Go Green Travel Green

I was skeptical when I first heard about carbon offsets, just as I would be about anything where you merely check a box, cough up a few dollars, and miraculously save the Rain Forest.

As I navigated the world of carbon offsets, I began to think that maybe it would have been easier to have checked that box and gone on my merry little way. It turns out carbon offsets are even more complicated - and sometimes twisted - than I could have imagined.

Here are the 12 lessons I’ve learned about carbon offsets that any traveler, especially a green traveler, should know.

Carbon Offsets are Give and Take

The idea is this: in return for your actions that harm the environment, you give money to a program that will improve the environment by an equal amount.

According the to Tufts University Climate Initiative, a carbon offset is:

A credit for negating or diminishing the impact of emitting a ton of carbon dioxide by paying someone else to absorb or avoid the release of a ton of CO2 elsewhere.

Carbon Offsets are Highly Controversial

Some people love carbon offsets, but many despise them. As you read more you’ll understand why. The bottom line is there’s very little accountability for companies offering carbon offsets; the company could be taking 80% of your donation for “operating costs” and just giving the leftover 20% to a non-profit.

Carbon Offsetting Occurs by Funding Projects

These projects, in theory, give back to the environment to offset the amount of damage you have done. For example, the project you give money to may go towards providing solar panel roofs to households in India.

There is No Accurate Way to Measure Carbon Emissions

According to The Guardian:

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found a margin of error of 10% with measuring emissions from making cement or fertiliser; 60% with the oil, gas and coal industries; and 100% with some agricultural processes. Measuring emissions from aircraft is especially fraught with disagreement about what exactly should be measured and aggravated by variations in each flight’s height, cargo load and weather conditions. When Tufts University in Maine analysed offsetting websites, it found emissions for flights between Boston and Frankfurt being calculated at anything between 1.43 tonnes and 4.14 tonnes.

Fees Vary Widely

The amount you pay to offset your carbon varies substantially based on the carbon offsetting organization you choose. For example, according to TravelPost, for a trip from New York City to Los Angeles you could pay anywhere from $4.69 to $42.92 in offset fees.

Companies Can be For-Profit or Non-Profit

Organizations that offer carbon offsets are not exclusively non-profits. In fact, only 6 of 21 carbon offsets providers listed at EcobusinessLinks are non-profit companies.

Projects Funded Vary

The range of projects that carbon offsets fund ranges from planting trees to providing wind power to distributing energy efficient light bulbs. You should take the type of project into consideration before choosing a carbon offset organization.

You Can Choose the Projects You Want to Fund - Sometimes

Many of the carbon offsetting organizations allow you to choose which project you want to fund. Others don’t, so do your research before committing.

Don’t Choose to Fund Projects that Plant Trees

This may come as a surprise to you (it did me), but the outcome of planting trees is still unknown and you should look for projects that make a difference now, and not 40 or 50 years from now.

Tufts University on protecting forests:

Although protecting forests is very important, protecting them so they absorb carbon is an iffy proposition. We know little about how forests store carbon in the long run, especially with the predicted climatic changes. By all means, donate money to organizations that help protect forests but for carbon offsets, invest in projects that help us transition away from fossil fuels, such as energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

The Guardian on tree planting:

Some tree-planting projects in Guatemala, Ecuador and Uganda have been accused of disrupting water supplies; evicting thousands of villagers from their land; seizing grazing rights from farmers; cheating local people of promised income; and running plantations where the soil releases more carbon than is absorbed by the trees. The founder of Climate Care, Mike Mason, told the environment audit select committee in February: “I think planting trees is mostly a waste of time and energy.” And yet Climate Care relies for some 20% of its online sales on forestry. Mr Mason explained apologetically: “People love it unfortunately.”

Choose Projects that Wouldn’t Happen Without Your Help

When you choose a project you should look for one that would not occur naturally, without the organization’s assistance. This concept is also known as “aditionality.”

Here’s a good example from The Guardian:

One of the biggest UK offsetters, Climate Care, which is used by the Guardian, distributed 10,000 energy-efficient lightbulbs in a South African township; offered the carbon reductions as offsets; and then discovered that an energy company was distributing the same kind of lightbulbs free to masses of customers, including their township, so the reduction would have happened anyway.

