1. 1.     Plan. Transportation is the biggest producer of carbon emissions while traveling. If you want to travel in an eco-friendly way, plan to avoid flights, the form of transportation that produces the largest amount of harmful emissions. Limit your carbon footprint by traveling by train, public transportation or car when available. If you have to fly somewhere, choose a route that reduces flying times and layovers. Taking off and landing use the most fuel, so minimizing the number of flights limits fuel use and conserves emissions.

Consider traveling to a destination where it is convenient to walk or bike. Eliminating transportation not only reduces pollution, it is a healthy and cost-effective option.

1. 2.     Book wisely. With more green hotel options popping up every day, booking one for your destination is easier than ever.  Hotels differ by location and age, so there is no one-size-fits-all standard for determining which hotels are eco-friendly. However, something you can look for to determine whether a hotel is actually green is third-party verification. Green Globe is a leader in green hotel certification, taking in a variety of criteria to determine whether a hotel is in fact an eco-friendly option for travelers. Overall, certification through Green Globe means that the hotel conserves energy and water resources, is active in the local community, reduces operational costs and waste and positively contributes to the environment. 

1. 3.     Unplug. Before you leave for a trip, ensure that your home is using as little energy as possible. Unplug anything that does not have to be on. Computers, TVs, chargers and other electronics with a standby mode continue to use energy even when they are switched off. Unplugging them ensures that they are not using energy. If you are going to be away for a while, consider eating or giving away all the food in your refrigerator. Since it has to constantly run to keep food cold, turning it off while you’re away can be a huge energy saver. Lower the settings on your thermostat and water heater before you leave, too. This will keep them from wasting energy while you’re not at home to benefit from them.

Another way to live eco-friendly at home is to purchase renewable energy credits or carbon offsets. Switching to a green energy provider lowers your environmental impact since green energy is generated by renewable sources such as solar, wind or hydropower. Visit  http://www.energyproviderstexas.com/ to switch to green energy today.

1. 4.     Think Local. Purchasing local goods and services is an eco-friendly choice because it reduces the need to import goods and therefore your carbon footprint. Buying local also puts your tourism dollars into the hands of the community where you are staying. Buy food that is grown or produced locally. It is not only a fresher option, but it may lack preservatives and harmful chemicals that you could find in imported goods. If you’re interested in sight-seeing, hire a local tour guide.  You will learn more about the culture, traditions, places and people when you tour with someone who is actually a part of the community.

1. 5.     Conserve. While on your trip, use resources sparingly. Water, for instance, may be scarce in some countries. Try taking shorter showers on your trip to minimize water use. Notify housekeeping that your room does not need to be cleaned every day. This way your towels are not washed and replaced on a daily basis and fewer harmful cleaning supplies are used. Just like you would save energy at home, you can save energy in your hotel. Turn off your lights and turn up your air conditioner when you are not in your room. There is no need to waste electricity if you are not in the room.

Bhutan and Bangladesh Tour – North East India

Embarking on an unforgettable journey, travellers can immerse themselves into the culture of India, with this 23 day voyage of discovery. From beginnings in vibrant cities, your tour group will cross the infamous Ganges, where you will uncover the captivating history and heritage of India. Buddhist Monasteries, magical kingdoms and small ancient villages are just a few of the breathtaking experiences that will be had along this journey.

Unlike many other tours, as you discover North East India, you will be led by a local tour guide, helping to keep much needed jobs in the region. The expert knowledge of these locals can help you to better understand the importance of conserving your surrounding environment.

Rocky Mountains Wildlife Holiday, Canada

This small group tour provides an intimate escape to the wilderness of Canada. Hiking through the Canadian Rockies, travellers will have daily opportunities to view wildlife in its natural habitat, while camping in designated areas by night. The tour will see holidaymakers discovering the beauty of several national parks, throughout Banff, Jasper and Yoho. One of the highlights of the tour includes entrance into the Sulphur Mountain Hot Springs in the magnificent surrounds of Banff.

After travellers book flights to Canada, they will be in the capable hands of wildlife specialists in the country, who are focused on providing an eco-experience for all vacationers. During all hiking and camping expeditions, the tour operators practice a ‘no trace touring’ policy, helping to reduce the impact of your stay.

Coast to Coast Tour, South America

Venturing across undiscovered lands from Brazil to Peru, travellers can experience the ultimate South American journey, immersing themselves in the rich cultures and history of the land. World famous tourist attractions can be seen along your travels, including the breathtaking Iguazu Falls, bordering the countries of Brazil and Argentina.

This small group adventure tour places emphasis on assisting local communities, with some of the funds raised being distributed to various countries in South America. Offsetting carbon emissions also plays a major role in the tour, ensuring that your means of transportation is the most eco-friendly and efficient available.

For the experience of a lifetime, make your next holiday tour one to remember. Instead of taking a holiday that could compromise the future of our environment, embark on a journey to really make a difference.

We could start hearing about the extent of sea ice as a bellwether for, well, weather, just as we now look to El Nino and La Nina patterns in the Southern Pacific.

The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, found that the “previously normal west-to-east flowing upper-level winds have been replaced by a more north-south undulating, or wave-like pattern,” as the NOAA press office described it. “This new wind pattern transports warmer air into the Arctic and pushes Arctic air farther south, and may influence the likelihood of persistent weather conditions in the mid-latitudes.”

Just as it took years for scientists to define how the El Nino pattern affected weather thousands of miles away from the source, it will take time to define exactly how the new global weather pattern is likely to affect us. Like that weather pattern, this one affects us by altering the jet stream, that wave of air that brings high or low pressure, hot or cold air, billowing across the country. The early word is that this will make the jet stream wave slow down, creating more severe north-south “meanders” in the wave.

The research also suggests we should expect more extreme weather, like heavy snow, heat waves and flooding — which is consistent with long-standing warnings associated with climate change.

“What we’re seeing is stark evidence that the gradual temperature increase is not the important story related to climate change; it’s the rapid regional changes and increased frequency of extreme weather that global warming is causing,” said Jennifer Francis, of Rutgers University, who contributed to the research. “As the Arctic warms at twice the global rate, we expect an increased probability of extreme weather events across the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere, where billions of people live.”

Hodder Valley picture Graham Cooper

Launch of Greentraveller”s Guide to Holidays in the Forest of Bowland Area of Natural Beauty

With its rich green valleys, heather-covered moorland and traditional stone farms and villages, the rugged and unspoilt Forest of Bowland is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and considered to be both Yorkshire and Lancashire”s wild and remote heartland.

Green holidays website Greentraveller.co.uk and the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) have published an online guide to show residents and visitors how to make the most of this protected area in a way that has a low impact on the landscape and a positive impact on the local economy.

Greentraveller”s Guide to the Forest of Bowland  features over 50 recommendations for where to stay, eat and what to do in the region, from the dramatic sweeps of open moorland, river valleys and wooded cloughs to undulating lowlands with picturesque farms and villages. It includes an interactive map of the featured businesses, upcoming festivals and events, and in-depth information on how visitors can reduce their environmental impact by travelling to and around the area by public transport and by walking or cycling more.

