Our sustainability vision
At Norrøna Hvitserk, we consider ourselves to be part of nature. Without it we would not exist. We love what we do and want to be able to do it for a long time, which is why we aim to build a sustainable tourism industry. We undertake to minimize all negative effects on nature and the local communities we visit as well as create an awareness of sustainability.
Our story
During the forty years we have been doing expeditions and adventure travel, we have done what we can to ensure that our trips contribute to positive development in the places we visit. We have always done what we can to use smaller, locally run hotels and local partners. This is how we have helped create important income and jobs for the local population.
Adventure Travel (one of the forerunners of Norrøna Hvitserk) was conceived on the African High Plain, after Ulf Prytz and Odd Eliassen had completed projects in Kilimanjaro National Park. The result of this work has created many jobs linked to mountain tourism on the 5895 meter high mountain.
Stiftelsen Varde
In 2011, we started collecting money for various aid projects in Kenya, Nepal and Ethiopia. In the autumn of 2013, we went one step further and established the Varde Foundation. The foundation is run under Hvitserk and has given between NOK 100,000 and 200,000 a year to various aid projects. When you sign up for a trip with Norrøna Hvitserk, you can choose whether you want to donate money to Stiftelsen Varde.
Member of Travel Life
We work actively with sustainability and want to be transparent about our processes. We are proud to say that Norrøna Hvitserk Adventure is a committed member of Travelife for tour operators and travel agencies. Travelife is an internationally recognized, GSTC-Global Sustainable Tourism Council accredited training, management and certification program for sustainability in tourism.
Travelife is a three-stage certification program for tour operators and travel agencies: (1) Travelife engaged; (2) Travelife partner (3) Travelife certified. We are at stage 1 – Travelife engaged. We are working on moving on to step 2 – Travelife Partner. To achieve Travelife partner status, we must meet standards for 100 sustainability criteria that can be grouped into five key areas: office operations, product development, work with suppliers, customer relations and destinations. See the goals.
Member of Leave no trace
An internationally recognized set of 7 principles that help keep our environments healthy.
When spending a lot of time outside, its important to understand the environment in which youre traveling. Each destination, each eco-system, will have a different set of needs to keep that place healthy and happy. That is why here at Hvitserk we follow the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace (LNT).
LNT is an organization that strives to educate instructors, guides, and recreationalists on how to best interact with the environments we work and play in. These are not a set of rules, they are guidelines, to help each of us think in a responsible, sustainable way about our surroundings.
Where are you going? What type of environment is it? How can you travel responsibly there? These questions can be answered with a little research on where youre traveling, or questions posed to your guides.
Walking on trails already created minimizes the impact of hundreds of feet on the ecosystem. Its important not to cut off trail and create more harm to the soil than necessary. This guideline also encourages us to camp and walk on surfaces that are more durable than others when possible. Deciding between setting up your tent on Arctic tundra vs. flat rock? Go for the flat rock, this way the plant life you could have slept on will remain intact and healthy.
This guideline helps us remember how to use the bathroom responsibly in different environments. Research the area youre exploring to see how management suggests you dispose of waste. It also reminds us not to leave trash, including toilet paper and fruit peels, on our outdoor pursuits. Animals will dig these things up or ingest them, it can impact their health and make them dependent on human food that puts them in harms way.
Here we are encouraged to "take only picture, leave only footprints". In order for others to enjoy what you have seen, leave what you find beautiful so they can enjoy it too!
Its important to stay in control of your fire ring. Always create a fire ring from stones so it is easier to control, and when youre finished, scatter the stones away so no one can tell you have been there when passing. This is important in remote, wilderness areas. If an area has established fire rings already, use those. Do not start a fire if there is a fire ban in the local area.
Respecting wild places and the creatures that live there is a huge ethic in outdoor life. Being quiet, staying a respectful distance away, and observing quietly is the best way to interact with wildlife. Please do not feed wild animals, this trains them to come towards humans, and can make them more aggressive. Its how people get injured, and animals get a bad reputation.
Remembering most people seek nature to have a calm experience away from civilization. Remembering to be respectful of others around you creates a nice experience for everyone. Use trail etiquette. Use headphones instead of playing music outloud. Be kind and helpful to others. Remember, were all here because we love being outside!
Our work
Our work is in the initial phase and a lot of exciting things are happening in the future. In parallel with working to achieve the goal of Travelife certification, we are working on developing our sustainability policy and roadmap for 2029, improving existing journeys and developing new and more sustainable journeys. We think the work with sustainability is so important and exciting, and will keep you updated along the way.
Here you can read about our goals/our policy.
Do you have questions regarding our work with sustainability? Feel free to contact us at adventure@norrona.com.