from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council 

BEFORE TRAVELING

• Find out as much as possible. The more you know about a World Heritage site before arriving, the more the site will come alive. Look into the site’s history, culture, natural environment, customs, legends, advisory notices and more. UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre is a great starting point. http://whc.unesco.org
• Learn a few words in the local language. Making an effort to speak the local language allows you to interact with the people who know the site best. People appreciate your efforts and your interest in learning. Simple words like “Hello,”“Please” and “Thank you” can go a long way.
• Pack light. It is tempting to pack everything you think you might need, but remember to be smart about your necessities. Packaging items like the paper box to your film or the plastic wrapping of your new toothbrush simply consume space in your bag and can create excess trash for the World Heritage site.
• Lodging choices. Look for hotels that have a written policy covering their environmental impact, employment and cultural policy.
• Explore transportation options. Remember that traveling affects the environment. Wherever possible, try to minimize your pollution and impact on the environment by looking to alternative transportation and off-setting your carbon emissions.

WHILE TRAVELING

• Engage in local culture. The saying, “While in Rome do as the Romans” still applies today. Your trip provides a unique opportunity to explore a new culture and to see the world through a different perspective. Remember that eating local foods, shopping in local markets, and attending local festivals are all part of experiencing the culture.
• Buy local products and services. Choosing to support locally owned businesses, community tour operators, and artisans means that you’ll have a one-of-a-kind experience and your money will go directly to the community. Before purchasing goods, ask about their origin. Avoid buying products made from threatened natural resources and report poaching and other illegal activities to the local authorities.
• Refrain from aggressive bargaining. It’s often difficult to know your limits in bargaining so if you’re not sure, ask your local hotel for tips. Remember that the purchases you make directly affect vendors’ livelihoods, so decide if you really need to hang onto that extra dollar or if it could impact the vendor more.
• Hire local guides. Enrich your experience by choosing local guides who are knowledgeable about the destination. Ask local tour operators and hotels for good recommendations.
• Tread lightly. Destinations are exceptional due to their natural or cultural splendor. Do your part to keep them that way by following designated trails, respecting caretakers, and not removing archaeological or biological treasures from sites.
• Respect the natural environment. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Even though you are just visiting and not paying the utility bill, disposing of your garbage properly and minimizing your consumption of water and energy will benefit the overall destination.

AFTER TRAVELING

• Distribute your responsible travel tips. In addition to telling family and friends about the wonderful memories you made, also consider sharing tips on how they too can positively impact the World while having an amazing journey.
• Share your photos. Pictures can say a thousand words.
• Explore more. Traveling is just the start of learning. Once you return home continue exploring and being involved with the issues or region that captured your attention. Build upon your knowledge and also learn about another fascinating place.
• Give back. Traveling often opens your eyes and heart to something new. You can continue to preserve our inspirational World Heritage sites for generations to come by making a donation to a local charity.

Making informed choices before and during your trip is the single most important thing you can do to become a responsible traveler. With a little planning, you can improve the quality of your trip, while making a real difference to the people and places you visit. When choosing destinations, accommodations, and tour operators, consider which ones work to protect the environment and benefit local cultures and communities.

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK - Search the web and consult guidebooks to start your pre-trip homework. Look for information and resources on responsible travel, ecotourism, or sustainable tourism. Ecotourism Explorer, TIES’ interactive online directory, makes searching for your perfect eco-holiday easy! Choose guidebooks with information on your destination’s environmental, social and political issues, and read before booking. Guidebooks vary in quality, even within a series, but Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, and Moon are among the best.
2. ASK QUESTIONS - Call or email tour operators that have firsthand knowledge of the place you are considering visiting. Check the websites of all accommodations. Let tour operators/hotels know that you are a responsible consumer. Before you book, ask about their social and environmental policies. For instance - What is your environmental policy? What percentage of your employees are local citizens? Do you support any projects to benefit the local community?
3. SEEK QUALITY ASSURANCE - Are the businesses you’re considering certified? Do they have eco-label ratings, or have they won eco-awards? Have you heard of the AAA or 5-star rating systems? These long-standing labels judge hotel quality and services. Many certification programs have also been created in travel and tourism to rate the environmental and social impacts of tourism businesses. Using independent auditors, these programs are important tools for distinguishing genuine ecotourism or sustainable tourism companies, products or services from those that are merely using “eco-” as a marketing tool to attract consumers. Certification programs can help travelers to make responsible choices. A growing number of companies have earned eco-labels, and we encourage you to purchase from these businesses. TIES, together with industry partners around the world, promotes sustainable tourism certification as one of the most effective ways to mainstream sustainability in tourism.
4. OPT TO GIVE BACK - A growing number of tourism businesses are helping to financial and material support community projects and offering travelers the opportunity to get involved. Many of TIES members around the globe are leading the efforts to give back to local communities and enhance the livelihoods of local people through ecotourism. We encourage you to contribute to and participate in these projects, and support those companies that are making positive impacts on the lives of local hosts.
5. READ BETWEEN THE LINES - Don’t Be Fooled by green-washing. “Eco” is a fashionable label used widely in the tourism industry. It sounds appealing, but much of what is marketed as “eco” is simply conventional tourism with superficial changes. So it’s important to check behind the labels.

