01 June 2009

Operator launches green week

Thomas Cook starts a week-long environmental awareness schedule today involving employees at home and abroad. The events will culminate on Friday, World Environmental Day.

Under this year’s theme "Your planet needs you to unite to combat climate change", some of the projects that will take place at agencies around the UK include the Green Your Commute campaign at the Thomas Cook Airlines base in Manchester, where staff will be encouraged to travel to work by bike or public transport. Staff at various offices will undertake the Travel Foundation’s ‘make travel greener’ training exercise to better understand responsible tourism.

Green messages and advice will be communicated to all staff via a special edition of Thomas Cook’s in-house magazine and through the company’s retail intranet.

Overseas, staff and guests will attend presentations, garden parties and fashion shows and will take part in beach clean ups and sponsored walks for green causes.

Thomas Cook acting head of sustainability Soeren Stoeber said: "We take our responsibilities to embrace green travel initiatives very seriously. Making travellers aware of the local communities they are visiting and the positive impact their holiday can have is all-important.

"It is up to companies like Thomas Cook to educate both our employees and guests about the environmental impact of travel and ensure that we are offering the most effective sustainable options when it comes to leisure travel."

By Dinah Hatch