Save Eco Destinations

By Claire Harding

Over the last year the ecotourism industry has grown by 15%, and is one of the fastest growing areas of tourism worldwide. Ecotourism is often described as sustainable tourism or travel, often having an educational, ecological focus which is respectful and beneficial towards local cultures, geographies, communities and economies. Despite the rising popularity of ecotourism, tourism in general continues to rise, with more tourists wishing to travel from developing economies such as Brazil, India, Russia and China.

As more and more people want to see the world and experience new and interesting places, one of the major challenges for the tourism industry is to adapt traditional tourism in a way that is more sustainable, limiting its global ecological and cultural impact? This article suggests that tourism should head towards the seas.

Cutting long distances

When someone mentions tourism, the first thing that springs to mind is visiting new and exotic places. Almost by definition, it is impossible to get to new and exotic places without involving some form of travel. How can we fulfil our travel needs in a sustainable way?

Air travel

Air travel is often spoken of as a highly unsustainable mode of transport. However, many people also observe that travelling by plane can actually be more efficient than other modes of transport such as a train or a car. Although a Boeing 747 burns approximately 5 gallons of fuel per mile, it must also be remembered that the aircraft has a carrying capacity of 568 people, therefore using approximately 0.01 gallons per person per mile, using roughly the same amount of fuel as a car carrying four people.

So what is the biggest problem with air travel? One issue is that because of the altitude planes travel at, harmful emissions and greenhouse gasses are released directly into the upper atmosphere where they do more damage. However, by far the greatest problem with air travel is that it facilitates long distance travel, encouraging people to travel further and use vast amounts of energy more frequently.

Travelling over short distances

One of the most important challenges for sustainable tourism is the need to encourage people to travel shorter distances, and take their vacations locally or in neighbouring countries which are accessible by boat or train. The recent growth in UK tourism has been accredited to the economic recession and the fact that people are unable to travel long distances. In the US also, the economic climate and increasing fuel prices has resulted in people travelling shorter distances in their cars, taking their vacations closer to home.

The cost of travel clearly has a dramatic effect on the choices people make concerning their vacations. Higher tax regulations on fuel used for leisure and holiday travel, would be a very efficient way of encouraging people to travel shorter distances and use more sustainable modes of transport over long distances.

Long distance travel by boat

If you do need to travel long distances, one of the most sustainable modes of transport is to travel by boat, such as passenger ship or ferry. Recent advances in ship engineering, tighter regulations involving the use of sea water ballast in the fuel tanks of large cruise ships and ferries and Load on Top refuelling all mean that modern large ships are producing far less sea water contamination than traditional designs.

Furthermore, there is a large emphasis on producing modes of shipping which use less energy. For thousands of years, wind, which is a renewable energy resource, was the preferred mode of shipping before steam came along. Recent efforts are underway to bring wind travel to power large cargo vessels. If these are successful, it is very likely that wind may become a popular and entirely green option for mass human transportation. Could we see resurgence in cruising holidays as a method of ecotourism?

Cruising as sustainable tourism

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, cruising holidays declined in popularity. However, cruising companies are putting a lot of effort into restoring the image of this once highly glamorous mode of tourism. Furthermore, there has been a large emphasis on the development of green cruising, in order to make cruising holidays a more sustainable form of tourism.

If cruise ships are able to become increasingly energy-efficient and reduce their carbon footprint, cruising could be a highly accessible and sustainable form of ecotourism. The idea of a giant luxury cruise liner roaring through the seas may not sound very green. However, one fine example of how cruising can be considered ecotourism is by looking at the use of cruising on the Galapagos Islands.

Due to their isolated geographical location, warm water, and volcanic nature, the Galapagos Islands have one of the most diverse and visually exciting ecosystems in the world. These are tightly regulated and protected by conservation regulations which prevent any building or permanent dwellings on most of the Islands. The only way to see the abundance of nature available at Galapagos is on board small vessels which are effectively small cruises.

These cruises have a limited impact on the surrounding ecosystem and require little or no permanent infrastructure to be left behind on the Islands. In addition, money from tourism helps to fund education about the need for further conservation. The model of the Galapagos Islands suggests how ocean- or water-based vacations can be a sustainable and effective form of ecotourism, and meet our global tourism demands.

Love your beaches

On Monday, June 10, we celebrated World Ocean Day 2010.

On June 26, you can head to your local beach and join hands to oppose offshore drilling and endorse renewable energy. Look up Hands Across the Sand events near you or email everyone in your area and start one up in your community! And don’t worry if you’re not in the U.S. — the event is taking place across the globe!

