Our Sustainability Policy
To ensure our tourism business is viable in the long term, we at Two Rock Outdoor will endeavour to protect and enhance the environment on which our livelihood depends, ensuring an outstanding experience for our clients. To ensure this we are committed to educating ourselves and learning from the authorities on the subject. We have undertaken trainer training from Leave no Trace Ireland, Sustainable Travel Ireland certification and completed studies in Enviornement, Sustainability and Climate.
Sustainability Policy
Two Rock Outdoor
2024
To ensure our tourism business is viable in the long term, we at
Two Rock Outdoor[A2] will endeavour to protect
and enhance the environment on which our livelihood depends, ensuring an
outstanding experience for our clients. To ensure this we are committed to
educating ourselves and learning from the authorities on the subject,
furthermore endeavouring to be generous with our own time knowledge. We have
undertaken trainer training from Leave no Trace Ireland, Sustainable Tourism Network certification and completed studies in Environment,
Sustainability and Climate.
Our sustainability policy is a working document and
is reviewed and updated at regular intervals. This will be displayed clearly on
our website for transparency and accountability. Sustainability policies come
in many different formats; this policy compliments our Sustainability page and
our sustainability policy is signed by our general manager.[A3]
We aspire
to:
· Ensure a fair economic advantage to all communities
we visit.
· Minimise as much as possible our economic, social
and environmental impacts.
· Commit to align ourselves with the UN Sustainable
Development Goals and changing models for a more sustainable tourism sector
We view climate change as an issue of 'complexity'
with interlinked thresholds and tipping points; that pollution, ocean
acidification, biodiversity loss, global warming, economics, ozone layer
depletion, Carbon and Methane emissions as per our planetary boundaries are
interrelated and a holistic approach to sustainability must urgently be taken.
We agree to embrace transparency and accountability as our sustainability
pillars as we map out our route to becoming a more sustainable business.
1.
Vision/mission/company
ethos[A4]
At Two Rock
outdoor every hike, event and tour is led with safety, conservation and preservation
at its foundation, this is the heart of our business.
We believe
in education through experience, keeping group sizes small and a practical
application of absolute minimum to no impact on locations we visit, working not just to preserve but improve these areas. We further work
to not just to protect but improve where possible the environment and
ecosystems on which our business depends.
It is our vision
to facilitate sustainable growth in the area of hillwalking and climbing on the
Island of Ireland and become an industry leader in the area of sustainable
mountain recreation. We are aware that our business activities impact upon the
environment and we are fully committed to alleviating these negative impacts.
2.
UN
Tourism Definition
At
Two Rock Outdoor, we believe that sustainable tourism is tourism that takes
full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental
impacts while addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment,
and host communities (UNWTO, n.d.). We therefore aim to reduce our negative
effects and increase our positive impacts.
3.
Continuous Improvement[A5]
We’re
committed to continuous improvement. We know we have a lot to do, and this is just the start, but we
acknowledge that this is a journey not a destination and a journey we will take
with our customers to grow with and in a fashion that protects, sustains and
enhances the areas we visit.
We actively seek
ways to reverse the impacts of our footfall. Since the last update we have
attended peatlands restoration work with NPWS and habitat regeneration with
ReWild Wicklow. We are now active members of the Mountaineering Ireland Climate
working group.
4. Measuring
and reducing negative impacts
We are taking active
steps to measure and reduce the impacts of our business in terms of energy
use, water use and generation of waste.
4.a Energy consumption
We commit
to measuring our electricity consumption every 3 months for now and
do the following to reduce consumption. We will increase frequency when we have
an established a fixed office space as much of our time is spent "on the
road".
Currently our energy supplier, Electric
Ireland sources 77.2% of it’s energy from renewable source
We will:[A6]
- Get an energy baseline measurement
to improve month on month, year on year.
- Installed LCD lights (75% complete
2022, now almost 100%)
- Air dry 100% of our washing.
- Double glazed windows have been
installed.
- Switch off appliances when not in
use.
- Our future plans – air to heat
system in our place of work, be paperless by 2023, ensure our energy
network supplier is a green one reducing our carbon footprint. Update; not
yet paperless, we now realise this may not be completely possible as we
still require maps for navigation courses, we still use envelopes and
require paperwork for vehicle document management. All paper used is fsc
certified. We now use a nfc business card made from wood so we do not
require paper business cards.
