Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Apr 30

There is so much ‘greenwash’ about these days - how can you be sure you are choosing the right one?

Just searching for ‘eco friendly beach resorts’ or eco friendly family vacations’ on the internet can bring you up websites and resorts that are clearly not eco holidays at all!  They have just made sure that they use the ‘right’ words to get to the top of the search engines.

And even some websites that talk about eco lodges and responsible tourism might not actually have any proof of the ‘green ethics’ of the location.  It may be as simple as that they have recycling bins, wash your sheets less and heat their water using solar power - which is no real struggle if they are based in the tropics anyway!

So, How Can You Tell?
Well, just as with other products available today including electrical appliances, safety gear and organic food - there are certification programs to prove a company’s eco credentials - and to check the properly based on non-flexible criteria.

Rather than somebody reading Eco Friendly Hotel A’s website and then saying - ‘Oh, it’s lovely.  They take all your recycling away, cook only local food and have planted only native plants’, these certification bodies will actually go there and analyse those actions.

For example, they may say they separate all the recycling - but where do they send it and how?  What if they send it all down to their local tip (which may be a ruined piece of forest) or they just burn it on a distant patch of wasteland?

Then the local food could be a problem.  Are they growing crops that are ‘water demanding’ in a dry climate just to please the guests?  Are they catching rare wildlife for the plate, or fishing unsustainably in a polluted or degraded river or lake?  What species are they hunting and are they safe to eat?

By checking for these certifications you will make sure you get the real story.

Why Check For Certification?
Just as with membership to any exclusive club or society, association or certification with a well known responsible tourism or ecotourism body will allow your business to stand out from the crowd.

So, if a company, business, hotel or manufacturer can prove beyond a doubt that their products are certifiably eco friendly (having been tested by experts) then they know that they are among the best eco holidays out there - and have the backing of certification.

This obviously helps you as a consumer to choose the best holiday company or hotel based on your beliefs or desires.  Rather than having to research every hotels website looking for eco friendly attributes - you could just look for the logo that represents what you are hoping to find from your holiday.

For example, 1 logo might mean that the hotel is ‘minimizing their impact on the local environment and protecting wildlife’ (Natures Best), whereas others might be looking at whether a hotel is trying to ’reduce waste, energy consumption, water and facilitate use of public transport (Green Tourism).

Some countries have their own eco labels, whereas other certifications are internationally recognised.

How Does Certification Help?
Well, apart from reducing your holiday search from ‘all the hotels in Argentina that use the word ‘eco holidays’ in their search engine ranking’ to ‘Eco Logo A registered eco hotels in Argentina’, it also means that you will not feel disappointed with your choice of trip upon arrival in terms of responsible or eco traits - but also that you know that you are spending your money on something that really is making a difference to the location and the people that you wish to visit on your trip.

And, if more and more people start to ask for, or search for, those resorts and eco lodges that have these certifications - then more companies will want to become certified to improve their own business.

And, if a company are claiming that they are eco friendly or are ‘one of the best eco lodges in so-and-so’, then why wouldn’t they want to prove that by getting certified?  If they are doing all these things anyway - why not prove it?

Don’t be embarrassed to ask what their eco credentials are before booking.  I mean if you were a vegan and saw a tasty cake for sale - wouldn’t you want to check that it was free from animal products before you ate it?

posted by Catherine on May 28

I was reading about some of the best Eco Lodges in South America, and 1 name kept reappearing.  This relatively inexpensive resort in the Andes seemed to be winning all the awards and getting all the coverage - so I went to find out more.

The Lodge:
Perched on a mountain-side in the Ecuadorian highlands, this rural idyll couldn’t be better located for you to enjoy this great wilderness without leaving a trail of destruction behind you - only a carbon footprint the size of a baby mouse!

Set on the edge of a deep canyon, within site of a great volcano and high mountain peaks and right next to a cloud forest to boot!

One of ‘The Top 50 eco lodges In The World’ as voted by National Geographic in 2009, one of the ‘Top 10 EcoLodges’ by Outside Magazine. ‘Winner’ of the Ecotourism Awards in 2006, ‘Winner’ of the EcoClub’s EcoLodge Awards in both 2006 and 2008, ‘Highly Commended’ as ‘Best In A Mountain Environment’ by the Responsible Tourism Awards in 2005 and ‘Winners’ of the Sustainable Tourism Awards - need I go on?

Year after year through the past 5 years, this resort is getting awards and excellent customer testimonials!  Just check out the website for all the delightful comments this place receives!

What Do They Offer Then?
The website goes into great detail about all of it’s eco-credentials including the composting toilets, community projects and success stories, organic gardens, 100% vegetarian menus, reforestation activities and so much more - all with great photos of the action and those involved.

They even wrote to the Ecuadorian Government outlining 7 ways to promote and strengthen eco tourism in Ecuador, including using the Internet as a powerful tool, developing education in sustainability and conservation as well as improving waste management and finance packages for private eco-companies.

In their extensive and interesting listings, The Black Sheep Inn writers take the time to recommend local events and markets, local scenery and wildlife as well as locally-run activities to all their guests as well as offering discounts and incentive to guests who arrive by bicycle!  Certainly something not everyone can do if travelling direct from the US for example - but I suppose if you spend a night or 2 in a neighbouring village then arrive on a hired two-wheeler - the discount is yours and the money stays in local hands!

You can even take a peak at their inclusive packing list based on local weather and potential excursions for guests to encourage reduced reliance of western necessities and the excesses that we love!

