Green Child Magazine Summer 2015 | Page 52

Tread Lightly — Eco Travel with your kids! impact. Sustainable Travel International’s Carbon Calculator for travelers is a useful tool that lets you calculate your impact and offset it by donating to reforestation, renewable energy, and other sustainable projects. Leave no trace Wherever you go with your kids, use it as an opportunity to teach respect for the environment and for others. Whether or not your trip involves outdoor exploration, consider teaching your kids to follow the Seven Principles established by the Leave no Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: • • • • • • • Plan Ahead & Prepare Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces Dispose of Waste Properly Leave What You Find Minimize Campfire Impacts Respect Wildlife Be Considerate of Other Visitors Some of these principles are specific to camping. Challenge your older children to come up with alternatives that apply to non-camping situations, too! Take a balanced approach Of course you want your vacation to be as eco-responsible as you can make it. But keep in mind that stress is unsustainable, too! Do what you can to plan a trip that supports your family’s values and expectations – whether it’s positive social impact on the local community, the availability of good food, access to natural areas, availability of shuttles, bicycles, public transit and/or safe walking paths, green 52 housekeeping practices, or something else entirely. Do your own research by making phone calls to places and chatting with folks as well as reading third party eco ratings and social media reviews. Once you make the decision that feels the best to you, let go of the rest. “The last thing you want your eco-vacation to become is tense and frustrating because you are constantly searching for the best sustainable choice,” says Hillary Mizia, executive Director of Shadowcliff Mountain Lodge in Grand Lake, CO. “Allow yourself to be immersed in the culture and welcome social sustainability on a new level. Expose your kids to happiness while traveling. Give your family the gift of being present. Enjoy yourself!” David Leventhal, owner of the Playa Viva hotel in Guerrero, Mexico, agrees. “My number one peice of advice is find a place that allows for kids to interact with nature and then do NOT try to schedule,” he says. “We are so prone these days to schedule every moment of our kids’ lives, but if you take them to the right Eco location…the kids will become kids again and their sense of curiosity and especially around nature will emerge.” “The last thing you want your ecovacation to become is tense and frustrating because you are constantly searching for the best sustainable choice,” says Hillary Mizia, executive Director of Shadowcliff Mountain Lodge in Grand Lake, CO. “Allow yourself to be immersed in the culture and welcome social sustainability on a new level. Expose your kids to happiness while traveling. Give your family the gift of being present. Enjoy yourself!”