Environmental_Impact_of_Travel
Tips_for_a_Greener_Stay
Frequently_Asked_Questions
Should_I_drive_or_fly?
How_can_I_offset_my_carbon_when_I_travel?
How_do_tourist_destinations_benefit_from_green_travel?
What_is_a_green_hotel?
Are_there_alternatives_to_taking_cruises?
How_do_I_select_an_environmentally_responsible_tour_company?
Benefits_of_Ecotourism
Success_Stories
Environmental Impact of Travel
Leisure travel largely impacts tourist destination environments, and global ecological systems. Some of the main areas of impact include:
Air Travel
Passenger planes are the largest growing source of greenhouse gasses, currently producing 3% of the earth’s total emissions. In addition to carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide, airplanes emit water vapor that form condensation trails, or contrails in the upper atmosphere. increasing the Earth’s heat retention.
Cruise Ships
Cruise ships significantly effect the environmental. Areas of impact include:
- Emissions. Cruise ships emit three times more greenhouse gasses than airplanes. Furthermore, taking a cruise usually requires a long distance plane ride to get to the point of departure. This significantly adds to the overall carbon footprint of the vacation.
- Trash. A 3,000 person cruise ship generates over 50 tons of garbage and solid waste during a week long cruise.
- Sewage. A 3,000 person cruise ship generates and releases 210,000 gallons of sewage during a week long cruise. According to the UN, ships dump 70,000 tons of waste into the Caribbean each year.
- Reef Damage. In addition to damage caused by raw sewage, the wake of their giant propellers and their anchors lay waste to pristine coral reefs. In one incident, the anchor of a ship, docked for just one day, destroyed an area of coral half the size of a football field. This coral will take and estimated 50 years for recovery.
Depletion of Local Natural Resources and Habitat.
Resorts and hotels with amenities such as swimming pools and golf courses put great pressure on local resources such as water, food, building materials, and energy. For example, in the Mediterranean, the UN estimates that tourists consume 440-liters a day, over half of what the local population uses. The UN also notes that the average golf course in Thailand uses the same amount of water as 60,000 rural villagers.
Loss of natural habitat and biodiversity due to tourist developments and poorly managed nature tours is another serious issue. For example, every year 250,000 Hindu pilgrims, 25,000 trekkers, and 75 mountaineering expeditioners visit the Gangotri Glacier, the sacred origin of the Ganges River. They leave litter and deplete local forests for firewood. In neighboring Nepal, estimates that one trekker can use up to 4 or 5 kilograms of wood a day.
Pollution
Tourism creates many types of pollution including:
- Air pollution and noise. Tourism, by its nature, requires great amounts of transportation and energy production, adding to global emissions of greenhouse gasses. Furthermore, noise pollution from snowmobiles, jet skis, and other recreational vehicles add annoyance to local populations and distress regional wildlife.
- Solid waste and littering. In addition to the excess garbage generated by travel, tourists on expeditions tend to leave their garbage “on the trail”, denigrating the natural landscape and threatening wildlife.
- Sewage. Sewage from hotels, resorts, and other recreational facilities pollutes waterways and damages local ecosystems.
Green travel means factoring local and global ecological costs when choosing where to go, where to stay, how to get there, and what to do. Ways to green your travel include:
- Choose hotels based on their environmental practices.
- Reuse your room towels as much as possible. Most hotels today will only replace towels that are on the floor.
- Ask that your linens be replaced at the end of your stay, instead of each day.
- If you golf, use a course that uses gray water recycling.
- Avoid large cruise ships.
- Bring with you a reusable coffee cup and water bottle to avoid litter and waste.
- Pack sandwiches for the road.
- Whenever possible, use trains and ferries instead of air travel.
- If air travel is necessary, buy carbon credits.
- Decline plastic bags for purchases as much as possible. Use one bag to carry all.
- For purchased delicate items, use your clothes to cushion for the return trip.
- Use public transit as much as possible to reduce the need for a car.
- Walk, bike or use public transportation as much as possible to further reduce your carbon footprint.
- If car rental is an absolute must, try to find the most fuel-efficient car possible.
- Avoid large tour companies that over-use air-conditioned busses or engage in other wasteful practices .
Should I drive or fly?
