Newswise — With the holiday season just over a month away, you might be making travel plans to celebrate the festive season, or to ring in the New Year at a sunny locale. But for those eco-conscious travellers who are looking for a “green” resort, or who are interested in minimizing their carbon footprint, Ryerson tourism and hospitality professors Rachel Dodds and Sonya Graci offer up these tips on sustainable travel: Finding green vacations
1. You’ve been saving your hard-earned money to go on a great trip that is environmentally friendly. So where do you start looking?
Check out these websites for more information on eco-friendly tours:
* Ecoclub.com – lists countries that offer eco destinations, environmentally friendly lodges with photos and ratings, and green travel tips for tourists* Touringnature.com – ecotourism routes around Europe* Ecotourdirectory.com – a directory of operators worldwide offering eco tours* Travelgreen.org – a go-to source for green travel in the U.S.* Responsibletravel.com – green holidays of any type worldwide* Ecotourism.org – repository of sustainable destinations, info for eco-conscious traveller* Green.hotelscombined.com – complete guide for tourists on sustainable tourism
2. Flying is the most carbon-intensive way to travel. Did you know that air travel accounts for two to five per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases? However, a number of companies are offsetting their carbon emissions. Westjet has partnered with Offsetters, an organization helping firms reduce their impact on the environment. Through a partnership with carbon-offset provider Terrapass, Expedia.com allows travellers to offset an airplane’s carbon emissions when they book a ticket with that airline.
3. Check out some of these websites for eco-friendly hotels:
* Greenhotels.com – directory of U.S. hotels* Environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com – listing of lodges and hotels worldwide that think green
How to be a green traveller
1. Before you go, ask your travel agent about the company’s environmental and responsible tourism policies – support those who support responsible tourism.
2. Ask your accommodation provider about their sustainability practices – do they support the local community? Do they have fair labour standards? Do they have an environmental policy?
3. Support the local economy. Buy locally made souvenirs, eat at local restaurants – enjoy the local culture!
4. Take public transit when vacationing. It’s a great way to see the town and strike up an interesting conversation with the locals.
5. Reduce energy consumption. Unplug your cell phone charger, turn off the lights.
6. Conserve water by taking shorter showers. The average hotel guest uses over 300 litres of water per night. In luxury hotels, it’s six times as much.
For more tips on how to find eco-vacation destinations, or how to be a green tourist, visit: www.sustainabletourism.net
EXPERTS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS:
Rachel DoddsAssociate ProfessorTed Rogers School of ManagementRyerson University
Available Nov. 21 to Dec. 9
Sonya GraciAssistant ProfessorTed Rogers School of ManagementRyerson University
Both are co-authors of Sustainable Tourism in Island Destinations (2010, Earthscan)
For more holiday tips, please vist: ryerson.ca/news/media/spotlight/holiday2010
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