What is Ecotourism? Making a Positive Difference!

Sensing Nature's Ecotourism Principles
--partially adopted from the International Ecotourism Society

To Sensing Nature, ecotourism is about ethically connecting people with outdoor learning experiences, conservation, communities and sustainable travel. 

This means that when we invite others to participate in ecotourism activities with us, we expect that our Sensing Nature staff and guests will follow the following ecotourism principles:

• Minimize any impacts.
• Avoid disturbing wildlife, plants and cultural resources.
• Value the resource about profits, gained knowledge and personal pleasure.
• Provide financial benefits for conservation.
• Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
• Provide positive experiences for both ourselves, the host location and community.
• Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people.
• Follow all laws and help others to understand why this is important.
• Support like-minded businesses, organizations and entities.
• Raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climate.

Ways Sensing Nature is Making a Difference
in Addition to Educating Others

Our company philosophy about ethical ecotourism and the importance of each one of us making a positive difference to the Earth's natural resources is embraced in many ways. Here are a few examples of how we are making a difference through actions in addition to our teachings.

Youth Field Trip Experiences are created, planned and conducted with the intent of minimizing impacts to our natural resources and with the goal of actually improving the site if possible through litter and monofilament (fishing line) removal, encouraging volunteerism, teaching sustainable practices and natural resource stewardship, and learning about natural Florida.

Florida Society of Ethical Ecotourism - Sensing Nature is a proud member of this organization. 

Office Recycling Program - paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass and plastic are all recycled. 

Office & Curriculum Products Purchased - we purchase items that have recycled content, are reusable, and/or are from sustainable sources when possible, which is most of the time.
Paper goods purchased contain recycled content with every effort to buy paper goods with at least 30% post-consumer content, including printing paper, cardstock, brochures, flyers and business cards.
Durable, recycled plastic clipboards used during adult classes and youth field trips are made from recycled plastic bottles.

Our On-line Nature Store Shipping Materials - We package your items with care using as many recycled content, recyclable or reusable packing materials as possible. Some packing materials we don't purchase, such as Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap, but if we receive it through shipping, we may reuse it in your order.
  
Youth Field Trips - recycling lunch items required. We provide all of our youth field trip groups guidelines of what they can expect during their outdoor experience and what is expected of them. One expectation is that everyone is to do their part in reducing the ever-growing-trash-stream by recycling any recyclable lunch items. With over 3,000 student lunches being eaten during Sensing Nature field trips each year, that's a lot of recyclable natural resources avoiding the trash bin! 

Adult Classes - carpooling encouraged

Adult FMNP Classes and Our Teacher Trainings - no Styrofoam allowed. Styrofoam doesn't naturally biodegrade, meaning until people find a solution for this plastic product, all the Styrofoam used today doesn't breakdown. At this point, recycling hasn't been very successful either. Today's and yesterday's Styrofoam will be in our trash and our environment for at least hundreds to thousands (millions?) of years. Therefore, anyone bringing Styrofoam into our Florida Master Naturalist Program courses or various teacher trainings that we offer are penalized for not finding a Styrofoam-alternative and they have to bring snacks to the class the next day. It is a fun way to bring attention to a very important topic.

These are just a few of the ways that Sensing Nature is making a positive difference in our community in addition to the teachings that we provide. We can all choose to make a positive difference. Will you join us?