Sustainability Policy  2023 

Foyle Trails (FT) overriding mission is the provision of landscape interpretative experiences and tours that are sustainable and have minimal negative impacts on the environment, communities and local economy of the River Foyle`s upland valleys. FT`s general ethos aims to make our clients aware of the need for habitat and archaeological site conservation and the preservation of the unique rural folklore of this region. FT is also committed to maintaining and building on the strong relationships that we have with our clients, local businesses and community groups.

The World Tourism Organisation`s definition of Sustainable Tourism is understood and appreciated by FT in that it should ” take full account of it`s current and future economic, social and environmental impacts while addressing the needs of visitors, the environment, our local tourism industry and host communities”. FT is therefore committed to reducing the negative impacts and increasing the positive impacts that our activities have on the environment.

Continuous Improvement FT is committed to sustainability and realises that it is a process of step by step learning of how, our business decisions impact on the general environment and the local communities in which we operate.

Measuring and Reducing Energy Consumption From September 2023 FT commenced a full audit of all energy consumption within the business. With the aim of progressively reducing our energy consumption.      

As a first step in this process we will record our electricity meter reading every quarter and begin to reduce our consumption by –

  • installing energy saving light bulbs

  • using electric appliances only when necessary and     checking that all appliances work efficiently and replacing old appliances at the end of their working life with higher energy efficient models. We will continue to shut down computers, printers and TVs completely and never leave on standby mode

  • continue heating our office space with a wood burning stove, using sustainably sourced timber

  • we are also committed to replacing our current vehicle with a hybrid model at the end of the existing vehicle`s life.

  • we are committed to using public transport when attending business and training meetings, when practical.

Measuring and Reducing Water Consumption

We have been measuring our water consumption since September 2023 and aim to reduce our mains water consumption by 7% by September 2024 through –

installing aeration devices on all taps and fitting water displacement devices to all toilet cisterns and install a garden water barrel to capture rainwater for garden use. We have reduced the frequency of car washing and never use high pressure hoses on vehicles or hard outdoor surfaces.

Measuring and Reducing Waste –

From the 15th of August 2023 we have been weighing and recording
•   all waste material that can be recycled
• all refuse destined for landfill
• all compostable material that we create.

All of the material mentioned above is collected and carefully recycled, composted or landfilled by our Local Authority. The records that we keep prior to Council collection will with time give an indication of how successful we are in our waste reduction efforts. During the next 12 months we aim to increase our overall recycling rate by at least 8%.                        

On our visitor experiences we strictly follow Leave No Trace principles and also gather any plastic litter found on the sites and habitats that we explore. FT has also been working towards implementing a ” zero single use plastic policy” for 12 months.

Ethical Purchasing FT actively seeks to purchase Fair Trade and ISO 14000 labelled goods, where available. We make a point of using local (within 50km of our base) and island of Ireland based suppliers for most of our purchases and avoid purchasing food stuffs that have a high air mile record. We currently keep and will continue to keep our internet purchases to a minimum – because of the large amount of plastic packaging that internet retailers use.

Responsible Marketing FT’s is fully committedtavoidance of Green Washing and all forms of business marketing that pretends to be sustainable. We are also committed to honestly and accurately communicating all sustainability statements that we make on this website.

Supporting Local Communities FT is proud to provide landscape interpretation experiences in the Foyle Uplands and West Tyrone. This region is one of the most ecomomically deprived areas in Northern ireland. We are committed to helping this region gain economic benefits from our sustainable tourism efforts, through encouraging our visitors to purchase overnight accommodation, foof and refrestments from sustainable businesses in this region( where available). FT will contiue with it`s membership of the environmental collective Zero Waste NW and volunteer practical skills/expertise in our native Oak regeneration project and continue to provide additional conservation advice.

Biodiversity conservation FT will continue to follow all applicable conservation and biodiversity guidelines as issued by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.  

We will also continue to provide our visitors with advice on, and the opportunity to, selectively remove invasive plant seedlings when encountered on the sites they visit. Finally, we are committed to continuous professional development in regard to sustainability and other actions that will counter biodiversity loss in our geographical area of operation.

Signed – Martin Bradley
Sustainability Lead Foyle Trails
Date - 4th December 2023.