Green Holiday

Ecotourism is the responsible way to travel.

Words: Bette Flagler

Helping out

Why not swap blobbing on the beach for an active adventure where you can learn about the planet and lend it a hand at the same time? Founded in 1971, Earthwatch Institute annually pairs 4000 volunteers with scientists on research projects all over the world. Choose from more than 130 expeditions that range from measuring the glaciers in the Arctic to surveying coral-reef health in the Bahamas and from monitoring butterflies in Vietnam to conducting cheetah surveys in Namibia. There are expeditions designed to involve kids and families as well as ones that are targeted at 16 to 17-year-olds. If you want to stay close to home, sign up to research how dusky dolphins and tourism can find a balance in Kaikoura.

Are you a responsible traveller

Like any industries, travel and tourism respond to market-driven forces. Consequently, if more travellers request sustainable choices, more will become available. When booking a holiday, enquire about the accommodation or activity operator’s environmental policy. If they don’t have one, ask why not. Areas of focus will be destination-dependent – for example, it would be logical to ask an Australian operator about water use and for a remote island you might enquire about transport, rubbish management and electricity generation. One of the key themes at this year’s Tourism Industry Conference was environmental sustainability. New Zealand tourism operators learned about improving their businesses to meet the demands of environmentally aware travellers. Concurrently the Tourism Ministry launched a website promoting environmental sustainability and a collection of best-practice guides to help tourism operators be more sustainable. Why not ask operators you’re considering booking with if they’ve incorporated any of the best-practice guidelines?

Calculating carbon

Landcare Research has built a tourism calculator to determine the carbon emissions that result from distances travelled, accommodation nights and types of activities. By clicking on Calculate CO2 Emissions, the amount of carbon produced – as well as the price to offset it – will appear. You can make an online payment for some or all of your emissions and Landcare will direct the money to Kyoto-compliant or Kyoto-consistent projects as defined by the New Zealand Government. In addition to landfill methane capture and wind-power projects, funds are used to support native forest restoration throughout New Zealand. This is allowed to occur naturally on sites that have been retired from agricultural production; the money is used to compensate landowners for lost income.

Check out www.carbonzero.co.nz

Hot stuff

Combining community, conservation and sustainable travel is core for White Island Tours. Every year the company takes more than 14,000 visitors to the live volcano that sits just offshore from Whakatane. Providing tourists with the opportunity to walk on and learn about the island while ensuring that its environment is protected won the company this year’s Green Globe Environmental Award at the annual Tourism Industry New Zealand Awards.