Greentraveller’s Guide features some of the best places to eat that have ‘Taste of Lancashire’ produce on the menu, such as the The Inn at Whitewell, which sells seasonal grouse from the Lancashire Moors, pheasant and partridge from Dunsop shoots, Bowland beef and Lonk lamb from Burholme Farm. Other local producers include Dowsons Dairies (a family business producing milk and cheese), Keasden Organic Lamb and Pork, Gazegill organic farm that has it’s own dairy herd of Old English Shorthorns, and Hudson’s Ice Cream in Clitheroe.

Greentraveller”s team of writers has picked out some of the top places to stay, from a converted Post Office in the market town of Clitheroe, to the UK”s only five star “Huf Haus” by the edge of a private lake. The Guide also features some of the best spots to find local produce that earned the ‘Taste of Lancashire’ mark, as well as family days out at animal parks, colourful gardens and art galleries, and a range of outdoor activities from relaxing riverside walking trails to the challenging 70-mile Ribble Way and Gisburn Forest mountain bike trails.

Richard Hammond, Chief Executive of greentraveller.co.uk, says: “The Forest of Bowland is a pioneer of sustainable tourism. In 2005, it became the first protected area in England to be awarded the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas – a hard-won award that is testament to the far-sighted efforts of the AONB Partnership to manage and market tourism in Bowland in a coordinated and responsible manner.

“We hope this Greentraveller Guide to the Forest of Bowland will boost the national awareness of this specially protected part of England, and help residents and visitors make the most of their time here in a way that brings local economic benefits while conserving the very special landscape.

“This Guide is the latest of our online destination platforms for specific regions in the UK, including other Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and National Parks that are proving popular with holidaymakers looking for that special local touch.”

Hetty Byrne, Sustainable Tourism Officer Forest of Bowland, says: “We”re delighted to have been able to work with Greentraveller.co.uk to give a boost to sustainable tourism businesses in the Forest of Bowland. “Here in the Forest of Bowland we work closely with tourism organisations, businesses and communities to help protect our beautiful landscape, while at the same time increasing opportunities for visitors to discover and enjoy its special qualities

“Many of the tourism businesses are Green Tourism Business Scheme award winners – look out for the green logo! Some of their actions take place behind the scenes but there are also many that you will experience firsthand, such as access to wonderful car-free explorations and wildlife watching opportunities: their local knowledge won’t fail to inspire you!”

Valere Tjolle

The award was presented by EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik at a ceremony in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, the current holder of the title, on Friday evening. Copenhagen received special praise for its achievements, notably in terms of eco-innovation and sustainable mobility, its commitment to act as a role model for the green economy, in Europe and beyond, and for an exceptionally promising communication strategy.

Commissioner Potočnik said: “I congratulate Copenhagen on the example they are setting. We have much to learn from the city’s efforts to improve the environment and quality of life for citizens, whilst creating new business opportunities, and I look forward to their year as European Green Capital. They will have numerous occasions to showcase their expertise and their creative approach to urban planning and to developing a green economy.”

The European Green Capital award is an annual prize that encourages cities to improve the quality of urban life by systematically taking the environment into account in urban planning and management. One city is chosen from a large field of applicants every year. The Award jury considered Copenhagen’s Green Business Model to be an example of sustainable economic development, tackling environmental, economic and social concerns, with good potential for replication in other cities of the world.

Copenhagen has placed public-private partnerships at the core of its approach to eco-innovation and sustainable employment. The city works with companies, universities and organisations in dedicated forums to develop and implement green growth. Its North Harbour project, for example, will include a “Green laboratory” that will focus on eco-technologies, a model that can be transferred to other towns and cities.

The jury singled out Copenhagen as a good model in terms of urban planning and design. It is also something of a transport pioneer, aiming to become the world’s most practicable city for cyclists. Its goal is to have 50 % of people cycling to their place of work or education by 2015 (35 % cycled to their workplace or school in 2010), helping the city reach an ambitious goal of being CO₂ neutral by 2025.

The other finalists were Bristol and Frankfurt. Bristol impressed the jury with an ambitious vision of sustainability involving a variety of urban networks including NGOs, local business, academia and volunteers. Its commitment to reduce climate change and its policy on clean air and noise were commended.

Frankfurt’s plans to improve the energy performance of new buildings, its excellent waste management and its numerous green open areas were highly rated, although concerns were raised about the potential impact of a recent airport extension on quality of life for citizens in the southern green belt area of the city.

18 cities applied for the competition to become European Green Capital 2014. Each entry was assessed by an international panel of 12 experts and three cities were shortlisted –Bristol, Copenhagen and Frankfurt. The shortlisted cities were interviewed by a Jury which comprises representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the European Environment Agency, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Covenant of Mayors Office and the European Environmental Bureau.

The European Green Capital Award is ultimately about making cities more pleasant places to live and work in. The award is given to a European city that has demonstrated a well-established record of achieving high environmental standards, is committed to on-going and ambitious goals for future environmental improvement and sustainable development and is leading the way in environmentally friendly urban living and can thus act as a model to inspire other cities.

Cities entering the European Green Capital Award are assessed on 12 indicators – climate change, transport, green urban areas incorporating sustainable land use, nature and biodiversity, air, noise, waste, water consumption, waste water treatment, eco innovation & sustainable employment, environmental management and energy.

www.europeangreencapital.eu

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GLOBAL GREEN ECONOMY INDEX (GGEI) SURVEY (2012)
Conducted  by Solimar International in collaboration with Dual Citizen. Join the survey HERE

UNIVERSITY COURSE TOURISM AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 2012 IN ENGLISH Offered by the UNWTO.Themis Foundation in collaboration with The George Washington University. On-line  20 August to 28 September 2012 and  on-site training from 6 to 18 October 2012, Washington, DC. More information HERE

About the course

This intensive course, offered by the UNWTO.Themis Foundation in Collaboration with The George Washington University, trains university graduates and professionals in subject areas related to development and international cooperation through tourism and gives them the opportunity to get specialized in this area of work and become part of the UNWTO.Volunteer Corps that support international UNWTO cooperation projects.

Objectives

• To provide participants with the necessary basic knowledge and tools to take part in international cooperation projects (or development programmes) through tourism.

• To disseminate UNWTO’s principles and guidelines, especially tourism’s role as an instrument of development and poverty alleviation;

• To disseminate the ideals of service and solidarity rooted in the essence of volunteerism;

• To form part of UNWTO Volunteers Corps.

Participant profile

University graduates, young professionals and early retirees from disciplines relevant to development cooperation, over 21 years of age, demonstrating interest in participating in projects of international cooperation for development related to tourism.

A basic introduction to tourism will be provided for participants with no academic or experiential background in tourism.

