1) What inspired you to change careers and launch
Greenloons?
I came up with the idea for Greenloons during the Spring of 2010. At that time, I had been a stay-at-home mom for five years. But, with a soon-to-be Kindergartener, I realized I was going to have some more time to devote to my professional aspiration. So, I began taking some online courses offered through George Washington University and while completing my Certificate in Sustainable Tourism Management, I realized that there was a lot of misinformation about eco-tourism and very little transparency within the industry. Given my academic credentials, professional background, passion for travel and personal achievements, I felt I had the skills to make this idea a reality.
Our mission is to educate travelers about eco-tourism and easily connect them with eco-certified, vetted and just plain awesome vacations around the world. Greenloons makes it easy for travelers to book vacations with guiding companies and lodges that have gone the extra mile in terms of social responsibility, environmental accountability and economic transparency.
2) What is your vision for the eco-tourism industry and what are you doing to help reach that vision?
Along with the rise in globalization, unfortunately there has also been a rise in fearing other cultures. My vision for eco-tourism is for travelers to establish deeper, longer-lasting connections with the regions they are visiting, thereby not only learning more about themselves, but about how they can make a more positive impact on the world. This can only happen if there is enough demand AND supply. Therefore, I am contributing to the eco-tourism industry in two specific ways.
From the demand perspective, Greenloons has made it easier to book authentic travel experiences and, through partnerships, has created an effective ecosystem of customers, suppliers, regulators and non-governmental organizations all working toward what travel is supposed to be - social, economically and environmental beneficial to local communities.
From the supply perspective, I've developed a financial / return on investment (ROI) model that tourism businesses around the world can use to anticipate the specific bottom line financial benefits from implementing eco-tourism certification standards, thereby potentially increasing supply of such businesses.
3) Why should we, as travelers, support eco-tourism?
Eco-tourism has the power to help communities AND help create unique travel experiences that benefit visitors. For example, staying at a rainforest lodge that is built using locally-sourced sustainable materials, that links its natural resource capital such as landmarks, ecosystems and wildlife with financial capital, and that is locally managed or owned can help communities by increasing their standards of living, their collective pride and their likelihood of preserving their surrounding ecosystems for generations. The resulting travel experiences provides visitors with opportunities for authentic cultural immersion.
4) What advice do you have for women who are thinking about starting a business?
1. Start by answering the following question, "Without being in any way practical or logical, what would you love to do for a career?" Once you have an initial idea, see if it ties back to a social, economic or environmental problem in the community and how you can make a difference given your professional background.
2. Put together a business plan or at least an executive summary of a business plan and seek out at least two business-minded people you trust to read it and give their honest opinions about the idea and its financial viability before you invest your own money (or ask someone else to invest their money into your company.)
3. Consider building partnerships with other successful businesses instead of seeking outside investment. This approach helped me to a) realize that I did not need to do it all on my own and b) have a sounding board for ideas
5) What motivates you to give back to the community?
As former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once said, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women." Seriously though, I don't give back because I am fearful of some karmic retribution, rather I believe that women are the backbone of any community and if we worked together, we'd find that we have the capabilities to solve complex local, regional, national and international problems. I give back to Girls in Technology, for example, so that perhaps, it will spark the imagination of an aspiring high school student who is interested in computer science or chemistry to chase her dreams and not be fearful of failure.