Our ultimate goal is to reduce our carbon footprint. Above is a list of some of our objectives but this is not exhaustive. We will be conscious in our consumption day to day creating small habits that will add to a large saving in the long term. We are now committed to measuring our electricity consumption every 3 months, as we are a small business, we spend a good portion of our time away from our office/household this can be weeks or even months, we will do our best to record as the opportunities present.
Our current office is not our forever home but we aim to improve in measuring and mitigating our energy consumption as we grow and newer technologies become available. As mentioned above; we further extend this to times when we use hotels and B&B accommodation. On these occasions we aim not to use excessive heat, turn off all appliances and lights when away from our room and we will seek our providers with values on sustainability that match our own.
Ultimately, we aim to reduce our energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we will explore renewable energy options, we have installed a solar panel in our van which is used to charge phones and power laptops when we are on the road.
4.b Water consumption
We will measure
our water use at the water meter in the business every 2 months and do the
following to reduce consumption frame and reduce consumption by:
- Around 70% of vehicle washes use
waterless cleaning products
- We have 2 water butts for
harvesting rainwater for gardening purposes
- What we plan in the household:
Shower head, aerator for taps, enviro cleaning products, wastewater
treatment, water harvesting, appliances on eco mode, measure and
re-measure
We commit to
measuring our water usage with the aim of a 10% reduction across a 12-month
period. Comparing available data between a 4 month period in 2022 and the same
time in 2023 we saw an increase of 13% in household water usage in the same
period, we must be accountable and must now identify the reasons for this
increase and continue to measure and push for a reduction in our use of natural[A9] resources moving forward. Update; there
are now 6 family members in the household. Including a newborn with
construction beginning on an extension. We will continue to monitor our water
usage but expect an increase in the year ahead.
4.c Waste production[A10]
We commit to
measuring our waste consumption every month and do the following to reduce
consumption:
Take larger
items to the recycling centre
Provide
recycling options on board our vehicles
We consider the
waste we bring with us on the hills and during picnics. To reduce this, we
offer snack options with local coffee shops and coffee trailers. We engage with
our providers, encouraging the use of compostable or ‘keep’ cups.
We make our own
lunches at home packaging in washable containers
We are firmly
against the use of single use plastic and have not purchased a single use
plastic bottle since 2019. Our current aim is to be completely zero single-use
plastic by our next review in March 2023. In line with the EU Directive on
single-use plastics we apply this to:
- Water bottles and containers
- Coffee Cups containing plastic
- Toiletries
- Lunch and Dinner containers
- Balloons
- Plastic Bags
- Wet Wipes
Where suitable
and affordable alternatives are available, we will always choose this option.
We provide
information to our clients on Ireland’s waste management journey as we continue
on our own sustainability journey e.g., refill stations around the country
available on https://refill.ie/tap-map/
We only use
Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) certified paper. In autumn 2022 we will
explore bulk buying options for our business for office supplies and cleaning
products.
All of our
hiking equipment we use ourselves, lend or rent are of the highest industry
standard and are built to last. We always have zips repaired before retiring
equipment and repair when possible, promoting circular economy.
5. Ethical purchasing[A11]
When purchasing goods, we ensure that where possible we
support local producers and providers. We will shop locally, within 50km of our
business address and shop Irish where possible. Some of our technical kit is
sourced abroad but in this case, we purchase only from companies with a robust
sustainability policy.
We search for
the following in all our PPE and technical equipment:
- Certified climate neutral
- Use recycled fabrics and materials
- Use sustainable packaging when
shipping
- Follow the Responsible Down
Standard
- Designed to last the harsh weather
we endure on the Island of Ireland and further afield.
- Brands that support animal
welfare
- We will look for an Ecolabel
- We will be aware of greenwashing
- We believe Ireland is a true
testing ground for outdoor equipment and understand the need for equipment
that will withstand the elements.
At Two Rock
Outdoor we are committed to purchasing only what we need, purchasing only
products produced locally where possible. There will always be products we
cannot source in Ireland but we will ensure all products we source are from
ethical producers and manufacturers.
