Summer 2007
GREEN TRAVEL
Cheaper,
better ways to an earth-friendly vacation
BY BOBBI BUCHANAN
To take a vacation, all
Tim Duncan needs is a half tank of gas, a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich and a bottle of Gatorade.
In less than three hours, Duncan can drive to one of his favorite
destinations: Cumberland Falls State Park. Located in southeastern
Kentucky, the park's main waterfall is sometimes called "the
Niagara
of the South" or "Little Niagara," averaging 68 feet in height and
125 feet in width.
The park's hiking trails and waterfalls provide a peaceful, relaxing
environment. "You can climb up on a boulder overlooking the
Cumberland River and sit there and have your lunch," he said.
Duncan, his wife, Beverly, and their sons, Michael and Jordan, have
taken dozens of vacations — all within a few hours' drive of their
Louisville, Ky., home. "Too often people think you have to travel
long distances and spend a lot of money to see something really
unique and interesting," Duncan said. "We've learned that's not the
case."
When planning trips, the family considers the environmental impact
of their travels as well as budget limitations. "We've always just
looked for a cheap way to go — places the kids would enjoy and where
they'd learn something."
Vacationing locally is one way families can save money and help
preserve the environment. Visiting national parks and patronizing
restaurants and lodging facilities with environmentally friendly
practices are also part of the "green travel" trend, according to
travel writer Betty Lowry.
"Eco-travel is getting more attention now because of the increased
awareness of global warming," Lowry said. "People are looking at all
sorts of ways to do this, from staying at green hotels to visiting
wildlife sanctuaries."
"Ecotourism" and nature-based trips comprise about 20 percent of current
leisure travel, up from about 2 percent in the late 1980s, according
to an article at
New American Dream.
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Eco-Wise Accommodations
The travel industry has realized the benefits of environmentally
friendly practices, such as not changing bed sheets daily when
guests stay multiple nights and washing only the towels left on the
floor, according to Lowry, a member of the Society of American
Travel Writers. "It translates into money-savings for the hotels —
less work for hotel workers, less water used, less electricity and
gas," she explained.
Lowry cites a growing number of green hotels. The Crowne Plaza in
Palo Alto, Calif., runs entirely on solar power. The Orchard Garden
in San Francisco touts chemical-free cleaning, among other
sustainable amenities.
Eco-friendly accommodations have also cropped up in the southern
United States. The Habitat Suites Hotel in Austin, Texas, uses 108
solar panels (the largest number in the United States), has a
butterfly-filled garden and serves an organic breakfast. Asheville
Green Cottage, a bed-and-breakfast in North Carolina, offers organic
mattresses, organic fabrics and organic breakfast products.
Revealing another side of the green travel spectrum, Lowry suggests
travelers stay in a restored structure to support historic
preservation. Monmouth Plantation in Natchez, Miss., is an 1818
Greek Revival that fell into disrepair after it was damaged in the
Civil War. Rescued and restored, Monmouth now features 30 rooms and
a fine restaurant.
Environmental concern is even more pronounced in Europe, where
people live and work in smaller spaces and have a greater need to
preserve land and resources, Lowry said. The Best Western Premier
Hotel Victoria in Freiburg, Germany, bills itself as a
zero-emissions hotel, powered by renewable energy and offering
guests the use of a solar-powered vehicle.
Eco-wise travel can be relatively easy to plan with all the
resources available through travel clubs, the library and the
Internet. "There are many options out there, whether you want to
stay at a resort or just go somewhere really inexpensive," Lowry
said. She recommends surfing the Internet to find accommodations and
ideas on other aspects of green travel. (See
Green Travel Resources)
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Exploring the Outdoors
Another aspect of sustainable travel is the nature-based vacation,
which might include hiking, backpacking, bicycling or camping. Not
only can natured-based vacations prove much cheaper than traditional
family trips, but health experts and outdoor enthusiasts claim that
experiences in nature reduce stress, improve alertness and nurture
creativity.
A growing wave of research indicates that children who spend time
outdoors are healthier overall than their indoor counterparts,
according to the Children & Nature Network. Outdoor vacations offer
open space for kids to burn off energy in an unstructured play
environment.
Camping either in a tent or cabin is cheaper than staying at a hotel
and easier on the environment because you use less resources.
Cooking your food over a fire rather eating out also saves money.
Campground fees range from a few dollars a night to $15 or $20,
depending on facilities available, such as restrooms and showers.
Regular campers can save more money by purchasing membership cards
at many national campground locations.
A
family planning their first campout might try the Smoky Mountains.
Make reservations to stay at the Smokemont or Elkmont campgrounds,
suggests Danny Bernstein, author of Hiking the Carolina Mountains,
which includes 57 day hikes ranging in length from two to 13 miles.
Bernstein said the two campgrounds "are inexpensive and have nice
amenities — no showers, but they're nice sites with picnic tables
and toilets and sinks."
Bernstein's first rule of thumb: "Do not hang out in the campgrounds
during the day." Instead, "leave first thing in the morning with a
packed lunch and come back in time to cook dinner," she said.
"Go hiking, exploring, fishing and look for birds and salamanders.
Go on ranger-guided walks — they really know their stuff."
On your second trip, Bernstein recommends staying in Cataloochee on
the North Carolina side of the Smokies. "You will love it," she
said.
Bobbi Buchanan is editor of New Southerner.