Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Blogs | Writers | Paid | My Orble | Login
Green Travel. Four Ideas for More Eco-Friendly Journeys

Travelling is one of the most exciting ways to discover more about the world and meet new people, but the modern way of doing it – all cheap flights and package tours – is a huge sap on the world’s resources. Rather than giving up travelling altogether, there are plenty of things you can do to minimise the impact of your trips. Our guest travel expert, Isabel Clift from AnyTrip.com, shares her four environmentally-friendly tips which will help to reduce your carbon footprint while on the road…


1) Stay close to home


(Image: British residents needn’t venture far to visit eco-friendly Milden Hall in Suffolk, England. Credit)

Sometimes we forget that going on holiday is as much a change in state of mind, pace and priorities as it is a change in place. Jetting off to an exotic locale doesn’t have to be the only way to get away from it all - explore the holiday options on your own turf and you’re sure to find all manner of great breaks. Going on holiday close to home lightens your trip’s carbon footprint considerably, as you’re responsible for less fuel used for transportation.



2) Pack green





(Image: Packing a canvas bag can save wasting plastic bags and littering the environment. Credit)

Think about what to pack and you’ll make your trip far more efficient. Bring a re-usable canvas bag for carrying your shopping rather than picking up extra plastic bags, and a refillable water pouch so you’re not constantly buying plastic bottles. You can also bring toiletries from in their own refillable plastic containers, rather than buying extra mini travel toiletries.



3) Avoid planes (if you can!)


(Image: Rail Travel is far more eco-friendly than flying.Credit)

Commercial flights use up huge amounts of fuel during take-off and landing. For short-haul journeys, train or coach travel to your final destination is far more fuel-efficient. If you’re going long-haul, flying can be nearly unavoidable – try to take non-stop flights without connections. More take-offs and landings mean more emissions added to your carbon footprint.



4) Choose an eco hotel


(Image: If you do go abroad, consider staying in an environmentally-conscious hotel. Credit)

Your hotel can do plenty of things to make itself more environmentally-friendly. Do your research and you can find yourself a more responsibly-minded place to stay, whether you’re off to the Costa Rican rainforest or the wilds of New York City. Look for hotels that have applied eco principals to every area of their operation – this includes recycling waste, fitting low-flow systems to taps, going on a green energy tariff and showing social responsibility by employing local staff, working with local businesses and supporting chosen charities.


Ready to travel greener? See more eco travel tips here.

About our guest author: Isabel Clift is a travel writer and blogger for AnyTrip.com, a travel company based in the UK. She lives in London, loves vintage fairs and organic food, and tries her best to balance a love for travel with an eco-conscience!


106
Vote
   


HostelBookers Eco Hotels

September 16th 2010 07:28
As the old saying goes, the truth hurts. Keeping this in mind, it’s hard to pretend that holidaying is an eco-friendly activity – especially considering air travel is one of the biggest carbon offenders of modern life.

On the flip side, with recognition of a problem comes a progression to change. Enter the ecotourism movement and, with it, a new age of responsible travelling helmed by the appearance of numerous ‘environmentally friendly’ accommodations popping up across the globe. From Ecuador to Italy, here are a few that are making their mark…

Cerro Chato Eco Lodge (Costa Rica):
Located right at the base of the Arenal Volcano, Cerro Chato is a perfect home base for explorations of the great outdoors. In fact, owner Miguel Zamora actively encourages guests to promote positive tourism by hiring local guides, buying local handicrafts and patronising neighbourhood restaurants. Taking it a step further, the lodge collaborates with conservation and government agencies finding ways to improve Costa Rica’s environmental programs.

San Jorge Eco-Lodge and Botanical Reserve (Quito): Far from just a place to sleep, San Jorge takes ‘exotic’ to a new level, being situated amongst 200 acres of native flora and fauna. In an attempt to protect habitats of local species, the 28th century Spanish hosteria also owns four private natural reserves known as The Magic Birding and Hiking Circuit.

