Industry members happy to lend a helping hand during COVID-19:
IAN STALKER
There are plenty in the travel industry who are indeed eager to perform a good deed.
While the industry struggles with the devastating fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, many in it continue to find ways to help make the world a better place.
And in at least one case they have lent a helping hand to those on the front lines of the battle against the virus.
So now Travel Courier is going to introduce you to some in the industry who are doing their part to make this a better planet for all of us:
The Travel Corporation
There’s clearly no shortage of people at The Travel Corporation who are happy to help others.
For instance, accountant Tracie Kellar serves as the volunteer treasurer of the Association of Parent Support Groups Ontario, a support group for parents and caregivers dealing with youth and young adults struggling with behaviour issues, work that might be even more important at a time of warnings from some that prolonged self- isolation may lead to more mental health issues.
And others playing a role in the company include Susie Eaton, application support coordinator at The Travel Corporation Canada and coordinator on CSR Committee, who’s donated materials to make protective masks and is growing garden vegetables that will be shared with neighbours; and Julie Hare, Transat Groups Manager, Trafalgar and Costsaver, who’s grocery shopping for two neighbours.
Jeff Element, president of The Travel Corporation Canada, isn’t the least bit surprised to see The Travel Corporation employees coming to the assistance of others.
“The Travel Corporation takes great pride in the community involvement our staff takes part in on a yearly basis. Our company offers two full volunteer days for team members to offer their time to an organization that is dear to their hearts, fully paid,” says Element. “During this recovery period in our industry, the travel community has been working together closely to address the necessary challenges we’re faced with and act as a unified force. We know we will get through this stronger together and our team at The Travel Corporation Canada is committed to supporting our partners, friends, neighbours and fellow colleagues alike. I couldn’t be more proud to know that our team stands united and offers their support wherever they can across Canada.”
Doug Patterson and Ed Rogers
Two individuals who played major roles in this country’s travel trade are helping ensure that food supplies in the Thornbury, Ont., area aren’t disrupted.
Doug Patterson, who among other things had a senior position with The Travel Corporation, and Ed Rogers, who opened the first Globus office in this country, are now helping the only grocery store in Thornbury operate smoothly. Some 10,000 area residents rely on it for food supplies.
“Doug and Ed volunteered to clean carts and marshall the line-ups so the store could put all their resources toward keeping the shelves stocked and cash desks moving,” Dallyce Macas of Eminence Canada says of her two fellow Travel Industry North members.
Macas has a succinct response when asked how people should view Patterson and Rogers and their efforts to help provide a steady supply of food to those in the region.
“Champions!”
Intrepid Travel
Mother Earth is looking a little greener these days thanks to Intrepid Travel and its Offset Earth project.
The tour operator’s Offset Earth project runs in conjunction with Intrepid’s not-for-profit arm The Intrepid Foundation, and this year’s Earth Day saw the number of trees it’s planted top 100,000.
Offset Earth is a monthly subscription service allows customers to offset their personal emissions through Gold Standard-certified carbon credits and tree planting, while encouraging users to make positive lifestyle changes for the environment. As part of its fight against climate change, Intrepid Travel is providing more sustainable ways to travel, including offsetting every trip taken by one of its travellers. Although currently travel is not an option because of coronavirus, the tour company is still doing its part for climate action by matching trees planted with every subscription through its Offset Earth page.
“Planting over 100,000 trees in Kenya’s Intrepid Forest is a fantastic milestone to hit this Earth Day and we want to thank all those who have subscribed to our Offset Earth project to date. It’s a nice reminder that even when we have to be apart, we can still work together to change things for the better,” says James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel.
Intrepid’s trees are currently being planted in the Kijabe Forest, a short drive from Nairobi, by Eden Reforestation Projects and local community partners, which travellers get to visit on select Kenya itineraries. The reforestation project also employs locals, many of them single mothers, to help plant the trees and keep the forest safe.
Carbon offsetting enables travellers to limit their carbon footprint by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reducing emissions, while the world explores new technologies and solutions to reduce emissions globally. The starting monthly subscription rate allows users to plant 12 trees, matched by a further 12 on behalf of Intrepid Travel. This tree planting, along with the purchase of Gold Standard-certified carbon credits, effectively prevents 22 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere each year.
In addition, the subscription service helps users set goals to reduce their carbon footprint overall, such as refusing single-use items, reducing their meat intake and taking public transportation to work.
“The world may have changed dramatically over the past few months with travel as we know it coming to a standstill,” says Thornton. “But as a company we remain committed to being climate positive and are grateful that our loyal customers feel the same. Travel will only rebound stronger if it rebuilds more responsibly.”
To sign up to Offset Earth and have trees matched by Intrepid, visit https://offset.earth/intrepidreforest.
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line
Count Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line among those who have joined the fight to rid the world of coronavirus.
The company, which offers two-night sailings between Florida and the Bahamas, is supporting the Folding @ Home Project (FAH), which enables it to dedicate its unused computing power to help researchers find a cure for coronavirus. As the first cruise line to officially participate in the project, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is calling on its industry partners and peers to lend their own resources, joining the fight against COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented global impact, and when we learned about the unique Folding @ Home initiative, we immediately knew we had to help,” says Oneil Khosa, CEO of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line. “We have an enormous amount of idle computing power at hand, given our ships are currently restricted from their normal operations, and this program gives us a way to utilize those resources, helping researchers who are working around the clock to find a coronavirus cure. We’re proud to be part of this project, and we are asking our industry partners and peers to commit their resources to the effort, so we can help save lives, most importantly, while also putting the tourism industry on a path to recovery.”
Folding @ Home is a distributed computing project that helps researchers conduct simulations to analyze the protein folding process and movements in various diseases, including coronavirus. Through the project, scientists can use donated computing power from anywhere in the world to run simulations, study the virus, and find a vaccine. The software is free and available to download for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and the more computers donated to the cause, the more simulations scientists can run.
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line joined the FAH project in early April and has donated computer resources from its offices, as well as its Grand Classica and Grand Celebration ships. While the cruise line’s contributions have already made an impact, researchers need access to more computing power to find a cure, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line says.
“Now more than ever, the travel industry needs to band together and donate our resources to help researchers find a vaccine and successfully end this pandemic,” adds Khosa.
