Travel or protect climate and nature. A devilish dilemma as long as travel cannot be 100 per cent sustainable, according to Nienke de la Rive Box. The presenter of 3 op Reis hopes to bring both worlds closer together by travelling more sustainably and promoting sustainable tourism. FairClimateFund contributes to this.
She was very happy when the editors of 3 op Reis decided to take a new sustainable path two years ago. “I love going out, going into nature and watching TV. But at the same time, I also felt guilty when I started at 3 op Reis 5.5 years ago and immediately stopped eating meat. You encourage people to take the plane, one of the most polluting ways to travel. We have embarked on the new sustainable course, and we are now happily trying to inspire people to travel more sustainably.”
How do they do that? For example, by travelling closer to home.
Nienke: 'Even before corona, we decided to spend part of the airtime on travelling close to home. It was always challenging to make exciting television, but it always worked. Due to corona, we were forced to do this even more, and we decided: we can make beautiful television close to home.' For example, she made a winter sailing trip across the Wadden Sea. 'Winter sailing gave me a kind of winter sports feeling. You are outside all day, and in the evening, you can sit comfortably in your cabin. But this winter sport is a lot less polluting.'
In addition to travelling closer to home, 3 op Reis also encourages people to travel more consciously. "We try to travel more by train or electric means of transport, we don't use plastic water bottles, and we eat vegetarian food as much as possible." The editors also avoid tourist hotspots to spread tourism more evenly. Of course, sometimes it is impossible to travel sustainably: 'For example, sometimes we can't travel in electric cars, simply because there are no charging stations.'
Any emissions that the program cannot prevent are double compensated. Nienke: 'We chose FairClimateFund because they compensate in a way that helps the climate and the people on whom climate change has the most impact.' The cookstove projects, in particular, inspired the presenter. 'With these projects, you not only ensure that CO2 is removed from the air, but you also improve the health of women. It also gives women more time for other important things in life."
3 op Reis chooses to double offset its emissions at FairClimateFund and Justdiggit.