Green Travel – Making Better Environmental Travel Choices

We all hear the term “global warming” all the time. Over the past few months I have started reading travel stories about how the permanent ice cap on Mount Kilimanjaro is melting, how ski resorts in the Alps will be closed permanently due to lack of snow, how glaciers are melting in the Arctic, how more and more frequent and severe weather disturbances are disrupting tourism, and the stories go on. Some of these stories even urge us to go now before some of these scenic spots are transformed or gone forever. Climate change has now become a topic of concern for global travelers.

Traveling, of course, has environmental consequences. Long-distance travel involves the creation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, passenger planes are some of the most intense pollutants in existence today. In addition, wherever we go, we consume food and other services, and we generate waste. So what is to be done?

When it comes to aircraft emissions, there are actually some concrete things that we can do. There are ways to offset the greenhouse gas emissions generated by air travel by purchasing trees that will be planted to offset these emissions. At Trees for the Future, your $40.00 will actually pay for the planting of 400 trees that will help offset greenhouse gases. You’ll also receive a global refrigeration certificate and bumper sticker. On their website you will also see a list of partners, including hostels and bed and breakfasts that are powered by renewable energy sources.

The Rainforest Alliance actually offers a variety of information to eco-savvy travelers. They also offer a sustainable tourism certification to tourist establishments that is based on methods to reduce the consumption of water, energy and other resources, and to improve the management, handling and disposal of waste. They even make a toolkit for sustainable tourism best practices available to small and medium-sized businesses in the tourism industry.

On its website, the Rainforest Alliance also advocates a series of simple green behaviors that we can all try to follow:

o Support local economies by seeking out locally owned lodging and dining establishments, locally grown food, and locally made products and crafts.

o Sponsor eco-friendly hotels whose managers have programs that save water and energy.

o Stay on the hiking trails. Clean up your own mess and dispose of waste properly. Stay away from wildlife.

o Travel by public transportation as much as possible.

o Avoid vehicles with a two-stroke engine such as jet skis, scooters and certain boats, which are highly polluting.

o Be culturally sensitive to local customs, greetings, dress codes, and eating habits.

o Treat others with the same respect you would in your own community.

Other green certification programs for tour operators and tips for green-savvy consumers include the following websites:

-TerraChoice

– Green Globe 21

-Environmental Choice

-Green Seal

– The Global Ecolabeling Network

– The Climate Neutrality Network

Another interesting website is Future Forests: it advocates for a “carbon neutral” lifestyle, to neutralize our impact on the environment. Future Forests has been testing people with a variety of environmental gifts since 1997. You can dedicate a tree, for example, for $10.00. You can even plan carbon neutral weddings with Future Forests.

One cool thing about their website is that they offer a really cool carbon emissions calculator that allows you to calculate your anticipated emissions from flying or driving. I thought I’d check this out, so I entered some assumed data for a flight from New York City to London, England.

I instantly found out that this flight would produce 1.22 tons of CO2. The calculator also tells me that if I dedicate 2 trees I can make this flight carbon neutral. Alternatively, you could supply 2 energy saving light bulbs to a small community in the developing world. Both options would be £30. I also checked your carbon emissions driving calculator. If I travel 400 km (250 miles) every week in a car with a 1.4-2 liter engine, I would generate 4 tons of CO2 per year, which would take 5 trees to offset.

In addition to planting trees, you can also buy “carbon offsets.” A “carbon offset” is actually an investment in a project or action with the aim of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions. Offset projects come in many varieties and can include tree planting or reforestation, building retrofits (ie, installing more efficient heating/cooling systems), or wind power projects.

According to the Better World Club website, here’s how it works: You can book a flight through Better World Travel – Members and get free carbon offset for your US domestic flight ($11 value). If you book a flight through the Internet, another travel agency or airline, send them a tax-deductible donation to offset the CO2 emissions of your flight. ($11 for domestic flights or $22 for international flights).

So the good news is that there are, in fact, ways to offset the environmental impact we all have, even while traveling.