Episode 65: Nora Livingstone - Have An Amazing International Animal Experience

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Hello beautiful humans.
Welcome to the Human Beauty

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Movement Podcast.
I'm your host, Jennifer Norman.

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Throughout my life I've been a
lover and a seeker of all things

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beauty.
But through my own personal

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journey, I've come to discover
what I believe is the most

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beautiful thing in the universe,
The beauty of the human Soul.

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On this podcast I.
It down with beautiful humans

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from all corners of the globe
and all walks of life to learn

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how they are living their own
unique soul beauty out loud.

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This is the podcast where
abundant energy flows and

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supreme wisdom is bestowed.
Get ready to enjoy the

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inspiration.
Hello beautiful Humans.

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I'm Jennifer Norman, founder of
the Human Beauty Movement and

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your host.
This podcast thrives on your

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support, so if you like what you
hear, follow us, rate us, review

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us, and share this episode with
everyone you know across your

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networks.
So I have a few questions for

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you, dear listener.
Do you love to travel?

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Do you love animals?
Do you love making a difference?

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If you answered hell yeah to any
of these questions, then you're

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gonna love today's episode.
My guest is Nora Livingstone.

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The CEO and cofounder of Animal
Experience International.

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Her organization empowers animal
lovers, students, professionals,

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and adventure seekers everywhere
to travel and make a difference

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by volunteering with animal
conservation programs all over

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the world.
Nora's work has personally taken

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her to over 45 countries
including Oman, Sierra Leone,

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Guatemala, and Mongolia to name
a few.

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Welcome, Nora.
Oh, thank you so much.

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For having me, Jennifer.
Nora, I am completely intrigued

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by you and your work, so you
have to tell me about your back

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story and how you came up with
the idea for Animal Experience

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International.
Yeah, well, I would love to say

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that it was all my idea, but it
was mostly Dr. Heather Reed.

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She's my business partner.
I was so lucky to travel a lot

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when I was a kid.
I grew up as a military brat.

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My dad was in the Canadian army,
and so we moved every three

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years.
I got really itchy feet.

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Always been on the road and when
I graduated university I was

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really lucky that I was able to
spend a bit of time travel

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volunteer in a few different
countries.

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And when I came back to Canada,
I started as a volunteer

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coordinator at a wildlife center
and I was getting people to

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volunteer and I was telling
people all about the adventures

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that I had when I was in
Thailand and Nepal and Korea,

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volunteering and talking about
ethical volunteering after I

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left the wildlife.
Center, where I worked with Dr.

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Heather Reid, she sort of just
pitched this idea of like, what

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if we did this as a business?
What if we got people to

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volunteer ethically?
We figured out really great

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placements for them.
We found really great volunteers

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for these amazing organizations.
And I said, like, how hard can

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that be?
Let's do it.

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So that was in 2011.
And yeah, we have been growing

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ever since, which is an
incredible dream to be honest.

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And so tell us about Animal
Experience International.

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Like, what is it involved?
Like if somebody were to be

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interested, you know, they're
Animal curious, Experience

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curious and international
curious.

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What?
Do they do?

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And what does it mean?
Yeah.

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So one of the things that I love
about AEI is the fact that

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anyone can volunteer.
So my background is in

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humanities.
I have no business doing animal

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things.
And that is where most of our

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volunteers come to love animals
as well.

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They have a background that
isn't in veterinary medicine, it

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isn't in vet techery or things
like that.

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But they have a heart for
animals, They have a heart for

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service, and so we definitely
have medical places.

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But most of our placements are
making sure that the local staff

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members, our centers are able to
keep their professional roles.

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And so we have vets and techs
and scientists that are local

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that are at the centers before
we're there.

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They're at the centers when
we're there and they're at the

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centers when we leave.
So we're never taking

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professional roles.
We're not taking away jobs in

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local community.
And we're also making sure that

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all of the programs are for the
local community.

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It's not a.
People who are, you know that

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look like me assist hat white
Canadian going to another

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country and saying this is how
you help animals.

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I don't know how to help animals
everywhere.

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So it's a lot of listening.
And so our placements are so

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amazing because it's everything
from wildly for Hibilitation in

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Guatemala to Elephant Sanctuary
work in Thailand, the wild horse

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conservation in Mongolia and
everything the volunteers are

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doing is very transferred.
Growable.