We will use
sources such as https://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/pdf/ecolabels.pdf
to determine that we stay true to our procurement policy.
Learning during
2022; jacket supplier did not offer repair under warranty, instead a
replacement. We had 3 jacket zips replaced, returning all jackets to use. 2023;
Further repairs to down jackets and waterproof equipment recieved at least one
'tech wash' to prolong waterproofing. We made 1 rope mat for the van and a dog
toy from a retired climbing rope.
6. Carbon
Management
We have
attended the Sustainable Tourism Ireland 'Carbon Management Workshop'. We will
be fully transparent in documenting our footprint. Our aim is to leave no stone
unturned. We now measure to mitigate and to actively identify means of reducing
our carbon footprint in all aspects of our business. We will not ignore the
paradoxes of tourism on an island and where we cannot mitigate, whilst we aim
to ultimately reduce our emissions we are now also committed to offsetting our
currently unavoidable emissions with a certified project.
Where there is
an opportunity to offset the carbon, we cannot eliminate we not only offset the
business consumption but that of our household too, we will aim to incorporate
social justice and responsibility into our measures knowing that the lowest
emitters of carbon most often feel the greatest impacts of climate change.
Our work
involves a lot of driving, we see this as an opportunity. We have worked with
walking clubs in Ireland that have traditionally flown to the UK for walking
trips and we now offer a transport option using ferry. We understand ferries
can be quite polluting but have reduced the number of flights taken by between
14 - 20 people per trip and car rental has been reduced from 4 cars to 1
minibus and trailer. We have a total of 10 UK trips in 2023, none of which
involved a flight.
Each driver
undertakes an eco-driving course as part of the mandatory CPC training
(Certificate of Professional Competency).
Our vehicles
are serviced regularly, this will not only improve fuel efficiency but will
also prolong the life of the vehicle.
Tyres are
tested regularly to ensure they are properly inflated.
We have
calculated our annual Carbon footprint average using gov.ie climate
toolkit for our years in operation. This shows water to be
our highest carbon footprint, we will work hard for reductions in this area.
Result: 21.27 tonnes[A12]
7.
Responsible sustainability marketing [A13]
We know
that it is important to communicate our efforts in an honest way. We are aware
of the risk of greenwashing, and we therefore commit to back our words up with
actions.
Our marketing gives preference to digital
channels over printed materials. We promote responsible influencing and produce
educational materials on our platforms.
We know we
can’t always get things right the first time. We therefore commit to honestly in
our communication on our journey and our improvements. To avoid greenwashing
completely is our bottom line on this.
8. Social
Responsibility
We are aware
that tourism activities can have a negative impact on local communities, we therefore
work to create awareness about this on our tours and events. We support
communities we visit by avoiding peak times and areas exhausted by
footfall and traffic.
where possible.
Areas exhausted
from erosion through footfall; we do what we can to avoid these areas
completely choosing areas with boardwalks for larger groups. We will always
park responsibly and promoting responsible parking with our clients in all
areas we visit.
Here are some
of the activities supporting local Community [A14] in
2022:
Peatland
restoration Wicklow, NPWS. We have volunteered for 5 days so far in the
2023/2024 installing peat dams and planting trees in varous areas in the
Wicklow Mountains National Park
Habitat
restoration Wicklow, ReWild Wicklow. We have volunteered 2 days with Rewild
Wicklow in 2023/2024.
We are working
with Trail Criu “Trail Criú is a club
that uses trail running to support and foster
community for people seeking international protection in Ireland”. Offering
minibus transport and joining for trail running and navigation events,
promoting integration into society and access
to sport for people seeking international protection.
We work alongside mountaineering
Ireland on the Summit
Sisters campaign; Summit Sister programme is an “immersive
programme which brings teenage girl’s individuality and creativity to the hills”.
We have for the
past two years provided cost price transport for the Women4women group.
We have provided
a free CPD for mountain professionals on climate and mitigation. This is a half
day, in person course. (https://mt.tahdah.me/event/detail/916246)
We have donated around ~0.83%
of our turnover for 2023 to
causes in 2023/2024 including; Irish
Whale and dolphin Group; Irish Wildlife trust; Pieta; Helplink Mental health; PCRF
(Humanitarian Relief); Childrens Health Foundation); Bundoran Community centre.