Read more about the event here.

Be sure to travel green

Remember to do your part and be eco-friendly, whether at the beach or anywhere you travel.

Going on a road trip? Read this.

And if you’re planning to get married, remember that coastal weddings are a no-no!

Further, if you’re looking for lodging, make sure you choose an eco hotel. Learn about eco hotel certifications here.

And finally –

The top 10 U.S. beaches

For the past 20 years, a coastal scholar known as Dr. Beach has compiled a list of the best beaches in the country. Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman is the director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University.

He uses 50 criteria to evaluate the nation’s beaches, including water and sand quality, beach width and environmental management, according to CNN.

Cape Florida Lighthouse at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida.

Here’s the list:

1. Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York

2. Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida

3. Coronado Beach in San Diego, California

4. Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina

5. Main Beach in East Hampton, New York

6. Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

7. Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

8. Beachwalker Park in Kiawah Island, South Carolina

9. Hamoa Beach in Maui, Hawaii

10. Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Florida

By the way, I have been to Siesta Beach (#2) and I can attest that it is amazing! It’s got sand like flour and warm, luscious waters. Hopefully it will remain unscathed by the oil spill currently taking over the Gulf of Mexico…

If spring is coming up for you (and you’re not near the Gulf) enjoy the beach!

 

Many companies tout their hotels as eco, but – as one might, unfortunately, expect – many companies also lie.

So how do you know if the place you’re thinking of staying at during your next vacation is really an eco hotel?

A great resource is EcoHotelology, a blog written by Holly Worton, who has 11 years of experience in the eco hotel industry. Although her blog’s main purpose is to help hoteliers learn how they can green their business (and home and office), Worton’s posts are helpful for anyone interested in expanding her or his knowledge about eco hotels and greening one’s lifestyle.

13 tell-tale signs that you’re dealing with an eco hotel:

• The rooms have a door-key-card-controlled electricity system that allows guests to turn off the electricity to their room by removing their card when they exit it
• Having green options offered to you, such as foregoing daily housekeeping
• Recycling services
• Low flow or dual flush toilets and low flow showerheads in the bathrooms
• Vegetarian meal options (and I don’t just mean spaghetti and salad. Give me something I can use!)
• The food is grown or produced locally, perhaps grown in an organic garden located on the premises
• Mindful ecotours/safaris – this means hummers are not used to drive guests around, nor ATVs; people are not allowed to speak or photograph in the presence of wildlife, and so on. Otherwise, it’s just a regular, nature-unfriendly tour/safari, and nature has enough hostility to deal with from us as it is.
• Only pasture-raised animal products are offered in its restaurants
• Only native plants are used in the landscaping
• Organic massage oils and all-natural products are used in the spa
• Wall dispensers provide shampoo, etc., instead of individual bottles and individually wrapped soaps
• The eco hotel uses renewable energy (solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, etc.)
• Hybrid cars are used to transport guests and you can rent bicycles to get around the area

 

5 signs that your eco hotel isn’t:

• The hotel contains a golf course
• The hotel endorses fishing, dolphin swims, visits to zoos, the use of jet skis and other personal water crafts, bonfires, hunting, etc.
• You see foie gras on the menu
• Food or drinks are brought to you in disposable containers and/or you get aluminum foil, plastic wrap, Styrofoam coffee cups or plastic utensils with your order
• You get mineral water in plastic bottles

Make sure to speak up and let the manager, etc., know you aren’t happy with their false advertising or any unsustainable aspects of the so-called eco hotel. And if the place is truly an eco hotel, feel free to inform them how glad you are about their eco-friendly services!

And always remember to do your part to travel green. We are all responsible for taking care of our planet!

Oy. I read that some hotels tout themselves as eco solely because they offer their guests the opportunity to not wash their laundry daily. Ridiculous? Indeed!

To help remedy the situation and separate the farce from the truth, there are now as many as 100 green travel certifications all over the world, all of which help potential guests learn whether a hotel’s eco claims are for real. Sixty of these are in Europe, and only 7 are global, including Green Globe and ECOTEL; some countries have their own particular certification program.

[Right now most certifications only apply to hotels and lodges, but increasingly others are cropping up to deal with tour operators, beaches, parks, golf courses (a green golf course?!), and boats.]

The certification measures health and safety standards (whether they are legally required or not), quality and service, and sustainability – which sometimes but not always considers the environmental and social impact of the hotel and its programs on the community.