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So if you are volunteering at a
wildlife center in Guatemala,

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you're doing feeding, cleaning,
enrichment, and all the things

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that a veterinarian doesn't need
to do, but anyone can do.

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So if you love animals and you
know how to cut a banana, or you

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are willing to learn how to cut
a banana, you can help howler

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monkeys in Guatemala.
You can also help elephants, now

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that I'm thinking about it,
bananas.

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All animals love bananas.
And so it's so great.

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Because our volunteers have a
heart for we'll say horses and

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we have this wild horse
conservation of Mongolia.

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We also have a horse sanctuary
in Spain and it's the same

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thing.
You go there, you don't have to

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have a background, you just have
to love animals and all the

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teaching is on the ground, all
of your orientation is when

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you're there, so you know
exactly how to help those

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specific animals in that
specific community, which is

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incredible.
So it's like an all inclusive

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trip that we.
Set up for the volunteers, but

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instead of laying on a beach,
which is amazing, which everyone

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should do, you are doing some
animal stuff on the side.

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Now if you do volunteer with sea
turtles, you do also get to lay

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on a beach, so you get to have
both experiences.

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So it sounds like you have these
partnerships or these

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relationships with these
conservation programs that are

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all over the world, right?
And so they have expressed a

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need that, gosh, it would be
great for us to have volunteers,

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however many.
Many or however few.

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And so if you're a solo traveler
or if you have a group, is there

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any particular size of group
that might be a limitation or is

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it pretty much they're all very
interested in going to

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Guatemala.
There's twenty of us.

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Yeah, book us up with something.
Is that possible or is that just

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like you know, there are
specific parameters?

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Yeah.
Well, so you touched on a really

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interesting point at the start.
So all of our placement partners

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have asked us for volunteers.
So it's never us.

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Kind of coerce a community or
anything like that, saying, oh,

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you really need volunteers, You
really need us.

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It's people who have found out
about us.

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It's these groups that know
about us, that actively ask us,

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hey, we want volunteers and this
is a volunteer program we can

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offer, which is also really
special.

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So we always know that people
really do want us in the

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community and really do want our
health.

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And then, yeah, there's no
limitation really for

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volunteers.
There's some placements that the

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volunteer program is a bit
smaller, so.

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We can have one or two people,
but if people are looking for a

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group experience, we can
definitely make it happen.

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We've had groups as big as 30.
We've had our youngest volunteer

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was five.
He went with his mom, of course,

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and helped with sea turtle
conservation in Costa Rica.

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Our oldest volunteers, our
youngest at heart volunteers.

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I'll say we're in their 80s and
they live across the country

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from each other in America and
every year they meet.

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In a different country and
volunteer.

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And so they met in Nepal and did
some dog work there, which was

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just so amazing and so
beautiful.

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And so I think it's so special.
I go to all the placements first

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to make sure that they're safe,
they're ethical, I can get the

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delay of the land and understand
everything.

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And then I talk with all the
volunteers before they go away.

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So I'm able to say, like, oh,
this is who was picking up from

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the airport.
This is what this looks like.

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And then I can also make the
experience.

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It's more holistic for what
people are looking for.

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So if it is a family reunion or
if it is a group of students

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celebrating their graduation, it
can look just a little bit

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different.
And I can figure out this

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placement will work absolutely
for you at this time and then

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with some insider knowledge like
make sure you check this out

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when you're done volunteering.
I'm curious about any kinds of

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restrictions, because I know
that there might be people who

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might be somewhat disabled, or
there might be a language

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barrier, or anything like.
That is there anything in

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particular that you'd say, oh,
OK, this is something to

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consider if you are, for
example, in a wheelchair or have

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any kinds of mobility issues?
Yeah.

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So all of our programs do
operate in English.

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Some of our veterinarians don't
speak English, but we always

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have a volunteer coordinator and
we have people on the ground

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that can do translation if
needed.

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And so, yeah, knowing English,
having good working knowledge is

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great.
And then we've had quite a few.

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Different accessibility needs
for volunteers and so some of

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the programs would not work if
people were in a wheelchair.

