8 ways to be a more sustainability-minded travel writer

Sitting in a room with dozens of writers and editors who have likely clocked a collective zillion miles of travel over the last few months, at tables stacked with folders, travel brochures, and a small forest’s worth of paper packets, while listening to a workshop on sustainable and green issues…it felt kind of ironic.

That was the theme of Travel & Words: The Pacific Northwest Travel Writers Conference held this past weekend in Woodinville, WA. Every panel, every workshop and every talk included discussions on varying levels of how we can travel, and write about travel, in a way that “raises levels of sustainability conscience.”

Because let’s face it – travel isn’t necessarily the “greenest” thing. Fuel is usually involved, sometimes significantly. Packing, baggies, 3.4 oz TSA-approved plastic bottles. But we can shrink that footprint in other ways. These notes and tips I compiled during the conference might seem obvious, but I feel like they’re all great ideas to keep at the front of the mind when traveling and writing.

Try it! (Street market: Suwon, Korea)

Book certified green lodging

These are hotels, resorts and other accommodations that meet certain standards, such as using on/off timers for lighting in low-traffic areas or limiting individually packaged amenities. Check out Green Lodging News to find certified green accommodations for your travels.

Visit local shops

Avoid the chains. Look up and down the block for a little cafe before walking into Starbucks.

Eat local foods

The “sustainable movement” is spreading fast and furious in the restaurant biz – look for spots that are proud to serve seasonal menus with foods sourced from local farms. Talk to the chefs, the farmers, the vendors. Take notes.

Walking tour (Old San Juan, Puerto Rico)

Participate in cultural tours with local guides

I used to speak with disdain about tours in general – being part of a large, guided group gives me the urge to moo, for one thing. But if you can find the right guide who really knows his/her stuff and is passionate about the location, you’ll get a lot out of your visit, you’ll meet new people and you’ll support the local economy. All good things.

Take public transportation

I make it a personal mission to get lost at least once in a new city. All the more fun if the subway and bus stop signs aren’t in English.

Turn down the press packet

This is a toughy – I can’t say I’ve done it. But in all honesty, the thick folders with pages and pages of info we get at the start of a trip…how much isn’t Googleable? Kindly decline the packet and research what you need before and after the trip.

Music in the Park (Salvador, Brazil)

Attend local festivals and events

Another point that seems so obvious, but I can think of more than one occasion when I visited a city, then left only to hear about some great show or event I’d missed out on. On the left is Musica no Parque – a totally free live concert every other Sunday in Itaigara.

Write about it!

Specifically, write about the green things, the sustainable things, you do, see, eat, learn about. Call attention to the details that made your experience environmentally friendly. Not in a preachy way – just mentioning the interesting conversation you had with a local oyster farmer at the market, or how you stumbled onto a sweet little cafe after jumping off the subway two stops early, might pique a reader’s interest and encourage them to do the same.

Got any other “green” tips for travelers? I’d love to hear them!