About iJourneyGreen
- What is iJourneyGreen?
iJourneyGreen is a 501(c)3 non-profit company that provides a way for travelers to give back charitably to the regions they visit.
- How does iJourneyGreen choose its partners/projects?
We have chosen our partners through a mix of pre-existing relationships and continued reviews of their progress. Additionally, we rely on reputable third-party organizations, to which we have no affiliation or influence, such as Charity Navigator and Guide Star.
- How does iJourneyGreen make money?
iJourneyGreen receives a 20% fee from each travel credit package, a percentage which allows us to continue expanding our network and assisting new causes around the world.
Travel Credits
- What is a Travel Credit?
Travel Credits are the first ever truly holistic approach to making all forms of travel both green and sustainable for individuals and businesses. As travel impacts the environments, the places and the people we visit, truly sustainable travel needs to support and invest in all three. Thus, Travel Credits™ invest in environmental causes, microfinance, and social causes in the regions individuals and businesses visit. To learn more click here
- Why purchase Travel Credits?
iJourneyGreen is changing the way in which we travel. With your donations, we are able to ensure that the places we all love to visit are around for generations to come. By working with our trusted partners we can ensure money is directly invested in local projects helping to support environmental, social, and charitable causes.
- Travel Credits vs. Carbon Offsets:
One of our favorite descriptions of our company was offered by someone just learning about our Travel Credit program. She called iJourneyGreen, “Carbon Offset Plus”, signifying the next generation of carbon offsets specifically for travelers. Carbon Credits offer travelers a way to neutralize the carbon from their trip by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount offset. However, travelers impact many areas during a standard trip beyond just carbon emissions. iJourneyGreen’s Travel Credit™ programs invest in all areas travelers impact on a trip: The environment, cultures, infrastructure and local resources.
- How do Travel Credits create sustainability?
There is much debate on the true meaning of sustainable travel, but we think it is important to tell you how iJourneyGreen views this definition. We feel that real sustainable travel is more inclusive than solely engaging in environmental preservation. It extends beyond environmental preservation to cultural preservation and socioeconomic wellbeing of communities around the world. Thus, we have created a platform that enables travelers to travel responsibly, while actively investing in sustainability. Our Travel Credit packages both educate travelers, as well as tangibly create change through donations to environmental, social and community causes in the region being visited.
Microfinance
- What is Microfinance and Micro-Credit?
Microfinance is the supply of financial services and small loans to low income communities that would not otherwise have access to capital. The idea of microfinance has become a worldwide social movement to use capital as a catalyst for alleviating poverty.
- Who do you loan money to, and how do you re-loan that money once the term comes to fruition?
We believe microfinance is the solution to eradicating global poverty. We have chosen partners who represent the best organizations to fight this problem, and cover as much of the world as possible in their programs which allows us to invest money directly to where our travelers visit each year. As an example, if a traveler is visiting Honduras, and one of our partners offers loans to individuals in that country, we loan to that area. If we do not have a program in a country that one travels, we choose an individual that is as close as possible. Once the loan is made, and repaid, we reinvest that money back into the same area. This allows for a compounding effect that continues to work as a solution to eradicating poverty in the areas our travelers visit.
- How are microfinance loans chosen?
We have spent a substantial amount of time determining which areas of the world we loan money to based on our clients' travel plans. As much as we'd like to promise that the donation/loan from each package sold goes directly to the location the traveler is visiting, this isn't always possible. There are many areas of the world (Arctic, Antarctic, remote parts of Africa/Asia) where microfinance programs are not yet available. Conversely, many people travel to certain areas of the world that are much better off than others, and not experiencing the effects of "true poverty." In these instances, we make loans to the applicable region a traveler is visiting. For instance, a traveler may visit Benin and there might not be microfinance programs available there. In that instance, we would donate within the same region - maybe Ghana or Nigeria - to ensure we are targeting loans to the next best area.
- When are loans made relative to when I purchase a package?
We make loans every two months. This allows us to pool resources from the previous two months, and allocate those loans appropriately to each location. As there are often loan minimums, we need to meet certain thresholds before loans can be made. In remote regions, this may mean that we have to wait longer than two months to meet those minimums. We will notify our travelers of when and where their loans are made. We guarantee that all loans will be made within a 12-month period from the time the package is purchased.
- What microfinance is NOT:
We believe that microfinance is the best solution for eradicating global poverty. We believe its business model, results and ingenuity are superior to similar efforts made by traditional aid. That said, microfinance seeks to help the nearly 50% of people in this world who live on less than $2.50/day, and are capable of work. There are literally billions of able-bodied people in this world that live in the deepest throngs of poverty because they do not have access to capital, and are not able to pull themselves free from those conditions.
Micro-Credit is not the solution for those in poverty who have conditions or illnesses that are so severe that they are precluded from being capable of loan repayment. In cases such as these, traditional grants and services are better suited to provide assistance.
For Individuals
- Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes, iJourneyGreen is a registered 501(c)3 organization, which means that each donation is a tax write-off to the recipient. Our tax ID number is 80-0438953. Please contact us at info@iJourneyGreen.com if you need more information.
- Do I receive verification for the projects I choose to fund?
Yes, it is our goal at iJourneyGreen to ensure our process is as transparent as possible. After you confirm your purchase, you will receive an email within 24-hours which confirms your donation and also provides log in information for your microfinance loan.
If for whatever reason you do not receive this email or you encounter a problem with your donation, please contact us immediately at info@iJourneyGreen.com
For Corporations
- How can iJourneyGreen become a part of our corporate travel program?
The best part about working with iJourneyGreen is how our platform is completely customizable to your company. We will consult with you regarding your company’s specific corporate travel program and how we can make it more sustainable. Additionally, we will work to raise awareness of your company’s involvement with iJourneyGreen and dedication to sustainable travel.
- Why is it important for corporations to get involved?
We love this quote from Sue Welland, and although corporations should look at more than just carbon emissions, it is a good place to start:
"Often over 25% of a company's carbon footprint can be attributed to travel. Reducing those emissions makes good business sense - for the climate, for the balance sheet and for reputation. Carbon management is increasingly part of the corporate strategy, companies need to know what their Carbon Footprint is and how to reduce this internally through business procedures and operations as well as externally through carbon offsetting.” Sue Welland, Founder & Creative Director, The CarbonNeutral Company - What companies are currently working with iJourneyGreen?
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