NY Times on "ecotourism"

My friend Greg Maher sent me an interesting article from the Travel section of this past Sunday's New York Times on a timely/trendy idea among ecology-minded travellers.

Unfortunately, NYT articles are only available for free online the week following their publication. If you come across this article and cannot see the whole thing through the link, email me and I'll send you the text.

Carbon Neutral: Raising the Ante on Eco-Tourism - New York Times

For travelers, becoming carbon neutral involves calculating their “carbon footprint,” the approximate amount of carbon dioxide produced on flights, road trips or when they otherwise burn fossil fuels, and then buying “offsets” — donating money for projects that promise to produce energy without burning fossil fuels or otherwise reduce the production of greenhouse gases.

The reduction purchased is supposed to equal the amount of carbon dioxide the trip created, per passenger. The ultimate goal: a carbon neutral trip.

Increasingly, tour operators are buying carbon offsets to compensate for the amount of carbon dioxide produced on trips. REI Adventures announced a Carbon-Neutral Travel program in October. Beginning next year, the company will buy renewable energy credits from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset the carbon dioxide produced by each traveler’s flight and ground transportation. The credits, called Green Tags, will support solar, wind and other renewable energy projects. ...

... It is unclear how much impact these programs actually have on climate change — or whether they function mostly as a way for travelers to justify the amount of pollution they generate on trips. Still, many travelers see carbon offsetting as a way to help tackle global warming without having to give up that trip to the Bahamas.

Comments

[Cheap Airlines]

Thanks for sharing good and informative stuff about Eco tourism. Eco Tourism is the one of the best way to travel according to nature and environment. The only bad thing about eco friendly travel that its cost so much for any individual.