Regenerative travelling has gained attention in recent years with the aim of maintaining sustainable tourism and leaving destinations such as Aotearoa, New Zealand in a better condition than before visitors arrived.
In this project, tourists arriving at Auckland Airport will receive a carbon footprint card that calculates or records the carbon footprint emission that they will create throughout some of their tourist activities. For example, dolphin and whale watching on a cruise is one of these activities. One of the simple ways to offset the carbon footprint is to “plant a tree.” Tourists will make donations by interacting with the SpindT machine located in the Marine Information Centre. The funds will be collected through the coins they insert into the machine, in exchange for a SpindT ball that rolls down the chute.
The aim is to create greater change, especially in building a better relationship with our coastal and marine environment through the use of tourism. It seeks to generate innovative methods for visitors to interact with the environment through restorative travel, and encourage visitors and tourism business owners to actively contribute to repairing Tamāki Makaurau's coastal and marine habitats. My project reimagines new products, services, and experiences that may support a better way of healing marine tourism locations along the Tamāki Makaurau coast.
This project’s vision is to demonstrate how the act of “planting a tree” connects with marine restoration organisations, and how this will contribute to offsetting tourists' carbon footprints from the moment they get off the plane. Moreover, it is committed to giving back to our mother nature, "kaitiakitinga," which means the "guardianship of nature."
To counter the phenomenon of environmental deterioration, we must shift our behaviours away from exploitative models and towards restorative practices and a sustainable reconfiguration of the global economy.
The amount of CO2 that users' trees are capable of absorbing is based on a 50-year timeframe of continuous growth. If we are calculating based on annual emissions, such as the use of one's car or household activities, trees will need to be planted each year based on users' annual carbon emissions — not just as a one-off.
The SpindT mobile application with the QR code is created for tourists to scan on their mobile phones. The major objectives are for them to gain more awareness about the activities that they will or have already taken part in, and to make further donations.
Seeds of change
In addition, we will share some more specific pieces of information about our project, and how the connections created in the act of “planting a tree” will affect and assist the marine restoration in Tamāki Makaurau. Users will be more convinced and better informed about making donations after gaining a greater understanding of the organisation's collaboration. Lastly, the funds will then be given to the local marine restoration and research organisations as external support for all marine life.
Expanding commercial plantation forestry will have been the prime means of achieving New Zealand's net ZERO carbon goal by 2050, while providing other substantial environmental and social benefits.