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Guatemala has like quite a few
different steps that people have

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to go through, but very easily
if someone was in a wheelchair,

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they could volunteer.
In Nepal, we have had volunteers

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that were needing a bit of help
because they were in deafened,

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and that was totally fine.
We're able to give them tons of

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information at the start that
they could read before they went

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over for orientation.
Not every placement will work

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for every person, but I think
because I go there first, I'm

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able to say now this won't work,
but this could work as well.

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I think also looking at things
like help for shop and just

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travel in general, I think
sometimes people want to go

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really hard for their first trip
and I love that.

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But if it is people's first
trip, I think sometimes going a

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bit easier into things.
So we had someone a few years

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ago who had never.
Her cities, she was from like

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quite a small city in Canada and
she wanted to go to Nepal and I

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said like, that is great and I
love that for you.

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But let's start with something a
bit easier as your very first

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trip because they don't want
your first trip to be so perhaps

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loud.
So we actually got her to start

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on a trip to Australia and she
went to Nepal a few years after

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and she was like it made.
All the difference.

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Australia is of course further
away, but being able to just

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like be out of your comfort zone
but not so far out that you feel

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completely lost and isolated and
confused.

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We have amazing families on the
ground, we have amazing

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volunteer coordinators and just
wonderful people.

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But I want everyone to be set up
for success, especially at this

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time after the pandemic when all
of us are needing just like a

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bit more hand holding, I think
in a bit more just.

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Like big sister help, I want
people to know that you will be

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supported every single step of
the way, but not everything has

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to be so hard.
We can be gentle with travel and

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still have an amazing time.
When you're going to any given

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place, I'm sure that the
accommodations are different

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everywhere.
What can somebody expect?

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Say for example, if they say I
would love to go to Australia,

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what kind of place would they be
staying at versus a Nepal?

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Yeah, that's a great question
because.

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Both those places are so
different and I think that's one

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of the things I love about our
placements as well, because it's

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truly about the animal you're
interested in, but also the

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experience you're interested in.
So in Australia, we have a

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wildlife center that people
volunteer at, of course, and you

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stay in a Ranger cabin at the
back of the center and there's

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one international volunteer a
month that stays there.

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And so you basically stay in a
Ranger cabin in the Outback and.

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You have this beautiful, like,
peaceful healing environment

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that you're just surrounded by
these animals.

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Yeah, it's beautiful and
peaceful.

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And then in Nepal, where you
stay is this beautiful lodge

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that's in a city called
Bhaktapur, which is the whole

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city is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site.

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And the lodge that you stay in
has been made to look like an

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ancient Nepali castle.
And you're right in the middle

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of everything.
So you are beside a cafe beside

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a temple.
You there's always hustle and

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bustle.
You can go on the roof and you

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can see the Himalayas and you
can see the sun rising over top

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of this UNESCO World Heritage
Site.

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It's so old and so beautiful and
and peaceful in a way, but it's

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very like culturally in your
face.

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Wow.
So people can essentially think

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about this as something that
they can do as a destination

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volunteer initiative?
Or they can tack it on to

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another trip or another sort of
adventure that they're on, so

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that it's maybe bookending or
something like that.

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00:13:39,870 --> 00:13:42,670
Yeah, absolutely.
That's how I felt when I went to

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Mongolia.
I had always been interested in

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Mongolia, but I didn't have like
a reason to go.

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And so to go and volunteer with
the horses and stay in a yurt,

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to be on the Mongolian step and
just go hiking every day.

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And then at the end of the trip,
I spent a week in a Lambatar and

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just soaked in the culture and
the food.

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Food and the heritage and
everything, and it's such an

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00:14:04,470 --> 00:14:08,110
interesting way to get into a
country, get some roots, get

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some language, get some friends
that are there, and then be able

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to explore a little more and
feel a little closer to the

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locals and do some.
Like traveling is really

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amazing.
Wow, and I love that you've

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coined the phrase consent based
tourism.

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00:14:22,630 --> 00:14:26,830
Can you describe it from front
to finish about what you mean by

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consent based tourism?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

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00:14:30,190 --> 00:14:34,350
We were trying to figure out.
Way to talk about ethical travel

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00:14:34,350 --> 00:14:38,030
in a really accessible way
because they're these huge

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00:14:38,070 --> 00:14:40,710
ideas.
You could go to school forever

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00:14:40,710 --> 00:14:43,430
to just talk about ethics and
just talk about travel.

