Tourism

Tourism is especially violent with our surroundings and deteriorates the landscape: the urbanization, the degradation of natural zones, the transformation of towns, etc. Let us look only the state of the shores of many Mediterranean countries... Avoid the options that provoke big impacts.

How can we do it

Let us avoid new constructions to lodge us in. Interchange of houses permits us to take the utmost profit of houses and to know better the society we are visiting. Two networks have been set up via internet: InterVac i HomeExchangeGOLD. Some of them give us too the opportunity to live with local hosts: The Hospitality Club, CouchSurfing.
There are hotels which provide ecological food or use bio construction elements, for example in Spain, Venus Albir. In the web Environmentally Friendly Hotels we can look for hotels all over the world which are applying criterion of ecological management.
If we want to practise rural tourism, the most recommended option would be agro tourism, which does not substitute but complements farming or livestock activities. We can find guide for different countries here, initiatives in France, Spain, Italy, Turkey...
A particular case of agro tourism is Wwoofing (Opportunities everywhere of Ecological Farms), where the tourist participates in the farming activities of the host farmer in return for accommodation and food. There are participant farms at least in Spain, Israel, Turkey, France, Italy, Morocco, Lebanon, Croatia and Greece.
Ecovolunteer organizes travelling to preserve sites of special natural interest and their cultures.

Travels, (mainly those taking us to the destination place) are responsible of quite a great part of the environmental impacts of a travel, especially in emissions of CO2. Let us minimize them.

How can we do it

Let us go to nearer places than to far away ones. If we go far that it be for many days. We can travel by train, bus or shared car; we can find how to do it here, here... At the destination place, let us find how we can move in public transportation, or rent a bike...
We can also take advantage of holidays to make a little exercise and use walking routes or by bike, information for Europe at The Bike Tour, Europe by bike or Hitchwiki (also in Northern Africa).
At some webs we can also calculate the energetic cost of the different ways of getting around, here (there are many data and very illustratives ones), this one, this one...

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Data d'actualització: 10/06/2010 - 19:25