Families looking for Eco-Friendly Travel

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More families want to get away on eco-friendly breaks, according to an expert, who believes that travel companies still need to be doing more to market low-carbon trips. Laura Greenman, director of Ecoescape, said that at the moment more people are trying to get away on family breaks which do not impact negatively on the surrounding environment.

“There are many great options for sustainable holidays” she stated.

Ms Greenman added that the tourism industry should always be looking for ways to offer green breaks and make this appealing to the mass market.

Over in Australia, the Samurai Beach Resort is leading the way in environmental sustainability.

The holiday resort is the first accommodation provider in the Hunter to be awarded an advanced Eco Tourism accreditation by Ecotourism Australia.

The accreditation is designed to act as a guide to assist travellers in selecting accommodation that is environmentally sustainable.

Manager Simon Beckett said the accreditation was proof the resort was heading in the right direction.

“We’re really proud of our environmental initiatives,” he said

“We like to think we are leading the charge in eco-friendly accommodation in this region and now we’ve got the certificate to prove it.”

The resort recently planted 275 swamp mahogany trees throughout the resort and adjoining wetlands to boost koala food stocks and also turned its lights off for two hours as part of Earth Hour. It’s reported that this resort is losing $13,000 per week, so we’ll see if these changes are long lasting or not.

-Robert Louis Miller

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Green Living Project and Filming Sustainable Travel

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The indie media production company Green Living Project (GLP) is building a good reputation when it comes to documenting the globe’s sustainable travel sector–covering the best practices in eco-tourism, wildlife conservation, geo-tourism, eco-lodges, community development and education.

The latest location on their push-pin map? Central America–specifically Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. Whether you feel a strong connection to the region or are perhaps curious about the strand of rich, biodiverse countries connecting the Americas, you’ll want to tune in. Wanderlusts like me will delight into the bounty of do-good, low-impact projects and companies to see and support. And the tourism industry will hopefully follow suit!

Fresh from the field, GLP’s journey can be tracked on their blog. From the crews romp at Rios Tropicales, a Costa Rican low-impact river rafting company supporting the sustainable development of a local community, to their flight on Nature Air to destination Leatherback Trust, an organization working to protect the leatherback turtles nesting on the beaches around Playa Grand–it’s an adventurous read chock full of inspiring companies and people making a difference.

“As we document more regional projects across North America, Central America has become a popular request due to it’s close proximity and the breadth and depth of compelling sustainability initiatives,” said Rob Holmes, president of Green Living Project. “These issues along with strong leadership and diversity with these cutting-edge projects means consumers will be very excited to get involved with the projects and visit the featured destinations. Businesses and organizations will also learn first hand about these important best practices with sustainability initiatives…”

Some of the sponsors showing GLP some love and support just happen to be eco-cool too like Nature Air, Rainforest Alliance, Patagonia, and PACT.

Check GLP’s website and Facebook page for ongoing updates and stay tuned for video from their Central American voyage.

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