I chose The Ojai Retreat for my Ojai visit because of work they were beginning on converting the property to align with the management’s vision for a comfortable, healthy, sustainable destination. Four years later, many of those “Sustainable Shifts” are in place.

We, at EcoLogic LifeStyle, recently made another visit to the property where we conducted an ecoexcellence awardSustainability Review, and found several new features to highlight. Starting with the grounds, our criteria for accessibility is met through pathways and entries for persons with special needs, as well as walking & bicycling paths with secure bicycle storage. Upon our recommendation they have now added a preferred parking for hybrid & electric vehicles. Plans are in place to convert the small preferred parking area (for handicap and hybrid/electric vehicles) to a permeable surface. Permeable paving is already in use in overflow parking lot.

The grounds use minimal turf in the landscape, approximately 10%, with primarily native and non-invasive species. 50% of these are drought tolerant, not requiring irrigation, with plans to incorporate more. Plants are grouped by water needs (Hydrozoning), with only non-toxic organic soil amendments utilized.

During recent room remodels, guided by local architect John Digas, sustainable features were added including recycled cotton denim insulation, high efficiency mini split heat pumps for heating & cooling, high efficiency refrigerators, and high efficiency toilets 1.6 gpl in 80% of rooms. The Retreat also now has a bath linen reuse program with client education signage posted, and provides flax seed oil soap and organic personal care products from Terra Pure.

General sustainable management practices include monitoring of energy consumption & energy savings campaign, recycling & composting program, HEPA filters on vacuum cleaners, two sided printing on recycled content, bleach free paper & reuse of scrap for notes, purchasing of organic coffee & produce when available, reusable & biodegradable cups, plates and cutlery, and sustainability cross-training programs with employees who are each hired for their extensive specialized knowledge.

Socio/Cultural considerations are also important to the ecoexcellence award criteria. Some of The Ojai Retreat’s practices in this area include hiring & training opportunities provided to local citizens first; open access to local protected lands; incorporating local culture through local artists’ exhibits, local musicians’ performances and spiritual events reflective of Ojai culture, and lastly, contributing to local environmental protection efforts by hosting environmental educational workshops.

Ulrich Brugger, manager of The Ojai Retreat, says their efforts to incorporate sustainable best practices are an ongoing journey, and he also has plans to incorporate solar for power, a greywater system, and biodynamic permaculture community demonstration garden with a solar pump for irrigation, and is taking consultation on shifting to the healthiest, environmentally friendly maintenance and cleaning products.

Whether you have traveled from around the world, or from within the Ojai Valley, an Ojai Retreat getaway can offer peace of mind through the lovely environment, the spiritual & wellness events and knowing there is a focus on sustainable, healthy, environmentally friendly practices.

The Casa Ojai property features a chlorine-free, algaecide-free salt water pool, uses non-phosphate enzyme soaps for laundry, Ozonized disinfecting pure water for cleaning, no deodorizers, no air fresheners, cleans air conditioning coils monthly, guarantees all non-smoking rooms, uses walk off mats, and low VOC paints and finishes. To add to all this, you can stay fit during your stay while using the bicycles provide for your exploration of the Ojai Valley.

