We all need to do better to save this planet.
We all can.
On June 23, 2019 we decided to put money where our mouth is. From now on:
We are a tiny family business and at the moment can’t afford to go through any costly certification processes. That would be nice, but we do what we do because we strongly believe that it is the right thing, and not for any fancy certificates. Also, we will keep you updated on social media, and that will keep us honest.
Keep going to learn more.
Icelandic soil and vegetation is extremely vulnerable to erosion and stresses, and just walking over plants may leave permanent damage. With all our activities, we strive to take only memories with us, and leave as little of a trace as possible. We ensure that we are not straying off established paths or damage sensitive plants, and bring a small garbage back for items that others may have inadvertently dropped. Even on the glacier, we ensure to leave as little trace of human activity as possible.
We are well aware that there is a carbon footprint associated with driving superjeeps, and while we have dreams of converting ours to a fully electric vehicle, this will be in the future and does not excuse us from taking immediate action.
We have already been tracking fuel usage for our bookkeeping, and are working with the Icelandic Carbon Fund to offset all carbon dioxide emissions from our tours. Combined with the reforestation we intend to do ourselves locally, this will make us effectively carbon negative.
Nevertheless, large vehicles are used only where strictly necessary and ridesharing (such as hotel pickup/dropoff for the tour) further reduces unnecessary fuel consumption.
Marine plastics are an immensely important topic, contributing to the starvation of marine species and birds alike, and the debris washes up even on the most remote stretches of Icelandic nature reserves. While we are in no position to remove debris from the ocean itself, we can do our share to avoid introducing them into the marine ecosystem. We dedicate one day per month to collect and remove debris from the shoreline, from road sides, and to participate in other restoration activities such as removing the damage caused by illegal off-road driving.
We will seek the collaboration of other companies and also invite volunteers to join us on these activities, and participants receive a 10% discount on any tours or stays booked directly with us. This discount is transferable to friends but non-refundable. We are still working out the best way to approach this, but we currently plan to announce cleanup days well in advance on social media (Facebook and Instagram).
Icelandic soil is very sensitive to erosion, and woody species can greatly reduce exposure to wind and protect the surrounding soil. We will set aside sections of our farm land that will no longer be used for grazing or hay and return it to natural vegetation (birch, arctic willow, and other native species).
As a mountain guide, I often to work in environments that are quite rough on my gear and clothing. Some think that as a professional guide one always needs to be wearing spotless clothing to be presentable, but why should an otherwise perfectly functional piece of clothing be retired because of a small rip or a stain? That is nothing but wasteful.
If clothing and gear needs to be replaced, we will prefer manufacturers that use recycled or sustainably sourced materials whenever possible.