New Climate Positive Program & Award

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It Must Be NOW is on a mission - to get the hospitality  industry to dramatically increase its sustainability efforts and accelerate to  Climate Positive. To that end, the NOW Climate Positive Program & Award* is  being launched this month, whereby hotels and resorts are offered access to a  fully funded, integrated sustainability program for up to 10 years.

It Must Be NOW co-founders, Onno and Alexa Poortier, are vocal about the  urgent need for change. Together with EarthCheck (the world’s leading  scientific benchmarking certification and advisory group for sustainable travel  and tourism), and also with the owners of carbon offset projects worldwide, they  have created the only project collaboration which enables companies to  accelerate beyond small-scale actions, measure emissions and prioritise  reduction before offsetting, saving money, engaging all stakeholders and  achieving Climate Positive with accountability and transparency. 

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It Must Be NOW is the conduit between companies in hospitality, tourism and  education institutions, since its co-founders have worked in the hotel industry for  more than 50 years, while EarthCheck is best placed to act as the facilitator of  this Program and Award. 

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It Must Be NOW has secured a cap on pricing for certified carbon credits for up  to 10 years for members of the NOW Force for Good Alliance. This will make it  easier to manage risks and lower their carbon footprint until they can achieve  Climate Positive. 

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Chairman and CEO, Onno Poortier, says, “For business, sustainability with an  independent audit is a tool to show more responsibility, improve a company’s  overall culture, financial health, internal policing and deliver the shared values  that most customers and employees want today. Many companies in hospitality, tourism and education have started their sustainability journey, but  many struggle to ‘walk the talk’, be transparent to all stakeholders and prioritise  urgent action.” 

Valued at CHF 15,000 per year, the program includes extensive training by  EarthCheck (for up to 30 people per property per year) to build capacity,  understand negative impacts, benchmark and measure carbon emissions so  they can be reduced and prepare for an independent audit to obtain a  certification, all with the science-backed EarthCheck Certified programme  which is aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN  SDGs). This also includes all NOW Tools to communicate transparently and  engage all stakeholders.  

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Speaking on the importance of this collaboration, EarthCheck's CEO, Stewart  Moore, says, ‘’If we are to advance sustainability and Net Zero targets, we need  holistic thinking and new partnerships. The NOW partnership with EarthCheck  provides scientific reporting and certification, independent audits, capacity  building and practical options on how to reduce emissions or offset them in a  transparent way.” 

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About the NOW Climate Positive Programme * 

A project cooperation to provide: 

(1) a Funded Integrated Sustainability Program valued at CHF 15,000/year, which includes: 

EarthCheck Certified programme with a Relationship Manager, carbon calculators and  reporting templates, training to build capacity (max 30 persons/year) and an annual  independent audit for accountability.  

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NOW Tools for transparent communications and marketing support to engage all stakeholders, with no greenwash allowed. This includes training and an annual review. 

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NOW Sustainability Tool profiles NOW Members to communicate how they are taking accountable responsibility for their total impact on the community and  the environment. This includes an interactive NOW Sustainability Trust Icon and QR Codes. 

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NOW Carbon Offset Tool calculates air and ground travel carbon footprint and offsetting programmes powered by South Pole, a leading provider of global sustainability financing solutions and services. NOW provides an interactive NOW Carbon Offset icon to be placed in the Member’s communication materials 

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NOW Travel Diary Tool for storytelling to engage stakeholders 

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NOW Think-to-Action Forum for internal communications with other NOW Members to share ideas, cross-promote and support each other 

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NOW Resources for Insights and Innovations, Trends and Tools, Consultancies, SDG Collaborations and Impact Library 

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NOW Articles for social communications to build followers interested in bold  actions and inspiration on sustainability 

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(2) Exclusive access to certified Carbon Offset Projects worldwide 

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Option to cap pricing for the duration of the NOW Agreement, up to a maximum  of 10 years to control risks (plus relevant transaction fee and country taxes).  

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CHF 15,000 minimum purchase of carbon credits starts in year 2 after an  EarthCheck independent audit.