Policy Aims:
Our
mission statement is simple: “Nature is the adventure”. With this in mind we
have tailored all our trips in such a way that they do not harm or
effect the nature. We always inform all our clients of how to take part
and pass through nature without leaving a mark.
We are a Leave No Trace company.
Environmental Responsibility:
When
we need transport between places or transfer of luggage or supplies we
offset the carbon emission through the Icelandic Carbon fund
(www.kolvidur.is).
We also take part in the Icelandic Nature
Conservation organization (www.natturuverndarsamtok.is) and through
them are involved in supervision over constructions in the
highlands of Iceland. The organization is a public forum that issues
statements and gives their opinion on all matters concerning
construction in the Icelandic nature.
We recycle as much of
our waste as possible; in our office and at our base camps. On tours we take all waste with us and dispose of it
after the trip.
We run our day to day operations out of Iceland's first eco-friendly, sustainable (solar & wind) straw-bale house based in Skaftafell National park. This straw-bale house was built by our team of guides almost entirely out of recycled materials.
At
the start of every trip we will provide participants with information
on how best to pass through without leaving their mark, so future
generations can visit these special places in their natural, unspoiled state.
We run our own guide school here in
Iceland where we train our guides. Environmental matters are basically imprinted in all Icelanders. We are the only nation that
depends solely on renewable energies for heating our houses and
creating electricity (no fossil fuels except for cars). The
conservation of electricity here in Iceland is therefore not the same issue as it is elsewhere in Europe. We also have an abundant supply of
water due to heavy rain and snowfall. In addition to that
the Icelandic nature is so unspoiled that all running water in Iceland
is fit for drinking, right out of the rivers and streams. Hence,
bottled water is not an environmental concern, it is not used on any of
our trips.
Social Responsibility:
We employ guides with local experience and knowledge and people that are passionate about their environment and its conservation.
Every
single trip we operate is genuinely Icelandic, packed lunches are made
with Icelandic ingredients. If we dine in restaurants we choose Icelandic restaurants such as Rauða Húsið or Hafið Bláa, seafood restaurants in
the small towns of Eyrarbakki and Stokkseyri on the North Atlantic
coast. All of our services are performed in the countryside or highlands
and we are fiercely local, using only hostels, guesthouses or hotels
where we have a personal relationship with its owners and staff. These
include Frost and Fire guesthouse in Hveragerði and under
Vatnajökull glacier, Hótel Hekla and Hótel Gullfoss.