Do you like to travel green? Do you look for hotels that are "green" friendly? Do you offset your carbon emissions for flights? Traveling green is becoming more important to travelers around the world. If you’re not sure exactly what this trend entails, here are some ways to think green when planning your next vacation.
What Exactly Are Green Hotels?
Green hotels are properties that are following environmentally friendly procedures to help save water, energy and to reduce waste. This is why you’ll see the signs in your hotel room to hang your towels once you’ve used them, to show that you’ll use them again, and also why there’s the water saving shower head in the bathtub, to name a few ideas. When looking for green hotels, they will prominently display their green status in their property description. For example, the Wyndham hotels have a separate website for their green intentions, at www.wyndhamgreen.com.
What Does It Mean To Offset Carbon Emissions?
When we take a flight, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere and this contributes to climate change. Airlines such as Air Canada have a note as you’re booking a flight stating that you can offset your carbon emissions. Basically, one can calculate the cost of their share of the emissions created by their flight and purchase corresponding offsets. For example, a round-trip flight from Vancouver to Toronto will equal 0.7 total emissions (tonnes of CO2 per flight), resulting in an offset cost of $11.20CAD. It’s really not a lot once you look at it that way!
Traveling green is as easy as taking the above steps, and also being considerate to the earth while on vacation, such as taking public transportation, trying to take as direct a flight as possible, eating organic foods while dining out, using reusable water bottles, and of course, keeping our Earth beautiful by not littering!
What are your thoughts on traveling green? Is it something that you try to do, or is it a concern to you? We’d love to hear your comments and thoughts. Leave a message here, or visit our fan page on Facebook under Bill & Maria’s – The Traveling Agent.
