Impact Projects

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Giving Back to Impact Projects

An important part of Yugen Earthside's vision is to give back to social and environmental initiatives, via Impact Projects, that support sustainable tourism development. Our company is registered as a Social Purpose Corporation which legally allows us to pursue altruistic objectives in addition to financial profitability.

Impact Projects & the SDGs

Our Impact Projects are aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Contributions to Impact Projects are incremental to our Climate Impact efforts (being a certified net-zero company and automatically including carbon removals with each booking).

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, listed one by one with the words "Sustainable Development Goals" across the top with the UN logo on the top left.
A group of 7 hands come together in the middle of the screen, one on top of the other; the long sleeves on the arms reflecting colors of red, orange, green, blue, brown, and beige.
Yugen Earthside & the SDGs

Committed to using tourism for good.

We want travel to be a positive force in the world. The primary Sustainable Development Goals we focus on are:

  • SDG #5: Gender Equality

  • SDG #10: Reduced Inequalities

  • SDG #11: Sustainable Cities & Communities

All SDGs are important, and our Impact Projects may support goals in addition to those listed above.

Sustainable Tourism Projects We Support

The Great Himalaya Trail - Women Leaders Campaign

We contributed to this incredible initiative fiercely advocating for gender parity in Nepal's trekking industry by creating jobs and workforce equity. This aligns with SDG #5 – Gender Equality and SDG #10 – Reduced Inequalities.

The campaign's vision:

We want women to be valued, treated fairly and recognized as an integral part of the trekking tourism industry as leaders, guides, and porters and to have safe and equitable working conditions with equal access to opportunities at all levels within the industry.

The campaign's goals:

  1. To raise funds to support a team of female Nepali guides and porters to trek the GHT.
  2. To elevate and celebrate the roles and voices of Nepali women and create visibility for them within the outdoor and tourism industries, as well as, in the media.
  3. To educate and initiate discussions with consumers and the tourism industry about the current challenges and inequitable working conditions that female guides and porters face.

Learn more about this project here.

Center for Responsible Travel

The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) is a global non-profit that “promotes responsible travel where local communities thrive and steward cultural resources and biodiversity.”

We donated funds to support SDG #11 – Sustainable Cities & Communities, which were generously triple-matched by CREST board members.

Galapagos Conservation Trust

We donated to the Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT), a UK-based non-profit focused on environmental and wildlife protection.

The GCT supports SDG #14 – Life Below Water and SDG #15 – Life on Land with its work to “protect the vulnerable ecosystems found on Galapagos by conserving species, restoring habitats and driving sustainable solutions.”

Women in Travel CIC

The bold mission of Women in Travel CIC, a UK-based non-profit, is to “Empower Women through Employability & Entrepreneurship in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality.”

We donated to Women in Travel to support the social goals of SDG #5 – Gender Equality and SDG #10 – Reduced Inequalities.

Research

We work to understand the biggest problems affecting the travel and tourism industry and what can be done about it.

Partner

We partner with local organizations, non-profits, and others doing reputable, verifiable work to help combat those problems.

Donate

We donate funds to further causes that improve the tourism industry, aligned with SDGs.

Other Impact Projects

Below are examples of other types of projects, in line with the SDGs, that we may contribute to in the future. We are always open to learning about new projects doing important work on the ground. Don't be shy to suggest a project to us!

SDG #5 – Gender Equality

  • Training more female tour guides in destinations
  • Empower entrepreneurial women through grants
  • Contribute to gender training programs

SDG #6 – Clean Water & Sanitation

  • Reduce water scarcity by investing in water flow restrictors to ensure no shortages for locals
  • Donate to wastewater management projects

SDG #7 – Affordable & Clean Energy

  • Supporting solar panels & green energy projects
  • Investing in local organizations focused on renewable energy

SDG #9 – Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure

  • Build more charging stations for electric vehicles
  • Help repair roads to ease access for locals and tourists

SDG #10 – Reduced Inequalities

  • Pay for training to help locals achieve higher management positions, i.e. in hotels
  • Donate to educational programs to uplift women
Ready to make an impact?

Browse responsible adventures now.

Gordes sits perched in the Luberon region of the French countryside, with green foliage unfocused in the foreground.

France

9 trips
At the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, a wooden sign post stands indicating Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa! The sign post has yellow lettering and a Tanzanian flag above it, with some prayer flags on the left hand side. The sign is in the left part of the frame, with the view over the mountain tops to the right. Blue sky and sunny, with some wispy clouds.

Tanzania

10 trips
A chain link bridge with prayer flags along the lefthand side extends across a valley into a wooded area, with snow-capped mountains in the background.

Nepal

6 trips
A giant tortoise with his neck extended walks on a grassy ground.

The Galapagos Islands

4 trips
Clear, turquoise water is shallow enough where you can see sunken roman ruins below, with a rocky shore to the left and green trees in the background.

Türkiye

4 trips