Tour operator Better Places is a social enterprise with a strong focus on sustainability. We offer unique, high-quality travel experiences, 100% tailor-made by local travel experts, and focused around nature and meeting the local experiences. We are also operating on the German market as FairAway.
Better Places started operating in 2014 and offers more than 60 destinations in all corners of the world (Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Middle East, Europe). Better Places was founded with a mission to transform tourism into an industry that creates a better world for people, animals and the planet. We try to limit the environmental and social damage of our travels as much as possible and to make the greatest possible positive contribution to nature, the animals and the people at the destinations. In 2018 Better Places became the first Dutch travel agency with a B Corp certification. In January 2020 Better Places was one of the first 14 signatories to sign the Tourism Declares Climate Emergency and publish an extensive Climate Emergency Plan.
Goal of the Impact Measurement
We inspire our customers to rethink their annual holidays and take sustainability into account when booking one. We visualize the climate impact of their holiday by showing the difference in CO2 emissions per transport (train, car, airplane). We are in the process of adding visuals for each destination.
With the support of Social Enterprise Nederland and Avance Impact Consultancy, we are working on impact measurement. We are going to measure our social, economic and environmental impact on a yearly basis. This will enable us to improve our positive impact and to limit our negative impact even more. We will share the outcomes of our impact measurements publicly.
In the autumn of 2021, we are planning to collaborate with True Price to investigate and share the externalities of our holidays. This includes the cost of the negative impact on the environment of the independently booked flight to and from a destination. We are specifically keen to measure the impact of our holidays on biodiversity and nature conservation. Please also see https://www.asnbank.nl/over-asn-bank/duurzaamheid/biodiversiteit/biodiversiteit-in-2030.html
Your role in this
- Support Better Places and FairAway to set up criteria and measure the impact of its trips. The main aim is to make the impact more visible for travelers in order to stimulate them to make more responsible travel choices.
- Assist Better Places and FairAway to draw up the annual sustainability report.
- Assist Better Places and FairAway to fully implement the climate action plan.
- Conduct a survey amongst the customers of Better Places and FairAway in order to find out their opinion on the elements of our Climate Action Plan.
Your profile
- You are self-organized, reliable and solution-oriented.
- You are familiar with standard applications such as Excel and know what a pivot table is.
- You are open-minded and interested in sustainable development.
- You speak English fluently. We have a preference for German speaking students.
- Bonus: You have previous knowledge of tourism and sustainability.
What we offer
- Sense of purpose! We are committed to human rights, sustainable development and value creation. We have no place for discrimination in any form.
- No hierarchy! Responsibility and a wide range of opportunities to actively contribute to our common development. Room for your own development.
- A professional and innovation-driven team that exchanges ideas, learns from one another and treats one another with respect.
- Flexibility! You can choose to work from home or in our office in Leiden or Amsterdam.
- You will receive a payment of 300 EUR a month. We assume that you can make use of an OV kaart, so we do not cover travel expenses.
Summary & Applications
- Duration : 4-6 months
- Start Date: preferably September 2021
- Apply before: August 20th
For more information, please contact Dr. Stasja Koot from Sociology of Development and Change (SDC): stasja.koot@wur.nl. We encourage applicants from any diversity dimension.
Sociology of Development and Change 