STEP #32
Take an Eco-Vacation
When we take a break from our daily green routines, we don’t have to leave our eco-friendliness behind. We can show our true colors (green!) by applying our environmental awareness to our vacations, be it an All-American road trip or an out-of-country extravaganza.
Eco-vacations have become so popular that even online travel sites like Orbitz have a site (www.eco.orbitz.com) devoted to planning your eco-vacation. You can search hotels or packages, just as you do for any other vacation, with the added bonus of knowing how eco-friendly your hotel will be, for example, the use of energy-saving light bulbs, organic bedding, and earth-friendly bath products.
An eco-friendly vacation can start with something as simple as renting a hybrid (www.evrental.com) or biodiesel powered car (www.bio-beetle.com) and hitting the open road. How much of America have you and your family actually seen and experienced? Vacationing in America keeps our economy strong, and traveling by ground cuts back on the hundreds of tons of CO2 released by air travel. Of course trains are another fun and earth-friendly option for traveling cross country.
The David Suzuki Foundation points out that, “compared to other modes of transport, such as driving or taking the train, travelling by air has a greater climate impact per passenger kilometer, even over longer distances.” Although it is a relatively small industry, aviation accounts for 4 to 9 percent of the total climate change impact from human activity. For the times when air travel is unavoidable, www.climatecare.org and www.nativeenergy.com/travel provide calculators to determine your vacation’s carbon emissions, as well as ideas and means of offsetting the carbon impact of your travel. (See Step 51 for more information on carbon offsets.)
Although it is not as glamorous as renting a hybrid or flying first class, taking the Greyhound is a great way to share your emissions output. As a bonus, you get to see and meet a lot of interesting people who might not otherwise cross your path.
Once you’ve decided how to get there, you can look at the Green Hotels Association’s website (www.greenhotels.com) for a list of lodgings with green standards in nearly every state. The site provides mini summaries of each hotel’s provisions as well as contact information.
Especially notable is the Kimpton Hotel chain, whose mission is to support sustainability through non-intrusive, high-quality, eco-friendly products and services. They use environmentally friendly cleaning products, print with soy inks on recycled paper, serve organic beverages, and suggest that guests reuse their towels and linens. They also use low-energy light bulbs, low flow water systems, paperless check-in/outs and coat hanger recycling. You won’t find any styrofoam cups at Kimpton, but you will find organic flowers, organic snacks, and in-room designer recycling bins, along with recycled glassware and organic bedding in the gift store. It’s no surprise that Kimpton has won many awards including the National GeoTourism Award, the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Good Earthkeeping Award, and the State Model for Conservation Award from the State of California’s Green Lodging program. Kimpton is setting an excellent example and the more we support them, the more other hotel chains will follow.
If you would like to spend your eco-vacation actively helping the planet, look for group tours and volunteer opportunities offered by environmental organizations. Working eco-tours are a great way to learn about other cultures, while helping the planet too. The Sierra Club offers several opportunities for eco-travel, ranging from around the United States to as far away as Antarctica. Of course, the further you travel, the more it is likely to cost in dollars and emissions output.
For an especially eco-friendly, ultra-healthy, and economical vacation, check out Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) at www.wwoof.org. This organization provides people with volunteer opportunities to work on organic farms and learn about growing fruits and vegetables as well as building everything necessary to make these farms operate without the use of the chemicals and pesticides that contribute to global warming. Some farms provide food and lodging, while others request you bring your own tent. WWOOF gives you the names and contact information, but it is up to you to find out the details of what you need to bring and what the farm will provide.
For an international list of eco-vacations, check out The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) at www.ecotourism.org, where you will find a list of places to explore in a green-friendly manner and guidelines about how to behave and what to expect once you arrive at your destination. This is important, as many times, the most popular ecosystems are found in countries that depend on the economic benefits of tourism, but also have few environmental protection policies in place.
TIES helps you ensure you make a positive impact by providing you with everything you need to know about having a responsible eco-vacation, and connecting you with green travel agents, lodging, and transportation services on literally every continent.
As you can see, escaping from your everyday routine doesn’t have to mean more emissions output, as there are plenty of eco-vacations that can help keep global warming in check.
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