Conservation and protection of the world and its resources is a key concept within the overall ethos of QUEST. For this very reason we operate to a strict environmental policy in the UK and Overseas. We also ensure that our impact is measured through studies carried out by leaders overseas and limited through our agreements with organisations such as Rainforest Concern, Excellent Development, Carbon Footprint and Climate Care.

Carbon Offset Scheme

The QUEST Charitable Trust Carbon Offset scheme is open to everyone that travels with us. As a company we also offset all leader and UK staff carbon emissions that they are responsible for through their working travel.

We do not outsource our offsetting scheme, we have been working with Excellent Development and Rainforest Concern on our community and conservation projects for many years. Through the QUEST Carbon Offset Scheme we now provide funds for these charities to plant trees or purchase acres of rainforest.

All offsetting projects are directly managed by the QUEST Charitable Trust; there are not any third parties involved that would increase administration costs. Each volunteer is asked to donate £20 towards our carbon offsetting projects and every penny raised is used entirely for our offsetting projects.

QUEST do not claim that offsetting will provide a solution for climate change, but it will help to counter-balance the carbon dioxide currently being released into the atmosphere.  We also believe that there is still essential conservation and community work to be done which does require travel and that visitors and volunteers provide a valuable source of income to the communities we visit. Therefore, eradication of travel could do more harm than good.