Green Travel Tips | Kim Carlson

If you want to travel green, you are in good company. According to a 2008 Deloitte survey, nearly... more half of all travelers try to make earth-friendly decisions while on the road for business or pleasure. Consequently the travel industry has responded with many greener options making ecotourism one of the top growth areas in travel.

Ecotourism strives for fewer impacts on the environment by consciously reducing resource use through the mode of travel and the green building practices of the lodging. The full-blown ecotourism experience also means getting involved in the local community in a positive way through volunteering or at a minimum through seeing and appreciating the natural beauty of a region. Ecotourism is diverse. It can be a simple camping trip in a State Park or an extravagant ecolodge experience in New Zealand. It can also take the form of a business trip hotel stay in Atlanta.

How do you recognize legitimate ecotourism and not get duped by greenwashed advertisements for not so green accommodations or tours? Here are some tips and questions to ask before you book. Few destinations will meet all of these criteria but it will give you an indication of how green your trip will be:

•   Is the hotel or resort certified? Look for the "Green Hotel Certification", a program by Green Globe where environmental and cultural levels as well as Corporate Social Responsibilities are benchmarked against the highest worldwide principles. "Green Seal" is another certification program that primarily focuses on the green building aspects of a hotel.

•   Is there a focus on nature? This can be discovered on a website or in a brochure. Check to see if the property looks like part of the landscape. If it doesn't try to blend into the beach or the mountains, odds are that the management doesnt truly embrace green tourism.

•   Do they hire from the local community? Ask what percentage of the staff are local people. Also find out if any locals are in management positions. One of the principles in ecotourism is to support the local community meaning that the tourism dollars go to the benefit of supporting local people in the form of wages and compensation for services.

•   Do they make real attempts to minimize impact on the environment? Find out how they treat wastewater and provide energy for their buildings. Perhaps they get some of their power from the sun, wind or other renewable source.

•   Are the building and grounds green? Beyond the card by the bed asking to not change the sheets, green building means that the owners are serious about energy efficiency, water conservation and greenhouse gas emissions. You can discover this by asking about it. Was the property built or remodeled with any green building principles? Are the grounds filled with local plants and animals? Was the beach here or brought in from somewhere else?

•   Are the staff practices and products green? Find out if there are policies about reducing laundry like options for guest to re-use towels and sheets. An air quality policy restricting pesticides, chemical deodorizers and mandating less toxic cleaning products is important for asthma sufferers and any guest that doesn't want to be unknowingly exposed to toxic chemicals. Are guest personal care products green?

•   Do they provide for guest education? A big part of the ecotourism experience is learning about an area. So if there are guided nature walks, star gazing or snorkeling expeditions where guests can learn about their surroundings, this is a good sign.