And, don’t let the mild mannered exterior of Casa Ojai Inn foul you…  the rooms here are very comfortable & nicely appointed, the services are on par with much higher priced establishments, and the management is committed to continually improving their sustainable best practices & training, thanks to Operations Manager Jim Johnson. Thanks Jim for taking great care of your clients and the environment!

Global Sustainable Tourism Council

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is a global initiative dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism practices around the world. Momentum around this movement is growing. Representing a diverse and global membership including UN agencies, leading travel companies, hotels, country tourism boards and tour operators – the GSTC serves as the international body for promoting the increased knowledge, understanding and adoption of sustainable tourism practices. At the heart of this work are the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, the minimum requirements that any tourism business should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.

EcoExcellence Award

The EcoLogic Lifestyle ecoexcellence award is intended to encourage sustainable practices… among businesses, non-profits and the tourism industry…   We feel those who are truly striving to make sustainability a lifestyle – an EcoLogic Lifestyle – for themselves and for their organization, should be recognized.

The Award is given to those who are the top performers in meeting the criteria established in the ecoexcellence award Sustainability Review Criteria Checklist. The Review Criteria Checklist was established as a non-biased, performance based compilation of criteria similar to those found in many of the best Certification program rating systems including the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria and LEED, among others.

As the industry changes and more businesses and organizations adopt these practices, the bar is raised on the EcoLogic LifeStyle ecoexcellence award so that those with the best environmental performance are featured in the TOP 10 LIST on the home page of the EcoLogic LifeStyle travel directory.  Those not in the Top 10 List may still be included in the EcoLogic LifeStyle Reviewed & Recommended Listing if they meet a required minimum of the criteria on the EcoExcellence Award^SM Checklist.

For more information see the ecoexcellence award tab.

KWE Partners, a Miami, Florida based strategic marketing and public relations firm that specializes in luxury travel, lifestyle and real estate, predicts “Not only will nostalgia marketing drive trends in 2011, but for years to come until the deep effects of global recession subside.”

Pantone 2011 Color of the Year - Honeysuckle - Recycled from 1957 Movie "Funny Face"

Vintage and retro are alive and hot, from colors like the Honeysuckle Pink straight out of the 1957 movie “Funny Face”, to haircuts, to candy, and throughout the travel and tourism industry, as well.  New restaurants are featuring American Classics and forgotten cocktails.  ”Victory” Gardens and Heirloom varieties of produce home grown or from local farmers markets, are not only all the rage, (now referred to as eating “locavore”), but one of the most sustainable choices we can make.

Pioneered by Alain Ducasse at Paris’ Plaza Athenee, Market Day is a “celebration of sustainable food,” a delicious display and free sampling of organic, local produce and provisions.  Culinary trends include more “cultural authenticity” for travelers, agri-tourism, private kitchen demonstrations,  wine tastings, truffle hunts, and behind-the-scenes access.

Another nostalgic, yet sustainable, “green” choice is train travel.  One of the most comfortable ways to maximize stress free leisure time, train travel is on the rise, evidenced by the number of new luxury trains launched in the past year.  India is quickly emerging as a tourist Mecca partly due to its advanced rail infrastructure.

L.A. based Green Truck serves up gourmet, organic food using solar panels.

Local produce shopping and train travel aren’t the only nostalgic trends keeping your carbon footprint low and your car in the garage.  Mobile gourmet restaurants are the craze for niche dining.  Bustaurants are popping up serving Latin Burgers, Dim Sum, the classic Grilled Cheese, and even cupcakes.  Food trucks like the L.A. based Green Truck, operating out of a solar powered commissary, serve up healthy, gourmet organic & vegan food in a fast and efficient way.

And, of course the biggest trend in the travel, tourism, restaurant and entertainment industries is online everything…  reviews, bookings, social media, digital marketing, mobile apps.  Fans of food trucks can easily find them via live tracking tools, such as RoadStoves and LA Street Food.  Mobile apps Mobile Cravings and Mobi Munch use GPS for real time updates and location news feeds.

So, settle in to environs and trends that will take you back and away.  Feel good when you create luxury from recycling the old.  Enjoy and relax in simpler styles for sustainable times.

by

Cynthia Grier

-Santa Barbara, Costa Rica-

It’s always a good time to head to the tropics!

