Comments

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  Sam Scribe June 17, 2010 at 10:04pm

  Looks like the Tanzanian government will build a highway that cuts right through the Serengeti to Lake Victoria. The park would probably lose its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site, but this route would be cheaper for the government and good for commerce. Should they do it?
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  West Africa Discovery June 15, 2010 at 7:08pm

  Discover our newest sustainable tourism accommodation listing based in the Gambia, West Africa.
  
  An eco-retreat and learning centre, this accommodation is an exclusive tourist haven. But it is much more than that. It is designed on the basis of a vision and principles that have been carefully thought out and which include care for the environment, for the community, for the staff and, especially, for the guests.
  
  As a model of eco-tourism maximum care is taken to preserve the environment and to provide community benefits. (including 100% ownership of the whole project after 25 years; 70% of the staff being drawn from Kartong (the beneficiary village); and a donation for each guest bed night for village developments).
  
  Eco friendly construction includes the making and use of compressed, stabilised earth blocks; water re-cycling; rainwater harvesting; composting toilets; solar electricity; waste management arrangements and composting, mulching and planting of water conserving plants.
  
  Most important is the creation of a beautiful, quiet environment in which guests can relax and enjoy the beauty and full pleasures of the site.
  
  To learn more about this award winning accommodation, click here.
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  West Africa Discovery June 2, 2010 at 3:09pm

  One of our listed sustainable tourism accommodations, in the Gambia, has just received the Travelife Gold Award for Sustainability in Tourism! To learn more about this pioneering project, follow the link: http://www.westafricadiscovery.co.uk/gambia-holiday-accommodation-e...
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  Stan & Ginger Duncan May 29, 2010 at 8:49pm

  Check out www.alderwoodretreat.com to get just a hint of how amazing the "Outback of Alaska" can be!
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  David Paul Appell May 10, 2010 at 5:37pm

  Michael Grasso, CEO of Enchanted Island Eco Tours Inc. in Puerto Rico, would like your expert feedback on two YouTube presentations of their top-selling tours. If you'd like to put in your two cents, click here.
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  Alison McGowan May 4, 2010 at 10:05pm

  Hidden Pousadas Brazil
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  Alison McGowan May 4, 2010 at 10:04pm

  Have just discovered the most wonderful eco-tourism route in the world- the 12 miles of virgin beach in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, between Barra de Camarugibe and Porto de Pedras. Fabulous places to stay too- Pousada Patacho, Pousada Infinito Mar, Pousada Riacho de Milagres, Pousada da Amendoeira. All on the hiddenpousadasbrazil.com site. Pure paradise
  
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  Ed Wetschler April 24, 2010 at 11:18pm

  Teddy Roosevelt (or maybe his doppelganger) visits his pal Gifford Pinchot, founder of the U.S. Forestry Service, tomorrow, April 25th, from 4:30-7 p.m., at Pinchot's idiosyncratic chateau, Grey Towers, in Milford, PA. They'll talk, but they will not drink; T.R. knew that Pinchot, despite his many virtues, was a teetotaler. http://bit.ly/b6Vgw7

  Home
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  Kat Morgenstern April 15, 2010 at 5:23pm

  Lise, I think that is a good idea - I have been thinking along similar lines, although it is very difficult to assess, a) what people say in a survey and what they actually do, and b) what in one country is part of the standard is a major innovation elsewhere. So, for example, in Germany recycling is mandatory, everybody does it. Hotels do it too - that does not make them especially green, though they would rate equally with a hotel in Central America where recycling is not a standard but this hotel makes every effort to get rid of its wastes ecologically but is thwarted by the country's facilities. (or lack of them) I try to talk to people about what they do and what their attitude is, what they consider especially important for their environment. I recently had an interesting chat about all this with a guy who is a tour operator in Argentina. Green tourism is unheard of in Argentina, you just don't find it. Yet, this person was making an effort to protect the environment he works in as best he could, because he realized that his effort mattered in making it sustainable - and support him and his family better than if he didn't give a toss. Often it is the infrastructure that makes the difference, rather than the individual operations. This is particularly important is wilderness areas that have not had much tourism and are being 'discovered'. Unless there are some forward thinking people involved who will spend time and money on developing an infrastructure that can cope with tourism, the place is likely to get trashed, even if all the operators are supposedly green. The impact on such an environment are much greater than in an area that is already developed and already has facilities in place to deal with trash, water, etc. And thus, operators in wilderness type places have a much greater responsibility towards the environment in which they operate.
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  Lise Tyrrell April 15, 2010 at 6:57am

  Kat, you brought up some great points. I run an ecotourism directory of lodges and have had the problem of trying to figure out whether a hotel is really sustainable. Green Globe charges a lot of money to lodges to be certified and the smaller lodges (those that really have the least impact) can't afford the fee.
  
  I've come up with an Eco Rating that I have lodges fill out so it gives me (and readers) a better idea of the things that they do. It's not perfect by any means but it's a start. Feel free to take a look here: Eco Rating. Suggestions are always welcome as to how to improve it.