A timeline of AEI

2011- Animal Experience International is founded by Nora Livingstone and Dr. Heather Reid.

2012- AEI is officially Incorporated as a business in Ontario, Canada.
The very first client goes on a trip!

2013- AEI is awarded B Corp certification for meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

-Opens programs in Australia

-Opens programs in Africa

-Opens programs in Asia

-Begin carbon balancing trips through small Canadian companies who take part in nature based solutions. 

-Pledges to be a ChildSafe supporting business, to provide our clients with the information and tools they need to actively protect children and youth in the countries they are visiting.

-Partners with the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians to ensure their members earn continuing education credits when they volunteer with AEI.

- First partnership begins with a US College or University, making sure students can get credits through their AEI trips as experiential practicums and alternative placements.

2014 - B Labs awards AEI, a Best for the World B Corp. This is awarded to certified B Corps who were in the top 10% of quantifiable impact.

-Opens programs in Europe

- First AEI Group Expedition takes place- taking place in Athens Greece at a sea turtle rescue centre.

- Heather is invited to join the Veterinary Technician and Animal Care Program Advisory Committee at Sheridan College, where students can now travel with AEI as part of their curriculum. 

2015-  AEI is again awarded the Best for the World B Corp designation for being in the top 10% of all B Corps when looking at quantifiable benefit. 

-Presents at the Ontario Association of Vet Tech's annual conference about ethical volunteering with animals while gaining continuing education credits. 

2016- AEI is again awarded the Best for the World B Corp designation for being in the top 10% of all B Corps when looking at quantifiable benefit. 

2017-  AEI is again awarded the Best for the World B Corp designation for being in the top 10% of all B Corps when looking at quantifiable benefit. 

- Becomes members of the Family Travel Association

- Becomes Good Travel Advisors, through Tourism Cares, a non-profit organization that aims to make tourism a force for good, changing the world for the better through travel.

2018-AEI is again awarded the Best for the World B Corp designation for being in the top 10% of all B Corps when looking at quantifiable benefit. 

2019-  AEI is again awarded the Best for the World B Corp designation for being in the top 10% of all B Corps when looking at quantifiable benefit. 

-A land acknowledgement added to the website in order to show respect and the commitment to further understand what it looks like to live as settlers on Turtle Island. 

- Joins the Gap Year Association and Gap Year Canada, organizations that ensure gap year experiences for all ages are accessible and recognized as vital to personal, educational and professional development.

2020-   AEI is again awarded the Best for the World B Corp designation for being in the top 10% of all B Corps when looking at quantifiable benefit.  This is the last year this award is offered. 

-Black Lives Matter page added to the website to show AEI's commitment to racial justice and the decolonization of travel

- Nora is part of the Gap Year Association's committee to write the Fair Trade Learning Guide. This ensures that people doing a gap year, service learning or volunteering outside their community can follow high standards of sustainability, human rights and animal welfare.This is the first guide of it's kind that leads to certification.

- Nora becomes the host of Animal Chat Time (presented by Fanimal), an interactive program on Zoom for kids, all about animals

2021- AEI's donations total more than a million dollars to locally run conservation and animal welfare programs

-Becomes one of the founding signatories to Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, a coalition of tourism businesses, organisations and individuals that have declared a climate emergency and are taking purposeful action to reduce our impact on the environment.

-Signs the Commitment to Climate. As a travel company this shows not only the recognition of a climate crisis but also a plan moving forward within AEI to decrease carbon emissions while educating others in the travel industry. 

2022- AEI's 1000's client participates in a program.  

- To date more than 1,000 trees are planted to off-set carbon emissions as nature based solutions also help animals living in these once fractured forests. 

-Nora gives the keynote address at the The Emerging Voices for Animals in Tourism conference. The theme is Hope.

2023- Nora is awarded Nature Canada's volunteer of the year

2024- AEI opens programs in South America

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