Sustainable Travel & Tourism

Background

Sustainable Travel International (STI) is a leader in sustainable tourism development. The organization's mission is to promote sustainable development through responsible travel by providing programs that help travelers, businesses and destinations protect the environment, preserve cultural heritage and promote economic development.

Founded in 2002, STI is committed to providing education and outreach services that help travelers, travel providers and destinations support environmental conservation and protect cultural heritage while promoting cross-cultural understanding and economic development.

STI is dedicated to taking the holistic approach to addressing sustainable development within the travel and tourism industries by providing solutions-oriented programs that generate tangible results and affect long-lasting change.

Priorities

STI priorities include:

• Provide capacity development through education and training to travelers, the travel trade, and local stakeholders and assist them in making positive contributions to environmental conservation and socio-cultural sustainability.
• Develop, adopt, and promote sustainable tourism standards and industry best practices through the Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program (STEP) and other initiatives that are aligned with the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.
• Support the establishment of local travelers' philanthropy projects and investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry-related carbon offset projects that offer co-benefits and help to mitigate unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions.
• Empower destinations to use tourism and related market-based solutions to support sustainable development and generate tangible, measurable results that affect change.

Programs

Advisory Services - STI specializes in business and sustainable tourism development. They make use of professional experts when forming any given consulting team, which affords them great flexibility in where they are able to work and the types of projects taken on.

Book Travel - With STI you can book your trip with confidence. From eco-lodges in Alaska to community-based tourism in Zambia, STI provides a full range of sustainable and responsible travel options.

Buy Local Products - works with Brighter Futures, a venture that enables you to buy hand-crafted and fair-trade products directly from local villagers via the Internet.

Carbon Offsets - invests in clean energy and supports sustainable development while helping offset the CO2 emissions that result from your travel, home, or business.

Eco-Certification - designed to help travelers easily identify responsible tourism businesses and to help tourism businesses manage their impacts; lower costs through resource productivity and waste reduction while contributing to environmental conservation and the well-being of local people.

Eco-Directory - a unique destination guide aimed at helping travelers make responsible choices that only advertises eco-friendly tourism businesses.

Education & Training - provides education and training programs to tourism businesses, government agencies, and non-profits. STI's curricula is flexible, customized to the needs of the trainees, and can be delivered one-on-one or through workshops, training manuals, or on-line through distance learning.

Green Travel Market - designed for tourism businesses that want to 'green' their supply chains, this database features sustainable tourism products that are available in the global marketplace.

Membership - membership is open to individuals, tourism businesses and others who support and are committed to sustainable tourism.

Travelers' Philanthropy - helps to support community development, biodiversity conservation, and other environmental, socio-cultural and economic improvements. It also offers the opportunity to learn how to create a successful travel philanthropy program.

For more information place visit STI's website.

Bikes for the World

Based in Arlington, VA, Bikes for the World's mission is to assist the poor in overseas countries become more productive citizens by providing bicycles to nonprofit organizations abroad. These bicycles provide much needed transportation to work, school, healthcare, and recreation.

It's secondary focus is on creating a community of volunteers in America, based on the common goal of providing vehicles to improve the quality of life for the poor, by donating, collecting, storing, and shipping bicycles and spare parts.

Founded in 2005, the organization has already provided 31,000 bicycles to 15 organizations in ten countries and the US. It is the largest bicycle reuse program in America and has supplied bicycles to nonprofit agencies in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In 2007 Bikes for the World introduced the Rockville Youth Bicycle Program, a subsidiary program aimed at serving local youth in Montgomery, MD.

Bikes for the World Director, Keith Oberg say, "One point we would like to emphasize... we wish to join with others to foster a continent-wide movement to collect and donate  usable bicycles in developing countries, moving beyond our modest geographic footprint."

Please visit the site for more information on how you can get involved. This is a great organization for anyone interested in providing necessary tools to developing countries.

Cross Cultural Solutions

Cross Cultural Solutions, (CCS), is an international volunteer program that matches volunteers with local organizations to work on community led initiatives.  Their mission is "dedicated to the vision of a world where people value cultures different from their own, are aware of global issues, and are empowered to effect positive change."

Founded in 1995, CCS operates in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The organization offering three different volunteering experiences: Volunteer Abroad, Intern Abroad, and Insight Abroad. These programs range from from 1 to 12 weeks and volunteers have over 20 program sites to choose from. Volunteer placements are within the following categories: Caregiving, Community Development, Healthcare, and Teaching. The objective of volunteer placement is to match the immediate needs of the community with the skills and interests of each volunteer.

This organization is great for anyone who is interested in getting involved on a more international level. Or wishes to support the organization's global initiatives.