Structure of the course

• On-line course

• From 20 August to 28 September 2012

• On-site course

• (In George Washington University, Washington DC, USA)

From 6 to 18 October 2012

The on-site part of the course follows a very practical methodology based on specific knowledge on issues relevant to tourism and international cooperation for development, so that the participant acquires certain tools used in the UNWTO.Volunteers programme.

A detailed agenda of the on-site part will be provided before the on-line part starts, and it will be delivered by GWU Lecturers, guest speakers from cooperation agencies based in the US and UNWTO/Themis officers.

Cost of the course

The total cost of the course is $2,900.

This fee will cover costs for the on line and on site portions of the course and the provision of course materials, lunch and refreshment breaks during the Course.

Participants will be responsible for payment of tuition fees, travel to and from Washington, DC, accommodations and meals.

Admission information

The official on-line application form of the University Course on Tourism and International Cooperation for Development must be fully completed and the required documentation must be sent in PDF or JPG format to themis.omt1@unwto.org before 31 July 2012.

Additional documentation required:

• Copy of the highest academic degree.
• Photograph.
• English certificate for non-native speakers.
• Letter of recommendation.
• Letter of motivation stating why you want to participate in this course.
• Copy of the passport.

*Visa formalities are left under the sole responsibility of the participant.
(It is highly recommended to arrange for a tourist visa due to the short duration of the course).

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The tourism business is facing a “perfect storm”, as destinations face the impact of climate change alongside economic volatility and rising costs, according to a new white paper from the Travel Foundation in partnership with Forum for the Future.

In its Survival of the Fittest: Sustainable Tourism Means Business white paper, the industry is called on to consider its stance on sustainability, set ambitious targets and work as one to meet the environmental, economic and social challenges ahead.

Since the launch of the Tourism 2023 vision three years ago, which at the time was backed by The Travel Foundation, Forum for the Future and eight major tourism companies, concern is growing amongst industry leaders that current economic pressures could threaten progress in this area.

The report is intended as a call to action for the whole tourism industry – travel retailers, tour operators, hoteliers, attractions and airlines – to think about what they can do to become more sustainable.

It suggests that the business case for sustainability has never been stronger; from reducing costs and improving efficiency to engaging staff to meeting legislative requirements, the report outlines the reasons why sustainability should be the priority on the boardroom agenda.

Minister for Tourism & Heritage, John Penrose MP, who endorsed the white paper at the Travel Foundation annual meeting, said: “Sustainable tourism is not only morally right, but commercially sensible. Doing sustainable tourism is difficult and awkward but rewarding. Equipping people with the tools is an important step in the “doing”.

“It”s vitally important that we have Travel Foundation and other organisations setting good examples. You [the industry] can do well, by doing good; good for the bottom line as well as the environment…there is no doubt that sustainable tourism should be mainstream.”

Sue Hurdle, chief executive of the Travel Foundation, said: “The purpose of this report is to celebrate successes that have already been achieved, while highlighting the issues and challenges we will face as an industry. This white paper presents the sustainability agenda in a digestible format, with suggested strategies for success, and is aimed not only at those with “sustainability” in their job title.”

Stephanie Draper, Forum for the Future, said: “With the economic challenges that everyone faces, it”s easy to get caught up in short-term thinking. The world”s “green” economy is worth £3,000 billion annually and is forecast to grow by a quarter over the next five years, outpacing overall growth. The question businesses have to ask themselves is whether they are ready to evolve and capitalise on this opportunity, as business as usual is no longer an option.”

The white paper suggests that consumer trends mean customers will come to expect travel companies to build sustainability into their product offer.  And it will become increasingly important for companies wanting to recruit, retain and motivate quality employees to demonstrate their commitment to corporate responsibility.

You can download a free copy of the white paper at HERE

A full video of Mr Penrose”s address to the Travel Foundation annual meeting can be found on the Travel Foundation YouTube channel:

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There were 12.8 million new vehicles registered in the EU in 2011. The average CO₂ emissions for these cars was 135.7 grams CO₂ per kilometre, which is 4.6g CO₂/km less than in 2010 – a reduction of 3.3 %. A combination of changes in buying behaviour, improved technology and engine efficiency was mostly responsible for this reduction, according to EEA analysis.

In addition, the long-term reduction of emissions has been influenced by an increasing uptake of diesel cars, an ongoing trend which continued in 2011. The gap between average CO₂ emissions of new diesel and petrol vehicles has been narrowing in recent years – in 2011 it was just 3.2g CO₂/km. In 2011, 55.2 % of the vehicles registered in 2011 in Europe were diesel vehicles, an increase from 51.3% in 2010.

Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA said: “We can see new cars becoming more efficient year-on-year – a good example of regulation helping industry to make real improvements. It is also encouraging to see sales of electric cars starting to climb.”

In the EU, CO₂ emissions from road transport have increased by 23 % between 1990 and 2010, becoming responsible for approximately one fifth of the EU’s total emissions. In order to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transport, carmakers have a collective target for the average car sold in the EU to emit a maximum of 130g CO₂/km by 2015 and 95g CO₂/km by 2020. Last year the EEA reported that manufacturers had some distance to go to meet the 2015 target.  However, on present trends, the industry as a whole is on track to meeting the 2015 CO2 target.

The preliminary figures will now be verified by car manufacturers before they are confirmed by the European Commission later this year.

Other findings

• Registration of new cars in the EU increased constantly between 2001 and 2007, peaking at 15.5 million cars, but has fallen continuously since. Between 2010 and 2011 the number of new car registrations increased in many Member States, notably Latvia (71%), Lithuania (68%) and Estonia (66%) , but fell in others, including Greece (-31 %), Portugal (-31%) and Spain (-17 %).
• The mass of new cars increased slightly in 2011 and is now back to the level seen in 2007 before the economic crisis. Nonetheless, engine capacity, measured in cm³, has decreased by 5 % compared to 2007.
• Registrations of vehicles using liquefied petroleum gas fell by 76% between 2010 and 2011. This was mostly due to a sharp decline in uptake in France and Italy, countries where this fuel is most commonly used.
• There were 8,700 pure electric cars registered in 2011. While this number is only 0.07 % of new cars registered, so did not significantly influence the EU average emissions, it is a 10-fold increase on 2010.
• Portugal, Malta and Denmark had registered the most carbon-efficient cars on average, with emissions of 125g CO₂/km or less. At the less efficient end of the spectrum, new cars registered in Estonia, Latvia and Bulgaria had more than 150g CO₂/km on average.

Figure: Evolution of CO2 emissions from new passenger cars by fuel (EU‑27 *)

Click for larger figure

Source: Monitoring of CO2 emissions from passenger cars

About this data

For the second year, EEA has collected Member States’ data on passenger cars registrations, in accordance with the Regulation 443/2009, and collated them in a database which covers all passenger vehicles registered in Europe in 2011.

Data collected includes information on CO₂ emissions and mass of the vehicles, reported by all Member States in order to evaluate the performance of the new vehicle fleet towards the CO₂ emission target (130g CO₂/km by 2015).

