donations to the next best area.

10. What percentage do you take from each Travel Credit™ purchase and Membership Package?

iJourneyGreen receives a 20% fee from each Travel Credit™, a percentage which allowsus to continue expanding our network and assisting new causes around the world.

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Tour Operator & Business Brochure