The Climate Guru Ep. 30 - Interview with Kimberly Haley-Coleman of Globe Aware

About this episode

Brent interviews Kimberly Haley-Coleman about voluntourism and its impact on communities and the environment.

In this episode, Brent welcomes a truly inspiring guest - Kimberly Haley-Coleman, founder and CEO of Globe Aware, an organization redefining what it means to travel with purpose. Kimberly’s mission is simple yet profound: to make “voluntourism” - the combination of travel and meaningful community service - accessible, sustainable, and life-changing for both volunteers and the local communities they serve. Since 2001, Globe Aware has been helping families and individuals from around the world spend their vacations giving back - whether it’s building fuel-efficient stoves in Peru to combat deforestation, supporting Buddhist communities in Bhutan, or creating safe marketplaces and schools in remote villages. In their conversation, Brent and Kimberly explore: 🌱 The philosophy behind responsible volunteer travel 🏡 How projects are designed to empower local communities rather than disrupt them 💚 The connection between environmental sustainability and cultural understanding ✈️ How travel can open hearts, break stereotypes, and spark real-world change Kimberly also shares beautiful stories from Bhutan, where volunteers are helping build small-scale projects alongside Buddhist monks…

People in this episode

Host: Brent Probinsky

Guest: Kimberly Haley-Coleman

Topics covered

• voluntourism
• sustainable travel
• community service
• environmental sustainability
• cultural understanding
• responsible travel

Keywords

• voluntourism
• sustainable travel
• community empowerment
• environmental education
• Gross National Happiness
• travel
• cultural understanding

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Globe Aware

Places: Peru, Bhutan

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