In Pursuit of Green

Tourism Pure's Environmental Policy

"Ecotourism is travel to natural places that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people."

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

To this TIES definition, I would add "and that incorporates education and mutual respect."

Overview :

Tourism Pure offers guided nature walking tours, for small groups, primarily in remote areas of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland.

Mayo is on the Atlantic Ocean, in the West of Ireland and is one of the country’s least populated counties. Our walks are on The Bangor Trail, a remote waymarked way through the blanket bogs and mountains of Ballycroy National Park, as well as on The Mullet Peninsula, the uninhabited Iniskea Islands,The Western Way and other beautiful places throughout the county.

It is our overall aim to provide travellers with a fantastic holiday, at little or no cost to the environment.

It is my firm policy that Tourism Pure will pursue a goal of giving tourists a memorable, enjoyable and educative time in the West of Ireland, while ensuring that our groups minimise their impact on the natural environment, its flora and fauna.

This Environmental Policy covers :

1. Waste
2. Conservation
3. Transport
4. Energy consumption
5. Water
6. Suppliers

1.  Waste :

We ensure that :

1. All packed lunches include no removable packaging whatsoever (e.g. no chocolate wrapping, no cellophane, etc.).
2. All packed lunches are in re-usable and ultimately recyclable containers.
3. All travellers are asked not to drop any litter anywhere.
4. As a group, we leave no trace.
5. Solid human waste is correctly removed from the countryside.
6. Liquid human waste is deposited sufficiently far away from water courses.
7. All raw food waste is composted.
8. No food waste, whether cooked or not, is left out in the environment.
9. When we encounter small scale waste (plastic bottles, etc.) on our walks, we collect it and dispose of it correctly, whenever possible.

2.  Conservation :

We distribute information on and inform guests of environmental damage minimisation, covering the following points :

1. That travellers make every effort not to damage the natural environment, flora and fauna.
2. Specifically, that travellers not pick flowers or other plants, break branches of trees and shrubs, intentionally disturb animals or their lairs and nests, etc.
3. That travellers stick to the paths and not trample on plants.
4. That travellers take their lead from the tour leader as to where to walk and where not.
5. That travellers not leave the walking group to pursue their own path.
6. That travellers “take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints and kill nothing but time”. We take these principles very seriously.

I am a registered Trainer of Leave No Trace principles with Leave No Trace Ireland.

3.  Transport :

We encourage tourists to come to Mayo by public transport (bus or rail).

While in Mayo, where possible, we use public transport. However, as Mayo is very rural and under-populated, this is not always possible. In this case, all vehicles we require for local transportation, where privately held, are recent models, in good condition and cause minimal pollution. As a minimum, we car pool.

4.  Energy consumption :

In my own home, we have two space heating wood-burning stoves. We do not burn coal or turf. We have reduced our electricity consumption by 22% over the last four years. We use Airtricity (renewable energy) as our electricity supplier, have a well insulated attic and employ energy efficient CFL bulbs.

The mountain bothy we use as accommodation, while out walking, uses no energy whatsoever. Our primary accommodation partner, the B&B and self-catering apartment we employ, uses 100% renewable energies and low-energy LED bulbs throughout. They are also customers of Airtricity.

5.  Water :

I distribute information on water conservation to all travellers, covering the following points :

1. That travellers not leave taps running unnecessarily.
2. That travellers only use as much water in showers as is necessary.
3. That travellers not take baths.
4. That travellers generally not waste water.  

6.  Suppliers :

Where possible, we use only local, County Mayo based suppliers of food. Where this is not possible, we purchase non-local food from exclusively local-owned retailers. We avoid purchasing from large national or multi-national supermarkets, etc.

We request the same from our accommodation provider. Our principal accommodation provider also has her own vegetable garden.

All accommodation providers and additional local guides employed on a sporadic basis are local to the areas walked in. The boat we use to access the Iniskea islands is run by an environmentally responsible operator and he has been given a copy of Ecotourism Australia’s relevant guidelines for motorised boats from their Eco Certification programme.