Every day, people learn about climate change through news headlines, documentaries, and social media. Awareness has never been higher, yet awareness alone doesn’t always inspire action.
We started with a simple question: How can we raise awareness about climate change in a fun, engaging way? We wanted to move away from the heavy, paralyzing narratives of climate doom and instead create joyful, active experiences that naturally blend travel with hands-on conservation, such as planting mangroves and restoring coral reefs.
As we designed more trips, our own perspective began to change.
We recognized that high carbon footprints and environmental degradation are ultimately symptoms of a much larger issue: the modern illusion that humans stand apart from nature. That realization shifted our focus from a strictly carbon-centered framework to one rooted in deep ecology, built around a simple belief: Nature is Us.
News stories and documentaries are powerful. They tell us the facts and help us understand the scale of environmental challenges.
But we’ve learned that stepping into nature creates something different.
Seeing a damaged reef or a degraded mangrove forest firsthand makes the problem feel personal. It’s no longer abstract.
Activities like planting trees, restoring coral reefs, joining a waste cleanup, or participating in an eco-workshop do more than teach conservation. They build an emotional connection to the environment, and we’ve found that this connection often inspires long-term, pro-environmental behavior in ways that reading or watching alone rarely can.
One of the biggest shifts we see isn’t dramatic.
People leave wanting to carry a reusable tumbler, take public transportation, or simply spend more time in the park near their home.
Nature isn’t something far away or “dirty.” It can be your neighborhood park or your own backyard. Staying connected to nature doesn’t have to be difficult. It can become part of everyday life.
Sometimes those small personal changes grow into something much larger.
One experience that has stayed with us was a two-day program with a major fashion retail company in Indonesia. After participating in climate discussions and hands-on conservation activities, members of the company’s leadership began discussing seriously how to improve their sustainability policies.
One board member told us, “This trip can also be the first step into our sustainability journey. I thought about how we can improve our policy related to sustainability.”
That experience reminded us that individual transformation can sometimes ripple outward into organizational change.
A two-day conservation program can move a company’s leadership from passive climate awareness to active policy discussions and a rethinking of its sustainability commitments after colleagues plant mangroves and restore coral reefs. Photo courtesy of Bumi Journey.
Some of the greatest sources of hope we’ve encountered aren’t found in tourism brochures. They’re found among local women leaders, community groups, and grassroots initiatives across Indonesia, who have incredible knowledge, ideas, and solutions. Too often, tourism focuses on the destination while the people who protect it remain invisible.
That’s why we partner directly with local communities, creating opportunities for travelers to plant mangroves, restore coral reefs, and participate in activities that leave each destination a little better than they found it. More importantly, travelers learn directly from the people who care for these ecosystems every day.
Since launching, we’ve helped plant more than 27,000 mangroves, restore over 1,800 corals, release more than 140 baby sea turtles, and engage more than 7,000 people in environmental education and conservation activities.
Our campaign, #NatureIsUs, reflects what we’ve come to believe through this work.
When nature thrives, so do we.
Real stewardship begins when we stop seeing ourselves as separate from nature and start recognizing that we are part of it, not just for the communities closest to these ecosystems, but for every traveler willing to learn from them.
