World Expedition - Index

World Expedition - booklet - Index

while you travel
“take only photos...leave only footprints”
This has been our motto for as long as we have been in
operation. Whether we are climbing a 7,000 metre peak or
trekking in Patagonia’s National Parks, we strive to live up to
this ideal. There are many ways that you can help us to
achieve our Responsible Travel aims, including:
� We always endeavor to leave a site in the same or if
possible better condition than we found it. In the past we
have organised expeditions to Everest Base Camp where
the sole purpose has been to clean up the site and trails
of other people’s rubbish. Our guides are trained to remove
rubbish from natural environments regardless of whether
the rubbish was produced by our travellers. You can help
out by collecting rubbish and disposing of it in the correct
manner.
� Many of the environments we visit are very fragile and it is
important to stick to the trail, even if it is muddy, slippery
or wet. Walking around muddy spots or along the edge of
the trail only extends them, compounding the problem and
makes unsightly new trails.
� Please be aware of where your feet are tramping. The
delicate flowers, herbs, ferns and lichens that grow
alongside trails are easily killed with 60 kgs of trekking boot
on them. Some mosses and lichens can take hundreds of
years to grow, and a few footsteps can contribute to
erosion and degradation of the vegetation.
� Please avoid the temptation to pick vegetation. Flowers are
the reproductive organs of the plant and if you pick them,
the chances of it reproducing will be greatly reduced or
eliminated. If appropriate, your leader may provide a
specimen for the whole group to examine and discuss,
rather than each person examining individually.
� Please do not take souvenir pieces from the environment,
especially from historic sites or delicate ecosystems such
as coral reefs.
� We pack it in and we always pack it out. Please ensure
that no scraps of paper, foil, plastic or other litter are left
on the trail or in camp, no matter how small.
� We recommend that you carry a small plastic bag for your
trail-generated waste that can be emptied into our group
rubbish in camp.
� Local people will often have a different outlook on the
disposal of wastes. This is not to say that they do not care
for their environment. Some communities have undergone
a very rapid shift from a rural or subsistence lifestyle to an
urban form of living. Under subsistence conditions most
disposal waste is made up of natural organic products
which, when left on the ground quickly decompose or are
eaten by animals. With the introduction of disposable
technology and packaging, plastics and foils, which may
take hundreds of years to break down, have replaced some
of this natural waste. The culture change and infrastructure
required to deal with these new waste materials may still
be embryonic.
*WORLD EXPEDITIONS PURCHASES ALL OF ITS FOOD IN REGIONAL CENTERS IN
BULK, MINIMISING OUR WASTE PACKAGING, ENSURING QUALITY, BUT MOST
IMPORTANTLY ELIMINATING THE STRAIN ON REMOTE COMMUNITIES TO SUPPLY
OUR FOOD. IN SOME REMOTE DESTINATIONS FOOD IS VERY LIMITED IN SUPPLY.
DUE TO WESTERN TRAVELLERS RELYING ON THESE COMMUNITIES FOR RE-
SUPPLY, THE COST OF FOOD CAN BE PUSHED BEYOND THE REACH OF THE
LOCAL PEOPLE AND IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT
CONTRIBUTE TO THIS.
15