The Southern Terrain (TST) has partnered with iJourneyGreen a non profit organization providing travel credits enabling our clients to work to save the environments and communities we visit on our adventures. iJpourneyGreen seeks to un-do the damage of travel; to ensure that generations of travelers will be able to be inspired by the same sites, cultures, people and places that we all love. They seek to be more than simply an educational resource, they strive to actually make a substantial change in our world.

 

What is a Travel Credit:

Travel credits™ are the first truly holistic approach to making all forms of travel both green and sustainable for individuals and businesses. As travel impacts the environments, the places and the people we visit, truly sustainable travel needs to support and invest in all three.

There are many organizations that work to protect elements of the world’s splendor, or assist those in need, but none that offer a travel credit™ that serves to protect all areas we impact as global travelers. This annual travel credit™ seeks to provide aid and assistance in four capacities:

1.Carbon Credits: Benefits the environment

Global warming is caused by the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels to provide the energy and services we use every day. We burn fossil fuels for electricity, our cars, flights and other transportation methods we use while traveling. As an industry, travel is one of the most harmful on the environment.

Carbon offsets enable individuals and businesses to reduce the CO2 emissions they are responsible for by offsetting, reducing or displacing the CO2 in another place. ijourneygreen’s carbon offsets include renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. By purchasing offsets, one can invest in projects that help offset the damage being done by the burning of fossil fuels in their activities – known as their carbon footprint. Being carbon neutral, or having a zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount offset.

2.Microfinance loans: Benefits the working poor

Microfinance is the supply of loans, savings, and other basic financial services to the poor. More than 50% of people in this world live on less than $2.50/day, are in the deepest levels of poverty, and are unable to use traditional banks to receive loans or other forms of aid. ijourneygreen works with the leading microfinance companies in the world to loan money to those in poverty in the areas we travel. We believe microfinance is the leading solution to alleviating global poverty.

3.Traditional Aid: Benefits: the non-working poor, infrastructure sustainability, disaster relief and environmental sustainability

We define traditional charitable giving as any sort of donation to a non-microfinance entity; a non-profit organization working to help the non-working poor, those too sick to work or in need of medical attention. Charities which assist in building infrastructure for the poor, such as homes, schools, churches, stores. Those which supply resources to the needy such as water, food, shelter. Assistance in the event of a natural or man-made disaster (tsunami relief, earthquake, war), or organizations working to improve the natural or man-made resources in a specific location (protecting the oceans, monuments, landscape etc.).

4.Education: Benefits businesses and individual travelers

ijourneygreen believes that educating travelers and organizations is another important tool in fighting to protect our planet and its resources. By providing education and outreach services to help travelers, travel providers and related organizations, we can fight to support environmental conservation, international culture, those living in poverty, and the world’s sites and wonders we all love to visit.