Sun, Dec 6, 2009
ECL
Green is all the rage these days. Get a hybrid car, recycle, don’t waste water. Make your home more energy-efficient, install solar panels, ride a bike. Companies are selling products with less packaging, publishing annual reports on sustainability, and working to “green” their value chain. We hear “save the rainforest”, “protect the sea turtles”, and “pack it in, pack it out“ when you’re hiking.
“Green” has become undeniably woven into our daily lives, work, and volunteer and leisure time, as well as our financial donations. But what about when we travel? We don’t hear a lot about how to be a better, greener tourist. The ways in which you can be smarter, more eco-friendly tourist aren’t necessarily novel and many are based off of what we consciously do in our daily routines—but it’s easy to forget about them when you travel. I would argue that being a “green” tourist may actually be too narrow, and that that aiming to be a sustainable tourist would offer a better way to maintain (or improve!) the destination environment, culture, and economy. Here are a few tips worth considering before or during each of your adventures:
Happy green and sustainable traveling!
By: Jessica
*Cubero-Pardo, Priscilla, and Bastidas, Eddy Araujo. (2008). The impact of ecotourism activities on wildlife and sessile benthic species in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. In: Galapagos Report 2007-2008. Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador.
“Green” has become undeniably woven into our daily lives, work, and volunteer and leisure time, as well as our financial donations. But what about when we travel? We don’t hear a lot about how to be a better, greener tourist. The ways in which you can be smarter, more eco-friendly tourist aren’t necessarily novel and many are based off of what we consciously do in our daily routines—but it’s easy to forget about them when you travel. I would argue that being a “green” tourist may actually be too narrow, and that that aiming to be a sustainable tourist would offer a better way to maintain (or improve!) the destination environment, culture, and economy. Here are a few tips worth considering before or during each of your adventures:
- Water bottles. Think about how much water you drink when you’re traveling. Now ask yourself how many plastic water bottles do you buy, guzzle, and promptly throw away? I bet the answer is “a lot”. So how about just taking a Nalgene or Sigg water bottle with you—or refill the plastic bottle you bought when you get to your destination. Easy peasey, you just saved a lot of plastic. But, you might be concerned with whether the country’s water is potable – a very valid point! Here are two different solutions I have found to be very useful, user-friendly, and relieve my worries. The first one is a water bottle with a carbon filter IN it. You squeeze the water bottle, the water is forced through the filter, and voila, it’s purified and squirting into your mouth: http://shop.katadyn.com/products/155186/Ultralight_Series_Products. The second one is a UV purifier which plops onto the top of your wide-mouthed Nalgene bottle, making the water safe and potable in under a minute: http://www.steripen.com/travel/products.html. I found them to both be well worth their cost, as much for peace of mind as for being environmentally responsible. Try one out!
- Learn what NOT to buy. Now this suggestion may seem bizarre, but think about what happens when a resource or material is scarce, like ivory. Yes, I agree that in many countries the selling of ivory is outlawed, but many destinations have materials which are not—and even if they are illegal, a black market exists. The rare resource normally commands a higher price from tourists– and concurrently destroys both the animals and the ecosystem (in often irreparable ways). Store owners can be very easily motivated by money and high margins at the expense of preserving the world around them. If you travel to the Galapagos Islands, for instance, your guides will ask you to please not buy anything made out of black coral bones: “If there are no buyers, they’ll stop selling it.” Don’t wait to be told what not to buy: ask. Find out what natural resources or materials you should avoid buying when you travel and you will be greener, more sustainable tourist. You can make an impact and help to neutralize this eco-unfriendly process.
- Don’t use camera flashes on animals in their natural habitat. This has dual sustainability upsides. First, research shows that camera flashes can actually change the behavior of animals*. If you can avoid flashes, you’re leaving less of an impact on the animals themselves. This by definition will make you a more sustainable tourist. Second, the side bonus: your camera battery will last longer and you’ll need to charge it less frequently. If you’re concerned that the animal is moving quickly and that you “need” a flash, you could put your camera on “sport mode”. Or, if you think it’s too dark, you can probably (even on point-and-shoot cameras these days) adjust the ISO up to 800 or higher. If you don’t know how to do this, find someone schlepping around a big camera with an expensive lens and ask – they’ll likely be knowledgeable, happy to help, and give you additional tips for the lighting. Either way you look at it, not flashing the animals will reduce your effects on the eco-system as well as prolong your battery life: a win-win for the environment and you, the sustainable tourist.
Happy green and sustainable traveling!
By: Jessica
*Cubero-Pardo, Priscilla, and Bastidas, Eddy Araujo. (2008). The impact of ecotourism activities on wildlife and sessile benthic species in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. In: Galapagos Report 2007-2008. Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador.
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