Conscious Seasonal Activities and Adventures

 -- Eco - Tourism --

*Today's article is excerpted from Trash Talk - It's Easy To Be Green, Book 2, regarding conscious seasonal holidays and adventures.

 In these times of economical  strife and environmental concerns, it is no wonder that eco-tourism and stay-cations are becoming more popular. JTB Corp., a leading Japanese travel agency, released results of its survey on environmental awareness while traveling. Acording to the results, 70% of the respondents were conscious of and willing to try eco-friendly activities on their trips. 

There are dozens of things the average individual can do to perpetuate this green travel movement - and using the money you spend as a vote as to the direction we want to see the world go. In this section (of our book) you'll find some easy, eco-friendly and frugal options that anyone can consider while engaging in lots of activities without guilt. 

When making plans for the holidays, begin with choosing activities that support responsible ecological and environmental development in that area. Places you might want to explore are animal rescue organizations, preserved parklands, wildlife centers, bird sanctuaries and a variety of interactive eco-tours.

Also, consider spending time at rehabilitation projects - or start your own. There really is nothing like the rewarding feeling that comes from taking a few bags to a polluted area, sorting out the trash appropriately for recyclables, etc, and knowing that when you leave that day you have made a difference for the planet. Consider things like planting projects or volunteer projects that you can get involved in closer to home. These shouldn't be looked at as "work" but as a chance to meet new, like-minded people, to have fun and get involved in a community. At the same time you'll be left with the knowledge that you are leaving a lasting legacy.

Be conscious when tossing food out when traveling! You might be conscious of throwing non-organic garbage out the window when traveling, however few people realize the consequences of throwing out that apple core or banana peel out the car window. Guilty of this ourselves up until about 15 years ago - when hiking we would leave the apple cores, watermelon skins and banana peels in the area by tossing them into the forest or placing under a rock thinking they'll break down into compost and not realizing that we may be attracting bear and other animals to the trail where other people frequent. 

According to the Go & Do Visitor Magazine (1008 issue) foods tossed out of travelers' windows can lure animals to the road where they could be hit by cars, potentially causing accidents or damage to vehicles. Their bodies can then attract larger predators and scavengers and the problem just gets bigger and bigger - all because of one little apple core. To put this into perspective, in Southern BC (Canada) the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center shared information about their work - stating that 80% of the animals that are treated there have injuries sustained from human activity...

*We'll continue this conversations in a week or so on this blog.

© Dave & Lillian Brummet

Find Dave and Lillian Brummet at: http://brummet.ca

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