Primer for Responsible Travel

By Ann Costa LaRose

When it comes to eco-friendly travel, everyone seems to have his or her own definition – with some companies taking a rather cavalier approach to the meaning. How can a well-intentioned traveler make sense of it all? For starters, true environmentally responsible travel involves considerably more than just an offer to not change your sheets and towels every night (though that’s a great start). The very best definition may involve an effort to minimize your personal impact on the places you visit and ensuring that the hotels and tour operators where you do business are making the effort as well.

Sorting it Out

“Environmental issues are broad and being an ecologically responsible traveler can mean [anything from]seeking information about environmental issues at a specific destination to having expectations that your travel experiences reflect environmental sustainability,” cautions Celes Davar, owner and operator of Manitoba-based Earth Rhythms, Inc.

Davar explains that environmental issues encompass many things, including the intricacies of local ecosystems, challenges involving land and people management, new techniques of wildlife research, matters concerning rare plants and endangered species, as well as local traditions and why they are important.

After deciding what kind of core experience you’re after, research the tour companies that specialize in that type of trip, as well as what kinds of accommodations are available. Before you hand over your credit card number for a hotel room or tour, ask the right questions. Does the business in question recycle? Serve organic foods? Partner with local artisans and shopkeepers? What are the philosophies of operation, and are records testifying to their implementation available to the public?

Prepare for a sustainable trip as soon as you dust off your luggage. Begin by finding out what you can about the culture and customs of your destination. This will help you to pack appropriate clothing and gear. Bring your own, refillable containers of personal care products. Pack a durable water bottle so you won’t have to contribute to waste management issues by emptying countless plastic bottles.

And, to add to your overall experience, plan to sample the local foods, learn at least a few words of greeting and thanks in the native language, and open yourself to embracing the marvels of new customs and cultures.

Where to Park Your Pillow

Happily, truly eco-responsible lodging options are available both intra-nationally and abroad. America’s shining star is Xanterra’s chain of hotels, resorts, and lodges, which extends throughout the U.S. National Park system, and has properties everywhere from the Grand Canyon and Tetons, to Yellowstone and the Everglades.

Chris Lane, Director of Environmental Affairs for Xanterra’s Ecologix Program, says, “Eco travel has typically meant you go someplace where you SEE the environment. That definition needs to evolve beyond mere observation – and I think it is. Eco travel is no longer just what you see and do, but also the services and amenities that support you while you’re there. You have to consider not only that you’re going to see elephants, or the Grand Canyon, but also how much energy you’ll use, food you’ll consume, and waste you’ll generate while you’re there. These are the true issues of eco tourism.”

Xanterra has set a great example for the industry. Property-wide practices include low-flow everything (from toilets and faucets to showerheads), the purchase of wind power, stringent waste management programs, no incandescent bulbs, and bulk dispensers in bathrooms – a practice that prevents needless waste due to all those little, partially-used soaps, shampoos, and lotions that have become standard bathroom amenities.

“We recycle over 4.1 million pounds of waste annually,” says Lane. “We track everything – water, gas, propane, fuel oil, hazardous waste. We document it and make goals to reduce it. We calculate what we use on the Earth and publicly disclose it in an annual report, available on our website.”

Food is another important component of Xanterra’s eco-friendly practices. “We serve soy milk in many applications to replace cow’s milk,” says Lane, “and the majority of our properties serve Green Mountain coffee, which is organic, fair-trade, and shade-grown. Our sustainable cuisine may include gourmet dishes such as wild Alaskan salmon certified by the Marine Council as organically-raised, with a chain of custody that can be thoroughly documented.”

Learning by Doing

Wildlife and nature learning programs at Xanterra’s National Park locations also allow you to gain a deeper understanding of native animals and plant species, often while participating in hands-on programs such as Yellowstone’s wolf re-introduction program.

Education is also important at the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Island Resort, which staffs a full-time marine biologist. Visitors to the islands come away with an appreciation of how actions on land impact the ocean environment. Composting and edible landscape tours are also part of the eco-experience at this resort; an organic garden supplies food for the resort’s restaurants.

“By integrating our ecological philosophies into the overall experience of the resort, we show our guests that the implementation of environmentally-friendly design and processes not only helps sustain our surroundings, but also adds to the overall enjoyment and beauty of their vacation,” says Mike Freed, managing partner of Passport Resorts, which includes the Jean-Michel Cousteau property. “In this way, we spread the word about sustainability and ecologically-sound business practices.”

Think About It

Turtle Island Resort, also in the Fiji Islands, has been described as a world model of eco-tourism – defined as responsible travel that promotes environments and improves the well-being of local populations. Not only is the resort committed to local communities through creating jobs and implementing educational and healthcare opportunities, it has numerous ongoing environmental projects.

“We’ve planted over 300,000 trees and established organic and hydroponic gardens,” explains resort owner Richard Evanson. “We also participate in extensive composting and recycling, and the use of green energy, including both wind and solar generation. Additionally, the resort undertakes an environmental audit every five years.”

Remember, too, that environmental accountability includes the little things. Pocketing a shell or glistening rock to commemorate your trip may seem a harmless enough activity, but consider the tremendous impact that might be made if 50,000 other tourists moving through the same area on an annual basis each take home a rock or shell as well. Responsible travelers leave no trace – leaving nothing behind in nature, nor taking anything of nature away.

“Environmental issues, quite simply, provide an entry point for seeing landscapes and traditions through a lens that is uniquely local,” says Davar. “These issues may be controversial or not, and they may be traditional or scientific. They provide for an ethos, a funnel through which the ethics of landscapes and peoples may be viewed, and they’re part of the expectation the traveler brings. Tell me about this place I have come to – in a way that helps me to understand it at a deeper level and enriches my understanding of place, planet, and spirit.”

Touring Tips

Bring your own soaps and shampoos, in refillable containers

Learn about local customs before leaving home

Recycle whenever possible

Don’t leave your waste behind: If you pack it in, be sure to pack it out

Make use of public transportation when possible

Support local economies by buying from native artisans and shop owners

Never buy products derived from endangered animal or plant species

Be humble. There are many countries far poorer than our own. Flaunting wealth is not only insulting, it can even be dangerous.

Whose Walking Their Talk

Here’s a short list of outfitters, hotels, and resorts whose sustainable practices make them worthy of the eco-tourism designation. For further listings and more information about environmentally responsible travel, visit the International Ecotourism Society’s site at www.ecotourism.org; Conservation International at www.conservation.org; or log on to www.responsibletravel.com.

Earth Rhythms, Inc. Box 243, Onanole, Manitoba, Canada R0J 1N0; (888) 301-0030, www.earthrhythms.ca

Global Impact Tours 150 West 25th St., Suite 1202, New York, NY 10001; (212) 989-1111, www.globalimpacttours.com

Xanterra Parks & Resorts 14001 E. Iliff, Suite 600, Aurora, CO 80014; (303) 338-6000, www.xanterra.com

International Expeditions, Inc. One Environs Park, Helena, AL 35080; (800) 633-4734, www.ietravel.com

The Nature Conservancy 4245 North Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203-1606; (703) 841-4860, www.tnc.org

Turtle Island Holidays 10906 NE 39th St., Suite A1, Vancouver, WA 98682; (877) 2-TURTLE, www.turtlefiji.com

Hidden Creek Ranch 7600 E. Blue Lake Rd., Harrison, ID 83833, (208) 689-3209; www.hiddencreek.com

January/February 2004