Sustainability, diversity & inclusivity considerations for travel programs

Stanford put this document together to share with our operators when we start talking with them about during our trip planning. It highlights Stanford’s priorities around sustainability and diversity. I thought it might be helpful to other members of our community. Please me know if anything is missing or or if you have questions. Please comment below or email me at ecasperson@stanford.edu. Best wishes, Emily

Stanford Travel/Study would like to make our programs more sustainable and beneficial to local communities. Below are some ideas for how we would like to partner with you to achieve this. If you have additional ideas, we would love to hear them. Your Stanford partners may have some ideas or Stanford connections to incorporate as well. While we realize that not everything in the list is appropriate for every destination, we encourage you to include as many as possible.
Programming
● Visit environmental or community-based projects that address local needs or concerns
○ An area where native plants and animals are being protected, rehabilitated or reintroduced
○ A business or an organization that produces something or provides a service of particular value to the community
○ A cultural center dedicated to preserving and teaching the culture’s history, values or traditions
○ An organization that works to develop the local economy by creating opportunities for smaller, more marginalized producers in their communities
○ A school/university that teaches in-demand skills or serves a particular segment of the greater community
● Help travelers learn about local issues, history, contemporary challenges and achievements by highlighting the voices and perspectives of those who have personal experience in the areas we visit
○ Tour a unique town or neighborhood with a local conservationist and learn about efforts to preserve the area’s history and architecture.
○ Meet with residents of that town or neighborhood over lunch and hear their personal stories about living in an area that is continuously threatened by urban development and/or environmental pressures.
○ Meet with teachers of a local school/university to learn how their education system works and what challenges and accomplishments they think about the most.
○ Meet with immigrant communities to learn their histories and how their minority communities fit into the greater society of the country they live in.
○ Arrange guest lectures with local experts–University professors, politicians, journalists, clergy, sociologists.
○ Visit organizations or individuals that are creating innovative products or new methods of working in ways that positively impact the local community and/or the world at large.
● Highlight local artisans and prioritize vendors who give back to local communities
○ Visit the atelier of a craftsperson whose creations, whether traditional or innovative, are unique to the local community/culture
○ Visit a restaurant/cooking school that creates a specialty of the region using local produce
○ Visit the maker of a local speciality (honey, cheese, oil, wine, etc) that is using local and/or sustainable techniques

Single-use items
● No individual plastic water bottles. Our goal is to eliminate their use on all our programs in 2023.
● Avoid printouts (such as daily schedules and restaurant menus)
● No plastic bags

Accommodations (hotels, ships, trains
● They should have a local, sustainable focus with as many of the following as possible:
○ Renewable energy sources
○ Composting and or recycling
○ Eco-friendly cleaning supplies
○ Sustainability practices (such as linen reuse)
○ Sustainably sourced building materials
○ No single-use bathroom products (such as individual shampoos, lotions, etc.)
○ No printed cards on beds
○ Fair hiring practices
○ Livable wage for staff
○ Community outreach programs

Meals
● Use locally-sourced food
● Offer plant-based options and have at least one meal that is fully plant-based
● Prioritize restaurants with food waste programs
● Patronize smaller, local restaurants rather than hotel restaurants
● Serve tap water if potable
● Use reusable plates, utensils, etc.
● Wrap to-go items in compostable containers, paper bags, banana leaves instead of plastic, etc.
● Avoid styrofoam containers, plates or cups
● Avoid plastic straws

Transportation
● Plan itineraries to minimize or economize travel times and distances
● Turn off buses/vehicles when not in use
● Use diesel-free or electric vehicles when possible

Carbon offsets
T/S is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2025. We are developing some ideas about how we can partner to achieve this and are interested in hearing your ideas as well.