Look for the Gold Standard

The Gold Standard is the strictest standard around. Look for offset providers that adhere to it. They do, however, only give their okay to “renewable energy and energy efficiency projects because we are ultimately focused on a fundamental change in behaviour.” So if energy isn’t your thing, this label probably won’t help you.

Carbon Offsets Shouldn’t Make You Feel Guilt-Free

Just because you buy carbon offsets doesn’t mean that you can continue globetrotting the world, taking 20 minute showers in showers with 6 shower heads, and snacking on goods that traveled 6,000 miles to get to you. You still need to be a conscious consumer.

Recommended Companies

Two studies make recommendations based on their research. We at Go Green Travel Green do not necessarily endorse these organizations.

From Tufts:

myclimate a non-profit company based in Switzerland

atmosfair a German non-profit company focusing on offsetting air travel

climate friendly an Australian-based for-profit company

NativeEnergy a US-based for-profit company

From the Guide to Offset Emissions:

Ag Cert / Driving Green (Ireland)

Atmosfair (Germany)

CarbonNeutral Company (UK)

Climate Care (UK)

Climate Trust (US)

Co2balance (UK)

Native Energy (US)

SustainableTravel / MyClimate (US)

Resources

Clearly, carbon offsets are complex and we haven’t even touched on some of deeper issues here (like the Kyoto Protocol and the Voluntary Carbon Standard). If you are interested in reading more here are some great resources:

Tufts University Climate Change Initiative’s Consumer Handout on Carbon Offsets and Full Report on Carbon Offsets

The Guardian’s “The Inconvenient Truth about Carbon Offset Industry”

A Consumers Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers

Treehugger How to Green Your Carbon Offsets

Travel Post Guide to Carbon Offsets

Treehugger Through the Jungle of Non-Profit Carbon Offset Providers

Grist A guide to offsetting your carbon emissions.

Carbon Catalog Location, whether the organization is non-profit, price, and a number of other criteria for 81 businesses.

Carbon Emissions Offset Directory Includes price, whether the organization is non-profit, types of projects (eg methane, renewables), project choice, offset types (eg car, home, air), and certification for dozens of carbon offset businesses across the world

Now we’d like to ask you: What do you think about carbon offsets?

12 Things You Need to Know About Carbon Offsets is the eleventh post in Go Green Travel Green’s 25 Days to Green Travel series. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our feed (also available via email) and stay up to date.

Studying abroad is a life-changing experience. (And, no, I’m not talking about the record amounts of alcohol consumed by students on their semesters abroad.) You meet new people, try new foods, and experience a new culture. Best of all, you’re completely independent.

As a temporary resident of your new country, you have a responsibility to leave it in the same condition it was in when you got there - if not better. But don’t worry - traveling green isn’t as hard as it sounds. These tips will help you make greener choices while you’re abroad so you can preserve country the for future generations of studiers abroad to come.

Research Eco Programs

There are study abroad programs in environmental fields like sustainable development, conservations, and ecology. If your university doesn’t offer any, look into schools that do and see if you can apply as an independent student.

• Michigan State has an Environmental and Natural Resource Sustainability program in Israel.
• Middlebury College gives sustainable study abroad grants.
• Engineers for a Sustainable World offers various programs in sustainable development, technology, ecology, environment, conservation, and agriculture.
• The University of New Hampshire is partnering with the EcoQuest Education Foundation to promote sustainability in New Zealand.
• The School for Field Studies offers programs in environmental field studies in Costa Rica, Kenya, Turks and Caicos, Kenya, Mexico, and Australia.
• Kalamazoo College works with The International Sustainable Development Studies Institute to offer the People and the Environment program in Thailand.
• IIEPASSPORT’s study abroad directory lists over 50 programs in sustainable development.
• Living Routes lets you study abroad in Evovillages - defined as “ecological communities that provide ideal campuses for students to learn about real-world issues including sustainable development, green building, organic agriculture and women’s empowerment” - in conjunction with University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Travel Around While You’re Abroad

Don’t just stick to the city you’re in - get out and see the region. You’ll have less of an impact traveling around while you’re overseas than you will if you head home, then go back later. The fewer plane trips, the better for the environment.

Take Public Transportation

Some study abroad programs prohibit you from driving when you’re abroad, anyway, and you probably won’t have access to a car. The good news is in most countries you won’t need a one. Just hop on the bus or subway to get to your un-walkable destinations.

