A Green Summer Vacation

For those concerned with the future of the environment  every summer brings new challenges. If you truly want to be a responsible traveler here are the some ideas and facts to help you achieve your goal.

Which Transport is Greener?

We love to fly to get to our destination. It’s comfortable and takes a shorter while but it is also the means of transportation with the highest carbon footprint. If you can’t avoid flying consider compensating by buying carbon offsets and choose green lodging for your vacation. Carbon offsets can be bought along with your plane ticket. The money goes to organizations like Terrapass who uses it to build wind farms or other sustainable energy projects.

The Truth about Green Lodging

In spite of what you may think choosing sustainable vacation accommodation does not mean you will have to pay more money. The large majority of hotel administrators know that good sustainable practices are saving them money so in turn, you, the customer will pay less too.

When looking for green lodging , look for hotels that have the Blue Flag or Green key sign. These are earned after a realistic scrutiny from the profile organizations, which make sure they continue the good practices even after they obtaining the green certificate.

Acting Responsible at your Destination

Once you arrived to a resort there are a lot of things that can help you keep your staying green. Consider simple things like taking with you solar sources of energy for your gadgets, using the bedding and towels for several days before asking the hotel personnel to change it and bringing your own toiletries so you will save a bit of landfill by not using small hotel shampoo and shower gel bottles.

Another sustainable practice you can use is to be a responsible shopper. Encourage the local artisan industry and buy local made souvenirs instead of random things you can buy anywhere else.

Treating the Ocean the Responsible Way

A lot of people consider vacationing near the ocean the ideal getaway. However tempting such a vacation looks like you must keep in mind that you increase the carbon footprint of the area with every day you spend there.  You can be a green traveler in case you remember to do simple things that have a huge impact on the ocean.

Avoid buying souvenirs from the sea. Sea urchins, sea stars and sea shells are not washed ashore but rather taken from the reef in the tropical areas. Keep the water clean and avoid leaving in any type of residue. Eat local marine base cuisine and avoid cruises and boat parties which have a huge carbon footprint.

[via The New Ecologist]