Sustainable Tourism

With the Green movement booming over the past few years, it seems most of the focus has been targeted toward community life, local transportation and things of that sort. It is important to remember to keep the green state of mind when vacationing and traveling. Many people have made the move to a greener lifestyle at home because they have been made aware that it is important to do so to sustain the environment. Yet, many of these same people throw this awareness out the window when they vacation, probably because no spotlight has been placed on green travel. Vacation is the time when people let down their hair and go overboard, with everything. This, however, does not have to be the case. Hybrid rental cars and newly built green hotels make it possible for vacationers to stay green while traveling and still enjoy five-star treatment.

The first step toward a green vacationing movement is obviously to let people know the ways in which they can stay green when traveling. This can be done through advertising and commercials, similar to current tactics used to inform the public. There are many websites that list the green hotels in all areas of the world and what features of these destinations make them environmentally friendly. Currently there are advertisements for eco-friendly water bottles and helpful tips to make your house less of a threat to the environment. The fact is that tourism has been and will continue to be one of the largest industries throughout the world; still there is little being done to encourage people to practice sustainability while traveling. If every airline company or major tourist destination made a commitment to providing tourists with eco-friendly tips through signs, pamphlets or television commercials, we could drastically reduce pollution and waste while people vacation.

Taking a note from local sustainability, travel companies are going green by way of hybrid rental vehicles. Cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid are becoming more and more popular with vacationers. The hybrid rental car will cost around the same as a full-size Lincoln Town Car, but will cost only about a third as much on gas and leave a carbon footprint one tenth of the size. The hybrid rental car seems like the only logical way to go, both financially and environmentally.

Going green on vacation doesn’t necessarily mean staying in a grass hut in the rainforest with no electricity or running water, but that is one way. Many hotels and travel destinations are going green without losing any appeal to their customers. Over the past few years many hotels and travel websites have become aware of the fact that many vacationers care about staying green when they travel. From hotels with locally grown organic foods to hot spring spas to wind powered appliances, there are many ways hotels can benefit the environment. At the Banyan Resort in historic Key West, Florida they practice green habits and were Green Lodge Certified on August 9, 2007 because of their use of solar power, locally grown food, water and energy conservation and sustainable amenities throughout the resort (ItsAGreenGreenWorld.com). This website provides green lodging information for almost every destination in the world.

In the future we hope to see the plans for a zero-emissions fuel cell airplane come to life. Boeing is currently the only airplane company researching the benefits of this type of plane. Although this zero-emissions plane will cost considerably more money to build than the average plane, the cost of maintaining and running the plane will, like hybrid cars, be considerably less than tat of an average plane. Not to mention the reduced impact on the environment.

The easiest way for people to reduce their impact while traveling is to simply take and use only as much as they need. In the hectic world we live in today, people love to get away from their routines and live like rock stars for a week or two. Hotels and attractions in tourism hotspots make this possible by offering outrageous meal sizes and stopping at nothing to make the guest feel like they are royalty. I’m sure many of these people would change their vacationing habits, if only slightly, if they knew how much they were wasting for no good reason. Orlando, Florida and more specifically, Disney World, is one of the top tourist destinations in the United States. Perhaps a study group could be formed to collect data and equate how much is actually wasted because of Disney. I recently visited Universal Studios in Orlando and went to a behind the scenes look at the making of “Evan Almighty.” This is where I learned that even when compared to other large parks, Disney is the biggest waster. At this behind the scenes show I learned that the Universal Production Company actually made an effort to go green while making a large budget film, the first action of it’s kind. The cast and crew of the film ate lunches from paper bags and recycled all paper, plastic and glass they used. The wood that was used to build the arc in the film was donated to help local companies build homes.

In closing, if tourists were made aware of the steps that can be taken to reduce their impact when traveling, they would be much more likely to do so. Hybrid car rental companies and green hotels make it possible for travelers to make a large chunk of their trip environmentally friendly. Most importantly though, simply being mindful of the environment and the steps needed to be taken to protect it is the most positive thing you can do to reduce your footprint while vacationing.

Tyler