We participate
in events and donating directly to both of our local Mountain Rescue teams,
Dublin/Wicklow and Glen of Imaal and in addition we run a free event at the
start of each season where we ask participants to donate to the mountain rescue
team for the area we run the event, this was our second year running this.
Update: We are
now working with a highly successful non profit, Biosphere Expeditions; an
ethical wildlife conservation organisation, providing citizen science
based, wildlife conservation expeditions. We are currently exploring
at bringing this initiative to Ireland, if you are a scientist or interested in
citizen science and tourism in Ireland, please get in contact. We believe many
of the world’s crises are linked to global warming and pollution, it has been
proven where there is a productive ecosystem, this can act as a buffer against
warming ensuring communities around the globe can survive.[A15]
We are aware
that tourism activities can have a negative impact on local communities, we create
awareness of this on our tours and events.
9. Supporting
Biodiversity & Conservation[A16]
We support and
conserve Irish biodiversity, our business depends on it. Mountains have their
own delicate ecosystems, habitats and landscapes. Mountains are by definition;
raised landforms, every metre of ascent brings you to new vegetation, habitats
and climates. They define borders, influence the weather and provide refuge. As
the climate warms habitats are forced further uphill. Nature depends on complex
but essential relationships to thrive, a delicate balancing act we aren’t even
close to understanding fully. What we do know is when the [nature] system is
disrupted the services it provides are too, simple services like food, water,
the air we breathe and raw materials to more complex services like medicines
and mental health degrade and disappear and as we humans are a part of, not
apart from this amazing system we call nature we too feel the effects.
Biodiversity is
one of the key reasons we visit mountain areas. We guide every hike with
conservation and preservation as our top priorities and to cause as little
disturbance as possible to these delicate areas. We put careful thought into
our own impact on the areas we visit on our hikes and consider everything from
footfall, transport, litter and the eco-systems as a whole, this is part of
what we call our 'Care List'.
Our aim is to
share our experience and what we know about these landscapes with all our
clients. Offering bespoke experiences, uniquely adapted to every individual and
group knowing they can be as diverse as the landscapes we visit.
We follow all
advice given on pollinators.ie and the principles of the All-Ireland-Pollinator
plan. We have to date:
Planted for
bees in our garden.
Installed 1
Swift box, update: box now used by sparrow [A17] [DK18] [DK19] but
swifts have returned to the property, prospecting for the first time in a
number of years.
Installed 1
hedgehog house
We avoided
cutting grass until May 24th
We avoid
cutting hedges during nesting season, which is a legal requirement.
We aim impart
our own knowledge of the mountain ecosystems and delicate balance within and
share our passion for these places. Improving knowledge, connection and
awareness creates a greater hope of preserving and improving these areas for
future generations.
We are
members of Business for Biodiversity Ireland, in addition to our own measures
we look to Business for Biodiversity for guidance.
We are
signatories of the Business Biodiversity Pledge to support the[A20]
International Convention on Biological Diversity [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VPggdYw7SDgk8pAaUiJPD6rfLMxPLzsg/view]
10 The
Little Things
While the
issues facing the planet are immediate and of considerable scale, we do believe
is little acts can add up to a big effort, here are some of the smaller habits
we are trying to form to make positive climate contributions.
- We actively
discuss the natural environment on every outing, without being preachy a little
bit of information about the natural world around us can highlight what it is
we are trying to save.
- Reduce red
meat consumption; Vegetarian since 2016.
- Leaving the
car at home; when we need to train, we will sometimes opt to run from the house
or train at home instead of driving to the climbing wall or gym.
- International
Travel; while for us to work international travel is required, we are now
making a conscious effort to travel by ferry were possible and combine trips
abroad to give them more purpose. Most of our trips (bar one meaningful work
trip per year) are short haul.
