Elding Whale Watching Centre company
On the Green Map:
Birdwatching
Birdwatching hides all over the country and service providers offering trips to see birds in the wild. Sites may be sensitive nesting areas or habitats, so be aware of approaching with care and understanding.
Sport Site / Play With Nature
Special natural sites offering playing in nature or adventurous challenges in sport. Bungy jumping, cave sightseeing, ice-climbing etc. can be included here.
Eco Tourism
Tourism company or institute that has received an environmental prize, operates as a Green hostel, has achieved the environmental standard of Vakinn, or has internationally approved environmental certification such as the Earth Check or the Nordic Swan.
Whale Watching
Firms offering responsible whale watching tours according to Ice Whale’s rules (The Icelandic Whale Watching Association).
Certifications. Labels and Awards:
Vakinn - Enviro Gold
The Icelandic Tourist Board introduces a new quality- and environmental standards for Icelandic tourism that has been given the name Vakinn. The main goal is to improve the quality and security within the Icelandic tourism through guidance and support and also to raise the social responsibility of the tourism companies. Here on Nature.is we focus on the companies that fulfill the requirements of the environmental standards an addition the the quality standards. The Enviro groups standards are three; Bronz, Silver and Gold.
Blue Flag Pennant
The Blue Flag works towards sustainable development at beaches/marinas through strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management and safety and other services.
Whale watching boats and small boats can get the „Blue Flag Pennant“ by fullfilling certain environmental criteria. Blue Flag Pennants are not the same as the Blue Flag but are a sign of the companies good intentions in eco-friendly management at sea.
The Icelandic Environment Association (Landvernd) manages the program in Iceland as part of the International Blue Flag Program that is owned and run by the independent non-profit organization, Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
Environmental Award of the Icelandic Tourist Board
The Environmental Award of the Icelandic Tourist Board is presented to an outstanding company or an individual in the tourism business. The Award is presented yearly.
EarthCheck Silver Certified
EarthCheck (formerlly ‘Green Globe 21’) science and systems today power some of the world’s most comprehensive environmental programs across a wide range of industry sectors. EarthCheck technology is used to underpin brands such as Green Globe where EarthCheck through its wholly owned subsidiary Green Globe Asia Pacific, which has been licensed to use the Green Globe brand since 1999 and currently has exclusive rights to the brand in the Asia Pacific and non exclusive rights in the rest of the world. EarthCheck now operates as an independent company operating its own benchmarking and certification standard which has been built to meet the new reporting and compliance standards demanded of a carbon constrained world.
Exclusively owned by EC3 Global, EarthCheck is now trusted by more than 1000 organisations in over 60 countries and used by some of the biggest names in the business. It provides a means to independently calculate Scopes One, Two and Three emissions and improve operational efficiencies. Importantly EarthCheck reports are verified by an international network of independent auditors.
