#RoamResponsibly with CalMac Ferries
CalMac has parterned with the #RoamResponsibly campaign in their mission to promote responsible outdoor access in Scotland. Capturing the perfect shot on your phone for Instagram or trying to get up close to island wildlife to write a piece for your latest blog is fun - but can also have a detrimental effect to our environment and nature. By collaborating with social media campaign #RoamResponsibly, we aim to raise awareness of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and preserve these stunning and unique landscapes.
Scotland's Instagrammer community voiced its concern over the Scottish outdoors in Spring 2017. These high profile influencers on the image-sharing paltform were concerned about the degradation of the popular Scottish nature sites due to littering and over-use by visitors. Together, Scotland's Instagrammers signed a charter, which addressed the issues and agreed to promote responsible roaming outdoors, as well as to promote the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
Why create a social media campaign? The instigator behind this innovative and impactive campaign, Elsa Lindholm said "We created a social media campaign with the aim of spreading knowledge of responsible ways of enjoying and spending time in nature and to inspire people to take action to protect and preserve the Scottish landscapes and wildlife. We also aim raise awareness about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, in partnership with relevant organisations in Scotland".
Klare Chamberlain, Environmental Manager at CalMac Ferries commented "we are excited to support the RoamResponsibly campaign. As we operate a large transport network within one of the most beautiful parts of the world, we recognise our responsibility to do all that we can to protect and conserve our natural environment. The campaign has the ability to reach a wide audience and we fully support their message of responsible travel and enjoyment of the Scottish natural environment"
Access to nature belongs to us all, and so does the responsibility of preserving it for the Scottish wildlife and future generations.
How to get involved
Over the coming months we'll be supporting the campaign by offering advice on how to update your social media in an environmentally friendly way, ensuring that you can follow the Scottish Access Code and protecting the wildlife and environment around our network.
We'll be using the #roamresponsibly hashtag on all of our @calmacferries Instagram account images for 2018 and will be encouraging our followers, stakeholders and partners to do this also. Let's use the power of social media to get the message across to visitors to our 28 destinations - whether you are uploading images from a scenic day sail or are spending a week's holiday island hopping across the Hebrides.
Look out for future partnerships and collaborations as we encourage you to #roamresponsibly while visiting the west coast islands.
Below is an extract of CalMac's Commitment to the Environment. Click here to find out more.
Our Commitment to the Environment
CalMac Ferries is committed to supporting the aims of Scottish Government to provide a wealthier and fairer, smarter, healthier, safer and stronger, and greener Scotland. We are a lifeline service provider in the Clyde and Hebrides Regions and are part of the DNA of the Highlands and islands, embedded in the local community where we play an integral part in the economic sustainability of the area's social and business life. We will minimise impact on the marine and terrestrial environments in which we operate and wherever possible, enhance biodiversity and the quality of Scotland's natural environment for future generations to enjoy.
We are subject to both terrestrial and marine environmental legislation and strive to go beyond minimum compliance wherever possible. We operate under the requirements of our ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System which identifies and mitigates the environmental risk of our operations. Our environmental performance is managed by the Environmental Manager with support from across the organisation.
Image credit:@katstewart01, Isle of Harris