👋 Hi, I’m Edwina, Sustainability General Executive at Vagabond & Driftwood Tours.
Here at Vagabond, we are always looking for new ways to express our love for Ireland. We are constantly researching the most delicious ice cream flavours to eat and the best Irish pubs to visit.
We first achieved B Corp certification in January 2021, becoming the very first B Corp-certified travel and tourism company in Ireland.
Since then we are proud to say that we have been recertified as a B Corp, increasing our score by 25% in the process!
We take the commitments in our Sustainability Mission Statement very seriously and encourage our guests to travel sustainably too.
What better way to show your love of Ireland than by using our new 'Plant a Native Tree In Ireland' option when booking?
Read on conscious travellers to learn about the benefits of clicking our Plant a Native Tree In Ireland button.
🕸️ Capturing And Storing CO2
Almost everything we do leaves a carbon footprint. Whether it’s driving to a mountain for a hike or getting a taxi home from the pub, some carbon is being produced.
Having shorter showers. Consuming locally produced food. Using public transport. Limiting your waste. All of these are effective steps for reducing your carbon footprint.
Travel and tourism will naturally increase your carbon footprint.
Luckily there are solutions. The first step is to choose a travel company who is genuinely focused on sustainability, like Vagabond Tours.
The next step is to click our ‘Plant a Native Tree In Ireland’ button to help you reduce your carbon footprint.
Trees are amazing at storing carbon and transforming it back into oxygen. In Ireland, our forests remove 6 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere every year.
Imagine if we had more trees…
🌳 Improve Biodiversity
Trees have been a part of our country’s landscape for thousands of years.
A single mature tree can be home to as many as 326 different species of insects, fungi, ferns, mammals, lichen and birds.
Birds, insects, and animals need native trees for shelter, food and to nest. Hedgerows act as a natural wildlife corridor, helping small mammals, birds and insects to move around safely.
When you choose to plant a tree in Ireland with Vagabond, you are also lending a hand to Irish wildlife. Who knew helping improve biodiversity could be so easy?
🌬️ Trees Clean The Air
When you’re out exploring Ireland on your active Vagabond tour or easy-paced Driftwood tour, don't miss the chance to walk through a woodland.
After walking in an Irish forest, some people claim they saw a fairy. While those claims might be debatable, everyone claims that the air was cleaner.
While we can’t confirm or deny your fairy claims, we can assure you that the air is definitely cleaner in native Irish woodlands. This is because trees naturally purify the air.
As well as taking in carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen, trees also absorb other harmful gases, such as nitrogen oxides, ammonia and sulphur dioxide. They also filter out odours, particulates and dust.
🌡️ Keep The Climate Cool
Whether you’re watching the nine o’clock news in your hotel, or chatting with the locals at the pub in Dingle, global warming is a hot topic.
All over the world, trees are being uprooted to make room for asphalt roads and concrete buildings. This makes cities and towns warmer than ever before.
Planting more trees can help to keep climates cooler. Water evaporating from trees creates low-level clouds that will reflect harmful sun rays, cooling the surface of the earth.
Of course, they also provide cooling shade which can significantly reduce the amount of energy used for heating and cooling homes.
Those shady spots are also ideal for enjoying a 99 ice cream on a sunny summer’s day in Ireland!
🦔 Habitat Creation
Animals, insects, plants and birds live in and around our native trees. Where trees are planted, other plants and wildlife will always follow.
The mighty oak tree, for example, can host up to 280 different species of insects. With more food sources on offer, more birds will naturally arrive.
Rowan, Elder and other native Irish trees that grow berries are also an important food source for birds.
With more shelter, protection and food on offer, more life thrives where trees are replanted.
🐟 Reduce Flooding And Flood Damage
Here in Ireland, we are used to getting our fair share of rain and on a rare occasion, we can get localised flooding.
Luckily, on wet days like this, we have plenty of pubs to take shelter in. You might even hear the locals saying “it’s a day for the high stools”.
Planting more trees can have a positive impact when it comes to reducing flooding.
The first line of defence is the canopy of leaves and branches that slows the rain down before it hits the ground. This spreads the effect of heavy rainfall over a longer period of time. Some rainwater will even evaporate before hitting the ground.
Tree root systems allow water to penetrate further into the soil around trees which means less surface run-off and more soil storage instead.
Finally, deadwood, shrubs and trees along riverbanks help to slow down the flow of water, saving nearby towns and villages from excess flooding.
We might not be able to beat the rain but we can definitely help to slow it down by planting more trees.
🧙♀️ Reconnecting With Ancient Culture
Ireland’s native trees have always had special significance in our history and culture.
The Celts worshipped trees. Our ancient Ogham alphabet used trees for its letters. And, trees like hazel, ash and oak were sacred in Brehon Law and believed to have magical powers.
Celtic folklore teaches us that hawthorn trees are home to the fairies and may even serve as a gateway between worlds.
It’s not uncommon to see a hawthorn tree standing proudly in the middle of an otherwise cleared field. They are so rooted in mystery and superstition that even in modern times, farmers won’t risk cutting one down.
Planting more native Irish trees will help future generations to connect with our ancient cultural roots.
🧠 Enhance Your Mental Health
If you need one more reason to click that ‘Plant a Native Tree In Ireland’ button, you should know that trees are good for your mental health.
Experts have found that levels of depression are much less in areas where there are more trees. People living in areas with fewer trees not only have higher instances of depression but also experience more stress and anxiety.
Walking in woodlands has been proven to boost mood and cognitive function, reducing cortisol (the stress hormone) significantly.
On many of our Vagabond and Driftwood tours, we visit native Irish woodlands, forests and National Parks. Take a stroll through the trees and see how you feel.
💚 Click ‘Plant A Tree’ When Booking Your Vagabond Or Driftwood Tour
When you’re completing your booking with us, you can click the ‘Plant a Native Tree In Ireland’ button to plant a native Irish tree for just €3.
By clicking the ‘Plant a Native Tree In Ireland’ button, you’ll help to reduce CO2 in Ireland, improve biodiversity, keep the air clean and reduce flooding.
Maybe someday your children, nieces, nephews or grandkids might visit Ireland and pass through the same area where you put down roots when you visited Ireland.
By acting now, we can help to protect this beautiful country for the Vagabonders of the future.
