In another great article from Paul Merrill '
Leave only footprints' in Australian Geographic, Paul notes that more and more Australians "want to reduce their environmental impact and travel with purpose". That's great news! We love travel with a purpose here at dc&b! But working out how sustainable your holiday might be is not easy - you have to do a little digging, be prepared to ask some tricky questions and also beware of 'greenwashing' or businesses making misleading or exaggerated sustainability claims.
In the article, associate professor
Anne Hardy from the University of Tasmania shares 5 key questions that eco-conscious travellers can ask tourism operators before their next trip:
🏘️ Do you support the local community?
Ask the accommodation providers, tour operators or other tourism businesses if they are locally owned, or part of a national or multi-national chain. How does the business support its local community in terms of buying from local suppliers and sponsoring local community events and causes? When visiting these communities, make sure you check out the local markets, cafes and eateries - run by the locals. If you're buying souvenirs, double-check whether gifts are made by local or Indigenous craftspeople and not imported from elsewhere.
😊 How do you treat your staff?
Ask what the businesses do for their staff (e.g. housing assistance, training and career development) and read online reviews to gauge how well the business looks after its team. Are staff employed from the local area or are they 'fly-ins'? Does the business employ staff on permanent contracts to give them greater certainty of employment, or are most staff employed on a casual or contract basis? Do staff get paid appropriate wages by local standards and does the business comply with local industrial laws? Check out websites to see if businesses have clear policies on these things. They should be happy to promote them!
🍃 What's your impact on the environment?
Your luxury eco-lodge looks very big and fancy - so how much carbon dioxide does it actually emit? What materials were your facilities made out of and do your buildings meet any sustainability standards? Ann Hardy also recommends investigating "what practices [the business] undertakes to minimise emissions, such as using renewable energy, recycling, serving locally produced in‑season foods and protecting ecosystems". A good sustainable tourism operator will also want to educate its guests about respecting Indigenous cultures, protecting the natural environment and how to interact with wildlife.
📜 Do you have any certifications?
A green tick on a website or on a sticker at reception may not mean a business has reached best-practice on sustainability. And there are a raft of sustainability accreditation schemes out there. But Australia really does lead the way with two widely respected accreditation bodies in
Ecotourism Australia and
EarthCheck. Businesses and destinations accredited by these organisations are required to meet sustainability standards on multiple criteria and show how they are minimising negative impacts as well as maximising benefits for the environment, local communities and culture. You can access directories of sustainable tourism destinations and businesses from
Ecotourism Australia and
EarthCheck too.
♻️ Are you involved in regenerative planning?
As mentioned above, sustainable tourism isn't just about minimising environmental impacts - it's also about regenerating the health of local ecosystems so we go beyond 'carbon neutral' - and actually capture more carbon than we emit. Whether that's
Thala Beach Resort restoring rainforest in FNQ, or
Grandvewe Cheeses planting eucalypts and natives on degraded farmland in Tassie - which also adds to the diet of their girls (sheep!) - look for those businesses that are working hard on making a positive impact.
"But what about the emissions from my flights?" I hear you say! Well, check out our post here on what you can do when it comes to air travel. If you're still feeling carbon guilty after following all these tips - review your electricity provider at home! In Australia, Greenpeace publishes a ranking of the greenest electricity providers here. Great to see my home state Tasmania represent with Momentum Energy and Aurora Energy in the Top 5! 🙌
Safe (and sustainable!) travels from us here at dc&b.