Green Globe looks at the traditional tourism market. Its certifications reward the cutting down of electricity and water use. They do not set standards on performance (only intent – hello problem!). This one looks at the non-human environment, largely, as social and cultural issues are not addressed. (If you ask me, the environment entails all of us – are we not part of it? Is it not part of us?) P.S. Their user interface is not very intuitive. Good luck surfing their website!

So Green Globe focuses on intent as opposed to performance. Conversely, performance-based achievement certifications set clear environmental and social requirements, such as a specific percentage of local sourcing of employees or food.

 

ECOTEL is performance-based and more thorough than Green Globe. ECOTEL looks at five inspections:

• Environmental commitment
• Solid waste management
• Energy efficiency
• Water conservation
• Employee education and community involvement

Each of these 5 inspections has a 3-tiered Numerical Scoring System for the meeting of criteria. And all hotels have to satisfy ECOTEL’s primary criteria before even applying for the certification. Sweet. That tells me the certified hotels give a damn. Read more here.

See the ECOTEL-certified hotels here to plan ahead for your next trip!

Not many hotels – or even countries – are listed. Hopefully the eco certification industry will soon burgeon and make it easier for all of us to make ethical choices for our trips and vacations.

And I like STEP: Sustainable Travel International –

STEP is the world’s first and only global sustainable tourism eco-certification program offered by a non-profit organization. […] Due to its comprehensive nature, STEP was recognized as the most comprehensive of any sustainable tourism certification initiative in an independent research analysis commissioned by the United Nations Foundation, helping to establish STEP as the “Gold Standard” in sustainable tourism certification.

Although STEP is globally relevant, it is designed to address unique regional social, cultural, environmental and economic attributes.

STEP offers another advantage: because it is non-profit, it costs less to acquire its label – when you have to pay high prices for certification, it can get complicated no matter how green you already are. Especially if you’re just starting out or if you’re in Mexico, say, and the swine flu has kicked your business in the bum and left you struggling to stay afloat.

So to check out destinations certified by STEP, click here.

Enjoy!

The U.S.-based NGO Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has conducted research to determine which manners of transportation incur the lowest carbon footprints.

I know what you’re thinking—WALK, BABY, WALK!!

Yes, I agree most sincerely. Bicycling is another fabulous option.

Speaking of which, let me introduce you to a man who traveled throughout New Zealand for 30 days—on a bicycle! While his main intent was to explore the country’s landscapes as cheaply as possible, the grand bonus is his basically nonexistent carbon footprint. Except for the couple of rides he took with his bike on a stranger’s truck, this guy cycled his way through mountains, hills, everything. And he’s blogged all about it here. (He’s not done, so keep checking for updates.)  So. Fabulous.

On to the study.

UCS compared CO2 emissions from different types of vehicles plus emissions per person, per pair, and per family of four. It concluded that the three most crucial factors to help determine the carbon footprint of one’s travel are the type of vehicle, distance traveled, and number of travelers. With these in mind, you can figure out how [un]green your next trip would be.

The researchers found that if you’re traveling farther than 500 mi. by yourself or with one other person, the environment is better off if you take a nonstop coach flight (don’t even think about flying first class) than if you take a car.

Bus trips are most often greener than coach flights and car trips by 55-75%. But what about a fuel-efficient car, you ask? Taking the bus will probably reduce a couple’s CO2 emissions by 50%. If you are taking a car, then, naturally, a hybrid will kick an SUV’s bum.

Considering taking the train instead of driving or flying? Train trips will reduce emissions by 60% per passenger per mile when compared to one-person car trips and by 30% as compared to a 500-mi. small jet flight.

Low seasons are also greener because less traffic means less fuel waste for both land and air travel. Besides, gas and plane ticket prices will be lower too! Here you can read about other ways you can use the study’s results to save money (woohoo!).

Download the full report here.

So far, TRU Organic Spirits has planted 50,052 trees as of March 2009 along as a result of its “one tree per bottle” method. The products are completely certified USDA organic and consist of infused vodkas and gins. Mmm…

Each planted tree, TRU says, removes 500 lbs. of CO2 from the atmosphere per year and later 1800 lbs. per year when the trees mature. Apparently, that’s the equivalent of two months of average driving (1800 lbs. of CO2). Not bad at all.

“To make sure those trees have maximal impact, we work with organizations such as Sustainable Harvest International, in tropical zones, because those are the most environmentally sensitive areas suffering rampant deforestation,” they say.