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And so consent based tourism
kind of came to me as this like

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very accessible way that people
could figure out if right now

264
00:14:50,910 --> 00:14:54,190
what they're doing was ethical.
And if you wanted to know more,

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00:14:54,190 --> 00:14:57,430
you of course could do more
research but this was more of a

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like full body.
Yes feeling so in consent based

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00:15:00,710 --> 00:15:02,390
tourism it's kind of like a.
Triangle.

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And so the one point is the
community.

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So is the community not just
accepting you, but are they

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inviting you to be there?
Sort of like if someone just

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walked into your house one day?
Is that actual consent if you

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00:15:17,190 --> 00:15:19,670
actually want them there?
Are you actually opening the

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00:15:19,670 --> 00:15:21,950
door and saying, yes, I do want
you here?

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00:15:21,950 --> 00:15:25,590
Especially important during the
pandemic when people were

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00:15:25,590 --> 00:15:29,910
looking to travel and we had
countries that were saying, yes,

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00:15:29,910 --> 00:15:31,590
travel is open, but then we
would.

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00:15:31,670 --> 00:15:34,870
Talk to our local communities
and say, do you want travelers?

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00:15:34,870 --> 00:15:37,550
And they would say, no, we don't
have our vaccines yet.

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We don't have safety yet, please
do not come.

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00:15:40,310 --> 00:15:44,830
So it was like, you know, this
push and pull of tourism can be

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00:15:44,830 --> 00:15:49,150
so helpful and so wonderful if
the local community is inviting

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00:15:49,150 --> 00:15:51,350
you there.
The second point of the

283
00:15:51,350 --> 00:15:54,910
triangle, especially with what
we do, is the animals.

284
00:15:54,950 --> 00:15:59,110
And so are the animals actually
consenting to the interaction

285
00:15:59,110 --> 00:16:01,590
that they're having.
So if an animal is on.

286
00:16:01,670 --> 00:16:04,110
Want to tether.
If they have chains, if they

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00:16:04,110 --> 00:16:07,710
can't leave the interaction,
it's not consensual.

288
00:16:07,710 --> 00:16:11,390
And so if you're like on a beach
and someone has like a monkey

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00:16:11,390 --> 00:16:14,630
with a chain around its neck,
you know that's not a consensual

290
00:16:14,630 --> 00:16:17,750
interaction.
And you can know, I don't know

291
00:16:17,750 --> 00:16:20,510
the history of that monkey, but
I know the monkey doesn't want

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00:16:20,510 --> 00:16:22,510
to be here.
And then importantly, like

293
00:16:22,510 --> 00:16:27,510
coercion is also not consent.
And so if there is a wild animal

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00:16:27,510 --> 00:16:31,150
that is being baited, then we
know for sure that's just

295
00:16:31,150 --> 00:16:33,750
coercion.
It's not actually a full body.

296
00:16:33,750 --> 00:16:36,670
Yes, from that animal.
And again, we don't have to know

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00:16:36,670 --> 00:16:39,230
the whole story of this other
Santee and being.

298
00:16:39,230 --> 00:16:42,310
We can just know it's not
actually saying yes in the way

299
00:16:42,310 --> 00:16:44,790
that we want to.
Which brings us to the last part

300
00:16:44,790 --> 00:16:48,150
of the triangle, which is us,
the traveler, which I think is

301
00:16:48,150 --> 00:16:52,190
so deeply important for us to
have full body yeses when we're

302
00:16:52,190 --> 00:16:55,070
traveling.
It's not a oh, I feel kind of

303
00:16:55,070 --> 00:16:57,910
weird and I don't know or I
don't want to hurt people's

304
00:16:57,910 --> 00:17:00,990
feelings or I don't really feel
safe.

305
00:17:00,990 --> 00:17:04,150
We want.
Everyone to have the experience

306
00:17:04,150 --> 00:17:07,829
they want to have while there's
like they're staying safe and

307
00:17:07,829 --> 00:17:11,390
while everyone is staying safe
around them and liberation is

308
00:17:11,390 --> 00:17:14,710
not a one way St. when we
liberate ourselves and we

309
00:17:14,710 --> 00:17:17,750
consent to something then we
give other people the

310
00:17:17,869 --> 00:17:21,470
opportunity to consent or not
the to say no as a full

311
00:17:21,470 --> 00:17:23,869
sentence.
And so when we are making

312
00:17:23,869 --> 00:17:27,950
choices when we're traveling we
may not know why we have that

313
00:17:27,950 --> 00:17:31,590
ich but we know the ich exists
so we get to say no.

