The “Leave It Better” Initiative

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The Leave It Better initiative is an initiative inspired by our travels around the world.

It’s been created from the realisation that many of us are far more privileged than many people around the world who live in the places we visit and whose hospitality often makes our stay even more special.

This is our way of “giving back” and of saying “thank you”.

Every place we visit, we want to Leave It Better than when we arrived.

What’s the goal?

The goal of the Leave It Better initiative is to encourage those of you who are fortunate enough to travel the world, as we do, to help leave the places you visit in a better state than when you arrived.

How you can get involved…

All we’re asking is that you make a public pledge to Leave It Better on this post or your own blog.

What this means is that you are committing to taking some action which will benefit the community of the places you stay in - whether this is overseas or even at home in your local community.

Your pledge of action can be as big or as small, as simple or as complex as you choose. Here are some ideas to help you…

Donate to a local charity
Volunteer your time to help out at a community event
Let the local kids use your bikes every week
Commit to purchasing locally produced goods
Support and buy from local vendors
Do some pro bono work for a local business - build them a simple website or design them a logo
Advertise or promote local businesses on your website or blog

What’s in it for you?

Nothing, other than the warm glow of satisfaction that comes from knowing you’ve done something positive for your community!

If you’d like to show your support for this initiative and publicly declare your pledge, then please feel free to proudly display the Leave It Better logo on your blog or website.

What’s in it for us?

Nothing, other than the warm glow of satisfaction that comes from knowing we’ve done something positive for communities around the world - and from being able to say “thank you” in our own way to the people and communities we’ve been welcomed in to.

Why bother? Will it really make a difference?

Maybe, maybe not. Who knows. But if we all had that attitude, then nothing would ever change for the better now, would it?

If the power of blogs and online communities - the power to reach way more people than you could ever reach offline - can’t help make a positive impact on our communities, then what can?

What if I’m not location independent and don’t travel?

If you travel regularly for business, then you can definitely get involved. Or even if you don’t, then how about pledging to get involved in your own community if you don’t already do so? Wouldn’t you like to do something now that will Leave It Better for your kids and generations to come?