What’s The Catch?
There is no catch - they are exactly what they say they are and years of awards and customers can’t be wrong!

Their prices are very reasonable and start from just $32.50 per person in shared bunk to £160 for a double room with private bathroom.  All prices include full board, tea and coffee on tap and purified water for all guests as well!  The same price if not cheaper than many standard hotels in the country - or the whole continent!

The longer you stay - the cheaper it gets as well!  By staying there for longer - not only will you save travelling around but you will also get to know the area a lot better and benefit the local communities.  So as a thanks for this, the Black Sheep offers 10% off for nationals, student card holders (ISIC) and the over 60’s, jumping to 15% discount for 4 nights or more.  Kids under 3 are free and under 9’s are half price!

What Else?
The website also allows you to donate to the community with funds or old computers and they are even advertising for a new manager for the EcoLodge itself - so check out the job description (and make sure you are fluent in Spanish) before applying!

What a life that would be!

posted by Catherine on Dec 7

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I thought I would start off with an article about the basic things to look out for when booking your eco holidays and adventures.

Obviously there are extremes for the most eco friendly holidays out there, but I am just offering a few of the essentials that can make all the difference to the environment you are travelling to and the wildlife and people who you will be sharing it with.

1) Choose a destination you care about.
If you make sure that you are travelling to a destination that you know a lot about or want to explore for the first time, then you will be spending your well earned money supporting eco holidays in that area - ultimately making that people working in that destination treat tourism (and their environment) with care. 

It’s the whole demand circle - if loads of people want cheap sun and sand, then you get a Cancun (loads of high rise hotel blocks crammed onto a sandy peninsula).  If people demand (and pay a bit extra for) ecologically and environmentally friendly small destinations - then that is what they will supply.

2) Consider a recommended location.
Ideally, you would travel to a location that had been recommended by a friend or other trusted source.  Not only does this save the destination from having to advertise their location to thousands of potential holiday-makers, but it keeps the feeling friendly - and lets the staff and managers there that they are treating their customers with great customer service - so they will repeat that for your holiday, hoping that you too will pass on the good word.

3) Select your agent well.
If you are booking your eco holidays through an agent, make sure that they offer flexible packages and are not sending huge numbers of people to the same locations.

Most reputable tour operators will fly you scheduled to your destination, keeping travel groups to a limited few (no more than 12 really).  They will normally also offer an English-speaking guide or escort to be with your group at all times, and have everyone travel together on internal transfers.

Many specialists such as Audley Travel and the Kuoni Group can even offer individual travel, basically your group only throughout the trip.  They also offer a personal service for any extras that you may require, such as tailor-made specialist trips.

If you book an ‘eco-holiday’ with companies that normally offer package deals or cheap vacations, then the destination may well be only eco-friendly on paper.  Even if the hotel is in ‘the jungle’ and uses recycled rainwater and grows a lot of it’s own fruit - with 500 paying guests at a time running around the chlorinated pool with a fountain splashing down a rocky slope - it’s not actually an eco-friendly destination.

4) Contact your choices in advance.
If you have selected one or two locations that you like, make sure you contact the owners/managers in advance.  They should respond to your email, phone call or letter promptly and answer any questions you have.

Ideally, they would also offer you advice that they feel will make your vacation even better or your travel plans run more smoothly - even if you didn’t ask for it.  This shows that they have great experience with tourists and have found that certain things work and other things don’t, and they want your trip to visit them to run as smoothly as possible.

5) Go independent.
Make sure that the hotel you select is run independently and preferably by a company that is resident to the country your are visiting.  This way, your host will not only know more about the location and places of interest, but they will have made a network of other suppliers and local tour operators that they will recommend to you as necessary.

The money you spend in the resort will therefore go to benefit the local area and families as and when they are employed by guests or the hotel itself, but your money will not leave the country and fly back home before you as with many package destinations and all-inclusive resorts.

Although such destinations do employ local staff, they are not benefiting local people or the communities they are located in.

6) Research the location and resources of the Hotel.
Many companies like the attention that being ‘eco-friendly’ attracts, so make sure you check their credentials before you book with them.

Where are they located exactly, and does their building or complex fit into the environment well (are they all below the canopy level?, are they made of local materials? where does their sewage and litter all go?) 

Are they located close to the kind of environment you want, for example are they in a cloud forest, on a beach, in the mountains?  Don’t let the name of the lodge or hotel confuse you in this as destinations will often use key words to attract guests (such as monkey lodge, rolling waves hotel, canopy cottages), but could not actually offer that item - or are about an hour away from it….

Do they use all their own energy supplies, like solar panels, recycled river or rain water, composting toilets, limited lighting and wood burning stoves or bio-fuel?

Do they grow their own food supplies and farm animals?  If not, is all food from local suppliers?  If they offer specialist diets such as gluten-free alternatives etc, are these imported - if so do you personally pay for that privilege or does the hotel (and environment)? 

Do they ask you to take all your own litter away with you, or offer sensible alternatives to waste?

7) And finally - Is there anything you can offer them?
Not a necessary part of anyones holiday, but fun none the less. 

Has you hotel or lodge got a local school or project that you could help out with while you are there?  Could they link you up with an environmental group who are doing some work in the local area?  Are they associated with an educational establishment that you could offer your skills to or you could learn from?

If you are there becasue you love that location and that environment, then why not offer to help out and improve what’s already there - at no extra cost to you but of huge benefit to them.

Hope you have a great time!