Going Green
What It Means to Go Green
Green travel, Ecotourism, Sustainable Travel, Responsible Tourism. Common to all these terms is a concern with reducing our environmental impact as travelers and giving back to the place through direct support of local communities and local conservation. Too often, tourism can diminish both the natural beauty and cultural integrity of a place. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If tourism providers maintain high standards and travelers seek out responsible choices, tourism can provide an important economic engine while sustaining natural landscapes and human communities. Here are some guiding principles to help ensure that travel benefits both the people involved and the place.
Travel Less
Ecotourism can be something of a misnomer when used to describe exotic and expensive journeys to the far corners of the globe. These tours may seek to minimize impact on the local environment, but the global plane travel leaves a huge ecological wake. Worldwatch Institute reports that a single trans-Atlantic flight uses as much fuel as a car driver would in 50 years. Since 1990, CO2 emissions from international aviation have increased 83 percent, according to the David Suzuki Foundation. Because plane emissions occur high in the atmosphere, the Worldwatch article notes, they contribute to global warming at 2-4 times the rate of emissions close to the earth’s surface. Plane travelers can buy carbon offsets for air travel, but the best way to “green” your travel is to explore closer to home.
Travel Lighter
Green, responsible travel is low impact: both tourism providers and visitors strive to reduce the resources they use, the waste they generate, and actions that might diminish the place (like those that generate loud noise or noxious fumes). Goods consumed tend to be renewable ones (like local foods and local culture) – rather than large doses of fossil fuels.
It does take conscious effort to find program providers, lodgings and restaurants that are committed to minimizing waste, fostering conservation and supporting the local community. The Natural Choices site is designed to help make that research easier.
Affordable Travel
While global “ecotours” are often high-priced, regional green travel need not be expensive. The Natural Choices site promotes a wide array of programs and activities—many of them quite affordable. All program providers must include costs in their program descriptions so that you know—at first glance—what the bottom line will be.
On the other hand, green choices don’t have to be rustic or rugged. Offerings run the gamut from backcountry tenting to in-town trails (where you can walk or bike back to a “green-certified” inn with a wood-fired sauna and feast on a five-course meal of local foods).
No Greenwashing
It’s all too easy for programs and lodgings to bill themselves as “green” and “ecofriendly” without really walking the talk. At Natural Choices, we provide credible information from businesses and organizations that strive to be environmentally responsible. Each activity listed on this site must meet our Code of Ethics. If you find any evidence of greenwashing (deceptive eco-marketing without substantive practices) among the businesses and organizations listed on Natural Choices, please contact us. We will continually work to ensure that this site provides reliable information on responsible tourism providers.
If you want to be a responsible “green” traveler, you will need to do some research on your own–beyond what you find on this site. When considering options and booking trips, ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS. Don’t be afraid of offending tourism providers by inquiring about their environmental practices and commitment to the local community. If they’re seeking ways to lessen their ecological wake, they’ll welcome your questions and input. If they’re not, move on to someone who shares your travel philosophy.
A Glossary to the Jungle of Jargon
Finding a conscientious tourism provider who cares well for place can be a struggle—between greenwashing and all the jargon used to describe environmentally responsible travel. The following glossary can help guide you, but make sure that the marketing terms are supported by an authentic commitment to the natural environment and local community.
Ecotourism (also called Ecotravel) is defined by The International Ecotourism Society as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” Raising awareness—of local ecosystems and concerns—is a key dimension of ecotourism.
Green Travel, often used in place of ecotourism, emphasizes the practical measures that businesses and communities are taking to minimize environmental impacts (such as energy-saving measures, water conservation, green building practices and recycling).
Responsible Tourism is similar in its emphasis on low-impact travel and advocates following—in wild settings—Leave No Trace principles.
Sustainable Tourism seeks to offer enriching experiences to visitors today—without diminishing the long-term vitality and integrity of place and local cultures.
Nature-based Travel involves activities centered on the natural world (such as wildlife-watching and hiking) but does not necessarily imply that the travel is sustainable or environmentally sensitive.
Adventure Travel refers to active outdoor pursuits which may be either “soft” (less rigorous and risky) or “hard” (more strenuous, “edge” endeavors). Adventure travel is not necessarily gentle on place or done in sustainable ways.
