Sustainability & Environment
This statement provides an outline of how myGuidedWalks operates so as to have a positive overall impact on the environment and sustainability and how we work to improve in these areas.
myGuidedWalks has both a natural focus and personal interest in the environment within which we live and operate as well as the wider world around us. All of our activities include an element of sharing knowledge with our clients on the ecology, nature and its conservation. As more and more people have discovered the outdoors over the last few difficult years there is now an even greater need to influence and educate people in the protection of these often delicate ecosystems.
myGuidedWalks:
Is committed to having a positive overall impact on the environment.
Activities all include an element of educating and influencing people about the environment, its conservation, restoration and threats it faces as well as the positive benefits it brings. The majority of our activities take place around the Dark Peak and other moorland areas of the Peak District and so the importance of peat bog ecology and carbon capture as well as the preservation of the nature it supports plays an important part in this element of our activities.
Ensures a “Leave no trace” approach is followed and highlighted on all our activities. It is common that we return from activities with more than we started with, usually in the form of plastic waste and helium balloons I have collected.
Continues to support and promote local groups who help achieve these aims such as the Moors For The Future Partnership and the Peak District National Park Foundation. In addition to financial contributions which can be opted into as part of our booking process we volunteer for activities that support moorland restoration and the education of the public.
Always considers our and our customers' environmental impact and look for ways to improve the way we operate.
Took the decision to set up our business without any new physical facilities. As such we have already limited our impact in a significant way and we will continue to operate almost exclusively outdoors without the use of indoor classrooms (and their associated heating and lighting) including for our navigation training and all other activities. We will continue to support existing local facilities such as cafes that follow a locally baked/grown/sourced and fair-trade approach.
We have a very minimal requirement for products and consumables other than our own clothing. Our clients either bring their own food or purchase/consume at local stores / businesses. If making any clothing purchases, choosing natural fibres such as merino will be our preference where possible.
Minimise our business travel for training, meetings and conferences as much as practical, seeking online/virtual opportunities where possible.
Cut travel emissions through the electric/hydrogen/hybrid or other appropriate technologies at the time of replacement of my existing car (purchased as a green / eco model at the time of purchase). Advice suggests it would not make environmental sense to replace it with electric at present (factoring in running emissions vs EV car production emissions).
Facilitate and encourage the use of public transport as much as possible for our activities through the choice of locations, timings and provision of information as well as supporting a flexible approach to start and finish times to match transport choices.
Action Plan 2023/2024
myGuidedWalks aim to:
Continue to look for opportunities to support the work of the Moors For The Future Partnership or other similar organisations through volunteering, with a target of 5% of our activity hours to be allocated to volunteering. For us this is more realistic than providing financial support.
To assess our website and social media presence in order to increase our focus on sharing information about the environment and sustainability.
To seek ways to improve our overall impact on the environment and further minimise the emissions related to our and our customers activities.