According to Article 8 of the Regulation 443/2009, Member States must submit information to the European Commission for each new passenger car registered on their territory. There were some late submissions this year, although the EEA has noted improvements in the data submitted for some Member States.

Q: What did you think about Rio+20? Was it a success or a failure as far as tourism is concerned?

HERBERT HAMELE:

Not a success, nothing new. But at least the “green economy” role for sustainable tourism development has been underlined. Not sufficient without changing the rules for economic activities. But let”s give it a try.

Green economy means to continuously raise resources efficiency to minimize climate change and to halt the loss of biodiversity. Inthis sense each tourism business and service shall be more efficient. But this will not be sufficient to making the whole tourism sector sustainable as long as “efficiency” (per unit) goes along with ongoing growth of consumption units, of speed, of distances. More “sufficiency” is necessary: less  – slower – regional.

GORDON SILLENCE:

You can find a longer article I posted on DestiNet  which states both positive and negative aspects of Rio+20. But I would single out 3 key issues: Rio+ 20 must be seen by the tourism sector as an alarming warning that a) Agenda 21 has not been dealt with seriously for the last 20 years by both  government and business, who have consistently weakened their commitments, green-washed them or manipulated the process to serve their own short term interests; b) civil society has been ineffective at engaging mass support for its single issue causes or developing effective coalitions between different issues and c) the crises we face will impact on tourism unless we move from the security first, markets first reality to the sustainability first equity first Agenda 21 development model, in which travel and tourism will genuinely prosper and bring benefit for all

Q:  Sustainable tourism certification is a current top subject, there are a plethora of options, what is your view?

HERBERT HAMELE:

To the sustainable tourism certificates out there this is not new:  altogether the 100 certificates worldwide today have certified about 20.000 tourism services and businesses , tour operators and destinations in many countries. Not yet a big choice to millions of travellers which would like to name themselves as “responsible”. But always enough to raise their visibility as good as possible to responsible tour operators and travelers – so that they can at least have a look whether there is a better choice available in their destination of interest.

GORDON SILLENCE:

Certification is a positive process that leads to greater detailed understanding of the practical implementation of SD, improved transparency, and a common view of what sustainability means. I believe its main value is in greening supply chains, the development of green public procurement, and builid regional sustainability clusters at this point in time. We are far away from certification which the average tourist would recognize and react upon with their wallets, but b to b or b to g (business to government) certification is almost essential if we are really making the move to SCP, as Rio+20 again endorses.

Q: Destinet aims to be a major communication network for sustainable tourism, how is it progressing?

HERBERT HAMELE

The independent DestiNet portal, administrated by Ecotrans, gives easy and free access to all 100+  ST certificates and to eco-certified tourism world wide. Each hotel or camping site, tourism attraction or tour operator on the global DestiNet Market Place is linked with its certificate, very helpful for those who want to know more about e.g. the environmental  criteria or the control system – including the certificates themselves who want to learn from each other to become – altogether – more stronger and efficient!

GORDON SILLENCE:

I”ve been in the ICT  development game for 25 years now, and it has been a rapidly shifting playing field in which the DestiNet design interface is been constantly upgraded according to the latest technical options, where our main problem is trying to make the complex nature of ST simple to deal with on screen.  What we have created with very limited resources is a multi-stakeholder input CMS  for use by tourism professionals.  The FAST-LAIN and Ecolnet projects have demonstrated that it has now become a usable tool a that can be used at a local, regional, national or international level as an on-line office for project collaborators, a quality assessed expert ST knowledge base, a good practice exchange system, a decentralized tourism sustainability monitoring and reporting management system, and above all an independent  global sustainable tourism market place. I think that is progress, but we need to go further, and to do that we need a stronger partnership to bring DestiNet to its full potential – ie a freely available, web2 cloud-based tool that engages tourism professionals in the culture of information collaboration so they can deal with the multi-stakeholder, multi-topic, multi-level and multi-place complexity that is overloading almost every organisation and its staff that I know of at the moment.

Q: What will happen now for the successful VESTA awards?

HERBERT HAMELE:

Vision & Ecotrans are now starting a promotion campaign: every week another certificate

• Which role play climate change, biodiversity, regional, slow, less, … in their certification standards? (Interview)
• Which businesses the have certified and where are they? (map)
• Which exemplary businesses stand for the “efficiency” of their certification program?
• Sustainable and responsible tourism: What makes them cry?

GORDON SILLENCE:

The success of the VESTAs was that we were able to demonstrate a world first at ITB 2011 – ie  real examples of elements in a green tourism value chain addressing the ke challenges of sustainable tourism development.  Everybody talking about the Green Economy should sit up and take notice of that. I would like to see the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism pick up the VESTAS and give it sufficient resources to run the VISTAS version, so that we can have a global award with global impact.

More information at: DESTINET

Valere Tjolle

On Friday 22 June, heads of state and government signed an agreement on sustainable development called ‘The Future We Want’. This was not as ambitious as the EU had been pressing for and did not include detailed Sustainable Development Goals with fixed deadlines or numbers. Nonetheless, the European Union (EU) managed to get some goals into the final text. It is hoped that these preliminary targets will form the basis for further negotiation within the UN.

On the proposal to make the United Nations Environment Programme a full UN organisation (in line with the World Health Organisation and others) it was instead agreed to strengthen UNEP. This includes universal membership of UNEP – meaning that all countries are now UNEP members.

Another notable step in the right direction was the adoption of the global 10-year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production. The UN failed to reach agreement in this area in 2011.

The agreement also noted the importance of ‘green economy’, an important objective for EU negotiators during the Rio+20 summit:

…we consider green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication as one of the important tools available for achieving sustainable development and that it could provide options for policy making but should not be a rigid set of rules (paragraph 56).

Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director said: “For the first time, governments recognised the importance of green economy as well as the need for knowledge and information. This is good news, but it is only the start – we need to turn this recognition into real environmental improvements.”

The European Environment Agency in Rio

During the Rio summit, the EEA successfully pushed for the meeting to recognise the importance of environmental data and information and information sharing. Access to information appears six times in the text. The EEA’s ambitious information sharing network, Eye on Earth, was also mentioned in the final agreement (paragraph 274).

Eye on Earth was also named as one of the Sustainia 100 global sustainable solutionsat a side event in Rio on 20 June. The Sustainia 100 solutions were presented at a ceremony attended by Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, sustainability legend Gro Harlem Brundtland, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chair Rajendra K. Pachauri and EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard.

The jury assessed three different areas. They considered cities’ overall environmental commitment, vision and enthusiasm. Cities also had to demonstrate that they had communicated these issues to their citizens and with other local groups. Lastly, the jury also considered how each city could act as a role model for other cities with similar conditions.

The jury noted that Copenhagen is an excellent role model for its approach to urban planning. In 2010, 35 % of citizens were already cycling to their place of work or education, which the municipality hopes to increase to 50% in 2015, contributing towards the ambitious goal of becoming CO₂ neutral by 2025. Other plans to reduce emissions include using more sources of renewable energy for the city’s existing district heating system.

