We asked Laetitia, a trained environmental engineer and founder of Ekovida, a few questions about her company and our partnership!
Can you introduce yourself? What’s your background?
My name is Laëtitia and I’m an environmental engineer by training. For the past 10 years, I’ve been working in sustainable tourism on a variety of assignments. I worked as an auditor and consultant for the Clef Verte and Pavillon Bleu labels across France, supporting accommodation providers and local authorities in their environmental initiatives. I then became production manager for a travel agency where adventure at hand in France was our specialty. At the end of 2019, I launched Ekovida to support tourism professionals in their ecological transition and highlight accommodations committed to more sustainable tourism.How did you come up with the idea of creating Ekovida?
I decided to create Ekovida for two main reasons. First of all, I wanted to be independent so that I could manage my own schedule and projects. I wanted to be able to work on projects that made sense to me and in which I could put all my expertise at the service of the tourism players who contacted me. Today, I’m very fulfilled in this role and in the mission I’ve set myself to help tourism professionals become agents of change and contribute to making sustainable tourism accessible to all.What’s your mission with Ekovida?
I offer personalized or group coaching to help accommodations enhance and structure their environmental approach. Certified by the Clef Verte and Note touristique labels, I support establishments at every stage of their application for these certifications. I also set up training courses on environmental issues for managers and staff of tourist establishments. I also offer a range of services to promote more responsible communication and raise customer awareness of environmental issues. Lastly, I’m involved in various sustainable tourism projects, depending on the synergies that can be created with other organizations.What’s your work routine? a typical working day at Ekovida?
I don’t really have a routine, the days are quite varied and my routine varies mainly according to the time of year. Generally speaking, in the morning, I focus on tasks that require a high level of concentration and particular expertise. I always start by answering e-mails and then I’m “customer focus”, i.e. I’m out and about (or on video) to carry out an audit, coaching or training. Then in the afternoon, I focus more on the projects I’m working on with Ekovida, such as “L’oasis des hébergeurs écolos”, an online summit for hosts who want to boost their ecological transition, or interviewing tourism players for my upcoming podcast. I also create content for social networks and my blog. If you’d like to be the first to hear about my latest news, join my newsletter.Why do you partner with companies like Quadrapol?
I really like Quadrapol’s values and their desire to offer accommodation that is as environmentally friendly as possible. It’s a great opportunity to pool our skills so that we can provide hosting companies with comprehensive expertise and a turnkey solution that meets both their ecological values and their customers’ expectations. As a traveler, I particularly enjoy staying in this type of habitat, which I find blends in very well with the landscape and has less impact on the environment. So it was natural for me to want to help Quadrapol develop its business with tourism professionals.What’s the advantage of this partnership?
The advantages of this partnership are threefold, both for Quadrapol, Ekovida and the hosting companies that trust us. I’ll be able to offer my expertise to Quadrapol customers who want to go even further in their environmental approach. We share the same values, and Quadrapol’s customers are very concerned about their impact on the environment, so it’s a real pleasure for me to be able to accompany them on this journey. As a result, I’ll be able to offer this eco-friendly housing solution to hosts who are looking for an accommodation solution that’s both easy to install and made from sustainable, quality materials.How can you support tourism professionals in their ecological transition?
I can support them in different ways depending on their needs. The advantage of being a small company is that I can personalize and adapt to each person’s specific needs. I’m used to working for all kinds of establishments and I know the constraints of the field, which once again enables me to adapt as well as possible by proposing a personalized offer. – Individual coaching to obtain ecological certification or carbon footprint – Mission Eko’label: collective coaching to obtain the Clef Verte label – Coaching flash: 3 hours to solve a specific problem – Various services to promote your environmental approach (welcome booklet, web page, etc.) – Training courses I offer a 30-minute discovery call, so don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss your project. Book your call directly on my calendar. Many thanks to Laetitia for answering our questions! Discover our other interviews:- Interview: Laurent Maréchaux, General Delegate of the SEFB
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- Interview : Lucie Pelous, coordinator of the International Day of Forests
