1 BUS
1 FAMILY
18 COUNTRIES
Odyssébus is the International Impact’s project of sending its managing director and his family on a tour of Europe to visit our different partners and create new collaborations.
For more than a year, Jean-Christophe Crespel, accompanied by his wife Astrid and their five children Ceylian, Malo, Opale, Olympe and Maya, will travel through Eastern Europe and the Middle East, tracing a loop from Germany to Austria and passing through more than ten countries including Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, Iran, Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
This trip aims to develop the solidarity actions of the NGO but is also a goal in itself.
Indeed, the Odysseybus is also an initiative that allows us to see the positive impacts of International Impact’s donations, volunteers and partners in the field and to raise awareness of the importance of solidarity and environmental actions that take place around the world.
Thus, the Odysseybus aims to give more visibility to the different structures already and soon to be supported by the NGO in Europe (schools, associations, institutes, foundations, etc.) as well as to make the children of the family and all the people who will follow them discover new cultures and new eco-responsible habits. The educational and pedagogical objective will play an important role in the adventure. The children will follow a programme that will coincide as much as possible with the family’s itinerary. A visit to Auschwitz, for example, will allow them to study the question of the memory of the Holocaust.
The 8th family member: Bulysse
Bulysse (from the contraction of “bus” and “Ulysses”) is the nickname given to the double-decker bus (double-decker bus) with a total surface area of 45 m², which will take the family on a 14-month journey.
Bulysse is a collector’s vehicle and has a long history. In the past, it hosted Johnny Hallyday and his technical team during several tours!
In the 2010s, it was then transformed by an NGO to be used for travelling awareness-raising missions on renewable energies (Alternative World Water Forum, Water Caravan),…
In order to respect the project’s eco-responsible ambition, Bulysse has been fitted out in such a way as to reduce its environmental footprint as much as possible, and particularly its carbon footprint. Thanks to 30 m² of solar panels on the roof, the bus is completely autonomous in energy. It is also equipped with a system for recovering rainwater and water from lakes and rivers, and for desalinating sea water. These installations make it very economical with fresh water.
In addition, the first tank of petrol will be filled with a fuel made from plastic waste. An innovation developed by the NGO Earthwake, a partner of the NGO International Impact.
On a daily basis, the family will strive to live as ecologically as possible. Apart from long journeys, bicycles will be the preferred means of transport (recycled and repaired before departure). Household products such as washing powder will be ecological and if possible home-made.
Each member of the family will report their discoveries and adventures in the family travel diary which will be published online.
The departure is planned for July 2021, until then follow more details and news of the project on the Odyssebus website and on our social networks!
If you wish to actively support International Impact in the realisation of this project, a crowdfunding campaign is underway here. A big thank you from the whole team of the NGO !
They support the Odyssebus project: