 We don’t expect you to stay at
home all the time, but remember that most
travel
consumes non-renewable energy and apply some of
the other green tips . Strike a balance between
holidays overseas and those nearer home, and offset
your carbon emissions (see our
Green
Transport section).
Tourism can bring benefits to host
economies and societies, but often has
negative
economic, cultural, social and environmental
consequences. The
Travel Foundation
is a leading campaigner and
Tourism Concern’s Ethical Travel
Guide lists places to visit and stay in over 60
countries.
EarthCheck
is a worldwide certification programme for
sustainable tourism.
GTBS is a UK eco-label scheme with reliable
accreditation; another UK site is
www.ecofriendlytourist.com.
There are many more web sites offering green
credentials - www.responsibletravel.com, but it can be difficult to separate the
useful ones from 'greenwashing'.
Skiing attracts particular
criticism when, with snow lines rising, resorts use
water and energy to produce artificial snow,
vegetation suffers and ever-higher resorts
constructed, the energy is often from renewable
sources and some resorts adopt genuinely green
practices. Check
Save our Snow and resorts' own web sites.
Snowcarbon will tell you about train travel to
ski resorts.
Read about your holiday
destination before you go and then
stay in locally-owned
accommodation, respect local
customs, dress codes and behaviour;
use water and electricity
sparingly; donate to projects rather than beggars;
buy local products at a fair
price (even be a little generous).
You may reach your destination by
plane or car, but once there, consider
walking,
cycling, riding, or just staying put for some of
the time. Many enjoy activity holidays during which
they contribute to environmental improvement -
BTCV
and the
National Trust offer these.
Many tourism businesses are
trying to be greener too – some local ones are
in our directory – so they deserve your support. The
notice about not changing your towels every day is
green not mean. Do you have fresh towels every day
at home?
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