Environmentally-conscious planning has been demonstrated to have many health benefits. Copenhagen now has an official municipal policy stipulating that by 2015 all citizens should be able to reach a park or beach on foot in less than 15 minutes. In line with this policy, several new parks are under development in areas lacking green spaces.

The Danish capital has worked with green companies, universities and organisations in order to boost eco-innovation and sustainable employment. Successful communication efforts mean the environment is not just seen as a municipal concern, according to the jury, Copenhageners feel they are part of the solution.

Frankfurt, as one of the runners-up, has also achieved a great deal, according to the jury. Total volumes of waste have been decreasing for years. Environmental campaigns in areas like water and electricity have also led to reductions in water and electricity consumption beyond the national average.

The Jury was impressed by Frankfurt’s commitment to improve energy efficiency with a range of policies. All new buildings in Frankfurt must be ‘passive’, i.e. meet strict standards for energy use. The city is bringing in an ambitious Green Public Procurement policy, especially in the building sector. Frankfurt banned the use of tropical timber in 1999 and the use of PVC is also forbidden.

Bristol has ambitious targets to cut CO₂, which go further than those of the EU and UK. The city aims to reduce emissions by 40% by 2020 and by 80% by 2050 from a 2005 baseline. Another commendable example was Bristol’s policy on clean air and noise: the city has one of the most comprehensive air quality monitoring networks in the UK and has plans to manage transport to further improve the situation.

The jury noted that the city has mobilised many thousands of people through volunteering schemes, e-petitions, online discussions and collaborations with many different community organisations.

Cities and the environment

Approximately three quarters of Europeans live in cities. The high concentration of people in urban areas can put intense pressures on the local environment. Cities also affect the environment much further afield – the average urban lifestyle in Europe directly and indirectly uses water, energy, resources and land. One study of Greater London estimated London’s environmental footprint to be 300 times its geographical area — corresponding to nearly twice the size of the entire UK.

However, the three Green Capital Award finalists all demonstrate that cities are also places where it is possible to make big environmental gains. For example, the high concentration of people and services means that public transport often works very efficiently, while people are more likely to cycle or walk to their local shops instead of driving. Per capita energy use is usually lower in city apartment blocks compared to dispersed rural dwellings.

Cities are also engines of cultural, financial and intellectual activity, driving new innovations which are essential for responding to Europe’s environmental challenges.

But Europe’s cities are also vulnerable to environmental shocks. A recent European Environment Agency report explored the risks from climate change, finding city dwellers were particularly vulnerable to some risks such as heatwaves and urban flooding.

Under the NEC Directive, countries were obliged, by 2010, to meet ‘ceilings’ for four important air pollutants: nitrogen oxides (NO_X), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and ammonia (NH₃). These pollutants are harmful to both people and the environment, causing respiratory illnesses, acidifying soil and surface water, and damaging vegetation.

Since 2001, Member States have been working towards meeting these ceilings. Today’s publication of official 2010 data from Member States is the first time that those efforts can be measured against the legally binding targets. The findings, based on official preliminary data for 2010 reported by Member States, confirm EEA’s early analysis made in February 2012. Final emissions data for 2010 will be reported by countries at the end of this year.

“All these pollutants contribute to poor air quality, which damages people’s health and the environment,” EEA Executive Director Jacqueline McGlade said. “We should also note that 2010 was a recession year in much of Europe. As emissions can rebound during periods of economic recovery, countries need to make positive efforts to limit any increase of emissions in the future.”

Key findings

• Nitrogen oxide (NO_x) limits were exceeded most frequently, with 12 Member States failing to keep emissions below agreed ceilings. These were Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
• Road transport contributes approximately 40 % of total NO_x emissions in the EU. Reductions of NO_X from this sector over the last two decades have been lower than originally anticipated, according to the report. This is partly because transport has grown more than expected, and partly because the real-world emissions from diesel vehicles are higher than those estimated when the vehicle emission limit standards were set.
• A lot of progress has been made in reducing sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions in recent decades. SO₂ emissions in the EU were more than 40% below the EU’s ceiling for this pollutant, and no Member States exceeded their SO₂ ceiling.
• Spain was the only Member State to report exceeding three of its four emission ceilings (NO_X, NMVOC, NH₃), followed by Germany (NO_X, NMVOC) and Finland (NO_X, NH₃) with two exceedances each.
• The EU also has emissions ceilings under the NEC Directive, one being the sum of the individual Member States’ ceilings for each pollutant, while the second is a stricter, specific ceiling for the EU as a whole. Of these, the two EU ceilings for NO_xwere both exceeded, albeit the first by only a small margin.

Coming up…

During summer 2012, the EEA will publish data presenting long term emission trends of air pollutants within the EU’s annual report to the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). Later in the year the EEA will also publish a separate analysis showing to what extent the original objectives in the NEC Directive –  protecting human health and environment – have been achieved.

The European Commission is currently reviewing the European Union’s air quality policy, and, amongst other initiatives, is expected to propose a revised NEC Directive in 2013 at the latest. A revised directive will build on the findings of the policy review and is likely to set objectives for 2020 and beyond for relevant air pollutants.  In the absence of new legislation, however, the NEC Directive remains in force and requires countries to keep emissions below national ceilings in the years beyond 2010.

I remember pitching a column idea to some editors a few years ago, on one of those “if you don”t ask you don”t get” sort of days. It had the working title of “The People I Meet”. My aim was to get human stories onto the travel pages and, in the process, create a consumer awareness of responsible tourism without labelling it such. So many people get uptight about terminology linked to the responsible tourism movement but my feeling is that, call it what you will, it always comes back to people.

Predictably I received several polite “no thanks” to the pitch, but the one which stood out was from a leading broadsheet which just said “We and our readers want to read about places, not people. If you could get an interview with Richard Branson, however, we might run it”.

So, I put the idea to bed for a while, and in my own way, still try to incorporate the people I meet into my travel features. For example, Ben Llongisa, the Maasai elder whom I met a few years ago and who, against all odds, has created a lodge to host tourists in his village of Enkereri in Kenya ( see the video thanks to The Travel Foundation ). I remember one of the editor”s arguments against “people stories” was that they don”t sellholidays and, in an effort to keep their sponsors and advertisers happy, they need to talk about the place first and foremost. However, ever since leaving home at eighteen, it has so often been people who have lead me to a place, not effusive editorial or “on brand” marketing campaigns. In fact, it was hearing a Maasai elder speak at WTM about how they just “needed a voice” that made me want to go to Kenya in the first place.

