Green Paige

Whether you are looking for a quiet get-away, a chance to commune with nature or a real adventure during your summer vacation, here are some tips to help you make it a green vacation to remember.

• Need a quiet get-away? - Look for accommodations with programs in place to conserve water, save energy and reduce solid waste.  That is what the Green Hotels Association  does. Their website directory lists environmentally-friendly lodging in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe and Asia.

• Want to get closer to nature? - Consider camping.  Many national and state parks offer economically-priced lodges and recreational facilities for family fun.  Another perk is that your admission to a national or state park will go towards park upkeep and environmental programs.

• Looking for something different? - Stay at an organic farm or ranch.   AgriSupportOnline and Agritourism World connect families with farms, ranches and dairies. If you are venturing outside the US, Agriturismo USA lists a variety of farm stays and rural tourism sites throughout the world.

• Seeking adventure? -  Ecotourism will give you the adventure you are seeking while actively conserving and protecting the environment.  Organizations like Earthwatch match volunteers with scientific field research around the globe.  As ecotourists, your family could trace the life cycle of an endangered butterfly at the foot of Japan’s Mount Fuji, travel to Australia to collect data on endangered species in their temperate forest home or help researchers track Greek bottlenose dolphins in the Mediterranean. For ecotourism opportunities, visit  The International Ecotourism Society or check with local travel agencies to find out what eco-travel trips they offer.  

Whether you fly on a plane, drive a car or ride a bike to your vacation destination, make your first stop the Better World Club.  The BWC is an environmentally-friendly auto club that provides nationwide roadside assistance for cars and bikes, eco-travel services, discounts on hybrid cars, insurance, free maps and auto maintenance discounts. They donate one percent of their annual revenues toward environmental cleanup and advocacy.

If you must fly, offset your carbon emissions to reduce fossil fuel usage and eliminate the release of harmful greenhouse gases.  According to the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , 85,000 flights depart annually from airports around the world burning 130 million tons of fuel.  That figure is projected to rise to 300 million tons by 2015 which makes carbon offsetting programs like the BWC’s Travel Cool! not only a great idea but a necessity. 

Carbon offsetting allows passengers to pay a surcharge to help finance the planting of trees or other green projects in order to balance out the environmental damage caused by their journey.  Expedia provides travelers with the opportunity to offset flight emissions with TerraPass when they purchase a ticket.

For those of you who are hitting the road during your vacation, the BWC offers member discounts for hybrid and bio-diesel car rentals in limited locations.  Enterprise, National and Alamo car rental companies, in collaboration with TerraPass, give customers the chance to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from rental cars. When considering transportation options for your family vacation, don’t forget walking, biking and public transit systems. Many cities have excellent bus and light rail programs.

If you have ideas or suggestions that you would like to add, please post a comment.

With gas prices skyrocketing and our family trying to live a more environmentally aware lifestyle, we decided that taking a green approach to the summer vacation season makes good sense.  My husband and I want to teach our daughter how important it is to protect the places we love to visit by making sustainable choices.  This approach creates a rewarding vacation experience for the entire family.  Here are some green travel tips that are sure to make your own vacation planning easy and environmentally-friendly:

• Research - The most important step to planning a green vacation is research.

1. Choose a destination that is affordable, encourages environmentally-friendly practices and has age appropriate activities for the children in your family.
2. Support the local economy of the region or country that you will be traveling in by researching your food and entertainment choices through web directories.  Don’t be afraid to call and ask questions before you make a reservation.
3. Patronize businesses and organizations that respect the local environment and cultures. 

• Get Help! - Feeling a bit overwhelmed?  Let an Internet travel planning site like EcoBookers help you plan your trip.  They get paid via commission from hotels or retreats that are booked through them.  Rainforest-Alliance offers a variety of information to green travelers including an index of websites specializing in responsible travel and guidebook recommendations.  They also award tourism establishments a sustainable certification for reducing water and energy consumption and improving their methods for waste disposal.

• Beware of Greenwashing - Unfortunately, some businesses purposely mislead travelers by claiming to be an environmentally-friendly establishment when they are not.  To insure that a tour company or lodging facility is a sustainable business with environmentally-friendly practices, the Rainforest-Alliance suggests that you ask the following questions before you make a reservation:

1. What is your environmental policy?
2. What percentage of your employees are from the local community?
3. Do you support projects to benefit the local community?
4. Do you support conservation? How?
5. Is your business certified by the Rainforest Alliance?
6. Have you won eco-awards?
7. Are you recommended by reputable conservation groups?
8. What policies have you implemented to reduce water consumption, conserve energy or recycle wastes?
9. How do you educate visitors about local natural areas, wildlife, energy conservation and local culture?
10. How do you monitor these practices?

Whether your vacation plans take you to the Amazon River to help protect giant river otters or a local National Park, plan ahead and make your vacation a green one.

If you have ideas or suggestions for planning an environmentally-friendly and sustainable vacation, please share them by posting a comment.