Due to the amount of energy and fuel it takes to gain and sustain altitude, air travel, especially for short distances, has a far greater environmental impact than driving.
How can I offset my carbon when I travel?
You can purchase carbon offsets through a number of providers. Carbon credits are created by the planting trees and other carbon reducing methods. See 
Buying Green Power. For offsetting air travel, estimate about 450 pounds of carbon per 1,000 miles of air travel. For a carbon footprint analysis see Carbon Footprint Analyzer. You can purchase carbon offsets to cover your entire footprint.
How do tourist destinations benefit from green travel?
Green travel enables local populations to use their own resources, increasing their likelihood of benefiting from additional tourist dollars. Tourism accounts for 10% of the global GDP, and employs 10% of the world’s work force. By supporting sustainable, locally owned and operated hotels and businesses, travelers put money back into the community and thus have a direct and positive impact. Tax dollars and financial contributions also promote conservation. These dollars add to environmental awareness and provide local jobs in habitat protection, an alternative employment.
What is a green hotel?
A green hotel reduces its environmental impact by producing less solid waste, and by using less water and energy. They often include towel and sheet changing options to limit everyday washing. Green hotels offer recycling bins in rooms, and reusable soap and shampoo dispensers. While there is no international green hotel certification, the Green Hotel Association independently certifies hotels based on their environmental practices. A list of participating hotels is available at greenhotels.com.
Are there alternatives to taking cruises?
Thanks to small cruise vessels, tourists have an eco-friendly alternative to the 3,000 passenger “floating cities.” These small tours, sometimes referred to as “pocket cruises,” operate more like floating hotels that visit selected destinations and focus on the natural and cultural heritage of the area. They are often linked to ecotourist operations. They have a smaller impact from lower numbers, and an emphasis on environmental responsibility. Some run on
How do I select an environmentally responsible tour company, pocket cruise, or resort?
Generally, the rule is: The smaller and the more local the company, the better. Unfortunately, there is no globally recognized fair-trade or sustainable travel certification. Ask about the company’s policy on sustainable travel. Be educated in selecting an eco-tourism company. Irresponsible environmental practices and behavior has dire consequences.
To select a responsible tour company, pocket cruise, or resort, visit the web sites of global conservation agencies that promote sustainable tourism. The Sustainable Travel International Organization lists member resorts, cruises, and tour providers.
According to the UN, eco-tourism should conserve the environment and the cultural heritage of a destination. The eco-tourism mission is to consider the well being of all participants and local communities when planning and developing tourism. The benefits to local areas of well managed eco-tourism are:
Less impact on land and water resources. By limiting group size and activities to those that use less water and land resources, eco-tourism places the needs of the community before “luxury” needs of its visitors. Many eco-tourism facilities practice green building, are energy efficient, and recycle wastewater. For example, the eco-friendly Grupo Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic uses waste water to irrigate. They irrigate their hybrid grass golf course with sea water and use half the amount of fertilizer and pesticides.
Economic opportunities for locals in conservation. More land protection jobs arise as the economic value of healthy, intact eco-systems increases. Locals work in wildlife park conservation and in environmental education. These are viable alternatives to destructive practices like poaching, slash and burn agriculture, and logging.
Money for conservation efforts. Tax dollars and direct contributions from visitors funds government and non-government conservation efforts. For example, Costa Rica receives nearly a million visitors annually to its protected areas. They generate over $2.5 million dollars in admission and service fees.
Education. Ecotourism guides educate visitors about the social and environmental threats facing the region. It teaches tourists about their destination while promoting greater environmental awareness overall.
- Discovery Initiatives, a tour operator in Indonesia, provides $45,000 annually to the Orangutan Foundation. The money earned from 5 tour groups of 10 people each, almost completely supports Tanjing Putting National Park in Central Kalimantan. This includes funding for staff and rangers, and a care and rehabilitation center for orangutans.
- More than 37 US and Canadian airports have installed pumping systems to pump conditioned air into the jets parked at the gate. At SeaTac airport (serving the Seatlle area) it is estimated the yearly saving to be about 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emmisssions.
- Tourist dollars fund the La Tigra cloud forest in Honduras. It is an education center serving tourists and local school children that come to learn about the rainforest.
