Yes it is exciting and fun to travel to remote corners of the world, and I am full of gratitude as I begin a new adventure in Mongolia. But this travel experience has felt different, because on this trip I know I will make a small difference in the world.
This time I hope to offset the carbon footprint created by flying ½ way around the world by eco-voluntouring … I know it is a big word. The concept is fairly straightforward though and involves tourists volunteering for the environment.
My environmental contribution in Mongolia will be as a citizen scientist with the EarthWatch Institute. Very soon I will be heading out into the remote nature reserve, Ikh Nart, to help monitor threatened species. Thanks to all my sponsors, I will be able to collect data which will better inform the preservation of this remote corner of the world.
The world needs more environmental helpers to listen for the voice of the earth and all of her creatures. For the next two weeks I will be off the grid living in gers and tents, without power or plumbing, capturing animals and collecting data. It won’t be easy but it will be rewarding volunteering alongside Mongolian scientists and herdsmen to help with their ongoing animal monitoring research.
And I will begin some of my own personal research noticing how our team of voluntourists and students learn and grow from this experience. Perhaps the intangible gift of deeply knowing we can make a difference in the world will become the future of souvenir shopping.
The service we render others … is the rent we pay … for our room on earth. Wilfred Grenfell 1878