Andrew Harding of Nature + Kind.
Andrew Harding
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British entrepreneur Andrew Harding founded responsible travel company Nature & Kind to support independent travellers who want to plan their own unique and inspirational journeys. This can range from cultural discovery tours, to volunteer programmes, to well-being activities such as yoga and life coaching.
Recently Andrew has made further inroads in to the LOHAS sector with his new business Conscious Ventures, an incubator and consultancy practice providing business planning, strategy and funding to LOHAS entrepreneurs. Below, he talks about conservation, re-wilding the Scottish Highlands, and cultural conditioning.
Planet Green: How did you get into this line of work?
Andrew Harding: I was inspired and motivated by the book and film Born Free to live my dream and passion for conservation and the great outdoors. Prior to founding Nature & Kind, I was Sales and Marketing Director of Alladale Wilderness Lodge and Reserve, a pioneering ecotourism project in the Scottish Highlands.
Whilst in this role, I recognised that the adventure and experiential travel sector is highly fragmented marketplace, typified by many relatively small, independent specialist operators who often struggle to compete against the mainstream hotel and tour operators. Likewise, I recognised there are limited quality resources enabling independent travellers to be inspired, plan and book adventure and experiential travel directly with the true experts. Nature & Kind was launched to go beyond the ordinary, engaging the senses on a physical, mental and spiritual level.
PG: When did the green bug strike?
AH: I was inspired and influenced by the concept and ever growing marketplace known as , or Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, a marketplace the NY Times describes as "The largest market you have never heard of." It has a global market value in excess of $500 billion, growing at an annual rate of 15%.
PG: Who is your green hero?
AH: American Sociologist Dr. Paul Ray, whose groundbreaking 1996 study identified a newly emerged LOHAS marketplace and a societal group of consumers, he called the 'Cultural Creatives,' who buy goods and services aligned with their values and beliefs, focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. This is the first time in over 600 years, since the Renaissance, that a new value system has arisen in western civilization, and it marks the first time in recorded history when a value shift has emerged at a global level simultaneously.
PG: What is your ultimate green goal?
AH: To give people greater accessibility, more choice and more empowerment when seeking to live healthy and sustainable lifestyles
PG: What is your motivation?
AH: To drive transformative social and environmental change through responsible and sustainable venturing.
PG: What is most important to you, ecologically speaking?
AH: Conservation of wildlife, and the restoration of degraded large-scale landscapes for the benefit of local economies and communities, as much as for the environment. You cannot expect any environmental change or benefit without first addressing the needs and interests of local communities and economies.
PG: What is the most challenging part of your job?
AH: Being able to spend enough quality time on each project and team.
PG: What is the most rewarding?
AH: Working with truly passionate people, who are doing good by doing well.
PG: Of the people you have worked with, who impresses you most?
AH: Paul Lister, the owner of Alladale Wilderness Lodge & Reserve, a philanthropist with relentless energy and a pioneering vision to re-wild and restore the balance of nature in the Scottish Highlands, through high-end, low-impact ecotourism, benefiting local communities and economy.
PG: What green thing do you do everyday?
AH: Ensure all non-used electrical appliances are switched off.
PG: What do you wish you could do?
AH: Engage, educate and inspire people by hosting small-group, low-impact adventures and retreats around the world with local expert guides, immersing guests in areas of fragile wilderness and local cultures, raising awareness and support for environmental and social issues.
PG: What is your biggest eco-sin?
AH: Riding my motorbike, waiting for a more environmentally option suitable for long-distance touring.
PG: If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
AH: Cultural conditioning
PG: What is your best green advice?
AH: Don't wait for the government, use your consumer power by purchasing products and services from companies committed to making a positive environmental and social impact.
Change Makers is series of interviews with people famous and obscure who are creating a more sustainable world through their work. Meet more Change Makers here
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