We will do our
best and we are always open to suggestions on how to do even better.
|
Signed: Darran Keogh Title: Managing Director |
Date: 04 June 2024 |
Our Measurements for
2023
This year is
our first complete year of measuring our impacts, our carbon footprint for the
year was 4.87 tonnes using the gov.ie; Climate Toolkit 4 Business - this factored our road miles, ferry
miles, waste, electricity. This is a stark reminder that we as a small business
are a distance away from sustainability. We now have a benchmark and we aim to
reduce all the above [A22] substantially
for 2024, essential for keeping global temperature rise to under 1.5°C and
aligning our own goals with the Glasgow
Declaration and Mountaineering
Ireland' s goals for Climate And Biodiversity Response.
Our sustainability policy is a working document and is reviewed and updated at regular intervals.
Our sustainability policy will be displayed clearly on our website for transparency and accountability, policies come in many different formats; this policy compliments our Sustainability page.
is signed by our general manager.
We aspire to:
Ensure a fair economic advantage to all communities we visit.
Minimise as much as possible our economic, social and environmental impacts.
Commit to align ourselves with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and changing models for a more sustainable tourism sector
We view climate change as an issue of 'complexity' with interlinked thresholds and tipping points; that pollution, ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, global warming, economics, ozone layer depletion, Carbon and Methane emissions as per our planetary boundaries are interrelated and a holistic approach to sustainability must urgently be taken. We agree to embrace transparency and accountability as our sustainability pillars as we map out our route to becoming a more sustainable business.
At Two Rock outdoor every hike, event and tour is led with safety, conservation and preservationin the heart of our business.
We believe in education through experience, small group sizes, and practical application of Leave No Trace principles. Working not just to preserve but improve areas we visit. We believe in education through experience, keeping groups small and following the principles of Leave No Trace. We further work to not just to protect but improve where possible the environment and ecosystems on which our business depends.
It is our vision to facilitate sustainable growth in the area of hillwalking and climbing on the Island of Ireland and become an industry leader in the area of sustainable mountain recreation. We are aware that our business activities impact upon the environment and we are fully committed to alleviating these negative impacts.
At Two Rock Outdoor, we believe that sustainable tourism is tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts while addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities (UNWTO, n.d.). We therefore aim to reduce our negative effects and increase our positive impacts.
We know we have a lot to do, and this is just the start, but we acknowledge that this is a journey not a destination and a journey we will take with our customers to grow with and in a fashion that protects, sustains and enhances the areas we visit.
We actively seek ways to reverse the impacts of our footfall. Since the last update we have attended peatlands restoration work with NPWS and habitat regeneration with ReWild Wicklow. We are now active members of the Mountaineering Ireland Climate working group.
Our ultimate goal is to reduce our use of resources. Here are some of our objectives but this is not exhaustive. We will be conscious in our consumption day to day creating small habits that will add to a large saving in the long term. We are now committed to continuously measuring our electricity consumption. Our current office is not our forever home but we aim to improve in measuring and mitigating our energy consumption as we grow and as newer technologies become available. We will not only offset the business consumption but that of our household too. We further extend this to times when we use hotels and B&B accommodation. On these occasions we aim not to use excessive heat, turn off all appliances and lights when away from our room and we will seek our providers with values on sustainability that match our own.
Ultimately, we aim to reduce our energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we will explore renewable energy, we have installed a solar panel in our van which is used to charge phones and power laptops when we are on the road. Our target across the first 12 months of measuring is a 10% decrease in usage. 2023 saw an increase in usage of 10.5%, our office is also our household and circumstances have led us to have to undertake renovations for incoming family members, we are now running close too 100% led lights and on completing an appliance electricity usage audit we are now aware of which household items use excessive electricity however it is less sustainable to replace these items as the most sustainable product is the one you own. Our next step will be to improve insulation in the house.
We provide information to our clients on Ireland’s waste management journey as we continue on our own sustainability journey e.g., refill stations around the country available on https://refill.ie/tap-map/
We only use Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) certified paper. In autumn 2022 we will explore bulk buying options for our business office supplies and cleaning products.
All of our hiking equipment that we use ourselves, lend or rent are of the highest industry standard and are built to last. We always have zips repaired before retiring equipment and repair when possible, promoting a circular economy whereever possible.
We commit to measuring our electricity consumption every 6 months for now (June and December) and do the following to reduce consumption. We will increase frequency when we have an established a fixed office space as much of our time is spent "on the road".
We will:
Get an energy baseline measurement to improve month on month, year on year.