314
00:17:32,070 --> 00:17:35,750
And say I don't consent to this.
I don't know why yet, but I'm

315
00:17:35,750 --> 00:17:37,830
just gonna back up and do
something else.

316
00:17:38,630 --> 00:17:40,910
Brilliant.
I love how mindful that you are

317
00:17:40,910 --> 00:17:44,510
and it shows in the fact that
you have gotten so many kinds of

318
00:17:44,510 --> 00:17:47,950
certifications for what you do
in recognition for the type of

319
00:17:47,950 --> 00:17:50,350
business that you're operating.
Can you tell me about some of

320
00:17:50,350 --> 00:17:52,390
those?
Yeah, We're an awardwinning B

321
00:17:52,390 --> 00:17:56,390
Corp Every year that we've been
a B Corp, we have also been best

322
00:17:56,390 --> 00:17:58,550
for the world, which is
incredible.

323
00:17:58,550 --> 00:18:01,590
And I'm so proud of us.
Yeah, just being a B Corp has.

324
00:18:01,670 --> 00:18:05,390
Has been amazing because while I
think people should trust me,

325
00:18:05,510 --> 00:18:07,990
people don't know me and
everyone has nice things to say

326
00:18:08,030 --> 00:18:10,590
on the Internet.
So I'm really happy to have

327
00:18:10,590 --> 00:18:13,950
certifications that people can
look into and they're able to

328
00:18:13,950 --> 00:18:18,190
say, look at the numbers and say
this is how many animals are

329
00:18:18,190 --> 00:18:22,630
being helped by this and this is
how many communities are locally

330
00:18:22,630 --> 00:18:27,110
engaging in our placements.
We also have some really just

331
00:18:27,110 --> 00:18:31,230
amazing certifications to think
about the animals that we're

332
00:18:31,230 --> 00:18:34,310
working.
With we work with PASA, the Pan

333
00:18:34,350 --> 00:18:37,870
African Sanctuary Alliance, to
make sure that all of the

334
00:18:37,870 --> 00:18:41,590
programs that we're working with
in sub-Saharan Africa are real

335
00:18:41,590 --> 00:18:44,990
sanctuaries.
There is no international

336
00:18:44,990 --> 00:18:48,870
designation on what a sanctuary
is, so anyone can say that

337
00:18:48,870 --> 00:18:51,510
they're a sanctuary.
Tiger King said that they were a

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00:18:51,510 --> 00:18:54,550
sanctuary.
And while I have never seen the

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00:18:54,550 --> 00:18:57,790
show, I'm pretty sure I know
that they're not an actual

340
00:18:57,790 --> 00:18:59,310
sanctuary that's helping
animals.

341
00:18:59,310 --> 00:19:01,590
And so it's really important to
work with these.

342
00:19:01,670 --> 00:19:04,870
Different groups and have these
certifications, wildlife, not

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00:19:04,870 --> 00:19:08,550
entertainers and things like
that to show that we're working

344
00:19:08,550 --> 00:19:11,550
with wildlife, we're not
exploiting wildlife, we're not

345
00:19:11,550 --> 00:19:15,070
here to give people, you know,
maybe like an Instagrammable

346
00:19:15,070 --> 00:19:19,790
moment through exploitation.
We're here to service and help

347
00:19:19,790 --> 00:19:22,950
communities and help animals 1st
and in that we'll get

348
00:19:22,950 --> 00:19:25,390
Instagrammable moments.
Yeah.

349
00:19:25,390 --> 00:19:28,270
And you touch on an interesting
point because I think that that

350
00:19:28,350 --> 00:19:31,430
is something that unfortunately
is kind of rampant.

351
00:19:31,830 --> 00:19:36,550
It it's the exploitation and
it's the mistreatment of animals

352
00:19:36,550 --> 00:19:38,950
or of local culture.
I mean, clearly that's one of

353
00:19:38,950 --> 00:19:41,750
the reasons why you said that's
not going to be my business.

