In a 2020 study conducted by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), education was identified as a major barrier to climate action. When ATTA asked travelers what support they need to overcome barriers to climate action in travel, 57% said affordability and 43% said education. While ATTA’s focus is the adventure travel community, reputable sources like the United Nations Environment Program, UNESCO, Cambridge University Press and the Colombia Climate School agree: Education is key to climate action.
Education informs, empowers and motivates all to take action. The 2020 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report found that financing education in low and lower-middle income countries could reduce global emissions by 51.48 gigatons by 2050. And a recent survey from Patch has found a correlation between climate education and greater confidence in carbon credits. According to the San Francisco based climate action platform, experienced sustainability leaders see the value in paying 82% more for high-integrity carbon credits and 94% believe carbon credits have a positive impact on climate, but 37% of the businesses surveyed reported a lack of budget and resources to take action.
The survey results reinforce the need for education, and Tomorrow’s Air - the flagship climate initiative of the ATTA, has been educating and building a collective of climate conscious travelers since 2019. With greater understanding, budgets and resources are easier to allocate. “Set apart from everything else that I’ve seen in this carbon reduction space, Tomorrow’s Air offers an innovative approach to carbon mitigation, but also this practical, educational and storytelling approach that - no matter how big or small of a travel company, you are able to relate and pass that information on to your travelers,” says Court Whelan, sustainability director at Natural Habitat Adventures.
Our education strategy is multifaceted and designed to intersect with all of our audiences and outlets, here’s a look:
We partner directly with travel businesses to promote climate conscious travel.
With the help of our global community and travel partnerships all around the world, we are able to gather insight and promote climate conscious travel tips that are both general and region specific. In an effort to target our prominent adventure travel community, we worked with Court Whelan to create a series of videos on “How to Travel With Climate In Mind". NatHab is an esteemed Tomorrow’s Air partner and it was a pleasure to put our heads together and create videos on everything from leave no trace to sustainable gear.
Watch the videos here.
We use our insider access to showcase local climate initiatives.
We are constantly inspired by the ways our partners innovate conservation tourism and climate conscious travel. We love sharing news blasts like NatHab’s new solar powered safari vehicle or Birds Chile’s new e-bike adventures, along with a deep dive into our partner’s original tours and climate initiatives in our #TravelTuesday series, so our audience can be just as inspired as we are. After all, when addressing a big problem like climate change, a broad range of solutions are needed.
Tomorrow’s Air partner, Geographic Expeditions (GeoEx) brings conservation travel to remote locations like the the northern coast of western Honshu Japan where GeoEx traveler dollars directly support the local fishermen, chefs and artisans who inhabit the historical castle towns of Hagi and Tsuwano. In the Galapagos, a portion of GeoEx traveler spending helps fund critical conservation projects through partners like the Charles Darwin Foundation, WildAid, and See Sheperd. In Namibia, GeoEx travelers stay at the camp with the lowest environmental footprint in the country and participate in Black Rhino tracking and Save the Rhino Trust. GeoEx is just one of the many partners who bring unique and on the ground insight to sustainability tourism. Check our Instagram and LinkedIn every Tuesday for a new climate conscious travel spotlight.
Our podcast, Airrows on Air, conveys valuable climate science in an accessible and fun way.
We explore the scientific aspects of climate along with the fascinating experiences of artists, adventurers, storytellers who help us appreciate our experience of life on earth and why taking climate action is worth the effort. In episode 29, for example we spoke with Christina Leala-Gale, a Samoan native and manager for Sustainable Tourism Development with the South Pacific Tourism Organization. Christina brings lived experience and climate perspective for the Pacific. She talks about sinking islands, livelihoods dependent on tourism, climate migration in Samoa, and the impact of cruise tourism, to name a few. In sharing these stories hope we're offering a dose of inspiration alongside new information to help travelers make sustainable decisions.
Listen to the conversation here, and for similar episodes you might check out episode 17 and episode 10.
Through our Artist for Air network and campaigns we reach new audiences with our insights on climate conscious travel and climate solutions.
