When planning your next trip, consider checking your green options first.
Mini disclaimer: I don’t aim to cover all options in this one post.
There are of course labels for eco friendly accommodations; there are non-profits that take care of socio-economic impact of your long-distance travel to exotic far-away destinations; there are regional and “slow” travel concepts like monasteric guesthouses; there are companies that offer CO2-compensations for frequent flyers worrying about their CO2 footprint.
It’s to cover those topics and to talk about my favourite destinations that I’ve started my green and slow travel series as well as the blog category ECO TRAVEL.
Today I’d like to show you three platforms that I use when planning my European travels. I resort to more conventional booking systems if there’s nothing available here, but this is where I look first.
As always, no sponsored posts, no ads, no affiliates.
Green Pearls:
International Platform for Unique Destinations
Founded in 2013 in Germany, Green Pearls is a platform for sustainable, unique, very modern upscale hotels, resorts and destinations – worldwide – to communicate their work. The criteria are quite flexible (but also transparent) to ensure the individual, hand-picked character of Green Pearls members. Many members are trailblazers in terms of urban eco gardening or recycling programmes.
The website has a search tool but no booking system. Instead, it provides a link to booking partners.
Green Tourism:
UK Certification Programme
Offering a few destinations in Canada, Italy and Zimbabwe, Green Tourism‘s main focus are England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and the Channel Islands. Planning a “who wants to live forever” tour in the Highlands? A business trip to London? Holiday parks, luxury resorts, golf hotels, b&b, even language schools are available.
Pop over to Green-Tourism.com, use their search engine, jump to the website of your favourite and book away.
Bio Hotels:
European Eco-Friendly Holidays
With listings of sustainable hotels and resorts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Greece and Spain, Bio Hotels offer holiday destinations for wellness & weddings, golf & gourmet, family & fitness – that kind of fun, to book right away. Business hotels are listed but not many.
Additional service: a searchable online guide to organic restaurants with filters such as “fasting” or “food intolerance”.
I noticed lately that some travel companies offer in their season catalogues a variety of green travel destinations what came as a surprise to me. Similar to the fact that they offer vegan ones. Quite interesting and as I can see more and more come up with solutions like this.
Well, green is marketing gold, innit? As always, double-checking how green those truly ar is a good idea.
This is not travel related but I was very glad to see this in the news today. A guide for ethical buying; it’s a good start. http://theregister.co.nz/news/2015/04/ethical-clothing-companies-revealed-just-jeans-valley-girl-glassons-and-other-retailers-fail-test There is also a more detailed fashion guide.
It’s becoming more and more of a trend. (Which is good and bad all in one)
Fabulous resources.
Thank you ❤