Get Your Green Passport

Not to be confused with the UN’s Green Passport program, Abroad View’s Green Passport is targeted at students studying abroad. You’ll agree to reduce your environmental impact, respect the culture you’re living in, and participate in and give back to the community. Right now, Abroad View magazine is piloting the Green Passport program with Living Routes, Ithaca College, Middlebury College, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Get your school involved.

Live with a Family

Most programs offer the option to stay with a host family for all or part of your time abroad. When you watch a dubbed movie on TV with your host mom and host sister, you’ll use less energy than you would if you watched TV in your dorm room while they watched it at home. Plus, you’ll learn more about the culture you’re living in by spending time with your host family.

Check Out Local Entertainment

Support the local economy by going to the museums, plays, ballets, and operas that you won’t find at home. It’s easy to get caught up in study abroad life and put off the local entertainment until the end - when you’ll either rush to cram everything in or not have a chance to do it at all. (Can you tell I’m a procrastinator?) Before you head to your host country, pick a few of the most interesting local attractions and prioritize seeing them throughout your trip.

Pack Light

When I went to St. Petersburg for a semester in college, I overpacked. I hauled things to Russia I never wore there, and things I’d never used before but thought I might need while I was abroad. Big mistake. Not only was dragging around a 75 pound bag hard on my bag, but it was hard on the environment. It’s better to err on the side of too little; if it turns out you need something you left at home, you can buy it in your host country. If you just can’t figure out how to lighten your load, check out our Ultimate Guide to Packing Light.

Buy a Bike

In cities from Hong Kong to The Hague, biking is a preferred means of transportation. It’s environmentally-friendly, plus you see the city in a whole new light. And you have the option of traveling outside the city and biking around the countryside. Ask around about where to buy a used bike or search online classifieds like Craigslist.

Carry a Reusable Water Bottle

According to the Earth Policy Institute, Americans consumed 26 billion of the global 154 billion liters of bottled water in 2004. Bottled water creates a ton of waste, and it’s more expensive and less strictly regulated in the US than tap water. Reduce your environment impact by avoiding bottled water altogether - bring a reusable water bottle.

Walk

Seeing a country by foot offers many advantages to seeing it any other way. You’ll get to talk to locals, see sights you might miss on public transportation, and find authentic food and goods you might never have otherwise come across.

Cook in Your Dorm or Apartment

If you have a kitchen in your new home, use it. You can still experience local food by picking up ingredients for regional dishes at the market and cooking local dishes yourself. Plus, you’ll learn to cook new foods.

Eat with Your Host Family

Your host family’s probably already cooking for themselves, so join them when you can. It will create less waste than eating out and you’ll get to try authentic local food. And with most programs your host family is given a stipend to feed you. You’ll save money by dining with them.

Buy Local

Rather than heading to a chain grocery or department store, stop by the market or a street stand. Supporting the local economy is good for the environment because the goods you’re buying don’t have to travel as far to get to you.

Eat Local

It’s not always easy to find restaurants that serve organic food, but you can usually find some that buy the ingredients for their meals locally. And being a traveling locavore is even better than being a locavore at home because you get to try new foods from the region you’re in.

Drink Local

I will never forget walking into the lobby of my Dublin hostel and seeing inebriated American frat boys drinking Southern Comfort. Southern Comfort. In Ireland, the birthplace of whiskey. Don’t be a drunk frat boy - opt for the local specialty. When else are you going to get to drink Becherovka?

Take Shorter Showers

Shower heads spit out about 2 gallons of water per minute - which means that a 15 minute shower uses 30 gallons of water. You can probably wash your hair scrub down your body in 5 minutes. Give it a shot. Curious about how much water you use now? Check out H2O Conserve’s water calculator.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

These elementary school tenets hold true no matter where you are. Always shoot to use less - reduce. And if the country you’re in accommodates recycling, take advantage of it. If not, think of new uses for products before tossing them.

Volunteer

Every country has at least one organization devoted to sustainable development, conservation, the environment, or a social issue you’re interested in. Ask your professors, host family, and new friends about places to volunteer, or check out these links from Adventures Great and Small to get some ideas.

Turn Out the Lights

It’s easy to get lazy and forgetful when you’ve got a new country to explore, but something as simple as unplugging your laptop before you head out can save a lot of electricity. So unplug appliances and turn off the lights before you head out.