A hidden jewel nestled in the foothills around San Jose, Costa Rica, Finca Rosa Blanca is a lovely retreat where you can have it all…

We know you are addicted to your Starbucks, but here you can have some of the world’s best brew, and its organic too!  There are many things for us stewards of the planet to feel good about while we linger at the lovely Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation and Inn.  A destination in itself, offering top notch, but unpretentious, accommodations that are some of the most sustainably built structures in the lodging industry.  Finca Rosa Blanca includes a variety of energy saving methods, a spring fed, chemical free solar heated pool with its own 16 foot waterfall, a mini rainforest preserve were meandering paths lead you to the hiding places of elegant orchids, 5 star dining including organic and vegetarian offerings coming from their own permaculture gardens…   oh, and did I mention the organic, shade grown coffee plantation?

The service provided by the Finca Rosa Blanca staff is personable and first class.  The resort makes a great way to “bookmark” any trip into Costa Rica.  We traveled in September during the “Green” (rainy) season that wasn’t actually as rainy as one would imagine.  We arrived at the San Jose airport late into the evening on the first day of our week conducting sustainability reviews for Cayuga Sustainability Management properties throughout Costa Rica.

We were first met by a representative whose sole job it was to whisk us through customs and on to our awaiting Driver / Concierge / Coffee Barista – Leo Vernari.  Leo conducts coffee plantation tours and will teach you how the experts discern and rate gourmet coffee by participating in a “coffee cupping” (catación) session.  It was a short drive through the typico neighborhoods with closely set, metal roof stucco homes on narrow, winding roads filled with locals commuting under their own steam.  Leo cheerfully began enriching us with a myriad of information about the area, the culture and Finca Rosa.

A sudden, romantic contrast to the neighborhood streets, we turned through a gated wall into the Finca Rosa Blanca property shrouded in fog and beautiful mystery by night.  The rainforest provided a veil, filtering the light rain, but immediately upon arrival, we were presented with umbrellas by the staff.  At the Reception Building, the staff welcomed us with smiles and offers of beverages, and immediately went to task arranging all of our departure information since we were leaving the next day to tour other properties.  A bellman provided an electric cart to our room, Le Guardia, one half of the Villa Laguna that can be reserved as a larger unit for families or groups.

All of the buildings at Finca Rosa, designed under the supervision of  Francisco Rojas Chaves, a renowned architect for his understanding and implementation of sustainable practices, offer a very organic architectural style reminiscent of Gaudi.  The undulating curves of the stucco buildings are an elegant fit in the rainforest setting.  Carefully chosen building materials include framing timber reclaimed from highway construction, roofing tiles of recycled plastic and bamboo pole ceilings.  Each room is unique… whimsical and elegant at the same time.  Throughout the property, you are surrounded by fabulous murals depicting the flora and fauna of the region.  Mattresses from recycled and organic materials, natural cotton sheets, bamboo towels, low flow toilets, solar powered faucets, and reclaimed material furnishings were selected for use in the rooms.  Skylight domes conserve on energy by providing natural daylight and passive ventilation.  At 4000 feet elevation, all the rooms have heavenly views of the valley below.

The El Tigre Vestido restaurant on the premises creates nuvo delectible variations on the local cuisine utilizing organic produce from their own gardens and local suppliers.  Memorable complimentary breakfasts are offered on the veranda overlooking the shade grown coffee fields and on to the Central Valley below.

The Finca Rosa Blanca property was originally purchased and developed with the idea of creating a socially, architecturally and biologically friendly home on a former “motor cross” field.  Later, that purpose evolved to include a center for the interchange of ideas and experiences, and then the Inn to accommodate the guests who could participate in the experiment.  We agree that the Inn “continues to be a leader in sustainable tourism, proving that deluxe accommodations and excellent service are compatible with sustainable development”, and feel that the owners at Finca Rosa Blanca have achieved their goal “to be a global example of biological, architectural, educational and social responsibility that both enhances tourists’ experiences and develops their social and environmental conscience”.

See our EcoLogic LifeStyle EcoExcellence Review which offers a checklist of the vast number of sustainability practices that puts Finca Rosa Blanca at the top of our list for the EcoExcellence Award.  We hope this property will serve as a role model to lodging facilities and resorts throughout the world. Further information on sustainability, activities and amenities is mentioned on their website at www.fincarosablanca.com.

by

Cynthia Grier

RECENT TRAVEL & DESTINATIONS ARTICLES

The International Tourism Society

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ecotourism.  Ecotourism is: “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” (TIES, 1990).  Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel.  Those who implement and participate in ecotourism activities should follow ecotourism principles:

• Minimize impact.
• Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
• Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
• Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
• Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people.
• Raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate.

