Oxfam Trailwalker Australia

Treading lightly

Photo: OxfamAus

At Oxfam, it’s not just our logo that’s green!

Oxfam Australia’s vision is of a fair world in which people control their own lives, their basic rights are achieved and the environment is healthy and sustained. As the organisers of Oxfam Trailwalker in Australia, we are committed to minimising our ecological footprint.

Every little bit helps

We endeavour to do our best to conserve resources, reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment. We have made a commitment to measuring our environmental impact so that we can ensure we make positive improvements year after year. We will annually review the results, and then implement best-practice strategies to further protect the very environment we use for our Oxfam Trailwalker events.

What We Are Doing

Supporting fair trade

All the tea, coffee and chocolate supplied by Oxfam at the checkpoints meet the Fairtrade standards and principles.

Green team

At Oxfam Trailwalker events you will find a dedicated volunteer crew, aptly named the ‘green team’, whose role it is to help implement our environmental strategies at the checkpoints. During the event every checkpoint will have a designated waste station with both rubbish and recycling bins. All teams, support crews and volunteers are asked to make use of these facilities and discard their waste responsibly.

Impact on the trail

Park authorities and our environmental partners are involved in the planning of the event to ensure the chosen trails are suitable and environmental impacts are minimal. Each year, Oxfam Trailwalker conducts an environmental impact assessment on each trail pre and post event.

Supporting local communities

Wherever possible, Oxfam Trailwalker seeks the support of local business, schools and organisations to ensure the local community benefits from the event. We source all volunteer meals from local community organisations. All leftover perishable food is donated to local charities.

Recycled materials and ethical clothing

Oxfam Trailwalker promotional materials are printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based ink. We also use recyclable or biodegradable cups, cutlery and crockery, and all signage is reusable. The t-shirts and vests worn by staff and volunteers during the event are sweatshop-free and locally made.

What You Can Do

Our overall principals are to reduce, reuse and recycle, but we can’t do this without a little help from the participants and support crews. There are a number of simple steps you and your team can take to help us care for the beautiful environment you experience in this extraordinary event!

Be an eco-walker

Don’t go bush bashing! To reduce your impact on the environment, stick to the trail, especially in boggy sections; avoid handling overhanging and surrounding foliage; and avoid standing on tree roots. Adopt a ‘take in, take out’ policy when on the trail to ensure that you don’t leave any rubbish behind. Take it one step further and pick up all the rubbish you find.

Travel responsibly

Leave the car at home and use public transport where available to get to the trail. If a car is necessary, try to car pool with your team mates or other Trailwalkers.

Ditch the disposable

Ask your support crew to use reusable containers, mugs, plates and cutlery. Ditch the cling wrap, foil, zip lock bags and individually-wrapped items. Use a reusable drink bottle or hydration pack and fill up at each checkpoint.

Waste not, want not

Make sure your waste goes in the correct bins at our checkpoint waste stations on event weekend.

Recycle clothes

Wear old, warm clothes that you no longer require over your event gear to the Start. All discarded clothing will be collected and donated to charity.

Recycle it

After the event, put your printed materials and event bibs in the recycling (unless you would like to keep them as a souvenir!). All Oxfam Trailwalker  materials are printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable inks.