354
00:19:41,750 --> 00:19:43,550
I want to do things in a
different way.

355
00:19:44,270 --> 00:19:47,390
Absolutely.
When we first started in 2011, I

356
00:19:47,390 --> 00:19:50,110
think the world was quite
different and I think that there

357
00:19:50,110 --> 00:19:54,390
was a lot of trust in to our
operators and in volunteering.

358
00:19:54,470 --> 00:19:57,710
And if you said something was
volunteering, then you just

359
00:19:57,750 --> 00:19:59,870
automatically thought it was
good.

360
00:19:59,870 --> 00:20:04,390
And I think we're just learning.
So much more about animal

361
00:20:04,390 --> 00:20:08,430
exploitation, human
exploitation, trafficking of

362
00:20:08,430 --> 00:20:11,110
everything.
And we're able to just, you

363
00:20:11,110 --> 00:20:14,430
know, know better so we can do
better in Canada.

364
00:20:14,550 --> 00:20:18,990
We are really lucky that we have
a lot of education going towards

365
00:20:18,990 --> 00:20:21,790
reconciliation of First Nations
people through the Truth and

366
00:20:21,790 --> 00:20:25,750
Reconciliation Council and work
that's going on and I think

367
00:20:25,750 --> 00:20:28,350
again like through the
liberation and through the

368
00:20:28,390 --> 00:20:31,550
understanding and education of
what is happening in Canada.

369
00:20:31,670 --> 00:20:36,310
We can also learn about the
decolonization of tourism around

370
00:20:36,310 --> 00:20:38,750
the world.
Very much in Canada, we had

371
00:20:38,750 --> 00:20:43,270
residential schools that First
Nations kids would be forced to

372
00:20:43,270 --> 00:20:48,230
go to so they could learn how to
be Westernized and whatever that

373
00:20:48,230 --> 00:20:51,150
means.
But we're seeing that happening

374
00:20:51,150 --> 00:20:55,790
with socalled orphanage tourism
and socalled school tourism

375
00:20:55,790 --> 00:20:59,230
around the world, specifically
in Eastern Europe and Southeast

376
00:20:59,230 --> 00:21:01,270
Asia.
People think that they're doing

377
00:21:01,270 --> 00:21:03,470
the right.
Thing by giving these kids a

378
00:21:03,470 --> 00:21:06,750
Western education, but they're
actually being taken from their

379
00:21:06,750 --> 00:21:10,110
families, sometimes violently,
sometimes through coercion.

380
00:21:10,190 --> 00:21:12,710
And people just aren't asking
the right questions because

381
00:21:12,710 --> 00:21:14,670
they're trusting too much,
unfortunately.

382
00:21:14,750 --> 00:21:18,030
And so I think it's really
important for us, even though we

383
00:21:18,030 --> 00:21:22,190
work in the animal field, to
sometimes talk about why we

384
00:21:22,190 --> 00:21:24,190
exist.
We exist because the counter

385
00:21:24,190 --> 00:21:26,430
exists.
We exist because there are

386
00:21:26,470 --> 00:21:28,590
unethical things that are
happening and there is

387
00:21:28,630 --> 00:21:34,230
exploitation and just asking.
Questions will honestly free all

388
00:21:34,230 --> 00:21:37,830
of us to really understand why
we're here and how we can

389
00:21:37,830 --> 00:21:40,830
actually help.
Wow, It's really eye opening.

390
00:21:40,830 --> 00:21:43,670
And yeah, sometimes it's not as
easy to do your homework.

391
00:21:43,670 --> 00:21:47,430
But knowing that there are great
organizations like yours that

392
00:21:47,430 --> 00:21:51,030
are really, you know, deep down
into the soul and fiber of how

393
00:21:51,030 --> 00:21:54,390
you started and why you exist.
I mean, it's meaningful and it's

394
00:21:54,390 --> 00:21:56,950
very important.
Now, another part of what you're

395
00:21:56,950 --> 00:21:59,110
doing obviously, is booking the
travel.

396
00:21:59,150 --> 00:22:01,550
And so it behooves me to not
talk about like.

