Green Travel & Holidays

Green Travel

Let Employees Work Close to Home

Commuting though traffic not only wastes your time but also the planet's fuel. So the solutions are either moving closer to the office or possibly moving the office closer to home!

Do your work for a large company, store or bank that has many branches? Many of us do not work in the closest branch to our home. Why not ask to be transferred? Escaping the rush-hour traffic is its own reward. For the same pay and the same job, who wouldn't want a shorter commute?

Choosing a Home Location

When moving home, look carefully at reducing travel distances: to work, to schools and to the shops.

Use Greener Transport

Overhaul your company logistics, rental cars and transporters. Go out to tender again letting potential suppliers know that you will select based on the most eco-friendly solution. What engines are in their trucks? How well are they maintained? How far from your locations are they?

Don't Drive Alone

The next time you get behind the wheel of your car, turn to the passenger seat. Chances are, it's empty. In most of the U.S., the single-occupant driver still reigns supreme. Nearly 80% of people drive to work alone; about 38% drive alone in general. In some places, that's starting to change. As part of its Clean Air Act, Washington State appealed to business with incentives to encourage employees to drive less or at least stop driving alone.

A state tax credit benefits companies that encourage their employees to carpool, ride the bus, walk or bike to work, or work a compressed workweek. The result: about 20,000 fewer vehicle trips each morning since the program started in 1991, saving commuters $13.7 million and 5.8 million gallons of gas, and reducing 78,000 tons of air pollutants and CO₂-equivalent gases.

Check your Tyres

So you own a non-hybrid, gas guzzler and can't afford (or can't wait for) a hybrid. Now what? Just giving your engine a tune-up can improve gas mileage 4% and often much more. Replacing a clogged air filter can boost efficiency 10%. And keeping tires properly inflated can improve gas mileage more than 3%. The bottom line? If you can boost your gas mileage from 20 to 24 m.p.g., your old heap will put 100 fewer kgs of CO₂ into the atmosphere each year.

Take Fewer Right Turns (unless you are in USA!)

Try to review the regular routes you take either for your companies routes or for your private trips. Reducing the number of turns across traffic does help reduce emissions:the time spent idling, waiting to turn against oncoming traffic, burns fuel.

United Parcel Service took a detour to the right on its way to curb CO₂ emissions. In 2004, UPS announced that its drivers would avoid making left turns. The time spent idling while waiting to turn against oncoming traffic burns fuel and costs millions each year. A software program maps a customized route for every driver to minimize lefts.

In metro New York, UPS reduced CO₂ emissions by 1,000 metric tons from Jan-Mar 2007. Today 83% of UPS facilities are heading in the right direction; within two years, the policy will be adopted nationwide.

Let the AA plan your Route On-line

The AA map finder is a great tool to find an economical route.

Green Holidays

Eco-Tourism

Eco-Tourism was initially used to describe nature-based travel to relatively undisturbed areas with an emphasis on education. It is aimed at individuals who want to understand and preserve the planet's natural beauty and support the developement of tourism which is profitable without damaging the environment.

It is often described as 'responsible, respectful, reasonable, and rational' tourism.

The Threshold Centre is new, non-profit project to create a community space, affordable housing and eco-B&B facilities from old farm buildings in a quiet setting on the south edge of Gillingham, Dorset, UK. trekking The centre holds courses on cohousing, community building, holistic health, creative ageing, Taize singing, etc.

Visit Low-Impact eco-travel links including events & eco-holidays.

Looking for an eco-friendly retreat? World-wide holistic spas could be the answer.

The UK Travel Directory has a useful page on eco-tourism sites.

The Sustainable Tourism Unit has news, events and activities.

Why not go to Snowdonia and while there visit CAT Visitor Centre: a great day out for the family.

A retreat village of jaw-droppingly beautiful low-impact buildings is well worth a visit if you can get to Cae Mabon at the foot of Snowdon (north-west Wales).

For eco-friendly hotels and spas, see our green hotels section, or more green UK accomodation.

Top Tips While In the Great Outdoors

Unfortunately, people are not always good stewards of our natural world. Overfishing and overhunting can disrupt a habitat's balance. Mountain bikes and horseback riders can alter the landscape. Even hiking and camping leave their mark. Here are our top guidelines every outdoor enthusiast should try to follow while enjoying the best that nature has to offer.

Plan ahead. Camping or hiking responsibly requires knowing the environment you'll be occupying ? including marked trails, designated campgrounds, animals you may encounter, and more. Be prepared!
Stay the course. If you're hiking in a muddy area, it's easy to create secondary paths as you try to sidestep the wet stuff. Avoid this by walking on rocks or logs. If you have no other choice, stay on the designated trail and walk through the mud. Use an existing campsite. Don't create a new campsite when you can use an existing one.
Keep fires small. Most areas have rules about how big your campfire can be. You can minimize your fire by using smaller pieces of wood.
Think reusable and clean up. Pack your food in reusable, collapsible containers instead of taking along disposable boxes and cans, and leave your campsite clean for the next group.
Don't bother wildlife. Aside from the fact that some animals can hurt you, you could also disrupt mating or nesting seasons. Feeding wildlife is always a bad idea. Once wild animals associate food with humans, a dangerous situation is created for both groups.
Make sure you obey the wildlife code: follow fire regulations; leave your pets at home; leave flowers, birds' eggs, logs and bush rocks where you find them; put your rubbish in a bin or, better still, take it home.

Fly Less

Until we have Star Trek transporters, the only way to travel long distance is by carbon-spewing jet airliner. One simple change can help: adjust the exit and entry points each nation sets for its airspace so that planes can fly in as straight a line as possible.

Last year the International Air Transport Association negotiated a more direct route from China to Europe that shaved an average 30 minutes off flight time, eliminating 84,800 metric tons of CO₂ annually. Unifying European airspace as a "single sky" could cut fuel use up to 12%.

Pilots could also change the way they fly. Abrupt drops in altitude waste fuel, so experts are advocating "continuous descent" until the plane reaches the runway where it could be towed instead of burning fuel while taxiing. Of course, the best way to reduce plane emissions is to fly less: at least until Scotty can "Beam us up"!

Choose a Green Airline

Let GreenQuest know if you fly a more eco-friendly airline than Virgin. In February 2007, Richard Branson and Al Gore launched the climate initiative. Millions of pounds are on offer for the person who comes up with the best way of removing significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Virgin are also taking other initiatives in reducing taxiing with engines running, so if you have to fly, be ethical in your choice.