Make Yourself at Home

Spending a semester abroad is liberating. It’s the first time you’re completely independent, with no parental interference. It’s tempting to rebel against your parents by doing the things they’ve always told you not to do - leaving the lights on, cabbing to unknown parts of the city, and getting takeout every night. While you’re establishing your independence, remember your actions abroad have the same environmental impact as your actions at home.

Be conscious of the choices you make while you’re abroad. Believe me, you can still have a good time eating local food (mmm, blini and borscht), drinking local alcohol (did somebody say Gzhelka?), and exploring local shows (I will never forget the Bolshoi - and not because of the ballet).

For more ideas and information on sustainable travel abroad, check out this article from Transitions Abroad.

Life is full of choices. Every day we choose when to get out of bed, what we are going to have for lunch, and how to reply to an email. Rarely do go off the beaten path into new territory; most days we stick to the routine. But if we step back from the daily grind to reevaluate, odds are we’ll discover that there are better options out there. It’s the little things - like if you stop eating oatmeal every morning, you might discover that you love bagels with cream cheese.

Now, apply this to your travel life. When you’re traveling you also have an infinite number of choices - from where you’ll go for your next vacation to what restaurant you’ll try for dinner to which way you’ll stroll down the beach tonight. When you’re making these choices, stop and think for a minute. Consider all of your options and be conscious of the choices in front of you. If you decide to eat at the local restaurant around the corner instead of the chain down the street, you might discover a new favorite food. And you’ll make the greener choice by eating locally.

Even if you don’t make the more environmentally-conscious choice every time, at least you’ll have thought about it. And consciousness is the key to change.

Many travelers want to be environmentally-conscious when they travel, but don’t want to go to extremes to be greener. With all of the options out there, how do you determine the extent to which you want to “go green”?

We like to think of being an eco-conscious traveler in “shades of green.” Green, greener, greenest. Or to be more descriptive: Pea Green, Kelly Green, and Forest Green. What does this mean?

Green / Pea Green Travelers care about the environment. They want to make a difference; but they don’t want to go to great lengths to be greener. If the green choice is easy and cheap they will take it. If not, they won’t go searching for a greener travel option.

photo credit: SMercury98

On the other end of the spectrum:
Greenest / Forest Green travelers will do almost anything to travel green. They don’t take planes. They’ll only eat in organic restaurants. They camp or couchsurf. And they wear recycled, organic hemp sneakers. You might refer to them as hippies or treehuggers. Ok, I’m clearly stereotyping here; but the point is, the greenest travelers do whatever it takes to leave no trace of their travels and minimize or eliminate their carbon footprint, regardless of cost.

Greener / Kelly Green travelers fall somewhere in the middle. They make a conscious effort on every trip to be green and are always aware of their impact (whereas the Pea Green traveler only thinks about their impact some of the time). However, due to budget or time constraints, Kelly Green travelers may be less likely than their Forest Green comrades to choose the greenest method of travel.

The best part of “shades of green” traveling is that by thinking about and categorizing green travel like this, you better understand your green travel style and the choices you make. You can choose to make green travel choices in various parts of traveling. For instance, you can be a green traveler when it comes to hotel and accommodations; but you may be the greenest traveler in the food choices you make.

In the upcoming weeks we will explore these different choices and easy ways that you move down the spectrum from Pea Green to Kelly Green to Forest Green travel.

We’re of the mindset that there’s only one way to pack, and that’s to pack light. Packing light saves time (e.g. waiting for baggage to be unloaded), money (no overweight fees), stress (no worrying about lost luggage) and the environment (less luggage means less fuel used to carry it).In our quest to bring you the best (and highest quality) information on how to pack light, we’ve compiled our favorite packing light tips from these 35 links.

Make a List

• The Universal Packing List This really is the ultimate packing list creator. It even includes weather information. However, it will spit out everything you could possibly need, so trim down from here.
• Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush A nice application that will send you reminder emails, but you have to sign up (free).
• One Bag: What To Pack : One-Page Checklist “This is a travel packing checklist, not a list of items to pack on any particular trip! Rather, it is a sort of ‘worst case’ compendium of stuff that you could sensibly consider.”
• Travellerspoint: Packing List Another list of everything you could possibly need.
• San Fran Chronicle CARGO CULT “This is everything I pack for a typical three-week trip to Europe or South America, riding trains and buses and splitting my time between town and country. It all fits easily into a carry-on bag, with room left over for a bottle of Côtes du Rhône, a baguette and a few souvenirs.”
• The Lost Girls: What We Packed What these three gals packed for their 1-year round the world (RTW) trip.
• About.com Honeymoon Packing List Includes massage oil and other items that might be fun to have.