Christine Kieffer, donkey conservationist and mountain guide shows us our route through The Alpes – to be led by one of her donkeys

Of course, I accept that not every traveller wants to holiday in order to “give people a voice” or indeed, an ear. But I do believe that people”s stories do often influence our travel choices. The success of the much missed BBC Radio Four”s Excess Baggage or popular books such as A Year in Provence are simple examples of this. Last year we had the honour of hosting Michel Awad in our home, the co-founder of the Siraj Center in Palestine, an interfaith, community based tourism initiative in Palestine, which runs walking and cycling holidays. Michel talked to us about his fascinating organisation, which works closely with the Palestinan Center for Rapprochement Between People, enabling them to partner with many grassroots organisations to discuss and act upon issues such as water distribution and, of course, changing tourists” perceptions about Palestine. Palestine is now at the top of my list of places I hope to visit in the near future, not because of a PR pitch or an alluring article, but because I met a lovely person doing extraordinary work there. I will certainly be needing a people-phile editor to commission that one as the stories will, hopefully, be worthy of a weighty word count.

It was a great relief, therefore, that humans were being put back in the heart of tourism at the recent Tourism Industry and Human Rights meeting in London, co-hosted by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) and Tourism Concern . Speakers from the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, Water Aid , International Business Leaders Forum , Minority Rights Group , and the the International Labour Organisation (ILO) all agreed that human rights issues have been at the top of corporate agendas in other industry sectors for a long time now, and that tourism has a lot of catching up to do. Not for the want of trying, I am sure Tourism Concern wanted to shout out, the charity which has been putting people first for a long time now, and giving a voice to many people who wouldn”t have had a hope in hell of being heard in the past.

Zinaib, a Berber woman, teaches me the basics of weaving in Morocco

In other industries, speakers reminded us, the commercialisation of an industry needs to take into account all the costs involved and a true analysis of the social, or human cost should take place in tourism destinations as well. There was a lot of talk about UN Guiding Principles, endorsed in June 2011, which outline how States and businesses should implement the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework in order to better manage business and human rights challenges. So, do destinations which are marketing themselves for tourism protect their country from human rights abuses by travel companies, for example? Secondly, adhering to the corporate responsibility to respect human rights in all tourism activities, and then thirdly, providing greater access to victims to seek a remedy for any injuries resulting from human rights abuses.

The tourism industry was also being urged to get a system of due diligence in place quickly if they were to play ethical catch up. What are the country”s human rights risks, are you linked to them in any way, how transparent are you being about these risks, and do you have adequate remedies available when, as one human rights expert stated ” when bad things happen” ? Tourism businesses were being advised to “stop being the experts and go out and see what people think on the ground – not just once, but often, as human rights issues change all the time – and if you don”t engage you won”t know”. We are not just talking about the Burmas and Balis either here. This could involve child sex tourism in Eastern Europe, inhumane working conditions in the UK hospitality sector, or people displacement in Scotland in the name of a golf course . And if, as a tourism organisation, you are super proactive in the area of remedying some of these issues, then these are stories you might want to shout about. And hopefully, if any editors out there don”t want to shy away from the human element in tourism, I can then share.

David Job, owner of Yarde Orchard eco bunkhouse and cafe on North Devon's Tarka Trail

By writing about people who are creating a force for change in tourism, we can not only assist them in seeking remedy, but we can also simply remind tourists that human beings and their homes are central to our holidays. I stayed at a Cretan house a few years ago, and we invited our hosts in for a bottle of wine on the first night. A bottle of home made wine they had been kind enough to give us, by the way. In spite of our language barriers, we enjoyed the wine, more wine, songs, laughs and warmth. And then more wine. When we left, our host told us we were the first UK family in twenty years of hosting, to invite him and his family in. This is far from a human rights issue, but for that human, it was certainly a big issue. If it is this hard for us to even say “hi” on holiday, then we have a long way to go before we hear the real stories behind the smiles. But, we have to start somewhere.

Catherine Mack writes Ethical Traveller . Follow her on http://www.twitter.com/catherinemack

The Staff Attorney position will focus on REDD+, expanding on our existing work to ensure that safeguards to protect rights and biodiversity are implemented effectively. In particular, the attorney will work to assist forest-dependent communities in defending their rights, which builds on the program’s long standing commitment to making international law and legal tools accessible to peoples and communities affected by REDD+ activities. Given the cross-cutting nature of REDD+ work, there will be many opportunities for the attorney to collaborate with CIEL’s other programs. Responsibilities will include: (1) providing legal and policy analyses and other technical support; (2) preparing reports, briefing notes and other documents; (3) organizing workshops; (4) drafting complaints or other materials required to support community advocacy efforts; (5) international travel; and (6) undertaking other programmatic work as assigned. The core objectives of CIEL’s Climate Change Program include: strengthening the system of global climate governance, ensuring strong and effective safeguards in REDD+ implementation efforts, addressing the human rights implications of climate change; and accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels.

This is an exciting opportunity for an attorney who has experience in international environmental law and policy and who has a background and interest in working with local communities and coalitions. Minimum qualifications for the position include: two to five years of relevant experience; exceptional research, writing, and communication skills; and a demonstrated history of working with a diverse range of people and groups. Experience with REDD+ issues and proficiency in Spanish is preferred. The position description is located on the following page, and salary is commensurate with experience.

CIEL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and is an equal opportunity employer offering an informal, friendly, and fun work environment with excellent benefits.

Location: The position is based in Washington, D.C. and requires frequent international travel. We could, in exceptional circumstances, consider a Geneva-based position.

To Apply: Please send a resume, cover letter, two references, and a writing sample toinfo@ciel.org (include “Climate Change Program Staff Attorney” in the subject line). The writing sample should represent the applicant’s original writing.

Application Deadline: Position open until filled; we will consider applications as they arrive and begin conducting interviews in early July, 2012.

The World Bank is expected next week to finalise a US$18 million agreement with Sri Lanka Tourism for a project on sustainable tourism development, officials say..

This comes in the wake of a number of discussions and meetings conducted between the institution and the Tourism Ministry and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) since 2009.

Funding is provided through an International Development Association (IDA) credit facility of US$18 million equivalent with a maturity period of 20 years and a grace period of 10 years. The project is aimed at strengthening the institutional framework for the tourism sector to facilitate environmentally and socially sound investments, in particular in eastern Sri Lanka.

Sources said previously World Bank officials had been concerned over the continued delays and lack of adequately qualified personnel to man the team involved in this project from the government. This comes in the wake of the Tourism Authority that possessed the technical capability being sidelined and ministry-appointed personnel replacing the former; however access to senior ministry officials continued to be a stumbling block in the project’s progress.

The financing agreement for the project was signed in January 2010 after the pledge was made in 2009. Since then there were several persons assigned by the government to head the project as at least two of the project directors had stepped down, sources said. Due to the delay in obtaining approvals from the ministry and even regarding procurement the government”s disinterest had led to this project to be held back for quite some time, sources observed.

World Bank authorities had in fact requested that this project be handed back to the Tourism Authority with the ministry acting as the monitoring agent during progress, sources said. This project involves the World Bank providing technical assistance and funding to all institutions including the Tourism Ministry enabling them to improve their overall efficiency and efficacy.