397
00:22:01,670 --> 00:22:04,990
The sustainability of the CO2
emissions and and how that could

398
00:22:04,990 --> 00:22:08,070
potentially be offset in terms
of being able to be as

399
00:22:08,070 --> 00:22:10,950
sustainable as possible as well.
Can you talk a little bit about

400
00:22:10,950 --> 00:22:12,790
that?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

401
00:22:12,790 --> 00:22:15,590
When we first started, we
definitely were like, well, what

402
00:22:15,590 --> 00:22:19,990
does this look like because
people have to get on they, but

403
00:22:19,990 --> 00:22:22,670
I guess they don't have to.
They could row across the ocean,

404
00:22:22,670 --> 00:22:24,550
but typically they do go on
flights.

405
00:22:24,710 --> 00:22:28,870
So what we do is we make sure
that all of the trips are carbon

406
00:22:28,870 --> 00:22:31,550
balanced and so we plant a tree
for all.

407
00:22:31,670 --> 00:22:35,190
We're volunteers, but then we
also buy into carbon offsets.

408
00:22:35,310 --> 00:22:39,150
We work with a really small but
mighty group in Canada called

409
00:22:39,150 --> 00:22:42,910
The Carbon Farmer.
They are replanting the boreal

410
00:22:42,910 --> 00:22:47,910
forest, the lungs of Canada and
the world with native organic

411
00:22:47,910 --> 00:22:50,950
trees up in northern Alberta,
which is amazing.

412
00:22:50,990 --> 00:22:55,430
And then we also look at really
we are carbon balancing the

413
00:22:55,430 --> 00:23:00,670
trips, but then the trips
themselves echo with so much

414
00:23:00,670 --> 00:23:03,070
benefit.
Even though people are getting

415
00:23:03,070 --> 00:23:05,430
on flights, they are helping so
much more.

416
00:23:05,510 --> 00:23:09,990
And so when you go to an
elephant center in Thailand,

417
00:23:09,990 --> 00:23:13,110
yes, you are using carbon.
You are on a plane.

418
00:23:13,150 --> 00:23:17,350
But when you're able to work
with these elephants, when

419
00:23:17,350 --> 00:23:20,790
people hear about the elephant
stories, when you're able to

420
00:23:20,790 --> 00:23:23,990
change your life just a little
bit on this service trip, you

421
00:23:23,990 --> 00:23:27,230
yourself then are becoming a
better, maybe not better.

422
00:23:27,230 --> 00:23:28,870
You're becoming a different
traveler.

423
00:23:28,870 --> 00:23:31,590
You're understanding your
footprint a little more.

424
00:23:31,910 --> 00:23:35,190
And if you're gonna be on a
plane anyway, let's make sure

425
00:23:35,190 --> 00:23:39,190
that you are on a plane to go
help animals.

426
00:23:39,190 --> 00:23:42,310
When you go to Costa Rica, you
also take part in quite a big

427
00:23:42,310 --> 00:23:46,190
mangrove rehabilitation
reforestation area.

428
00:23:46,190 --> 00:23:49,590
And so it's again like there
will always be a cost

429
00:23:49,710 --> 00:23:53,150
unfortunately to being alive.
There's always carbon that's

430
00:23:53,150 --> 00:23:55,550
being in the atmosphere on what
we're doing, what we're trying

431
00:23:55,550 --> 00:23:58,350
to be really mindful with
investing in really great

432
00:23:58,350 --> 00:24:01,590
programs and really great people
who are making sure that.

433
00:24:01,670 --> 00:24:06,110
But everything that is existing
because of the travel is worth

434
00:24:06,190 --> 00:24:09,070
it, because of the conservation
and the welfare and the

435
00:24:09,070 --> 00:24:10,910
reforestation that's happening.
Yeah.

436
00:24:10,990 --> 00:24:14,270
Now I appreciate the fact that
you're so forthcoming and it's

437
00:24:14,270 --> 00:24:17,910
important to know that yes,
there is reforestry initiative

438
00:24:17,910 --> 00:24:22,670
happening to help offset that
particular travel adventure.

