If you read this blog, you're probably a lot like us, constantly planning your next trip, collecting passport stamps like medals of honor, and always looking for that next peak to climb. The older I get the more keenly I feel that if I love travel this much, I also have a responsibility to preserve beloved destinations for my children and my children's children.
Responsible or green travel is at heart a conservation movement, a desire to keep pristine places around the world as they are--or even restore them to how they were. Here are 10 green travel resolutions you can make for Mother Earth. I've listed them from simplest to most ambitious so you can choose where you'd like to start. If we all make a pact to do just one of these resolutions, I think you'd be surprised at the huge impact it would have over time.
1) Walk
If you're visiting a dense urban center, skip the car rental and walk as much as you can. You'll stay in shape and see more of your destination.
2) Take public transit
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If you can't walk, get a map and try the local public transportation. It's a great way to see a city through the eyes of a local--plus, you'll save money and reduce emissions to boot.
3) Fly non-stop
This one is a treat for you and the environment. Non-stop flights use less fuel than connecting through regional hubs because take-off and landing produce as much as 50% of the carbon emissions of your flight. Save yourself the hassle, shorten your travel time, and lessen your negative impact.
4) Conserve on the go
Make your hotel stay more eco-friendly with a few simple steps. Turn off all the power in your room when you leave, participate in the hotel's linen-reuse program, and recycle all waste.
5) Eat local
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You have a TGI Friday's back home! While you're visiting your destination, seek out local restaurants serving dishes made with locally grown ingredients.
6) Stay at a green hotel 
Green hotels no longer come at a stiff premium--nor are they hard to find. Travelocity's Green Hotel Directory distinguishes the green from the "green washed" and flags eco-friendly hotels in the normal shopping path with the leaf icon. Choose from luxury eco-resorts, convenient Courtyard Marriotts, and even affordable Best Westerns.
7) Get off the bottle
I already blogged about the tough choices international eco-travelers face when it comes to safe drinking water abroad. But if you're traveling domestically or to a country with good tap water, pack a reusable water bottle in your luggage and save the Earth (not to mention a small fortune).
8) Rent a hybrid/compact car
Renting a hybrid car often costs more, but if you're driving far, you'll probably make up quite a bit of that cost in gas savings. Even better, compact cars are often very fuel efficient and much cheaper to rent.
9) Offset your emissions
You can offset an entire year or just a specific vacation. Travelocity's carbon offset program focuses on reforestation and only adds a few bucks to your trip. For instance, the cost to offset a medium-haul flight (ex. Atlanta to Philadelphia) is only $1.90!
10) Take a volunteer vacation
Preserve a cherished destination with your own two hands. A volunteer vacation helps you give back to a local community and your trip's fee supports the local community. Traveling on a tight budget? Apply for a $5,000 Change Ambassadors Grant from Travelocity. The next deadline is December 31st.
Comments
Dec 28, 2009
Nice post, Alison! Great list. I have seen some reports that in some cases, connecting flights can actually be more carbon efficient, though, and have to admit to being confused on it. Apparently Nonstops have to carry more fuel and the extra weight causes the engines to have to work a lot harder, negating the savings. Or so folks from GE Aircraft division told me once.
Love the full list. Separate the green from the greenwashed is a catchy phrase! ;-)
Jan 25, 2010
The idea of getting a hybrid car is great.I would choose Toyota Prius.