H+I partners with 1% for the Planet
Why now?
Local communities have always been at the heart of everything we do. Since we ran our first tours in the Highlands of Scotland we’ve partnered with local guides; stayed in small, family-run accommodations; used local transport companies; and championed local produce. It’s a no-brainer for us because, not only does it provide a more immersive and authentic experience for our riders, but it also ensures that around 70% of the income generated from our tours stays in these communities, contributing to a sustainable living for local people and allowing them to remain in the places they love.
More recently we have been widening our focus beyond people to planet, and considering the impact our activities have on the environment of the places in which we travel, and the planet more generally. This has led us to start working on a formal sustainability strategy to measure and address our environmental and social impact.
This feels like a mammoth task and one which will take time, resources, commitment, and will no doubt result in plenty of mistakes along the way, but we’re putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward.
Why 1% for the Planet?
Our partnership with 1% for the Planet is one aspect of our sustainability strategy, allowing us to support environmental organisations around the world. It is a globally recognised and respected organisation – founded by Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia and Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies – whose mission is “to accelerate smart environmental giving and prevent greenwashing.” 1% for the Planet makes environmental giving easy and effective through partnership advising, impact storytelling, and third-party certification. To date, 1% for the Planet has certified more than $700 million of environmental giving.
As a small team with limited resources, having the ability to tap into the 1% for the Planet network and systems allows us to donate 1% of annual sales to approved environmental organisations, without a huge administrative burden.
We will work with a small number of environmental partners through 1% for the Planet, to whom we believe we can offer meaningful support and whose missions and values best align with our own.
What this means is that, when you book on one of our adventures, 1% of your tour price will be donated to the environmental organisations with whom we’re working through our 1% for the Planet membership.
We’ll be revealing more soon on our environmental partners but in the meantime, if you’re not familiar with 1% for the Planet, why not read up on what they do?
