"Eco" is the Way to Go
By Joe Volz
Nowadays it may seem as every news show and magazine is discussing the latest trends in “going green.” The travel industry is no exception.
I first heard about the concept of “ecotourism” 20 years ago when a friend went on a whale-watching tour off the coast of Washington state. Concerned that the over-harvesting would eradicate the great creatures of the deep, she wanted to know how she could help save them.
Little did she know, but she was at the forefront of a burgeoning movement to combine travel trips with a desire to help save our planet from the ravages of commercial exploitation. It is also called “green travel” or “eco-friendly travel.” You can—and should—be a part of it too.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Now what, you may ask, do greenhouse gas emissions have to do with taking a trip? Well, most planes, cars and buses are powered by fossil fuels, like oil, that took thousands of years to form. They cannot be quickly replaced. And the emissions from the engines generate carbon dioxide that then go into the air and hover in the atmosphere. The gases form what’s called the “greenhouse effect,” which in turn has been shown to overheat our atmosphere and damage our world environment.
Offsets
A travel “offset” is one way to begin the monumental effort to clean up the atmosphere.
Travelers on various air or car trips, for example, can buy “offsets” for amounts ranging from $10 and up from travel websites such as AARP partner Travelocity, directly from some airlines and from organizations dedicated to green travel.
The money raised by offsets goes toward helping to eventually “replace” the fossil fuels used on a trip by investing in “green” companies dedicated to researching alternative energy sources. Or, the funds can go to help offset the environmental damage caused by the expended gases of planes or cars.You might be surprised how easy and inexpensive buying offsets can be. For example, I discovered that my 2001 Honda Accord emits 8,862 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere if I drive 8,000 miles a year. But I can buy a Terrapass for $29.95 that helps offset the damage for just eight cents a day. Meanwhile, amounts raised by Travelocity users go into a conservation fund that finances planting native trees in a permanently secure area.
How to become an Ecotourist
Here are some tips to think about before your next trip across the country, or just across town:
- Start by learning about global warming and how to travel in eco-friendly ways. An example is walking and hiking whenever possible; these methods are “energy-neutral” and do not harm the environment with pollution.
- Stay at hotels that are working to contain the environmental damage caused by the chemical agents they use, such as phosphorus in cleaning supplies. Many environmentally-friendly hotels reuse towels and linens during visitors’ stays of a few days. Reusing linens cuts down on the chemical runoff of toxic cleaning agents into our rivers and oceans.
- Make fewer but longer trips. By combining a business trip with a vacation, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the air as you travel can be cut in half.
- Become an advocate of ecotourism and things green. Let hotel managers and transportation agents know you want to be as eco-friendly as possible. If it’s important to paying customers, the companies will make it their concern as well.
- Act as green advocates by lobbying Congress and state legislatures to support green measures.
Keep in Mind
Some tourist agencies advertise they are environmentally-friendly but aren’t really. Generally you can tell which are and aren’t by asking to see the organizations’ policies concerning the environment. Travel guidebooks will also note whether lodging is truly eco-friendly or not.
Now for the Fun Part
Here are some eco-friendly places to visit. All of them have taken steps to reduce pollution through their actions and through their materials and techniques.
Eco-friendly Places in the U.S.
Look for hotels that make their interest obvious in written materials and practices. An example is the Orchard Hotel in San Francisco, near Union Square. Using recycled materials, it was built from the ground up and is energy efficient. The hotel maintains a non-smoking environment throughout.
The Orchard is on the Green Hotels Association list of eco-friendly hotels worldwide. Such a hotel “encourages, promotes and supports the ‘greening’ of the lodging industry,” says the association’s website.
Belize, Central America
The Cotton Tree Lodge in Toledo, in southern Belize, maintains a composting system with flushtoilets and a self-contained reservoir that replenishes the soil by putting banana plants into the soil to replace lost nutrients. It uses solar power for energy in its 12 rooms and maintains an organic garden. You’ll have the opportunity to work in a traditional chocolate-making workshop along with local Mayan farmers. They use their ancient traditional techniques to pick the fruit and dry the cacao beans.
Saba, Netherlands Antilles
Saba is a five-mile long island in the Caribbean. Its coral reefs and waters abound in fish of many colors and stripes and swim unconcerned with the strange human “fish” wearing goggles and helmets diving among them. While snorkeling or scuba diving you can expect to see rays, turtles, large groupers and sharks while not damaging the coral reefs or the fish.
Saba’s waters have been protected by the Saba National Marine Park since 1987. Unlike other Caribbean islands, Saba, the “Unspoiled Queen,” has no sandy beaches, no casinos and no marinas and only a 1,300 foot runway for smaller planes, which also cuts down on excessive energy use.
Saba’s Eco-Lodge Rendezvous is located at an intersection of hiking trails and historic footpaths. Its trails are varied – visitors can walk for 10-minutes on the Mt. Scenery Trail to the village of Windwardside or hike for 45-minutes on the Bottom Mountain trail that passes through rainforest and some farm plots offering picturesque views of the St. Johns and The Bottom villages.
These of course are just a few of the many wonderful destinations where eco-tourism is taking hold. For more information on green destinations and companies to help you get there, visit sites like Conservation International, Ecotravel.com and The Conservation Fund.
Links
- Travelocity Offset Program
- Terrapass
- Conservation International
- Ecotravel.com
- The Conservation Fund
- Saba Eco-Lodge Rendezvous
- Susatainable Travel International
- Green Hotels Association
- Orchard Hotel
- Cotton Tree Lodge
Books
Find these books and DVDs online at Barnes and Noble.com.
Lonely Planet Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime
True Green: 100 Everyday Ways You Can Contribute to a Healthier Planet
