First of all we strive in promoting locally sourced produce, through an exclusive partnership with Slow Food UK (we are the only local agency in Scotland to do so): by choosing our tours, our guests actively support the conservation of endangered recipes, products and specimens which are tangible proof of the many local sustainable practices of food preservation, production and nutrition Scotland had in the past. We are also actively involved in the creation and continuous development of the Glasgow Sustainable Food Places Directory in cooperation with the Glasgow Food Policy Partnership, listing the most sustainable food shops and places to eat in Glasgow, along with a downloadable leaflet for environmentally-conscious consumers. We also took an active part in the Glasgow City Food Plan Public Consultation.

At Stilla we carefully select our providers according to a number of “sustainable” factors which include, but they are not limited to, locally sourced and seasonal food produced by small companies and factories which play a vital role in rural communities. We also strive to make sure our clients adhere to and employ sustainable practices and support the communities they visit (i.e. Visit Scotland Food and Drink Taste Our Best or Visit Scotland Sustainable and Responsible Tourism Campaigns).

We love being involved in no profit projects as long as those revolving around what we care for most; currently, we collaborate with “Cartoline” (italian for “Postcards”) by Instaura, by promoting outstanding small scale examples of Sustainability in Scotland through articles and pictures these beautiful works on our social networks (see our Facebook and Instagram page to learn more about the Blackthorn Sea Salt Tower in Ayrshire, the Crawick Multiverse in Galloway and the Lobster Hatchery in North Berwick just to name a few examples). In 2021, We have been involved in the Glasgow Open Doors Days Festival, teaming up with Slow Food Glasgow to design and deliver free tours of Glasgow’s Old Food Markets.

We are also official partners, as only tour operator,of Sea Watch Foundation UK, a charity promoting, through events and active research, the conservation and protection of Cetaceans. In collaboration with Sea Watch, we designed a unique tour focused on the observation of dolphins and whales in Scotland where the guests have the fantastic opportunity to become researchers themselves as they are encouraged to record evidence of the sightings playing an active role in the data gathering process vital to the Sea Watch’s core mission. We also supported the Slow Food campaign “Adopt an Apple Tree” for a Long Lasting Contribution to the Climate Change topic within the Cop26 initiatives in Glasgow, purchasing rare species of fruit trees which will improve the protection and conservation of local biodiversity. We created and promoted the Scottish Slow Food Ark of Taste Map which is now embedded in the Slow Food Glasgow website.

We care so much about the environment that we made the bold choice to have business cards made exclusively of recycled material as well as we provide our client with a sustainable welcome pack, including a reusable bottle for travellers in order to reduce the use of disposable plastic bottles. We provide Our clients with Audio Systems which are rechargeable and Bluetooth, in order to avoid the use of disposable batterie and ear sets. When we can, we plan trips that include a combination of trekking and public transports and for all our transfers we prioritise the use of electric cars. We also always advice our clients on the attractiveness of our off beaten track destinations in the country and on the advantages on travelling outside peak season months, in order to minimise and counteract the impacts of mass tourism on the Country.

The popular online travel platform Evaneos, awarded Stilla with the prestigious “Local Hero Award” as a tour operator in Scotland which combines sustainability and environmental awareness in all its trip offers, adhering to a very strict Code of Conduct.

We have also been awarded with the Gold Green Tourism Award for Scotland and we are constantly working in order to develop our Green Action Plan in order to reduce Stilla’s Carbon Footprint. In November 2021, we have been awarded the Second Prize as Best Newcomer at the Scottish Italian Awards.