Responsible Tourism: free evening of industry expert talks (in person and online)

Tourism is responsible for roughly 8% of the world’s carbon emissions (source: Nature Climate Change, 2018). From flights and boat rides to souvenirs and accommodation, multiple activities contribute to tourism’s high carbon footprint. So your decisions matter and make a difference.

Before you book your summer holiday, join us for a 1.5 hour long evening of talks from sustainable travel industry experts, followed by a Q&A, for the facts and advice on how you can travel more sustainably.

We are thrilled to welcome a stellar expert panel of:

* Anna Hughes from Flight Free UK - a charity that encourages people to travel without flying
* Zoe Thomas from Travel Matters - a B Corp travel agent that focus on conservation, not destruction and strive to leave minimal traces behind.
* Byway - a flight-free travel b-corp, and first-of-its-kind routing technology that uses two million miles of local expertise to build trips by land and sea .

Sustainable tourism is aimed at increasing the benefits and reducing the negative impacts of tourism – on people, places and the planet - which for most of us can be boiled down to:

• Reducing the climate impact by your transport choices (trains are 13 times more eco-friendly than planes). Consider slow, multi-stop travel, making the journey as important as the destination
• Protecting natural environments, resources, heritage and culture and reducing over-tourism by avoiding the hubs
• Using sustainable providers that promote fair socio-economic benefits for communities and combat over tourism

Find out how, get the facts, hear the stats, ask the questions, absorb the advice and get packing!

* Refreshments available

* Livestream available on the evening at the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group YouTube channel, with permanent access thereafter

ABOUT ...

ANNA HUGHES and FLIGHT FREE UK ...
Flight Free UK was set up in 2018 by ANNA HUGHES, a behaviour change specialist, life-long environmentalist and long-time advocate of flight-free travel, who has worked in sustainable travel since 2008 and gave up flying 15 years ago.

Prompted by the IPCC '12 year' report, and inspired by the Swedish flygfritt (flight free) movement, Flight Free UK is a charity that positively informs, empowers and encourages people to travel without flying. It launched its first 'flight free year' pledge in 2019, and continues to encourage people, through their Flight Free Challenge, to take one year off flying: to reduce emissions, break a habit and try the alternatives.

Part of the Stay Grounded Network, Flight Free UK’s collective action also puts pressure on government and industry to make low-carbon travel more accessible, while working with pressure groups on the likes of resisting airport expansion, demanding fair taxation, and exposing government and industry greenwash.

ZOE THOMAS and TRAVEL MATTERS ...
Zoe Thomas is an experienced travel designer specialising in tailor-made holidays and small group tours for Travel Matters’ clients. She brings a rich and varied background shaped by her involvement in international NGO initiatives, including several years living in Sri Lanka and Malawi with her young family.

With over two decades of experience, Travel Matters has built its reputation on creating high-quality holidays that minimise negative impacts while maximising positive outcomes. Beyond trip design, the company is committed to educating travellers on how they can continue to make a meaningful difference through their future adventures.

Their 'Make Travel Matter Campaign' reflects this ethos, promoting travel as a privilege and encouraging more conscious choices that positively impact the people and places visited.
Since 2023, Travel Matters has been accredited as a certified B Corp™, and has developed comprehensive guidance for like-minded businesses seeking to strengthen their own sustainability commitments through the 'Travel Matters Sustainability Vision'.

BYWAYS ...

BYWAY is a Travel B-corp offering 100% flight free trips .It was founded by Cat Jones, who explains: "As we've become more aware of the impact of air travel on the climate, the environmental need for simpler flight-free travel has become urgent, and as the pandemic hit, I knew the time had come for this type of travel to take centre stage. So I founded Byway to make by land and sea easy, and to help more people discover the joys of flight-free travel.”

Their packages allow travellers to slow down to appreciate lesser-known locations, bypass touristy hotspots and feel like they're discovering the world on their terms, while taking away the pain of organising and booking these experiences.

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