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:
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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
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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!”