Eco Escapes: The Green Traveller

Richard Hammond on the Green Traveller today...

Feynan Eco LodgeFeynan Eco Lodge lies at the foot of the Wadi Dana amid the arid mountains of the southern rift valley in Jordan. It’s an imaginative place: the lodge is environmentally friendly, provides a source of income for its Bedouin staff and helps fund conservation of the nearby Dana Nature Reserve. This enlightened approach is indicative of a better kind of tourism that has become increasingly available over the last five years in line with a rise in eco-consciousness in the travel industry. Going on a green holiday used to be mean a weekend of dry-stone walling in Devon or signing up to an expensive three month conservation expedition to Africa. Well-meaning sock-and-sandals nineties eco-tourists, armed with the mantra Take only photographs, leave only footprints, were the trailblazing green travellers, but times have moved on. Today going green is not just limited to conservation holidays, it has a wider remit - influencing the way we go on all types of holidays, from short weekend breaks in the UK to long summer holidays abroad.

So how can you go green? Just as in other industries, there are plenty of unscrupulous companies in the travel industry looking to ride cheaply on the green wave. One way to separate out the green from the greenwash is to choose a travel company that has been recognised for its commitment to more ‘responsible tourism’. The Association of Independent Tour Operators (www.aito.co.uk), which represents about 150 independently owned UK travel companies, lists 21 of its members that it has awarded 3-star status for their green credentials. All of these companies publish a policy which sets out how their holidays minimize their impact on the environment and provide genuine benefits for local people, through using local owned accommodation and local guides.

You can also keep an eye out for travel companies that have an eco-certification. The 'Green Tourism Business Scheme' (www.green-business.co.uk) recognises tourism-related businesses in the UK, such as hotels, travel companies and conference venues that are helping to improve the environment. Another is Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA: www.fairtourismsa.org.za), which assesses South African travel businesses on whether they adhere to Fair Trade criteria such as decent wages and working conditions for their staff. It has so far awarded 21 companies with its Fair Trade accreditation including a township tour company in Port Elizabeth and the luxury Sabi Sabi game reserve in the Kruger national park. This year FTTSA won the inaugural Guardian Ethical Travel Award and is being used as a model by the international Fair Trade Labelling Organisation who is working with the UK-based charity Tourism Concern ("www.tourismconcern.org.uk":http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk) to see how fair trade can be applied to tourism.

The way you travel can also make a difference. The Travel Foundation (www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk) advises travellers to buy locally made products and shop, eat and drink in locally owned outlets to spread the tourism pound around. It also recommends turning off the lights, heating and air conditioning when you leave your hotel room and turning off the TV rather than leaving it on standby.

There is, however, an inherent paradox in choosing greener holidays in far-flung places. Some 14 of the top 20 long-haul destinations are now in non-industrialised countries (such as The Gambia, Cancun, Goa and Sharm el Sheik), only reachable by flying, yet aviation is now recognised as the single largest contributor to greenhouse gases. Earlier this year, the two giants of travel publishing - Lonely Planet and Rough Guides - issued a joint statement calling for travellers to ‘fly less, stay longer’ in an effort to raise awareness of climate change. When you do fly, they recommend you 'offset' your carbon emissions through organisations that help you calculate how much carbon is produced as a result of your flight and suggest a financial contribution you can make for them to invest in green projects on your behalf to 'offset' this. A return flight to Thailand, for example, will cost you £20.84 to offset through Climate Care (www.climatecare.org). You can also choose low-emission alternatives to flying, such as rail or coach, which help reduce the carbon footprint of your journey. There’s an excellent website - www.seat61.com - which gives detailed tips on travelling by train to the continent, such as taking the direct train from Waterloo to the Ardèche in the south of France in the summer and the ski train from Waterloo to the Alps in winter.

Choosing to go green can make a significant difference to your individual annual carbon footprint, and by changing the way you travel can have a profound influence on someone’s livelihood - the owner of the local B&B, the local trekking guide, the market seller. As the saying goes “if you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.”

This article, by Richard Hammond, was first published in New Consumer magazine.

Richard Hammond is the Guardian’s eco travel correspondent and editor of Green Places to Stay (Alastair Sawday Publishing, ₤13.99, sawdays.co.uk).