Going Green: Green Travel 101

Going Places is for Green Travel! A campaign I started since 2009. I believe this is not only very helpful for us travel lovers and wanderers but also to the places and communities we visit by. But before we go ahead in campaigning for this important cause in travel, let us first get to know what is Green Travel all about. 

What is Green Travel? Maybe you already heard about ecotourism, sustainable tourism and responsible travel from various media, magazines and news headlines. Those terms are all part of the many catch phrases of Green Travel.

There are various shades of difference among all these terms, but at the heart of the matter is the importance of protecting the natural and cultural environment of the places you visit. That means conserving plants, wildlife and other resources; respecting local cultures and ways of life; and contributing positively to local communities.

Green Travel, for me is becoming environmentally aware and earth-friendly while on travel. I am environmentally aware by having knowledge of the importance of cleanliness and pollution-free of the places I am visiting both natural and man-made sights and becoming concern for the environmental impact that I may create whether big or small to the place or sight that I am visiting. Practicing earth-friendly living while on travel can be from small ranges like keeping your own trashes, recycling plastics, usage of bikes to large ranges like staying to a green hotels, involving in ecotourism activities, etc that most are easy to practice and remember.  

Boracay Beach - one of the places that tend to be overexploited by tourism.

Green Travel, defined by Go Green Travel Green:

1. Thinking about your impact on the environment (both the physical and social environment) when you travel

2. Doing your part to minimize your impact on the environment – so that tourism in your destination can be maintained in the long run.

3. Understanding eco-friendly choices you can make

4. Making eco-friendly choices when they are options

5. Doing your research to be a responsible traveler

6. Saving money by making low-impact choices

Why go green?

With nearly 1 billion tourists crisscrossing the globe every year, it's more important than ever for travelers to minimize their individual impact on the earth's natural and cultural treasures. The potential negative effects of tourism are both local and global; oceanfront hotels contribute to beach erosion in Hawaii, rising numbers of visitors threaten the fragile ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands, and carbon dioxide emissions from planes are a growing contributor to global warming.

Chocolate Hills and Bohol province itself is an ecotourism destination.

Taking a green approach to travel is an easy and essential way to protect the places you love to visit, not just for yourself but for the travelers who come after you and for the people who will continue to live there long after you've flown home. As an added bonus, it often makes for a more rewarding, authentic travel experience, encouraging deeper connections with the people and places you visit.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't necessarily have to pay more in order to travel green. While offsetting the carbon emissions from your air travel will set you back a negligible amount, you can find green lodging options in all budgets, from hostels to luxury hotels. And earth-friendly transportation options like biking, walking and taking public transit are often cheaper than taking a cab or renting a car.(Source)

Going Green in Alaminos City

Why I go for Green Travel? Simply because I want to share to others the beautiful places that I have been and places that I am going to visit in the future in its full glory. You wouldn't want Boracay's beaches or Tagaytay's surroundings be polluted, right? Or the Great Wall of China being eroded and Sydney's Parramatta River dirty? I believe we can preserve these beautiful places by simply practicing green travel. I did a past entry of simple and easy but very effective way to practice green travel tips (click here to see) which is very helpful in campaigning for Going Green.

Also more and more cities and municipalities in our country are campaigning for ecotourism and proper waste management like my recent trip to Alaminos City who is strongly campaigning for Reduce, Reuse and Recycle platform in every street corners. Lastly, Green Travel for me is one effective "travel for a cause" that you can contribute to our community and get something good in return. By practicing this, we don't just show and do a care for the place or country that we are visiting but also a care for our planet Earth.

Learn more about green travel through this online communnity sites:

- Go Green Travel Green

- Green.Travel