Installed LCD lights (75% complete 2022, now almost 100%)
Air dry 100% of our washing.
Double glazed windows have been installed.
Switch off appliances when not in use.
Our future plans – air to heat system in our place of work, be paperless by 2023, ensure our energy network supplier is a green one reducing our carbon footprint. Update; not yet paperless, we now realise this may not be completely possible as we still require maps for navigation courses, we still use envelopes and require paperwork for vehicle document management. All paper used is fsc certified. We now use a nfc business card made from wood so we do not require paper business cards.
Our ultimate goal is to reduce our carbon footprint. Above is a list of some of our objectives but this is not exhaustive. We will be conscious in our consumption day to day creating small habits that will add to a large saving in the long term. We are now committed to measuring our electricity consumption every month. Our current office is not our forever home but we aim to improve in measuring and mitigating our energy consumption as we grow and newer technologies become available. We will not only offset the business consumption but that of our household too. As mentioned above; we further extend this to times when we use hotels and B&B accommodation. On these occasions we aim not to use excessive heat, turn off all appliances and lights when away from our room and we will seek our providers with values on sustainability that match our own.
Ultimately, we aim to reduce our energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we will explore renewable energy options, we have installed a solar panel in our van which is used to charge phones and power laptops when we are on the road. Our target across the first 12 months of measuring is a 10% decrease in usage.
We will measure our water use at the water meter in the business every 6 months June and December and do the following to reduce consumption frame and reduce consumption by:
Around 70% of vehicle washes use waterless cleaning products
We have 2 water butts for harvesting rainwater for gardening purposes
What we plan in the household: Shower head, aerator for taps, enviro cleaning products, wastewater treatment, water harvesting, appliances on eco mode, measure and re-measure
We commit to measuring our water usage with the aim of a 10% reduction across a 12-month period. Comparing available data between a 4 month period in 2022 and the same time in 2023 we saw an increase of 13% in household water usage in the same period, we must be accountability and must now identify the reasons for this increase and continue to measure and push for a reduction in our use of natural resources moving forward.
We commit to measuring our waste consumption every month and do the following to reduce consumption:
Take larger items to the recycling centre
Provide recycling options on board our vehicles
We consider the waste we bring with us on the hills and during picnics. To reduce this, we offer snack options with local coffee shops and coffee trailers. We engage with our providers, encouraging the use of compostable or ‘keep’ cups.
We make our own lunches at home packaging in washable containers
We are firmly against the use of single use plastic and have not purchased a single use plastic bottle since 2019. Our current aim is to be completely zero single-use plastic by our next review in March 2023. In line with the EU Directive on single-use plastics we apply this to:
Water bottles and containers
Coffee Cups containing plastic
Toiletries
Lunch and Dinner containers
Balloons
Plastic Bags
Wet Wipes
Where suitable and affordable alternatives are available, we will always choose this option.
We provide information to our clients on Ireland’s waste management journey as we continue on our own sustainability journey e.g., refill stations around the country available on https://refill.ie/tap-map/
We only use Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) certified paper. In autumn 2022 we will explore bulk buying options for our business for office supplies and cleaning products.
All of our hiking equipment we use ourselves, lend or rent are of the highest industry standard and are built to last. We always have zips repaired before retiring equipment and repair when possible, promoting circular economy.
When purchasing goods, we ensure that where possible we support local producers and providers. We will shop locally, within 50km of our business address and shop Irish where possible. Some of our technical kit is sourced abroad but in this case, we purchase only from companies with a robust sustainability policy.
We search for the following in all our PPE and technical equipment:
Certified climate neutral
Use recycled fabrics and materials
Use sustainable packaging when shipping
Follow the Responsible Down Standard
Designed to last the harsh weather we endure on the Island of Ireland and further afield.
Brands that support animal welfare
We will look for an Ecolabel
We will be aware of greenwashing
We believe Ireland is a true testing ground for outdoor equipment and understand the need for equipment that will withstand the elements.
At Two Rock Outdoor we are committed to purchasing only what we need, purchasing only products produced locally where possible. There will always be products we cannot source in Ireland but we will ensure all products we source are from ethical producers and manufacturers.
