How to go green: 10 tips for sustainable holidays
21.07.2023 - 07:51
/ roughguides.com
/ Rachel Mills
With the climate crisis a hot topic these days, ‘sustainability’ is a buzzword that gets bandied around a lot. You see it gracing the marketing bumf for those in the tourist industry, eager to tap into the growing trend for green travel. But sustainability isn’t only about hotels cutting back on washing towels or putting their recycling into the correct bins. It means balancing our needs with the needs of those around us, and generations to come.
Sustainability includes protecting the natural environment, conserving resources and having a positive impact on local communities. With that in mind, our 10 tips for sustainable holidays covers how to travel, where to go, what to do – and how to leave a positive footprint.
For more information on sustainable travel in the UK, buy the Rough Guide to Green Britain and Northern Ireland by author Rachel Mills. It’s packed with suggestions and useful information to help you plan your sustainable staycation.
If you want to travel further afield, in a responsible way, check out Rough Guides Tailor-Made Trips. You'll be introduced to a local expert in your chosen destination who'll help you plan and book a trip with sustainability at its heart. Wherever you choose to travel, all our Tailor-Made Trips are underlined by a commitment to supporting local businesses and communities.
When it comes to travel, flying is the most obvious culprit of damage to the environment, responsible for around 2.4% of global CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases. If you think that one flight won’t add up to much, consider this: taking a round trip from London to LA could more than double your carbon footprint of driving an average family car over a year.
There are times when replacing air travel with an alternative mode of transport just isn’t practical. Maybe you have only a two-week holiday window to visit family across the globe, so you don’t want to spend half of that time crossing the ocean or days crossing countries on a train.
But you can still lessen the negative impact of touching down half-way across the world. Choose to fly with an airline that uses newer, more efficient planes, which emit less CO2. Atmosfair Airline Index compares the CO2 emissions of different airlines, and Glooby also reveals the most fuel-efficient flights.
A plane's emissions trap heat and contribute to global warming © Shutterstock
If possible, take fewer flights and stay longer, and choose a direct route. Take offs and landings are both the most fuel hungry, so minimising the number of stop offs will reduce the amount of CO2 emitted on the way to your destination.
You can also buy a carbon offset. It won’t diminish the negative impact of CO2 on the environment. But putting your guilt-laden cash into a