Hi Hostel Piero Rotta (Italy): Currently in the process of becoming LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certified, Milan’s Piero Rotta has adopted a range of new green initiatives. These include installing geothermal heat-pump generators, solar panels on the roof, vacuum-tube solar collectors and remaking the heating/cooling radiant pipe panels under the floor.


Townside Hostel Bremen (Germany):
An eco friendly hostel located in the most vibrant area of Bremen, Townside uses only green electricity from Schönau, the cleanest energy supplier in Germany. Combining old romance with modern design, this early-20th century building incorporates energy saving lighting, waste separation, water-saving modules and rainwater collection.



Townside

Sleepzone Connemara (Ireland): One of Ireland’s most environmentally friendly hostels, Sleepzone is situated in the heart of Connemara overlooking The Killary – Ireland’s only fjord. In 2008, the hostel invested €100k in the installation of solar panels following an environmental audit by Sustainable Energy Ireland. They have also incorporated compact fluorescent efficient lighting and recycling systems.

Sleepzone Ireland

Sleepzone

For more details on booking any of these properties, check out www.Hostelbookers.com

217
Vote
   


Volcanic Action

April 29th 2010 05:03
Ash from Iceland’s mystical Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano, has stopped most of the world in its tracks, with more than 100,000 flights cancelled and airlines are on track to lose more than $2 billion. So how about a Icelandic tour to see this volcano in all its glory?!

After a brief suspension following the recent eruption, Nordic Visitor has recently re-launched all tours to Eyjafjallajokull in a number of packages, such as volcano helicopter tours, sightseeing flights, and Volcano Super Jeep tours.

Tours are all labelled “volcano-friendly” by the tour operator

Nordic Visitor

Here is a photograph from National Geographic, taken by Italian photographer and scientist Marco Fulle, showing erupting Eyjafjallajökull capturing purple lightning bolts streaking through the sky.

Eyjafjallajökull


“It's unknown how such sparks form, though one possibility is that electrically charged silica—an ingredient of magma—interacts with the atmosphere when it bursts out of Earth's crust” Steve McNutt of the Alaska Volcano Observatory said in February.

Mother Nature’s finest work!

208
Vote
   


Eco-tastic Amazon

April 13th 2010 10:00
Spanning the boarders of no less than 8 countries, The Amazon; the largest tropical rain forest and river basin in the world, is a destination of choice for many an eco traveller. A tourists’ lifetime can surely not be complete without a visit to the world’s richest land of diversity? An endless supply of natural treasures to see; birds, mammals, insects, fish, flora and fauna found no where else in the world but here.

Below is a selection of eco tours that can be taken in the region, which sound completely wonderful, not in any particular order, although sadly I have yet to road test!

1. Amazon Cruise. As seen in the published Once In A Lifetime Trips by Chris Santella, Greentracks offers a riverboat cruise along the worlds largest river. US$2500 for 6 day, 7 nights will take you deep within Peru’s Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve arguably one of the most beautiful parts of the Amazon Basin.
Really Long Link

greentracks


2. Overland from Rio. Intrepid Travel’s ‘Amazon & the heart of brazil – northbound’ 29 day tour. An overland journey from the beach and bright lights of Rio, though to the Amazonian jungle of Manaus. Overland vehicles on route: Overnight ferry, overland truck, canoe, walking.

$2115 AUD and USD $920 local payment
Really Long Link

intrepid


3. Manus Jungle Adventure Chimu Adventures offer a 4 day stay at their eco park lodge. Piranha fishing, freshwater dolphin spotting and nature hiking in this Brazillian bio-diversity hot spot. On day three a visit to the Meeting of the Waters, a natural wonder where the dark almost black coloured water of the Rio Negro meets the lighter sandy coloured Amazon River. The river's waters run side by side without mixing.

