In our own operations, such as our “office” and our country home Erkkilä, we are ambitious to reach carbon neutrality by the year 2025. This is done through various actions such as increasing renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.), storing carbon dioxide in carbon sinks (forest, wooden buildings, etc.) and reducing our carbon emissions on a daily basis (using local food and materials, using a more ecological way of transport, etc.).

Our country home Erkkilä is an old farm and each of its buildings are made of wood. The wooden buildings can hold up to 1 ton of carbon dioxide per cubic meter of wood, which makes them excellent carbon sinks. The surrounding area is our own property which gives us a possibility to control the land use. Our 19 hectares of forest around is managed in a sustainable way according to the Finnish forestry standards. All waste is managed properly and recycled through the local waste management processes. Food in Erkkilä is partly produced by ourselves (vegetables) as well as collected from the forest (berries, herbs, and mushrooms). Purchased food is mostly locally produced, red meat is hardly ever used as we prefer fish and other white meat.

In Erkkilä, we aim to grow more of our own food and to use more extensively wild food. We also aim to increase the share of vegetarian food. In our accommodation we are committed to use local and recycled materials as much as possible and install solar panels to increase the level of self sufficiency. This is supported with renewable energy through the local electrical grid. In order to maintain recycling efficient, we guide our guests through the recycling process and advise them in managing waste during their stay. Guests are always introduced to the surrounding nature and taught about the ways of taking advantage of the forest in a sustainable way through herb, berry or mushroom picking.

We don’t have a physical office which means that we are working from home constantly. Our “home offices” run on renewable energy supplied through the local energy grid. Working from home also means that we don’t need to use any kind of transportation during a normal working day. On our trips to test and audit our service providers we try to use as carbon efficient transportation as possible. 

To show our dedication towards an even higher level of sustainability in our operations we have taken part in Sustainable Travel Finland program. To achieve the Sustainable Travel Finland label we are committed not only to act in a sustainable way but also to apply for a certification to verify our sustainable actions. 

All of our actions and operations are managed in an economically sustainable way. This means that we aim for controlled growth as well as investing in our own operations to reach a steady future for our company, partners and employees. Read more about our social responsibility in our Social Responsibility Strategy. 

In tour planning sustainability has been one of our top priorities along with providing unique and unforgettable experiences for our guests. As a tour operator we have an opportunity not only choosing sustainable service providers but also to demand our service providers to demonstrate a wider sustainability in their services.

In general our aim to reach a higher level of sustainability in our tour planning is to design tours in a way that direct flights to the destination are used as often as possible. Also longer stays are preferred in order to maximize the positive impact on the local society and to lower the negative impact of the travelling.

For transfers between and in the destination we try to use public transportation but this is not possible everywhere. This means that moving from a place to another our guests use train, bus or other public transportation whenever it is possible. Shorter distances are usually covered by feet, bicycle or other man-powered way to reach not only a more ecological way of moving but to being able to enjoy the journey to the fullest. Whenever public transportation is not available we use the least polluting way of moving.

Activities in our tours are always tested and audited by us. This helps us to ensure the safety and quality of the activity. In order to plan sustainable tours, activities must also be sustainable. This means that we prefer to use activities that are man-powered. In activities that require machines for power we prefer activities that are done in a more ecological way, for example using electric motors if possible.

Accommodation providers in our tours are also tested and audited by us. This gives us a chance to get to know more about the sustainable solutions made in each place. Some of the things that we consider when choosing an accommodation is their way of heating, location, services and sustainable values. We aim to be able to use accommodation options with sustainability certifications in the future but more importantly choose accommodation sharing our sustainable values.

Meals are often included in our tours. Included meals play an important role in our guests' experience and this is why we want to provide pure, high quality food on our tours that is sustainable and promotes local cuisine. We prefer restaurants that use locally produced ingredients and seasonal delicacies, restaurants that offer vegetarian and vegan options as well as small local catering that offer a meal prepared just for our guests to minimize the food waste.

Our new Low Carbon Tours are a step towards a more sustainable travelling and travel planning. These tours are designed to be as sustainable as possible and adventurous at the same time. With our Low Carbon Tours we are still in a testing phase, but we are confident that these tours will increase sustainability in travelling as well as provide beautiful experiences and unique moments to our guests now and in the future.

In our Low Carbon Tours every activity is human-powered. This means walking, hiking, kayaking, cycling and much more. Every transportation is as ecological as possible, meaning the use of public transportation such as trains and buses at longer distances. Shorter distances are always covered by bike, feet or other human-powered way. 

Every meal included in our Low Carbon Tours is vegetarian, vegan or prepared from local ingredients. In every location there are sustainable cafés and restaurants recommended by us. Every accommodation in these tours is either certified or shares the same sustainable values with us. These certifications can represent ecological, social or cultural sustainability.

In all our tours we provide authentic local culture, such as history, arts or music. This gives our guests an opportunity to learn about the local way of life. Every guide on Low Carbon Tours is a professional local guide to ensure a better and safer experience for our guests. Every activity, accommodation and sight is tested and audited by us and meets our sustainable criteria and values.

Firstly, you have already done one sustainable act by choosing us, Finland and the Nordics as your travel destination. This means that you have chosen a politically stable and safe destination where tourism is managed in a sustainable way. 

Next thing to do is to decide how long your stay will be. Longer stays are more sustainable but unfortunately, we often cannot influence the duration of our holiday.  Before arriving, we recommend reading a little about the culture and history of your destination. This might give you important information about local people and the way things work. 

Your way of transportation affects highly on the sustainability of travelling. There might be other options than flights, depending on where you are travelling from. For example, trains work quite well in Europe and you might be able to connect multiple destinations on your way. If you choose a flight, go for a direct flight. Most of the CO2 -emissions are created while taking off. This is why we have tried to design our tours so that direct flights could be used as often as possible.

Use a reusable water bottle, the tap water here is totally safe and it tastes good

Recycle your waste, and if there is no waste bin near, store the waste in your backpack until you find one

All bottles are recyclable here and you even get some money back when returning them to grocery stores

When buying groceries try to find local products, here in Finland we use white and blue labels, usually with our flag on it

Prefer small local businesses, restaurants and cafés instead of big corporations

Choose vegetarian or vegan meals, in Finland we have pure and high quality ingredients as well as really nice vegetarian and vegan options in almost every restaurant

Our cities are easily walkable, so choose to bike or walk instead of other transportation

Respect local laws and regulations