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Accor claims to be the world”s largest provider of hotel rooms with around 40,000 new rooms added each year. The group has announced it is taking action to ensure that this business growth does not lead to an unhealthy drain on the planet.

Accor aims to involve its 4,400 hotels and millions of guests in PLANET 21, an innovative new sustainable development program.

The PLANET 21 strategy includes 21 areas of activity within the business, each with a policy for improvement and goals to achieve by 2015.

The program embraces a broad range of sustainable development issues including carbon emissions, energy and water use, biodiversity, local development, and health & wellbeing.

Targets to be met by 2015 include reducing its worldwide CO2 emissions by 10 per cent, reducing water consumption by 15 per cent and cutting energy consumption by 10 per cent in all owned and leased hotels.

One of the important goals of PLANET 21 is the preservation of ecosystems, an activity pioneered by Accor through its reforestation program. Two million trees, it says, have already been replanted, funded by savings in laundry bills as a result of the informed choices made by guests and employees alike.

The Accor Group established an Environment department in 1994, and has since adopted many methods to aid the development of local communities and reduce the environmental footprint of its hotels.

With PLANET 21, Accor says it is is deepening its determination to put sustainability at the heart of its operations. With the contribution made by their guests, the hotels participate directly in protecting their environment and the development of local communities.

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The spectacular 'lunar rainbow' cuts through the mist given off by Victoria Falls.

From the airport, we head straight to Victoria Falls, one of the world’s greatest waterfalls, and immediately glimpse the famous rainbow over the spray that rises several dozen metres above the wide Zambezi River.

The sheer width and height of the falls (1,708 metres and 108 metres, respectively), along with the enormous volume of water cascading down, are an breathtaking spectacle. Taking in the falls, framed against the deep blue, cloudless sky – an awesome spectacle of nature – I am certain that the sight will stay with me forever.

Rainbows and Moonbows over the Smoke That Thunders

The Victoria Falls are known to the locals as Mosi-oa-Tunya (“Smoke That Thunders”) and thunder they certainly do! As we make our way down a walkway facing the falls, we are alternately kissed by gentle droplets of mists rising from the gorge below and soaked by each unexpected gust of wind.

From our perch on the Zambian side, the falls produce the most dazzling rainbows, one of nature’s many exquisite phenomena that occur when the spray catches the reflection of the sun’s rays. But the Victoria Falls are also one of the very few and special places on the earth where a once-a-month moonbow, or lunar rainbow, occurs around the full moon. This unique event is visible the days before, during and after a full moon, when the light of the moon is refracted through the mists. The park stays open late during these three days to allow visitors to witness this amazing and mystical happening.

The ‘Mama Out of Africa’ has a stunning Zambezi-side location and a fascinating history, having driven across the continent to its resting place in Livingstone, Zambia, and even serving as a dressing room for actors in the film Out of Africa. Photo courtesy of Andie K. Amend

The View ‘Out of Africa’

Livingstone is a busy and bustling African town, and the locals create a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. We’ve picked one of the more unique Livingstone accommodations, an unconventional hideaway known as Mama Out of Africa. Lying right on the banks of the river under a huge sloping thatch roof, it’s an old bus, now in its final resting place, that has been converted into lodging for two to four people.

Originally known as the ‘Okavango Mama,’ the bus has an interesting history. Driven in from Munich, Germany, in the 1970s by Peter Kermer, it travelled many miles across Africa and once even served as a dressing room on the set of the famous movie Out of Africa. Kermer, still the owner, covered the vehicle with the thatched roof and added an outside bathroom, seating area and game-viewing platform. The ‘Mama’ endearment stuck, though her name has now been slightly adapted to her illustrious connections in the movie industry.

Well, if Meryl and Robert could do it, so can we! We settle down happily with a sundowner on the deck, literally metres from the swirling waters of the Zambezi, about 280 metres wide at this point. On the opposite banks, impala come down to drink. Slowly the sounds of the African night surround us: the shriek of a startled bird, the cackle of a hyena or a jackal. As the sun sets, we hear a fish eagle nearby, and hippos grunt contentedly just down the river.

Abbie Leraar, a visitor from the UK, sits with Tchungu and Simba after a walk with them on a game reserve near Livingstone, Zambia. Photo courtesy of Lindy Nauta

Local Animal Encounters

Right on Livingstone’s doorstep are several game reserves, where breeding projects allow visitors up-close-and-personal encounters with cheetahs, lions, elephants and crocodiles. Of course, heedless of reserve borders, elephants often wander through town, while local residents patiently wait for these huge mammals to cross the road. Elephants are known sometimes to create a bit of havoc in gardens of the lodges and homes along the river. The night before we arrived, in fact, a herd helped itself to the vegetables in the patch behind our lodge!

Our first organised adventure is walking with lions and cheetahs! We find Simba and Tchungu, two enormous lions, one white and one tawny, lazily eyeing us as we approach. Ranger Ian Ngwenya introduces us to them, and to the two experienced handlers who will walk with us. The handlers are clearly much loved by the 14-month-old lions and are considered ‘part of the pride.’ As Ian, who hand-reared them as cubs, proudly puts it, “I am their mother!”

The magnificent animals are part of a carefully monitored program to reintroduce lions into their native Zambian habitat, where their numbers have dwindled by up to 80 percent in certain areas. By the time the cubs reach the age of three, they are released into a large holding area and learn to fend for themselves without human help. Their offspring will be totally wild, though, taught life skills exclusively by their parents. These offspring are the ones that are eventually reintroduced into the planned 80,000-hectare Mukuni Game Reserve just north of Livingstone, as well as other areas in Zambia.

Simba is one of two white lions at Mukuni, and only one of about 300 white lions in Southern Africa. He and his sister Luba are originally from the Timbavati, from which most of the white lions come. They joined the Mukuni lion project as three-month-old, white, woolly balls of fluff, and settled in happily with mummy Ian and his handlers.

Judith Chongo of Wild Side Safaris in Livingstone, Zambia, plays with Tshungu at a lion breeding program. Photo courtesy of Lindy Nauta

When we’re ready to begin our walk, Simba and Tchungu get up slowly from their comfortable resting places, stretch languidly and amble off with our small group into the bush. Each of us has been given nothing more than a stick with which to distract the lions in case they get a touch overenthusiastic. They ramble alongside us, climbing into trees, pushing each other and playing, sinking their impressive incisors into each other’s fur. We are amazed that we are so close, much more accustomed to the lofty security of a sturdy vehicle.

When the lions flop down for a little rest, we are encouraged to touch them, always approaching from behind. After the first hesitant pat, we relax. We are even allowed to scratch Tchungu’s tummy – soft, wobbly and covered with downy hair. But they don’t like their paws tickled, we are told, so we wisely stay away from those!

After some time, we bid our new best friends a fond goodbye and find three eager cheetahs awaiting their turn for walks. Unlike the lions, each cheetahs wears a collar and we are given turns walking with them. We are told to let the cheetahs lead us, not the other way around. Graceful, purring loudly and without batting their beautiful eyelashes, they show us the way.