439
00:24:22,790 --> 00:24:27,110
I also encourage any listener
who is traveling for this or for

440
00:24:27,110 --> 00:24:29,870
any other type of activity,
whether it be leisure or for

441
00:24:29,870 --> 00:24:33,390
work to go and take a.
Look at if you go to the B

442
00:24:33,390 --> 00:24:36,430
Corporation directory, you'll
find a number of different

443
00:24:36,430 --> 00:24:38,870
organizations.
I actually interviewed a couple

444
00:24:38,870 --> 00:24:41,190
recently.
Trade Water is one of them.

445
00:24:41,190 --> 00:24:43,750
Unit of impact.
Goodwings is another one that

446
00:24:43,750 --> 00:24:46,230
are actually working with
individuals where you can

447
00:24:46,230 --> 00:24:49,910
actually put in a calculator.
In some cases you can actually

448
00:24:49,910 --> 00:24:53,150
book your travel through them
and what they will actually do

449
00:24:53,150 --> 00:24:58,190
is offset through either biofuel
development as well as

450
00:24:58,190 --> 00:25:01,270
reforestry initiatives, things
like that in the case of Trade

451
00:25:01,270 --> 00:25:03,230
Water.
They're actually helping to plug

452
00:25:03,230 --> 00:25:06,310
up methane gas, which is just
being exposed and shooting like

453
00:25:06,390 --> 00:25:09,910
very, very potent, volatile
emissions out into the

454
00:25:09,990 --> 00:25:13,070
atmosphere.
And so by helping to support and

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00:25:13,070 --> 00:25:16,350
fund these kinds of initiatives,
you're helping to not only

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00:25:16,350 --> 00:25:19,830
offset your own travel, but
you're also helping to support

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00:25:19,830 --> 00:25:23,310
good companies who are doing
this for the better and helping

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00:25:23,310 --> 00:25:26,070
to control climate change,
helping to really stem this

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00:25:26,070 --> 00:25:27,750
climate crisis that we're all
in.

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00:25:27,750 --> 00:25:30,470
So we're focused on people as
well as the planet, and that's

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00:25:30,470 --> 00:25:33,710
why it's good to really.
Consider also be corporations.

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00:25:33,710 --> 00:25:36,510
Take a look at all of them,
including Animal Experience

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00:25:36,510 --> 00:25:39,030
International is doing
wonderful, wonderful work.

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00:25:39,030 --> 00:25:43,230
I am so impressed by the rigor
of what Nora is doing and Dr.

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00:25:43,230 --> 00:25:46,270
Reid.
It's really just mind blowing

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00:25:46,270 --> 00:25:49,630
and exciting to know that such
kinds of companies exist.

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00:25:49,630 --> 00:25:52,630
So I strongly encourage
everybody to go take a look.

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00:25:52,630 --> 00:25:54,790
Where can we find your website,
Nora?

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00:25:54,910 --> 00:25:57,470
It's just Animal Experience
international.com.

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00:25:57,470 --> 00:26:01,590
There you go, take a look and
may your next travel adventure.

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00:26:01,670 --> 00:26:05,430
Be an exciting one, and one that
is going to help not only

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00:26:05,430 --> 00:26:10,790
yourself get a really great,
fulfilling experience, but also

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00:26:10,790 --> 00:26:14,230
helping a local community and
also helping an animal have a

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00:26:14,230 --> 00:26:16,470
better life.
Nora Livingstone, thank you so

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00:26:16,470 --> 00:26:18,710
much for joining us today.
Thank you so much, Jennifer.

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00:26:18,710 --> 00:26:21,370
This was so wonderful.
Thank you for listening to the

477
00:26:21,410 --> 00:26:24,650
Human Beauty Movement Podcast.
Be sure to follow.

478
00:26:24,770 --> 00:26:28,170
Rate and review us wherever you
stream podcasts.

479
00:26:28,530 --> 00:26:31,650
The Human Beauty Movement is a
community based platform that

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00:26:31,650 --> 00:26:33,810
cultivates the beauty of
humankind.

481
00:26:33,890 --> 00:26:37,090
Check out our workshops.
Find us on social media and

482
00:26:37,090 --> 00:26:40,490
share our inspiration with all
the beautiful humans in your

483
00:26:40,490 --> 00:26:42,610
life.
Learn more at The Human Beauty.

484
00:26:42,610 --> 00:26:45,490
Movement.com.
Thank you so much.

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00:26:45,570 --> 00:26:46,850
For being a beautiful human.