The Green Passport Campaign is a new effort to increase awareness of environmental issues, particularly climate change, in the tourism industry. It was borne out of the World Summit on Sustainable Development that occurred in Johannesburg in 2002 and is largely sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme.
This is especially relevant since traveling is a significant source of carbon emissions and also because tourism can profoundly influence the host country's environment, for good or ill.
In the spirit of this campaign, and also recognizing that it is Spring Break season, I decided to write a Top Five List of things you can do during your vacation to limit your environmental impact.
1. Ecolodge. Generally, when I hear about EcoLodges I assume that they are both expensive and difficult to get to. However, it turns out that there are many hotels all over the world which are environmentally friendly and (somewhat) cheap. I didn't believe it either, but I am from the DC area - and there are about 10 certified "green" hotels nearby. Check out www.greenvacationhub.com to find even more lovely, environmental vacation options!
2. Rent a hybrid. . .I know I fantasize about driving a Prius around, so why not rent one during your vacation, saving a little money on gas as well? Budget offers Prius rentals - try, www.budget.com
3. Travel domestically, rather than internationally.
4. Use public transportation as often as possible, especially trains over longer distances.
5. Stay longer in several quality areas, rather than moving from spot to spot.
Oh yeah, and try to avoid using hotel mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner. I know they are tempting, but they are also a huge waste of plastic.
Any other ideas about how you can limit your environmental impact over vacation?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Five Ways to Travel Green
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2 comments:
Not only should we be concerned about leaving a minimal environmental impact on the communities we visit, but we should also be concerned about the PEOPLE in those actual communities. Some ideas: If you are travelling domestically, see if there are any short term projects that you might be able to help out with. Internationally, there are many options for "voluntourism". Just type that into google and see what you get. If you are travelling with a tour operator, try to make sure that they are responsible in the areas you visit. Many operators give a portion of their proceeds to local causes. And if you have to fly, of course there are carbon offsets (which there has been much controversy over lately) Instead of offsetting your carbon by buying credits, try changing the way you do things at home. Can you ride your bike to grab the "milk" you forgot at the grocery store? Can you take public transportation even two days a week to work? How about reusable shopping bags? An area in Ireland now charges 22cents per plastic bag in the grocery story, and guess what, they've nearly eliminate the use of plastic and paper bags. Shop at local farmers markets, get involved in your own community. There are so many little things that people can do to mitigate their carbon use that entire shevles at the library and bookstores are dedicated to it. Oh, and has anyone ever though of an active vacation, where your transportation is only human powered. You can have fun, see new places, and get in shape to boot!
I like your ideas, especially about voluntourism. I avoiding addressing the carbon offsets question on this blog entry, simply because I haven't made up my mind yet whether they are a good idea or not.
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