TRAVEL FREE! CARBON FREE!

North by North East is pioneering a new program to cut carbon while assisting environmental protection and community development through partnerships with local NGO’s & universities!

North by North East is a small company based on a simple principle - we continuously innovate to create high-quality, responsible tourism products that offer mutual benefit and respect for our guests and host communities.

As part of this company-wide philosophy and to show our commitment to World Environment Day held on 5 June, we are now working with The Plant-A-Tree-Today Foundation (PATT) to provide our guests an easy and convenient way to offset travel carbon emissions through projects that benefit our host communities.

PATT initiatives have far reaching effects beyond simply planting trees to absorb carbon, as they work with experienced and reputable implementing organisations to restore degraded forest areas, provide economic sustainability to rural villages and establish long-term educational programs.

One exciting, new initiative is the Forest Restoration for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education in cooperation with Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand (WFFT). In Phetchaburi province, WFFT is operating a Wildlife Rescue Center (WRC) in a forest degraded by selective logging. This project will re-introduce essential native tree species to facilitate natural regeneration. The restored forest will then provide the perfect setting for gibbon rehabilitation, and allowing the animals to return to a life in the wild.

The project will be implemented at the WFFT wildlife rescue centre. The centre is located behind Kao Look Chang Temple in Phetchaburi province, approximately 160 kilometers south of Bangkok.

Another important project is a nursery established and managed by the Forest Restoration Research Unit (FORRU) from Chiang Mai University. This provides the ideal context to study the reproductive ecology of northern Thailand’s indigenous forest tree species, as well as learning how best to propagate for planting to restore degraded forest ecosystems.

FORRU has already met many of its original research objectives and therefore serves a vital function to further the cause of forest ecosystem restoration. The main aims of the nursery over the next 3 years will be to:
i) research to propagate and conserve rare or threatened tree species;
ii) educational activities for local school children;
iii) training on FORRU concepts to other regions of Thailand and neighbouring countries;
iv) facility for student projects;
v) forest tree saplings for field experiments and
vi) trees to other organizations for their tree planting projects.

The project that is closest to our hearts is tree planting and forest conservation at Noen Thong village in Buriram province in north-eastern Thailand, or Isan (home to North by North East). The village consists of 61 families and has a total population of 378. The main occupation of villagers is rice farming. Next to farming, villagers are also involved in mushroom cultivation, cotton weaving, animal raising (cows, buffalos, pigs and chicken) and general contracting. Average annual income of the villagers is 12,000 THB ($350 US) per family.
This is an integrated environmental, economic development, and education project in cooperation with The Population and Community Development Association (PDA), the most diversified NGO in Thailand. PDA began by providing family planning services and has since grown to include primary health care, HIV/AIDS prevention, education, promotion of income-generating activities, and development of small-scale rural enterprises, forestry, environmental conservation, water resource development, sanitation, gender empowerment and democracy promotion.

This project will:
1) empower community members to work together, prioritizing activities based on identified needs and setting a plan for implementation
2) establish a village development committee and village youth council
establish a village bank, with training support, to manage credit for income 3) generating activities and to encourage savings practices.

North by North East is pleased to partner with PATT in such important work. PATT, a UK registered charity with an operational office in Bangkok, was formed in 2005 with its mission to react to problems caused by deforestation worldwide, raise awareness of environmental issues and the role forests play, take action against climate change, educate children on these issues and to PLANT MORE TREES.

For more information on Travel Free! Carbon Free! opportunities please visit the PATT website or contact a North by North East travel expert:

The Plant-A-Tree-Today Foundation

North by North East Travel Services
Tel: +66 (0) 4251 3572
Fax:+66 (0) 4251 3573
e-mail: info@ north-by-north-east.com
Web site: www.north-by-north-east.com