Check it Twice

Edit Your List. Edit it down. Way Down. Cross off everything you don’t absolutely need. Remember, you can buy just about everything abroad if you end up needing it.

Choose the Right Bag

You know how work expands to fill the time? The same is true for bags. If you bring too big of a bag, you will fill the space. It’s just human nature. Unfortunately, we haven’t found the best backpack or favorite travel luggage yet. (Though from pictures I’m partial to: Ebags Mother Lode Mini Duffel for business and Eagle Creek Centerline Maiden Voyage 70L or something like it but smaller for backpacking.)

• OneBag: Choosing A Bag
  The most important things to consider are:
  • quality — because luggage takes a beating, and because quality should always be an important consideration
  • transportability — because you will carry your luggage more than the carriers will (and yes, whatever your actual plans, you will carry it)
  • airline carryon limits — because in the real world, there are two kinds of luggage: carryon and lost
• Brave New Traveler: Choosing the Perfect Backpack This backpacker outlines his quest for the perfect backpack before deciding on.

Fold Your Clothes

in an efficient, wrinkle free manner.

• OneBag: Packing Clothes discusses “Bundle Packing.” (I typically roll my clothes, but I might try this next time.)

Find Your Own Style

Ultimately, you are the only one who has to to live with the way you pack, what you pack, and how much you pack. (Eds note, actually all of us have to live with what you pack because if you bring your entire house with you on the plane, this is costing us in fuel and carbon emissions, but that’s beside the point for now.)

Best Tips and Links

Following are the best tips for packing light and what to pack from a variety of great sources:

• 4 Hour Work Week: How to Travel the World in 10 pounds or Less Tim Ferriss’ blog post on “how to travel with 10 pounds or less” is a good post to see just how extremely light you can pack; however, his theory of “buy it there” isn’t always the best for the environment. Some items he suggests that we also like:
  • large MSR quick-dry microfiber towel
  • Kiva Keychain Expandable Duffle Bag
  • “Also, never buy if you can borrow.”
• OneBag We linked to it in several places above, but this really is a great resource.
• Wiki How: How to Travel With One Bag Also suggests packing using a bundle method.

  • Mail home or give away items not necessary for traveling, such as finished books or souvenirs. Trading books is a great free way to keep one’s travel library fresh.

• Carrying off the art of one carry-on reminds us of the hassles of traveling in a post-9/11 world - “Swiss Army knives are a real bugaboo.”
• Vagabondish.com: In or Out: How to Pack for a Month Long Trip A guide to packing for a long trip reminds us of the importance of good socks.
• About.com How to Pack Light for Business Trips

  • Come As You Are: Wear your power suit on the plane and take it off once you get to the hotel.

  • Group “Hot” Items: If you know that your money clip, tweezers, watch, or necklace is going to set off that metal detector, group those items into one carry-on that you can send through the x-ray machine.

• Ruk.ca Extreme Packing says to leave the guidebook, novel, and ipod at home.
• GayWired: The Art Of Packing Light

  • Rule #5 – Every 7 Pieces Packed Should Yield At Least 14 Ensembles

    Each piece of clothing that goes into your luggage should be interchangeable with at least one other piece you intend to pack. Every shirt should match at least two pairs of pants, every blazer should work with at least two different shirts or sweaters, and so on and so forth.

• Plonkee.com Packing Light Rules suggests two items for fun, off the beaten track travel:
  • tiny maglite torch / flashlight
  • bottle opener keyring - handy for drinking cheap beers
• Newsnet5.com Packing Light Can Save Money When Traveling states to wear your heavy clothes and shoes on the plane.
• Slow Travel Trip Checklist says

  • “Make sure your passport is valid for 6 months past your return date (many countries require this)”

  and

  • “Print out the information from your country on what to do if your passport is lost or stolen”

• Washington Post: Packing Light Issue A series of good articles on how to pack light– including a fun “what’s wrong with this picture.”
• Realbuzz.com How To Pack Light reminds us that items abroad may be cheaper than at home.
• Travelers Notebook: 10 Steps to Packing Light Before Your Next Trip highlights the benefits of flipflops.
• Sound Money Tips: Pack Efficiently says

  • “Find out what amenities the hotel already has, i.e., robes, hairdryers, shampoo, and don’t pack those items.”