]]> http://www.ecologiclifestyle.com/2012/01/supporting-conservation-communities-and-sustainable-travel/feed/ 1 http://www.ecologiclifestyle.com/2012/01/rainforest-alliance-offers-tips-for-eco-travelers/ http://www.ecologiclifestyle.com/2012/01/rainforest-alliance-offers-tips-for-eco-travelers/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:50:01 +0000 admin http://www.ecologiclifestyle.com/?p=2305 [Continue Reading]]]>

Ten Questions to Ask Before You Book

1. What is your environmental policy?
2. What percentage of your employees are local citizens?
3. Do you support anyprojects to benefit the local community?
4. Do you support conservation? How?
5. Is your business certified?
6. Have you won any eco-awards?
7. Are you recommended by any reputable NGOs or conservation groups?
8. What sorts of policies have you implemented to reduce water consumption, conserve energy or recycle wastes?
9. How do you educate visitors about local natural areas, wildlife, energy conservation, and local culture?
10. How do you monitor these practices?

How Can You Make A Difference?

At the hotel: Ask about environmental policies and practices. Does the hotel support community development or conservation projects?

Language: Learn a few words of the local language and use them.

Dress: Learn about local conventions and dress appropriately. In many countries, modest dress is important.

Behavior: Be respectful of local citizens’ privacy. Ask permission before entering sacred places, homes, or private lands.

Photographs: Be sensitive to when and where you take photos/video of people. Always ask first.

Environment: Respect the natural environment. Never touch or harass wildlife. Always follow designated trails. Support conservation by paying entrance fees to parks and protected sites or making a donation.

Wildlife or forest products: Never purchase crafts, clothing, furniture, or other products that are derived from protected or endangered wildlife or plant species. In many countries it is illegal to bring these goods back home.

Pay a fair price: Don’t engage in overly aggressive bargaining for souvenirs. Don’t short-change on tips for services.

Buy local: Choose locally-owned lodges and hotels.  Use local buses, car rental agencies, and airlines.  Eat in local restaurants, shop in local markets, and attend local events. Hire local guides: Enrich your experience and support the local economy.  Ask guides if they are licensed and live nearby.  Are they recommended by tour operators?

The Rainforest Alliance, an international conservation organization, helps the tourism industry protect the environment and provide sustainable livelihoods, build travelers demand for sustainable tourism and enables them to travel responsibly, and promotes internationally sound standards for sustainable tourism. For more information on booking trips to Central & South America and the Caribbean, please visit their website.

If you are looking for travel in Costa Rica, you’ll be happy to know The EcoLogic LifeStyle EcoExcellence Review Team recently set out to experience three fabulous Eco Resorts in Costa Rica the you’ll want to be sure to learn more about.

Our EcoExcellence Review team seeks out healthy, socially responsible, eco resorts, lodging, destinations, activities and businesses throughout the world to provide you with unbiased reviews.  All three  of the Costa Rican properties recently reviewed are managed by Cayuga Sustainability, based in San Jose, Costa Rica.  Cayuga is a group dedicated to the development and management of lodging that has an ecological, conservationist or sustainable aspect to it.  Their goal is to “redefine the standards of upscale hospitality, creating a symbiosis of luxury and sustainability that is lived by guests and employees alike through the concept of Experience, Learn, Connect and Relax®”.  All of Cayuga’s properties offer infrastructure and activities sensitive to the environment and community sustainability.
Experience the local culture through activities and tours, Learn what it takes to develop a sustainable property, Connectwith the staff and other locals, and Relax mind, body and spirit through contact with nature and Wellness treatments and activities.  Cayuga can also provide expert responsible travel advice including full itinerary suggestions for families, adventurers, wellness vacations and honeymooners.  To learn more about Cayuga’s sustainable tourism in action visit their website…
http://www.cayugaonline.com/sustainability.html

THE REVIEWS…
Finca Rosa Blanca
Arenas Del Mar
Harmony Hotel