Saving Ourselves, Saving the Planet, Together

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Though much of my career has been dedicated to shining a light on tourism that sustains wildlife, communities, and promotes connections across cultures, I can do more. It’s vital that we all do more. Today, I became a signatory to Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency and the Glasgow Declaration. If you are part of the trillion-dollar global travel industry, I urge you to do so, also. The pledge:

“We declare our shared commitment to unite all stakeholders in transforming tourism to deliver effective climate action.

“We support the global commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050.

“We will consistently align our actions with the latest scientific recommendations, so as to ensure our approach remains consistent with a rise of no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

“As a signatory, we commit to:

  1. Deliver a climate action plan within 12 months of signing.

  2. Report publicly both progress against interim and long-term targets, as well as the actions being taken, at least annually.

  3. Align our plan with five shared pathways (measure, decarbonize, regenerate, collaborate, finance) to ensure climate action is consistent across all of tourism.

  4. Share information on activities connected to Tourism Declares and/or the Glasgow Declaration among contacts and networks.

  5. Work in a collaborative and constructive spirit with other members of Tourism Declares and/or signatories of the Glasgow Declaration.”

I have also joined the 1% for the Planet organization, committing to donate at least one percent of my total sales/salary to environmental causes.

And I am leaning into my volunteer work as a board member of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund, a nonprofit foundation and community which raises money for wildlife conservation and cultural preservation projects that are nature-based solutions to the climate emergency. We are always looking for partners, collaborators, volunteers, and funders, hint hint.

Is it enough? Not nearly. We need everyone working to confront the greatest challenge of our times. And action, not just words, are needed. As Greta Thunberg says, “Enough blah blah blah.” Together we can do this. Join me!