• Arthritis Today: Packing Light (yes, you read that correctly, even Arthritis today has packing tips) suggests saving make-up and skincare samples that come with cosmetic purchases.
• My Money Blog: Save Time and Money by Traveling Light suggests REI Sahara Convertible Pants.
• BootsNAll.com: Packing Light We love this tip:

  • All the clothes I take must come from second-hand stores. Clothes, especially when worn day after day and beaten clean nightly in a washbasin, wear out quickly. I always seem to sit in something messy, spill my lunch, have a darling baby burp all over me, or snag on a thorn bush somewhere along the adventure trail.

• Wisebread.com: Frugal Travel Tips for Packing Light “Plastic bags can shield books from the rain, carry dirty laundry, keep small items in one place, and much more.”
• Travelite reminds us a few other reasons for traveling with less. You “don’t have to tip porters” and can “easily volunteer to be bumped on a full flight.”
• Verber.com: Packing and Traveling Light suggests long underwear so you don’t have to bring extra pants and shirts.
• Transitions Abroad: Pack Light and Travel Happy

  • The world’s getting really small: you can buy Dial soap, Colgate toothpaste, Tampax, Nivea cream, and Bic razors in Sicily. Tourist shops in major international hotels are a sure bet whenever you have difficulty finding personal items. And if you can’t find one of your essentials, ask yourself how 300 million Europeans can live without it.

• Rick Steves: Pack Light “You’ll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags: Every year I pack heavier.’” He also has packing lists.
• Reids Guides: Packing Light “Also leave space in your pack for accumulating souvenirs. “
• CNN.com: Packing Light, It’s all in your head recommends bringing a bar of soap and also using it for shampoo.
• Boston.com Packing Light for Ski Trips Fleece is the dominant fabric for layering
• Smart Packing doesn’t provide a lot of information on the website, but sells a book with the same title.
• MSNBC.com Packing Light with Double Duty Travel Gear suggests a water bottle with a built-in filter. “One way to have what you need and still pack light is to look for gear that does double duty.”

Meeting fellow travelers can be intimidating, especially when you first start traveling. But it doesn’t have to be. These tips and tricks will help you find fellow green travelers to join you on the next leg of your journey - whether it be a day in a nearby village or a month in Costa Rica.

Become a couchsurfer. At CouchSurfing, you search for locals to stay with in thousands of destinations across the world, from Switzerland to Sri Lanka. You can search based on language, gender, age, and key words, so it’s easy to find someone with interests and passions similar to yours. Odds are if people are hosting couchsurfers, they probably couchsurf themselves so you could meet a future travel companion. It’s our kind of organization - it’s free, it’s a non-profit, and it has a conscience. According to its website, CouchSurfing’s mission is “to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding.” For other couchsurfing sites, check out The Top 5 Couchsurfing Sites from the Times Online.

Volunteer for the environment. At Volunteer Abroad you can search for volunteer opportunities by region, city, and interest area, including “environment.” Volunteer Latin American focuses on sustainability and conservation and offers a variety of green volunteer opportunities throughout Latin America. At Idealist.org, you can choose an interest area and a location to search for volunteer opportunities and jobs. For more green volunteering abroad ideas, check out this Green Guide post.

Use social networking sites. MySpace alone has over 20,000 groups categorized under “Places & Travel,” including World Travels, Travel Thailand, and Brazil. Join an international group or find your destination and post a call out for other green travelers in the forum.

Take the bus or train. In addition to being less environmentally-friendly, traveling by rental car is isolating. It’s hard to meet other travelers while you’re locked inside your Prius. But intracountry public transportation sets you up to be much more social. If you’re looking for traveling friends, choose to sit near other backpackers and when you get the chance, take the opportunity to talk with that German couple in your train car.

Seek out group activities. Ask the person working the hostel desk what kinds of low-budget group activities he or she would recommend. Find something that sounds interesting and sign up for it. Whether you’re whitewater rafting or taking a day trip to a nearby city, spending an entire day with other travelers will help you get to know them. And if you pick a green activity, odds are you’ll meets lots of other green travelers.

