Walking Plus
We live and work in a beautiful, culturally important and relatively unspoilt part of Greece, where a traditional way of rural life persists. We want our customers to share this experience, to introduce them to local history, mythology, landscape, wildlife and people, while making minimal adverse affect on the environment.
We aim to provide a healthy, relaxing and enjoyable stay, while acknowledging that we, the company and our customers, are guests in Greece and are indebted to the local people.
We aim to participate in and make an active contribution to the welfare of the island environment, and to respect and support the local communities and their culture.
Member since: 27 Oct 2009
How the minimum criteria of the responsible travel standard was met...
Economic responsibility
- We use and promote local produce (milk, cheese, meat, seasonal vegetables) as much as possible, and buy organic or fair trade products if available.
- We pay above minimum wage for the labour we use, or, for basic jobs, pay the minimum wage but provide meals and drinks.
- Founder and active members of Naxos Animal Welfare Society. Guests invited to donate.
Environmental responsibility
- We compost and do not use unacceptable chemicals on our garden and vineyard; we use ground water collected in own cistern to water the garden.
- We keep water usage to the minimum and encourage our guests to do the same; eg., not letting tap water run unnecessarily, change linen when requested/necessary.
- We use low energy bulbs and decided against air-conditioning in favour of good roof insulation, creating draughts, and installation of insect screens on windows.
We use eco-friendly cleaning products if they are available
Social responsibility
- We collaborate with a local family/taverna in the running of our vineyard – they take 70 percent of the yield in return for expert local advice and skilled labour.
- We use local labour; on other islands, we train local people to look after our customers.
- We buy local produce as much as possible, as detailed above.
We promote the island’s products to our guests with passion and enthusiasm.
- We let our guests know of local concerts and festivals, and take them to villages away from the main tourist centres that really need support from an increased number of customers.