Creativity provides us with the visual and emotional language to engage the global travel community with innovative solutions to help our climate. Our community of Artists for Air work from all around the world using art to help show how travel, art and storytelling can come together to inspire, educate and take tangible action together.
Andres Molestina is an Artist for Air based in Ecuador who’s photography documents the country’s receding tropical glaciers. Tropical glaciers are one of the most sensitive features of climate change and are a major water source to one-sixth of the world’s population residing in South America. In a recent feature, we shared Molestina’s breathtaking photography intermixed with climate learning centered on the critical yet fleeting paramós ecosystem.
You can find the series on our instagram and read more about Andres Moelstina in our blog. On our website you can meet all of our Artists for Air, and if you’d like to become an artist for air send an email to climate@tomorrowsair.com
Our newsletter, the Airrow Bulletin, offers a mix of travel inspiration and carbon removal + sustainable aviation fuel news.
The Airrow Bulletin is the place to start if overwhelmed by our various outlets and avenues for learning. Every month the bulletin serves us the latest in climate tech news along with travel features, including reflections and insight from Tomorrow’s Air co-creator, Christina Beckmann. It brings together a little bit of everything: insider travel tips, climate tech news, and a snippet of science learning.
You can read past issues on our website, and if you’re ready to become an Airrow, subscribe for free, here.
Longer form videos help bring the interconnected story of regenerative practices + tourism + climate to broader audiences.
All Among the Bison is a short film created by Duncan McDowall and supported by Tomorrow’s Air that tells the story of Steve Holly and Cody Spencer, two entrepreneurs and activists working in Southwestern Alberta. Both are dedicated in different ways to restoring the balance and natural order that has been lost. Set in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies as well as Canada’s prairie grasslands, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. The film premiered at the Adventure Travel World Summit in October 2022, and has since been accepted by the Waterbear Network and featured at film festivals including the International Wildlife Film Festival and the Inheritance Film Festival. The story of climate change is one that impacts us all, and as a collective, Tomorrow’s Air works to bring these voices to life.
You can watch the film on our website, and check out more climate stories in our blog.
Through our research and impact measurement approach we’re emphasizing the connection between travel and climate action and showing travelers and travel businesses why their participation is vital.
In 2022 we partnered with sustainable travel experts, leading media and travel businesses such as Outside Magazine and Intrepid, to develop surveys, conduct interviews, and perform secondary research. We published four pieces of original research that have been downloaded 286 times with many more people accessing the results through conference panel discussions. The reports include ‘Climate Action: A Plain Talk Guide for Small Travel Businesses’, a reflection of Tomorrow's Air’s commitment to involving every stakeholder in the fight against climate change, and the power the travel industry has at all levels to be part of the solution.
To understand the impact of our education strategy on our community and the broader travel industry we gauge awareness through surveys. In 2022 we found 83% of our community knew about technological solutions and underground storage of captured carbon dioxide, which is 10% more than the general population reached in our original research with Outside. Our surveys also revealed key factors holding people back from engaging more fully and suggest areas where we can improve, and our results are consistent with Patch: 15% of those in our community noted that high human resources are required for climate change mitigation strategies.
In Summary
By building mainstream support through education Tomorrow’s Air enables decision making and creates an inclusive investment space. This article summarizes our education activities to date and you can find out more about the impact of our education initiatives in our 2022 Impact Report. In 2024, we are looking to expand our community, partner with universities, improve retention with new and existing partners, provide ongoing support to our valued partners and tailor educational content to their individual needs, all while continuing to bolster collective action for climate in the travel space.
Special thanks to our travel business partners for their support:
Bella Coola Heli Sports
BirdsChile
CAS Trips
Country Walkers
European Travel Commission
Explora
Flywire
Geographic Expeditions
Global Family Travels
Hike’n Sail Türkiye
JUMP Adventures
Kagumu
KimKim
Natural Habitat Adventures
No Limit Adventures Costa Rica
Roamwell
Sila Greenland
Socompa Adventure Travel
Swoop
Todos Santos Eco Adventure
Total Adventures
Yugen Earthside