Arrange a group activity. Can’t seem to find a prearranged group activity? Set one up yourself. Ask other hostelers what they’ve done and if they’d recommend it. Look online or in your travel guide for day trips or local activities. Pick some interesting activities and invite your fellow hostelers to come along. Don’t be shy - you’ll be surprised how many others will take you up on your offer.

Search online forums. Before you head to your next destination, check out travel or backpacker message boards and forums. There are country-specific forums, like Backpacker Board in New Zealand, and international ones like those on Eurotrip.com, Trip Advisor, and Hostels.com. Try a search for “travel buddy” or “travel partner” if you’re seeking a fellow green traveler to join you on the next leg of your trip.

Strike up a conversation. It’s easy to be intimidated in new situations, but remember that everyone in a hostel is in the same boat. Start a conversation with other travelers in the hostel kitchen or the town square. Ask people where they’re from, what they like to do, where they’re headed next. If you share the same interests, suggest going out for dinner at the local organic restaurant you heard about.

Go to a meetup. Meetup.com is a free way to organize online and in-person around just about any interest. You can find meetups in your hometown before you start your travels or you can look for meetups in your destination. Join the meetups that look interesting to you and make friends with people who share your interests. In addition to great travel advice, you might also meet some future travel buddies. You can start by browsing the travel, backpackers, and environment meetups.

Contact a green travel organization. Ask around about or search online for green travel associations in the country you’re visiting. Organizations like Camp Green, Canada, which is “a national campaign of Canadians working together to improve the environment,” will be able to tell you about local green activities and connect you with other green travelers.

Take an Ecotour. Ecotours are becoming increasingly widespread to the extent that even non-environmentalists are checking them out. It’s a double-edged sword - it’s good because it means people who wouldn’t otherwise care about the environment are doing something to help it, but bad because it means it might be harder to meet other sincere green travelers. Planeta.com, which “has provided tips for travelers and locals who share a vision of eco-friendly, people-friendly and place-friendly travel” since 1994, is a great place to start.

Peruse online classified ads. Community-based online classifieds like Craigslist in the U.S. and other countries and Gumtree in Australia are good places to look for green travel events and travel partners. On Gumtree, click the “travel/travel partners” under “community” to browse ads other travelers have posted. As always with situations when you’re meeting strangers, be smart and use your better judgment. If you find a perspective green travel buddy, meet him or her in a public location.

Talk to your friends and family. Even if they don’t travel much, friends and family members likely know people who do. You never know - your mom’s college roommate’s daughter who’s majoring in environmental science might be in Costa Rica when you are. Keep your family and friends in the loop on your next travel destination and let them know you’d like to meet up with anyone they know in that country.

Bonus Tip: Remember sometimes it’s ok to travel alone. So you follow the steps above and meet Barbara, a fellow green traveler, in Munich. She’s nice enough but by day 3, you’ve realized a long-term friendship isn’t in your future. Good thing you’re leaving for Prague in the morning, right? But when you get up to head to the train station the next morning, Barbara’s waiting and excitedly tells you she’s changed her plans and can go with you to Prague.

Think it won’t happen to you? This is a true story, as told to me by Toby, an Australian backpacker I met in Poland. Barbara had followed him to two countries and was planning to tag along to a third. His plan? To escape to Budapest under the cover of darkness to avoid confronting her. If this happens to you, have no fear - Brave New Traveler has outlined How to Escape An Undesirable Travel Mate.

As a traveler you have the opportunity to see amazing new things in far-away places, and as a green traveler you have the opportunity to preserve them for future generations. There are hundreds of reasons to be more environmentally-conscious and responsible when you travel.   Here are 15 of our favorites:

