Text by Prime Sarmiento
Photo courtesy of iCSC

 

Green Travel in Manila: This electric vehicle is the more eco-friendly way of roaming around Manila.
 
 
 
The fortnightly roundup- aka The Gypsygals Caravan – -is back!!! And for me who considers environmental journalism — as a purpose-filled career path and ecotourism – a personal advocacy – I believe that the ideal time to revive the roundup post is publish it just in time for the Global Earth Day celebration.
 
Green travel, sustainable travel, ecotourism, eco travel – these are terms that either make us feel guilty for not being “green” enough or angry at holier-than-thou environmentalists who made us feel guilty in the first place.
 
This reminded me of my recent conversation with Red Constantino , director of Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities and one of the key proponents of electric jeepneys  – the “green” version of the Philippines most popular public vehicle.
 
Red talked about the importance of making ejeepney commercially viable  – because it’s only when people realize that turning green will bring businesses and jobs that green technology will be mainstreamed.
 
A veteran environmental campaigner, Red  scoffed at hardcore environmentalists who promote eco-consciousness by making people guilty. He  compared them to religious fanatics who think that those who don’t believe their God will never be saved.
 
We laughed about it and of course, I agree with Red.  My own experience of living and traveling green has shown that guilt or self righteousness are not enough to sustain this lifestyle.
 
 Rather, motivation and having a very good and "selfish" reason to go green – is the key factor that will spur you to continue living and traveling green.
 
I am an environmental journalist. I cover these issues regularly and what motivates me is the awareness and urgency of the issue [climate change, hellooooo] . That motivates me, plus the fact that green travel allows me to save the earth, save money, boost my travel fund and to travel in style without breaking the bank. 
 
Saving money for your travel
 
Green living begins and ends with three Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. But before I go to the reusing and recycling phase, I REDUCE consumption first a.k.a. not buying stuff. Which means saving more moolah for travel [which also means reducing the need to throw out stuff that usually causes massive garbage problems ].
 
The lovely Sarah Von of Yes and Yes  explored this further in her fortnightly newsletter. In her article Eco-Chic (Fairly) Painlessly,  Sarah talked about her take on green living:
 
   “My personal approach to this has been to choose my battles and do the best I can without making myself insane or broke.”
 
She then listed down eco- and budget-friendly beauty and home products. A traveler and fashionista, she’s also a big advocate of thrifting (i.e. going to thrift stores to buy fabulous and el cheapo clothes) and recycling and repurposing one's existing wardrobe
 
 
Travel on a Budget Via Green Travel
 
Not only will you save money by living green, green travel by itself is one of the ways to travel on a budget.
 
Bret Love of Green Global Travel  maintains that ecotourism is an easy and cheaper way to travel. In his post EASY ECOTOURISM: 10 Simple Steps To More Sustainable Travel,  Bret said:
 
   “The truth is, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to become a more eco-friendly traveler. In fact, becoming more conscious about HOW you travel can actually save you money! Better still, when responsibly applied, the principle ideals of ecotourism can stimulate financial growth in developing nations, strengthening the global economy.”
 
Bret then listed down ten ways to travel green. These include traveling light –which will not only amount to savings in baggage fees but also enhance airplane fuel efficiency; switching off your aircon before you leave the hotel room and buying souvenirs from local artisans.
 
For a more comprehensive green travel tips, I think you may want to read The Good Global Traveler: 17 Actions You Can Take. Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott of Uncornered Market talked about how “travel holds tremendous potential” and sustainable travel benefits both the traveler and the locals of the country that you visit.
 
And if you think ecotourism packages are so expensive, then check out Bootsnall’s list of budget-friendly eco retreats.
 
Eco consciousness – like inner peace – is not hard won. If you think that it’s time to adopt an eco travel lifestyle, don’t force yourself to undergo a radical lifestyle change.  You can do it one step at a time.
 
 Happy Earth Day!
 
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Do you have any eco travel tips? Please share them here at the comments section.