We will use sources such as https://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/pdf/ecolabels.pdf to determine that we stay true to our procurement policy.
Learning during 2022; jacket supplier did not offer repair under warranty, instead a replacement. We had 3 jacket zips replaced, returning all jackets to use. 2023; Further repairs to down jackets and waterproof equipment recieved at least one 'tech wash' to prolong waterproofing. We made 1 rope mat for the van and a dog toy from a retired climbing rope.
We have attended the Sustainable Tourism Ireland 'Carbon Management Workshop'. We will be fully transparent in documenting our footprint. Our aim is to leave no stone unturned. We now measure to mitigate and to actively identify means of reducing our carbon footprint in all aspects of our business. We will not ignore the paradoxes of tourism on an island and where we cannot mitigate, we are now committed to offsetting with a certified project.
Where there is an opportunity to offset the carbon, we cannot eliminate; we will aim to incorporate social justice and responsibility into our measures knowing that the lowest emitters of carbon most often feel the greatest impacts of climate change.
Our work involves a lot of driving, we see this as an opportunity. We have worked with walking clubs in Ireland that have traditionally flown to the UK for walking trips and we now offer a transport option using ferry. We understand ferries can be quite polluting but have reduced the number of flights taken by between 14 - 20 people per trip and car rental has been reduced from 4 cars to 1 minibus and trailer. We have a total of 10 UK trips in 2023, non of which involved a flight.
Each driver undertakes an eco-driving course as part of the manditory CPC training (Certificate of Professional Competency).
Our vehicles are serviced regularly, this will not only improve fuel efficiancy but will also prolong the life of the vehicle.
Tyres are tested regularly to ensure they are properly inflated.
We aim to measure, then reduce our carbon footprint by: Dec 2022 and are currently looking to find a partner to offset our remaining emissions. We aim at having found our partner by next sustainability policy review, May 2023. Update: We still have not found a partner on this, elevated to our top priority for summer 2023. Update Jan 2024: We have offset all our calculated emissions for the year; 2023 with thanks to Climate Impact Partners Ltd.
We have calculated our annual Carbon footprint average taking the higher figure over years 2020 and 2021, our years in operation. This shows water to be our highest carbon footprint, we will work hard for reductions in this area.
Result: 21.27 tonnes
At Two Rock Outdoor we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible and to offsetting the remainder with a trusted partner. We are currently working with ReWild Wicklow and Mountaineering Ireland Climate Response Working Group to offset our own emissions. We prioritise reducing our impact first by engaging with local carbon offsetting schemes.
We know that it is important to communicate our efforts in an honest way. We are aware of the risk of greenwashing, and we therefore commit to back our words up with actions.
We know we can’t always get things right the first time. We therefore commit to honestly communicating where we are on our journey and our improvements. To avoid greenwashing completely is our bottom line on this.
We are aware that tourism activities can have a negative impact on local communities, we therefore work to create awareness about this on our tours and events. We support communities we visit by avoiding peak times where possible.
Areas exhausted from erosion through footfall; we do what we can to avoid these areas completely choosing areas with boardwalks for larger groups. We will always park responsibly and promoting responsible parking with our clients in all areas we visit.
Here are some of the activities supporting local Community in 2022:
Peatland restoration Wicklow, NPWS
Habitat restoration Wicklow, ReWild Wicklow
We are actively seeking a local NGO to support; we have reached out to charities supporting biodiversity as we feel Ireland’s biodiversity currently faces many challenges including disease and habitat loss. Our chosen organisation will be added here soon. Update: We are now working with a highly successful Non Profit, Biosphere Expeditions; an ethical wildlife conservation organisation, providing citizen science based, wildlife conservation expeditions. We are looking at perhaps bring this initiative to Ireland, if you are a scientist or interested in citizen science and tourism in Ireland, please get in contact
We support our local community by avoiding peak times and areas exhausted by footfall and traffic.
We are aware that tourism activities can have a negative impact on local communities, we will create awareness of this on our tours and events.
