Travel Light: Greening Your Vacation
By Amelia Apfel
Filed Under Conscious Commerce, Green Living, The Big Picture |
“I have lived in the Serengeti for more than 20 years, but flying over the long lines of migrating wildebeest or watching them gather before a river crossing, still takes my breath away and makes my heart pound. Nowhere in the world can we watch such a spectacular scene, nowhere do we have such a large number and diversity of large mammals.”
Dr. Markus Borner, Representative of the Frankfurt Zoological Society
Does reading sentences like this make your pulse quicken just a little? Did you lean closer to the computer, maybe entertain the idea of traveling sometime soon? You aren’t alone. Tourism is a huge component of the global economy, with 650 million international arrivals in 2006 and a projected increase to 1.6 billion arrivals by 2020. It is especially important for less developed countries, and rivals oil as the top source of foreign income in the world’s 40 poorest countries.
Yet travel inherently leaves a heavy footprint, and many destinations are ecologically sensitive and easily disturbed. So we are faced with a global catch-22: the more people want to visit a place, the more likely it is to be slowly destroyed by the attention. Increasing development designed to accommodate greater numbers of visitors threatens habitat and migration corridors, and the heavier traffic increases energy use, waste and water consumption in areas that often lack the infrastructure to deal with such issues efficiently.
Ecotourism aims to minimize the impact suffered by highly trafficked destinations. It is defined by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) as “responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people.” It operates based on the philosophy that tourism can be made sustainable by environmentally sound practices and cautious development designed around a solid plan to conserve and protect an area’s natural resources. If managed properly, tourism can generate a great deal of financial support for protected areas such as national parks and wildlife reserves, as well as boosting the local economy. Whether tourism is an important resource or a necessary evil depends on the balance of these benefits measured against the costs of shepherding thousands of visitors through fragile ecosystems.
In traveling, many people may not consider their role in the welfare of their destination. It’s hard to comprehend how many visitors pass a park’s gates every year. One key to the success of ecotourism is developing conservation and management plans carefully tailored to individual locations. Organizations such as Conservation International offer worksheets and other documents designed to help evaluate existing policies and help governments and national tourism organizations incorporate environmental concerns into business planning.
Ecotourism is not just the responsibility of policymakers. Like any industry, tourism runs on supply and demand. Consumers play a huge role in determining where their money goes and how it is spent, so every person traveling to a different country, or even nationally, has a great deal of influence. The most important thing you can do as a tourist is to educate yourself about responsible travel and try to make your trip as low-impact as possible. There are many resources available to help compare different options. Ethical Traveler publishes a biannual report assessing the environmental and social practices of different countries, and TIES offers responsible travel guidelines and links to partner organizations.
People will always be drawn to unique sights and magnificent landscapes. Yet we also have the responsibility of making sure that those landscapes aren’t loved to death, and that the countries where they occur have the resources to build strong conservation programs without starving their citizens.
Want to take a responsible vacation?
- Offset carbon emissions on your flights. Check TerraPass, Carbonfund, and Native Energy for different options.
- Research social and environmental practices of different companies before you book a trip with them. Traveler’s Philanthropy offers a list of companies that are dedicated to strengthening local communities.
- Look for certification or other accolades that show whether a hotel or trip is committed to the environment.
- If you do a homestay, make sure you know how much of the money will actually be given to the family or community you stay with.
- Choose companies that employ local people and businesses, as opposed to larger international suppliers.
Posted on December 8, 2008 |
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There is a brand new travel website that I have been using for over a year now called http://www.RezHub.com. I have booked several flights,car rentals and hotels using RezHub.com
What I like about RezHub.com is when you book through them you are helping to make a difference in the world and you may not even know it.
With the launch of their Green Travel website, travelers can book with green hotels, hybrid rental cars, and participate in carbon
offsetting programs… OR book the vacation of their dreams and still feel good (and green) about it.
Even though you might be flying the friendly skies just think how good you will feel about traveling when you use RezHub.com. This company is donating 20% of their revenue from all travel booked at the Green Travel Hub to a green organization.
Not only can you have fun on your vacation, but you feel good about making a difference knowing 20% went to help out a green organization.
Another cool feature that RezHub.com offers is their Volunteer Travel section. Your trip can still make a difference. When you book your
vacation at the Volunteer Travel Hub, 20% of their profits are donated back to VolunteerMatch.org this way you can help spread the spirit of volunteering whether you have time to give or not.
Yes, I know there are MANY different travel sites out there, but I have to say this is far the best one I have yet to come across.
I know times are tough right now. But at least when I have to travel I know I feel good about traveling!!!
Hi Green Travellers!
By the way, we are working on NaturCert+, which is our very own blog where we share our news and articles, and where visitors have the opportunity to share their activities and ideas with the rest of the world.
Our aim for NaturCert+, is to develop a public platform that will address a variety of issues related to responsible and/or sustainable travel & tourism and become a daily reading resource for a broad spectrum of visitors.
We aim to give the opportunity to bloggers to contribute and share their content relevant to responsible and/or sustainable travel & tourism on our blog and gain new readers and followers, more visibility and publicity, as well as better promotion while generating added value for the submitted content.
Please contact us on plus@naturcert.com if you are interested.
Thanks, that was a very interesting read.
Solimar Travel planned a fantastic eco-tourism trip for my brother and I to Costa Rica. All of the people we worked with throughout the trip (from planning the trip to being greeted upon arrival in the country to in-country assistance) were so friendly and helpful. The eco-friendly practices being implemented at the lodges were visionary and inspiring and simply made so much sense — it was the best vacation I have ever went on! I highly, highly recommend Solimar Travel!