US$ 340 (not including internal flight or taxes)
Really Long Link

Meeting of the Waters


4. Research Macaws in the Peruvian Amazon Join a Earthwatch Institute on a 13 day research expedition to examine the effects of ecotourism and poaching on the beautiful but endangered Macaw birds in Puerto Maldonado, Peru.

Really Long Link

earthwatch


5. Rainforest Conservation Project in the Ecuadorian Amazon Join Global Vision International’s 2 – 10 week rare species research, helping to conserve the rainforest and volunteer with local indigenous communities in the Amazon basin, Ecuador.

From US$1595 2 weeks, to US$4495 for 10 weeks

research expedition

192
Vote
   


Top 10 Eco Friendly Country List

April 9th 2010 06:32
Ever wondered which countries lead the way to being the most ‘eco friendly’ in the world? Based on the 2010 Environmental Performance Index produced by experts at Yale & Colombia University http://epi.yale.edu/Home the following countries are ranked top 10 most eco friendly:

1 Iceland
2 Switzerland
3 Costa Rica
4 Sweden
5 Norway
6 Mauritius
7 France
8 Austria
9 Cuba
10 Colombia


ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDEX 2010
The 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks 163 countries on 25 performance indicators tracked across ten policy categories covering both environmental public health and ecosystem vitality. These indicators provide a gauge at a national government scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy goals.


Iceland leads the world in addressing pollution control and natural resource
management challenges, according to the 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI).. This is the third edition of the EPI, which has been revisited biannually since 2006.

Iceland’s top-notch performance derives from its high scores on environmental public health, controlling greenhouse gas emissions, and reforestation. Other top performers include Switzerland, Costa Rica, Sweden, and Norway – all of which have made substantial investments in environmental infrastructure, pollution control, and policies designed to move toward long-term sustainability.

The United States places 61st in the 2010 EPI, with other industrialised nations coming in at: Australia 51st, Germany 17th, United Kingdom 14th, Japan 20th.

The full reports can be downloaded here: http://epi.yale.edu/Files
227
Vote
   


Responsible travel tips

April 7th 2010 11:22
How embarrassing to see fellow compatriots behaving completely irresponsibly when travelling to non Western countries.

Here are a few of my tips to travel more responsibly when overseas


[ Click here to read more ]
221
Vote
   


Green green world.

April 7th 2010 09:00
Word of mouth led me to a website called ‘it’s a green green world’, founded by Richard Johnson, an actor and producer with a long-term passion for sustainable environmental practices.

His website lists eco friendly hotels and destinations, all over the world. Such properties available for rent include eco lodges, clifftop retreats, eco cottages, guesthouses, carbon neutral hotels and similar


[ Click here to read more ]
223
Vote
   


Destination: Vicos, Peru

July 31st 2008 15:28
Today on ABC News: Eco Travel to Vicos, Peru.
300
Vote
   


A weekend isn't a lot of time, especially for a vacation. To plan an easy eco-friendly weekend mini-vacation, stay local. If you live in a metropolis, chances are there's plenty to do and see. If you live in a metropolis, check out the new wing at the zoo or museum, or head to a part of town you haven't visited in awhile.

[ Click here to read more ]
308
Vote
   


You might think that eco travel requires you to travel to a faraway land, but there are easy ways to practice the principles of eco-friendly travel in your everyday life. How many of your errands take place within a mile or two of your home? Try walking to complete these errands. If your errands are within three or four miles of your home, try bicycling. It doesn't have to be entirely about the environment--think of your alternate form of transportation as your daily workout.

Whether you're at home or traveling, visit WalkScore.com to find a walkable neighborhood near you. WalkScore rates the walkability of areas all over the country, so even if you're out of town on business you can stay in an area where walking is convenient.
316
Vote
   


More Posts
1 Posts
1 Posts
5 Posts
13 Posts dating from April 2008
Email Subscription
Receive e-mail notifications of new posts on this blog:

Erica Lou's Blogs

4582 Vote(s)
25 Comment(s)
49 Post(s)
Moderated by Erica Lou
Copyright © 2012 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]