We support and conserve Irish biodiversity, our business depends on it. Mountains have their own delicate ecosystems, habitats and landscapes. Mountains are by definition; raised landforms, every metre of ascent brings you to new vegetation, habitats and climates. They define borders, influence the weather and provide refuge. As the climate warms habitats are forced further uphill. Nature depends on complex but essential relationships to thrive, a delicate balancing act we aren’t even close to understanding fully. What we do know is when the [nature] system is disrupted the services it provides are too, simple services like food, water, the air we breath and raw materials to more complex services like medicines and mental health degrade and disappear and as we humans are a part of, not apart from this amazing system we call nature we too feel the effects.
Biodiversity is one of the key reasons we visit mountain areas. We guide every hike with conservation and preservation as our top priorities and to cause as little disturbance as possible to these delicate areas. We put careful thought into our own impact on the areas we visit on our hikes and consider everything from footfall, transport, litter and the eco-systems as a whole, this is part of what we call our 'Care List'.
Our aim is to share our experience and what we know about these landscape with all our clients. Offering bespoke experiences, uniquely adapted to every individual and group knowing they can be as diverse as the landscapes we visit.
We follow all advice given on pollinators.ie and the principles of the All-Ireland-Pollinator plan. We have to date:
Planted for bees in our garden.
Installed 1 Swift box, update: box now used by sparrow but swifts have returned to the property, prospecting for the first time in a number of years.
Installed 1 hedgehog house
We avoided cutting grass until May 24th
We avoid cutting hedges during nesting season, which is a legal requirement.
We aim impart our own knowledge of the mountain ecosystems and delicate balance within and share our passion for these places. Improving knowledge, connection and awareness creates a greater hope of preserving and improving these areas for future generations.
We are members of Business for Biodiversity Ireland, in addition to our own measures we look to Business for Biodiversity for guidance. We have undersigned the following commitments:
We, the undersigned business leaders, and decision-makers, representing different economic sectors, acknowledge the Irish Government’s 2019 Biodiversity Emergency Declaration, and hereby unite in a common purpose to champion and support, by all means possible, the three urgent objectives of the international Convention on Biological Diversity:
1.Conservation of biological diversity and ecosystem services
2.Sustainable use of its components
3.Fair and equitable sharing of the benefits that arise out of the utilisation of resources
We recognise that that the Earth’s biosphere, the foundation of human society and economy, is under increasing stress, and, that an accelerated and just transition by business to a nature positive approach is imperative to ensure business continuity and resilience within a changing climate and deliver on the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The annual World Economic Forum Global Risks Report identifies biodiversity loss as one of the most significant risks facing the world. We hereby recognise the intrinsic value of nature and our direct dependence on biodiversity; its status as a natural capital asset to be safeguarded and used sustainably; and the risks associated with the loss of nature and biodiversity and the disruption of earth’s systems.
Business has a central role to play in the conservation, protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems services, driving sustainable consumption and production patterns. We acknowledge that a nature-positive business model will provide opportunities for economic growth, employment, learning and provide more reliable sources of materials/ products, cost savings, and protection against natural disasters.
While the issues facing the planet are immediate and of considerable scale we do believe is little acts can add up to a big effort, here are some of the smaller habits we are trying to form to make posative climate contributions.
- We actively discuss the natural enviornment on every outing, without being preachy a little bit of information about the natural world around us can highlight what it is we are tring to save.
- Reduce red meat consumption; we have reduced the amount of meat we eat .
- Leaving the car at home; when we need to train we will sometimes opt to run from the house or train at home instead of driving to the climbing wall or gym.
- International Travel; while for us to work, international travel is required, we are now making a concious effort to travel by ferry were possible and combine trips abroad to give them more purpose.
We will do our best and we are always open to suggestions on how to do better.
We will do our best and we are always open to suggestions on how to do even better.
Signed by:
General Manager and Head of Sustainability Date: 30 May 2023
This year is our first complete year of measuring our impacts, our carbon footprint for the year was 4.87 tonnes - this factored our road miles, ferry miles, waste, electricity. This is a stark reminder that we as a small business are a distance away from sustainability. We now have a benchmark and we aim to reduce all the above substantialy for 2024 essential for keeping global temperature rise under 1.5°C and aligning our own goals with the Glasgow Declaration and Mountaineering Ireland' s goals for Climate And Biodiversity Response.
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Check out the Two Rock Outdoor Discover Ireland sustainability interview here