These three felines are part of the Mukuni Big 5 Cheetah Breeding Program. The cheetah population once moved freely all around Zambia, but is now on the brink of near-extinction. The breeding program improves the cat population by reintroducing young cheetahs into Zambia’s national parks and conservancies.

The author, Lindy Nauta, poses with with the handsome McGuyster, a cheetah in the Mukuni Big 5 Cheetah Breeding Program near Livingstone, Zambia. Photo courtesy of Judith Chongo

Lisa, one of the two female cheetahs taking us for a walk, is rather partial to the menfolk among us and makes no bones about her dislike of fellow females of any species. The handsome McGuyster on the other hand, fierce and proud, is very happy to have a female hanging on to his lead and steps up the pace when he feels like it. He poses beautifully with us and I am lucky to get a quick kiss on my cheek! I am smitten.

Real African Adventures

In addition to its wildlife attractions, Zambia is famous as the Adventure Capital of Africa. Extreme activities are popular, including bungee jumping into the swirling gorges below the falls, hurtling down the Zembezi’s rapids in sturdy inflatable rafts and swimming in the Devil’s Armchair right on the lip of the falls.

Eager to experience some of this adventure ourselves, we take a boat to Livingstone Island, where we are told to swim out to some rocks and clamber over them. That’s how we end up near a gurgling rock pool no more than five metres from the very edge of the falls!

“Just jump in,” instructs our guide. What? We look at each other, aghast. Nobody told us about this! One of the group, the most courageous, takes a leap, disappears into the churning water and resurfaces with a huge grin on his face. I close my eyes, say a quick little prayer and jump, popping up immediately. I happily join the others on a rocky ledge, now just an arm’s length from the 400-metre drop into the gorge below.

Swimming on the edge of the Victoria Falls, Zambia, a mere metre away from a 400-metre drop. Photo courtesy of Lindy Nauta

We behave like children, pushing and pulling each other, laughing and grinning and posing for pictures. The guide lets us lie on our stomachs and, while he holds our ankles, peep over the edge. Now this is something I never imagined seeing – a waterfall from this angle!

We round off our stay with yet another stunning sunset, this time from the decks of the African Queen, where we settle in with our drinks and snacks. We’re still full of the day’s adventures and the many firsts that we’ve experienced on our short stay in Zambia.

We are sad to leave this magical part of Africa. But the sounds, the smells and the sights will stay with us – and will no doubt bring us back!

For more information on travel in Zambia, check in with the whl.travel local connection, Wildside Tours.

New Orleans has several green options where lodging is concerned. The first, and most commonly utilized option, is the green hotel. The International House Hotel is certified green by the “Green Hotel Association”. The Astor Crowne Plaza is also considered a green option. Otherwise you could camp out under the stars or rent a cabin for an alternative New Orleans experience.

Eating local produce is a great way to help New Orleans businesses and also helps you to experience the foods of the residents. Many great seafood restaurants serve only gulf coast seafood and produce. In the French Quarter, a farmer’s market is open daily from 10am to 6pm. Other farmer’s markets are available over the weekends. Buying locally means less transport which in turn means lower fossil fuel usage.

New Orleans French Quarter

When touring the city, the best way to stay green is by taking a walking tour. Not only is it more eco-friendly than taking a bus, it is also cheaper and more enjoyable. This way at least, instead of driving past the French Quarter or St Louis Cemetery, you can actually stop and look at the things that interest you, you can walk amongst the locals and enjoy the atmosphere of New Orleans. Of course, if walking isn’t your cup of tea you can cycle or even ride a Segway.  Getting around town is another big obstacle when considering carbon footprints. Walking, riding a bike or driving a hybrid car can make a huge difference. Five different retailers, including Bike NOLA in the French Quarter, rent bikes out  in the area. Hybrid cars can be rented at Avis Car Rental. Scooter rentals, available at Big Easy Scooters are another green option.

Going on vacation doesn’t have to mean throwing away your commitment to your planet. A green vacation is entirely possible. Taking these small steps can make a huge difference in the carbon footprint left behind.

The International Tourism Partnership (ITP) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in collaboration with 23 leading global hospitality companies, have launched a way to calculate and communicate the carbon footprint of hotel stays and meetings in a consistent and transparent way.

The group saw an opportunity to improve how the hotel industry communicates its impacts. Currently, approaches to measuring and reporting on carbon emissions vary widely. This can lead to confusion amongst consumers, particularly corporate clients, looking to understand their own potential carbon footprint and meet their own goals/targets in this area. In addition, the number of methodologies and tools in use make transparency of reporting within the hotel industry difficult to achieve.

The methodology, named “HCMI 1.0″, launched today is a consolidated move, led by the hotel industry, to establish a global standardised approach to this common problem for the hotel sector and its corporate customer base.

It was informed by the GHG Protocol Standards, was first developed in 2011 and has since been tested in hotels of different style and size in different geographical locations and refined through a stakeholder engagement process, with input from consultants KPMG. It has also been reviewed by the World Resources Institute.

HCMI demonstrates how effective collaboration can provide solutions which benefit customers, individual companies, and wider industry. Through common measurement and language, stakeholders will now be able to greater understand their footprints and impacts.

David Scowsill, President & CEO of WTTC said, “WTTC has long been advocating that industry speaks with “one voice”. Through this initiative we have seen major hotel companies come together to agree a means of communicating carbon impacts which ultimately will result in more transparency and clarity for the consumer. HCMI has broken new ground in its industry driven approach and I congratulate the companies involved on their leadership in ensuring this important initiative comes to fruition. We expect this industry common language to be widely used within the next two years.”

Stephen Farrant, Director of ITP said, “This has been a model of competitive collaboration that may serve as a useful template for other industry sectors to learn from in addressing the challenges of carbon management. It is inspiring to see so many leading hotel companies across the industry working together over so many months to make this unique and ground-breaking initiative a reality.”

Yvo de Boer, KPMG Special Global Advisor, Climate Change & Sustainability, added, “Carbon measurement is one of the key challenges of our time and the myriad of systems to measure and report carbon usage, particularly in the hotel sector, results in confusion and scepticism amongst consumers. This initiative to ensure that hotels are aligned in their approach to carbon measurement is a vital step in addressing the challenge.”

The Working Group comprises of leading international hotel companies such as Accor, Beijing Tourism Group, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Diamond Resorts International, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Worldwide, Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels, Hyatt Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Jumeirah Group, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Marriott International Inc, Meli Hotels International, MGM Resorts International, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Orient-Express Hotels Ltd, Pan Pacific Hotel Group, Premier Inn – Whitbread Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, TUI AG, Wyndham Worldwide.

The priority for the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative will be to maximise the take up and recognition of the methodology by a broader range of hotels and their customers. A review process has been put in place to ensure the methodology may be further refined as user feedback and new research come to light. dressing the Challenge”.

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