Earth Day is a celebration of the Earth and a reminder of the importance of taking care of her. This year of course is a difficult one, as the world is experiencing a widespread pandemic. As we each slow down and reflect on all that really matters, we have the chance to truly appreciate the great beauty of the planet we all share and how interconnected we all are. It is in this spirit we acknowledge Earth Day 2021 with humility, appreciation and hope.
The American Museum of Natural History will be celebrating Earth Day with EarthFest. A series of online videos beginning at 11 am EST. Make sure and check out the live virtual guided flights over Earth and through space with real scientists, a YouTube watch party and the Earth-themed online trivia night. Watch parties, live workshops, and lots of other fun, earth-friendly activities can also be found on the museum’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
It’s important that earth conscious practices are carried out throughout the year and not just on a specified day. These are just a few of our preferred travel partners that are promoting green initiatives year round.
Why is Sustainability when traveling important? We aren’t trying to single-handedly save the world. But, we recognize that as a part of the travel community, it is our responsibility to make sure that while we travel, we have a positive impact on the destinations we visit.
Over 60 million travelers are choosing companies based on their sustainability practices. This is why we partner with travel companies that we know make sustainability a priority.
Globus Family of Brands
Globus makes every effort to conserve and preserve each destination they visit. To protect waterways and wildlife and shine a light on organizations that do the same.
They supports the following planet-focused initiatives:
- The Ocean Cleanup
- Wildlife Firefighter Association
- The Mountain Institute of Peru
- Vital Ground Foundation – Grizzly Bear Rcovery
- Wildlife Conversation Netowrk, Lion Revory
- South African Parks Honorary Rangers
- Atchafalaya Basin Project, Lousiana
They also support people-focused organizations including Landmine Design, UNICEF, Childsafe Network, Rural Aid and Foundation Galapagos.
The Globus Family of Brands includes Cosmos Tours, Globus Tours, Avalon River cruises and Monograms vacations.
Tauck’s National Park Volunteer Programs
For over ten years Tauck tours have been offering its travelers the opportunity to volunteer at some of the United States’ national parks. This program is called the Cowboy Country Family Adventures. Participants can spend around two and a half hours at Grand Teton National Park doing various projects. In the past, this program was held at Yellowstone National Park, but was moved because many of Tauck’s guests were able to complete more than 30,000 volunteer hours and finish the majority the projects that need to be done. This program is a great way to spend some time in a National Park and give back as well. Because of the work that volunteers have completed by participating in the Cowboy Country Family Adventure, Tauck has received many awards from places like the U.S. Travel Association and the Whitehouse.
Collette Vacations Volunteer Program
Collette tours offers more than just vacations. It offers participants the chance to volunteer and make an impact on the world. These participants include not only travelers, but their employees as well. Collette strives to make the lives of children better in various locations. Currently they need volunteers in North America, Kenya and China to complete several different projects.
TTC Treadright Foundation
In 2008, Trafalgar tours, parent company, created the forward-thinking TreadRight Foundation to safeguard our natural and cultural legacies by protecting the people, wildlife and planet for future generations. Treadright helps people by supporting artisans, farmers, families & investing in micro enterprises. They protect & maintain the diversity of wildlife, cultures and traditions. They help reduce the carbon footprint while traveling to protect the environment.
Trafalgar incorporated Be My Guest experiences on many of their trips which helped local business in the regions they are visiting. Over 100+ livelihoods are protected through these experiences.
Trafalgar also partnered with One Tree Planted, which is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with Trafalgar to reforest areas of tree loss in Tanzania and Northern California. For every guest that chooses Edocs vs. paper, Trafalgar plants a tree in their honor.
G Adventures Sustainable Travel
G Adventures believes that sustainable travel is necessary in order for all the beautiful destinations they visit to remain that way. They strive to include small businesses that are located in the many developing countries that they visit. This helps their economy and enables tourism dollars to stay in the area that is traveled too. G Adventures cares about contributing to local economies by providing employment possibilities to those areas that are often undeserved and need tourism to have a positive impact on their community.
Related post: Sustainable Travel Initiatives by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines
Going Green
A few cities are “Going Green” when it comes to their ports. Halifax, Montreal and Quebec are spending more than $24 million dollars so that cruise ships that come into their ports can plug into the city’s electrical grid rather than using diesel fuel while in port. This will dramatically decrease greenhouse gas emissions that are harmful for the environment. The city of Vancouver is already using grid-based shore power.
Being An Environmentally Conscious Travel
Even when traveling, you can do some things to benefit the environment and earth including:
- Eating local to support the area’s economy
- Only have your bed linens in your hotel room or cruise ship cabin changed when soiled as opposed to every day
- Pack and use water bottles instead of using disposable bottles of water
- Say No to plastic straws and Yes to reusable ones. We use 500 million plastic straws every single day. If you don’t enjoy your cocktails without one, there are plenty of reusable straws available.
- Use public transportation, walk or rent a bike rather than getting a rental car
- Turn off lights and TV’s when leaving your room or cabin
