Environmental Policies - What CTTC is doing about the environment.

CTTC Environmental Policy

• CTTC realizes its’ socio-environmental responsibility and strives to maintain a sustainable enterprise in all aspects of the business.
• Our core business is the promotion and provision of one of the cleanest forms of travel (and certainly the most efficient!). Through cycle-touring we encourage environmentally conscious travel and sustainable business.
• We are planning conservation / restoration projects with local governments and communities in regions CTTC tour – a main goal being the conversion of several defunct railways to cycle-ways.
• We try to ensure that every tour and service we offer directly has the lowest environmental impact, and always aim to work with suppliers that provide an appreciable environmental accountability.
• CTTC works with small groups, only up to 16 people and thereby we can avoid staying in large chain accommodation, staying instead at private and often family managed Hotels and B&B’s.
• We continually look to improve and enhance methods against pollution and environmental degradation in the regions CTTC tour, in such ways a purchasing Bio-Fuels where available (still sadly a rarity) – and stocking the support van at local shops.
• We educate and train all our staff to follow and comply with CTTC’s sustainable policy which will ensure continually improved and innovative environmental practices in such simple ways as separating trash and keeping punctured inner tubes for reuse!
• We are working on a framework in which CTTC can monitor and evaluate all its environmental objectives on a regular basis and that the results are published. We hope to soon gain our ISO 14000 accreditation.

How we give back to the environment and community.

• We operate tours in the country we reside and bring in valued clients to a variety of local businesses.
• We minimize our impact on areas we visit by simply cycling trough!
• CTTC marks its daily routes using pure Calcium Carbonate - Chalk - that simply washes or blows away.
• We only use the most environmentally sound, biodegradable cleaning products and lubricants to maintain our bike fleet - guaranteed.
• All major overhauls are done at our local bike shop.
• All used parts are donated to a local cycling association - or reused in Martin’s crafts projects!
• We try to have as little printed material as possible and we encourage all our clients to download our brochure and operate a print-on-demand policy.
• All printed material is done on recycled paper using digital prints only (no need to use lithographic plates or screens with digital prints).
• We try to recycle all our waste - from the ink cartridges in the office to our picnic/snack waste on tours.
• The hotels and restaurants we use are generally all locally or at least nationally run, favoring family owned small businesses. We also like to recommend such accommodation for further travel.
• We don’t block book accommodation; we only book what we need, sending payments in advance and canceling if necessary well in advance - allowing the hotel to maintain a higher turn over and better maintenance for the guests.
• CTTC designs and promotes tours in areas that will benefit the most from our brand of low-impact tourism.
• We always employ local guides for every tour – and we’re locals too!
• We always encourage our clients to shop in smaller regional stores.

To do all of this actually costs YOU less. Part of sustainable business practice involves our social accountability, and we have established warm and long-term relations with many of the services we use on our tours and therefore they provide us with better rates so everyone wins.