Who
Rabbie’s Trail Burners is Scotland’s leading small group Highland Tour Company. They operate luxury fuel efficient mini coaches (maximum 16 seats) with driver guides and have a range of 1, 2, 3 and 5 day scheduled tours. They are based in Edinburgh and employ 24 people.

What
Overnight tours customers stay in various rural guest houses which helps sustain their communities in the long term. The island village of Portree benefits from around six thousand bednights a year worth £500,000.

Their new Flavours of Scotland tours actively promote sustainable practices in food and drink production. Customers have the opportunity to visit organic farms and discover the benefits to the natural environment that going organic has on the biodiversity of Scotland's countryside.

Rabbie’s Trail Burners operate all year round and are continually looking for ways to stimulate the seasonal and geographic spread of visitors to maximise the benefits and minimise the detrimental impacts of tourism.

They operate only modern fuel-efficient vehicles to minimise environmental impact.  With their small group tours the impact on the environment and communities that they visit is kept to a minimum.

Rabbie’s Trail Burners monitor their energy consumption and waste production using graphs and charts to review the statistics collected. They partake in recycling with LEEP collections and monitor purchasing of supplies.

They have set targets for improvement that are reviewed in green meetings. All staff are notified of progress through the staff newsletter/notice board and have attended various environmental courses run by The Carbon Trust and Envirowise.

Why
The philosophy of the company is based on the principles of Eric Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful, published in 1973 with an emphasis on sustainable development and conservation of the world's natural resources. Passion for the natural environment has driven the development of Rabbie's since its inception in 1993 and is a vital element in ensuring their position as a leading tour operator in sustainable touring around Scotland.

Rabbie's is very enthusiastic about Scotland's aim to be the most sustainable tourism destination in Europe by 2015, and they are doing all they can to help achieve this both in their own environmental operations but also at a strategic level, working with the national agencies to pursue this aim.

Business benefits

• Over the past three years they have achieved a saving in energy usage of 38%
• Reduced their waste by 50% customers
• Achieved a saving of over 1/3 on their annual electricity bill making £1150 worth of savings on a £3000 annual electricity bill
• Have seen a direct increase in business directly related to ethical consumer choice
• Employees can (where possible) work from home due to their IT developments

Community benefits

• Passengers reduce their carbon footprint by 75% by travelling with Rabbie's (based on two people travelling the same distance in their own car)
• Have participated in local community projects
• Given charitable donations
• Their MD is actively engaged in the promotion and delivery of sustainable tourism through TIG and further tourism agencies

Website www.rabbies.com