So, how do we know TRU is legitimate? The company has been issued a certificate by Sustainable Harvest International (SHI).  Sounds good. With this certificate in tow, it’s easier to believe TRU when they claim that they are 760 times carbon negative (!), they maintain clean farmland and groundwater, and use recycled and recyclable lightweight bottles, among other laudable practices. Independent organizations evaluate these claims. Read more here.

Speaking of which, SHI organizes Smaller World Tours–you can take a vacation to volunteer in Central America to fight poverty and deforestation.  SHI has tours coming up in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama and several of their tours coming up in the next few months are already filled up! Awesome.

Another thing you can do through SHI is intern in Central America through their Field Programs. There’s still room to apply for summer 2009. Check it here. The information is also available in Spanish.

I went to college in Florida and my mother still lives there. I hated it. Every summer we were on high alert, and I was always paranoid about those damn hurricanes. And the more I learned about global warming, the more I realized Florida’s on its way out, especially if you live right on the coast as she does (that’s where my college is located too, which is depressing as well).

But when my mother wanted to buy new property and I suggested she consider moving somewhere like Chicago, she took me seriously-for about a minute. Her bad. I’m already out.

In college, I met a girl whose house got demolished in Miami by the category 5 Hurricane Andrew back in ’92. And what did her family do afterward? They rebuilt the house. I was baffled. It was so obvious to me that their move was simply stupid. The fact that you’ve always lived someplace doesn’t mean you have to spend the rest of your life there, especially when it’s so risky.

There will be more hurricanes, you can be sure. And they are supposed to keep getting worse. What’s to think about? If you’re interested, here is a documentary about a family rebuilding its life in New Orleans post-Katrina.

As travel destinations, enjoy them while you can (Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Mexico, Cuba, and so on). If you live there, I’d start making plans to move on inland. But hey, maybe that’s just me-I like to live calmly year-round, no yearly, imminent death threats lurking in the shadows ready to attack. Power going out for weeks with 95F weather, general fear, no available flights out or gas to head the hell out of the danger zone. I don’t care how fun hurricane parties can be.

We had a category 2 or 3 in Miami some years back. Afterward, downtown looked like a war zone, shattered glass everywhere. Some buildings still haven’t replaced those windows.

And, oh, the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico are some of the most beautiful and placid I have ever seen. They are breathtaking. Sand like flour and water like a warm bubble bath (okay, without the bubbles).

And don’t even get me started about earthquakes (I’ve lived in California, too). I just don’t get why people make themselves suffer through natural disasters when they could avoid them altogether. Isn’t it worth the hassle? I think it is. (New Orleans is a port city, okay, but why do people in other lines of work choose to rebuild? It won’t be much of a tourist spot as natural disasters keep ravaging it.)

Links:

Anyway, read this article in the New Scientist–finally somebody is backing me up! Go Jeff Hecht, go!

Read a contentious debate here and a post-Katrina article in the Washington Post arguing against rebuilding here.

In the ecotourism microcosm and the green world in general, we speak a lot of green transportation, greener choices, polluting less, and so on. Switch to a hybrid, offset the carbon footprint of your flights when going on vacation, and so on and so forth.

We’re lazy.

Honestly, some of the best things you can do are:

(a)    Stay home!

(b)   Walk

(c)    Ride a bike, rollerblade, skateboard, and so on

(d)   Swim-and always leave the motorboats and jet skis in the store (think of the coral reefs, sea turtles, etc., whose populations are diminished yearly by these machines)

(e)    Did I mention stay home?

Think of what would happen if we actually stuck to these principles. Because, you know, it’s we who are polluting and ruining the planet. We-privileged, middle-to-upper class people with access to the internet and enough education and spare time to inform and educate ourselves about ecological issues. We are the ones with enough money to travel and the resources that allow us to choose how and when we will do it.

Not indigenous tribes in Venezuela, in the Amazon Forest, the sort of people who coexist harmoniously with their green surroundings. And we can’t ask the poor women in South Jordan to switch to energy-saving light bulbs, the raped women refugees in eastern Congo to implement low-flush toilets, or those left homeless in Tartagal to incorporate solar panels into their homes when if they get to rebuild them.

But we can ask our friends to be more conscientious in their choices-because they have choices-when they shop, travel, use electricity, eat, discard, and even when they vote if we spread the word about key bills and laws and work together to support or protest against them.

Pick up trash if you see it in the street and take it home to recycle or at least toss it in a trash can. Reuse containers instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Cut down and eventually abolish meat and animal products from your diet. Get your lighting fixtures taken care of if they don’t take energy-saving bulbs. Stop buying Cif and bleach and switch to vinegar, baking soda, and alcohol for all your home cleaning needs. Turn off and unplug all appliances when not in use.

