Travel Republic Press Release - 4th August 2009 - For Immediate Release

ECONOMIC woes have led to businesses reassessing their green initiatives as they look to reduce costs – this is not the case for the UK’s number one independent travel website Travel Republic.

Travel Republic has donated a massive £75,000 to the World Land Trust – a prestigious environmental charity – and expects to increase this to more than £100,000 before the end of the year.

Managing director Kane Pirie said: “We make a small donation every time a flight is booked but given the popularity of the website these tot up pretty fast into real money.

“With the £75,000 the World Land Trust has been able to conserve over 7,000 acres - that's an area the size of nearly 4,000 football pitches - of critical wildlife habitat in a remote corner of Paraguay. The reserve is home to fantastic animals such as jaguars, pumas, black howler monkeys and three local 'giants': the Giant Armadillo, Giant Anteater and Giant Otter.”

“The Trust has helped purchase and protect over 375,000 acres (nearly 600 square miles) of threatened habitats in Asia, Central and South America, Europe and Africa. This is the best way to tackle the biggest cause of environmental damage – change in land use. This direct approach of the World Land Trust, and the involvement of Sir David Attenborough, gave us the comfort we were looking for.”

On top of this Travel Republic offers a carbon balancing programme through which customers elect, when they want, to make a donation to off-set the carbon emissions of their flight. This is also arranged through the World Land Trust.

Pirie commented: “We were the first online agent to offer carbon balancing and believe this should only ever be done with a registered charity – most of the competition has tried to copy our move but waste their customers’ money by working with commercial organisations who cream off a profit.

“Since we launched this programme a year ago our customers have donated £43,000 to the World Land Trust to balance out their flights and protect threatened tropical forest habitat in Ecuador.”

Sir David Attenborough is proud to be the patron of the World Land Trust commenting:

“I have been enormously inspired by the progress of the World Land Trust in halting at least some of the destruction of the world's wild places. WLT gives absolutely everyone an opportunity to get involved and take personal responsibility in a really positive way.”

Notes to editors:

For more media information contact Louise Prior at Prior PR on 07786 227572 or louise@priorpr.com.

TravelRepublic.co.uk
WorldLandTrust.org

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