1. It’s Good for the Environment.  No need to say more.
2. It’s Good for your Children, and your Children’s Children. By being a responsible tourist you’ll do your part to ensure that the places you visit will still be there 15, 50, even 500 years from now.
3. You’ll Save Money. Green travel is often cheaper than traditional travel. When you burn through fewer resources, you spend less money.
4. You’ll Have Something Interesting to Talk About. Trust us, when you hike (instead of drive) 4 treacherous miles up a snowy mountain in Siberia in search of the village’s only ATM machine, only to find out the power is out and you’ll have to trek back the next day, you’ll have a new story to tell at parties.
5. You’ll Meet Other Travelers.  A great way to travel green is to stay at a hostel and cook in the hostel’s kitchen. The kitchen is often the communal area in a hostel and it’s a great place to make friends with other globetrotters.
6. You’ll Meeting Interesting Locals.  Two words: Public transportation.  There’s no better place to meet (or at least observe) interesting locals.
7. You’ll Get Off the Beaten Track.  Trying to find organic lettuce in the middle of Siberia will definitely put you somewhere you’d never thought you’d go. Just be sure to check if someone is at their dacha before you go digging in their garden.  (In case we need to spell it out, this is a slight exaggeration. Stealing is bad, even in Siberia. Don’t do it.)
8. You’ll Learn the Local Life.  Locals often live greener because it’s more economical, especially in some European countries and Canada.  They are more likely to take public transportation or bike, spend an afternoon in the park, or eat an interesting local food than the tourist will.
9. You’ll Lose Weight (or it will at least be good for your health).  Walking more, eating healthier, consuming less = the perfect healthy diet plan.
10. There will be More to See/Future Vacations.  Green travel now is imperative to any sort of travel in the future.  If you want to take a trip later, travel green now.
11. You’ll Strengthen Your Brain.  If you’re new to “going green” you will quickly learn to see things from a different perspective and keep your mind active.
12. You can Focus on the Travel.  When you focusing less on what you consume,  you can focus more on what you came to see and experience.
13. You’ll Feel Good about Yourself.  When you “do good” you feel a little better about yourself as a person and what you contribute to this world. And you’ll realize what an impact you can make.
14. It’s Not as Hard as You Think.  Once you get the hang of it, traveling green becomes second nature.  All it takes is a few minor changes and maybe a big one here or there. In the end the question isn’t “why travel green?” but “why not travel green?”
15. It’s Trendy.  Green is the new black. Before you click away, hear me out. I’m generally not big on group think mentality, but when more travelers go green it’s good for the environment. If it’s “in” to be thinking about your impact, then I’m all about trends.

Green, organic, eco-conscious, eco-friendly, responsible, sustainable, eco-tourism

In the past year, these environmental catchphrases have cropped up everywhere — in newspaper articles, online, in stores. But what do they all mean in the context of travel? Since these concepts are still in their formative stages, defining them is tricky. But we’ve compiled definitions from reputable sources and added our own two cents:

• Eco-conscious travel Conscious means being aware of something. Eco means concerning the environment, so “eco-conscious travel” essentially means being aware of the environment, and your impact on the environment, when you travel.
• Eco-friendly travel Again, eco relates to the environment and we all know what friendly means, so “eco-friendly travel” means being nice to and having little impact on the environment when you travel.
• Eco-Tourism From our good friends at Ecotourism Australia, “Ecotourism is ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation.”
• Responsible Travel expands beyond the traditional notions of environmentalism and encompasses socially-conscious travel. It means understanding, respecting, and supporting the cultures and people in the area you are visiting. We like this definition from Lonely Planet:
  

  Responsible tourism can be more-or-less defined as travel that takes into consideration the ‘triple bottom line’ issues of:

  Environment: travel that minimises negative environmental impacts and, where possible, makes positive contributions to the conservation of biodiversity, wilderness, natural and human heritage.

  Social/Cultural: travel that respects culture and traditions and fosters authentic interaction and greater understanding between travellers and hosts.

  Economic: travel that has financial benefits for the host community and operates on the principles of fair trade.

• Sustainable Travel is defined as “a level of tourism activity that can be maintained over the long term because it results in a net benefit for the social, economic, natural and cultural environments of the area in which it takes place” (from Detour Destinations).
  
• Organic Travel Honestly, “organic travel” doesn’t make sense. Organic, in the context of being green, generally means produce or dairy grown or raised without the use of pesticides or hormones. So strawberries can be organic, shirts can be organic, even sheets can be organic. But travel can’t be “organic.”
  
• Green Travel: (defined by us)

• Thinking about your impact on the environment (both the physical and social environment) when you travel
• Doing your part to minimize your impact on the environment – so that tourism in your destination can be maintained in the long run
• Understanding eco-friendly choices you can make
• Making eco-friendly choices when they are options
• Doing your research to be a responsible traveler
  
• Saving money by making low-impact choices