Green travel: the future of travel or just another commercial hype?
August 6th 2010 02:05
Category: No Category
I've been asked many times if I wanted to pay $10 to off-set my travel emissions.
"Where does the money go?" I ask.
"To projects that research sustainable travel options." they say.
I never pay. I personally am all in for being green, but some how I just don't see how paying more money and still flying the same airplane/catching the same transport is going to help. It's not like I am actually boarding a greener vehicle that actually contribute to green travel.
Travelling green means taking greener options, such as taking the train rather than fly when possible, walking / using public transport instead of getting a taxi... making sure you observe any environmental regulations in national parks and make sure you do the right things such as recycle, reuse and encourage others to do so.
However, these so called "emissions-off set" money - where do they go?
(If anyone works in this industry and care to explain, please do)
And once I've paid, then what?
Other things I hate about this hype of being green in the travel industry: Sudden, you are told that you need new backpacks because they are greener, you need new water bottles because they are greener and you need a whole new set of gear because they are greener.
That means, the backpack that I have used for the past 7 years, which I try to reuse, mend and reuse again, end up in landfill because I've been told I need to be green.
Sounds rather ironic to me. That's one backpack space that doesn't need to be added to landfill. (Same argument goes to everything else really....)
Anyways, thought I'd share my point of view. You don't need all these commercialised green 'crap' to be green. Use your head, use less. Otherwise it's just more money into the pockets of those people who really care more about their income than the environment.
"Where does the money go?" I ask.
"To projects that research sustainable travel options." they say.
I never pay. I personally am all in for being green, but some how I just don't see how paying more money and still flying the same airplane/catching the same transport is going to help. It's not like I am actually boarding a greener vehicle that actually contribute to green travel.
Travelling green means taking greener options, such as taking the train rather than fly when possible, walking / using public transport instead of getting a taxi... making sure you observe any environmental regulations in national parks and make sure you do the right things such as recycle, reuse and encourage others to do so.
However, these so called "emissions-off set" money - where do they go?
(If anyone works in this industry and care to explain, please do)
And once I've paid, then what?
Other things I hate about this hype of being green in the travel industry: Sudden, you are told that you need new backpacks because they are greener, you need new water bottles because they are greener and you need a whole new set of gear because they are greener.
That means, the backpack that I have used for the past 7 years, which I try to reuse, mend and reuse again, end up in landfill because I've been told I need to be green.
Sounds rather ironic to me. That's one backpack space that doesn't need to be added to landfill. (Same argument goes to everything else really....)
Anyways, thought I'd share my point of view. You don't need all these commercialised green 'crap' to be green. Use your head, use less. Otherwise it's just more money into the pockets of those people who really care more about their income than the environment.
| 71 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog