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.
If you already make efforts to be a “green” traveler, what does it take to be even greener? This Shades of Green Series explores various ways to step up your green travel efforts using our shades of green travel spectrum. See the full list of articles in the Shades of Green Travel Series here.
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I think we’re somewhere in the middle. We don’t have the funds to travel without worrying for cost, but we do a lot of backpacking instead of staying in hotels, etc. We explore close to home a lot more than we take big trips. I can’t wait to hear more about how to move down the spectrum.
I think most people tend to be somewhere in the middle for at least part of their travels. Backpacking is a great way to be green and to experience nature!
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Great ethical travel piece, though I don’t really understand the Kelly travel title….?
I just stumble upon this – love it! How green is your travel? Scaled by shades of green