And on and on.

If you, who gets to choose and make changes, don’t, then you can’t complain when, several years from now, you find yourself having to move out of Florida and into a home farther from the coast and higher and higher than sea level. And don’t even start about how first class has gotten more expensive-focus on what’s important. Green travel is no travel unless it’s on foot, bike, or by other ecological means.

Let’s help people walk the talk.

Your life will be cleaner, greener, simpler, cheaper, healthier, and better.

Read a compelling article about this at Worldchanging.

What tips do you have?

What do YOU think?

Greenspace, New Zealand

Note: I’d like to say that I think it’s awful to have to say anything is “LGBT” friendly or “eco” friendly, etc.-everything, by default, should be these things. Everywhere and everything should be open-minded and progressive enough so that we stop viewing the standard as heterosexual white males. (What’s the deal with “chick” flicks vs. flicks? Why not “guy” flicks? Because all films are for men unless otherwise noted, right? It drives me up the freakin’ wall!!)

Anyway, until our world gets its shit together, here is some data I’ve rounded up where you won’t find conservative heterosexuals hogging all the eco fun:

1. Canada-based OUT Adventures will organize your vacation itinerary at affordable prices. This company claims to use 100% green power in its head office and that all its trips will be carbon neutral by 2011.  You can choose from Active, Comfort, In Style, Independent, and Family trips.

I think they have a long way to go in terms of greening their trips in addition to their approach (which I of course applaud). When they say travel green they mean not littering and not wasting water-but what about staying at lodges with a sustainable wastewater management system? Let’s hope that’s next for OUT!

2. Visit Christchurch, New Zealand and stay at GreenSpace. It touts itself as the only genuine urban eco lodge in NZ. In any case, check it out: it’s got solar water heating, non-toxic interior and exterior painted surfaces, recycled carpet insulation, on-site organic veggie and herb garden, planting of native trees, chemical-free and cruelty-free cleaning and other products (yay for animal rights!), they buy food from local Co-ops, compost, recycle, serve organic coffee, are vegetarian/vegan (very cool!), and even the toilet paper is unbleached and eco-friendly!

It makes me want to go if only to use their bathroom, in which, by the way, I could use my laptop (that’s right: wi-fi!). Prices go from $85-140. Then you can hit the beach, they’ll help you plan your trips, and they even offer babysitting services.

Also, they give you a head’s up so you can offset your carbon footprint through Kiwi Green Regeneration.

It sounds pretty sweet. What would make it more awesome is a sustainable wastewater management system (I am way fixated on these lately, huh?).

Do you have any resources to share? We’d love to hear about them!

More in our next post!

Here’s a topic I haven’t read much about at all: how to gauge your own eco comfort level.

It’s true: you may be okay walking around naked, consuming a vegan diet, and living electricity-free, while I might be cool with that as long as I can also have wi-fi access and an outlet for my laptop. Or maybe you feel strongly about showering with hot water when vacationing in Alaska. Hey-to each her or his own.

Here’s an article I came across in which the author brings one’s own personal comfort level into play. Turns out he needs iPhone access everywhere he goes, which he didn’t realize until the first day of two-week-long trip! Oops.

Say you’re going on a trip.

The most overwhelming part of taking an eco vacation may just be the planning! It can be tough just gauging your personal eco comfort level. Sure, it’s easy to say certain things, like that you’d only stay at a 100% sustainable hotel, or that you want your vacation to be completely relaxing and you promise to leave your laptop behind.

But will these statements hold up as truths once it’s time to take action?

Or will you refuse purchasing biodegradable sunscreen to take on your snorkeling trip on the grounds that, well, you know, you’re too busy? If you plan ahead, you can take care of all those little things. Buying biodegradable sunblock is a piece of cake compared to staying somewhere with no electricity!

Ecotourism is a burgeoning field, and most people are still only learning about it, they’re still new at the whole “ecotourism thing.”

In a few months, I will be taking a vacation with a couple of people who have never gone on an eco vacation. Now, while one of them, my mother, is enthusiastic about renewable energy sources, turning off the lights when leaving a room, and not littering, she is fanatical about drying her hair post-shower and taking her Blackberry everywhere.

Let the negotiations begin!

She will probably be surprised, if not shocked, when I suggest a lodge with a sustainable wastewater management system and no air conditioning. A lot of people just don’t know how deep green living can take you!

I wonder how far I’ll be able to take her. I’ll keep you updated.