How to green one’s travel is a debate that has ensued since climate change hit the big screen (and even longer than that insiders will tell you).  Sliding into the car to embark on an all-American road trip or boarding a plane for that long-awaited romantic European getaway instantly plunges us into a bevy of un-eco-friendly activities.  From carbon emissions to waste generation, our output increases.  And even when we think we’ve done our part by purchasing offsets or packing our own utensils, we arrive at our hotel to find a plethora of single use shampoo bottles and a thermostat permanently set at five degrees below freezing.  All of this has led die-hard environmentalists to conclude that if you truly want to tour with zero impact, then don’t tour at all. 

But the truth is, we always leave a footprint, whether it’s during our daily commute or while laundering load upon load of soiled clothing.  And while we yearn for the day when we’re all living and traveling entirely off the grid, it simply isn’t the current case.  So how do we remedy the supposed contradiction between ‘green’ and ‘travel’?  1) We clearly define what that term refers to and 2) We give ourselves some breathing room (until the day that sustainable tourism reigns, of course!).  As we’ve mentioned throughout this site, change takes time but every action counts.

More on this topic soon to come!

Images: Tim Beach and Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net