Sustainable tourism article by Sam of Fair Marquit, a dbBrad feature article.

All last year as I hiked my 5000 miles across 3 different countries on 3 different Continents, I thought about hiking as a means of travel and I thought about sustainability.  I observed the condition and the uses of land, the tourists I met, the poor locals juxtaposed against the traveling rich kids, hotels vs. backpackers, cars vs. bikes, conservation vs. our need for raw materials and I thought to myself 'This year of hiking, carrying my shelter, my kitchen and my wardrobe everywhere I go, eating simple foods and spending my time looking and learning rather than stressing and driving like most tourists, probably has to be the most sustainable trip ever.  All year I collected my garbage and generated less that 20lbs for the entire year (not including worn out gear), far under our American average of 4lbs per person, per day.

My little pile of gear starting out on a one year, 5000 mile backpacking trip.  Though gear was replaced as it wore out and discarded when carrying it's weight outweighed (no pun intended) its benefits of use, I essentially carried these items all year.  And for my favorite product used all year long, IBEX merino wool is it!

Interesting then that recently I received a request from another sustainably minded individual currently writing about tourism, it's impacts, and how changes are making it more sustainable.  Here is his web page which has some great information and here is his article on...

Photo from Fair Marquit web page.

Eco-Friendly Buildings

In the course of my time as a commercial and independent contractor, I have had many experiences in working with companies and businesses that are seeking to become certified in LEED. This includes purchasing and installing materials that are beneficial to the environment. As I work for certain individuals and businesses, I am interested in the implementation of eco-friendly initiatives. Although celebrating LEED certification is important, I believe there is a lot more that can be celebrated in terms of being eco-friendly.

In the continent of Asia, there has been a lot of focus and recognition of green initiatives. The Wild Asia Responsible Tourism awards, which is focuses on tourism in Asia has recognized a number businesses and individuals. Recognition is given to those who focus on keeping the community updated and involved. In addition to this, recognition is for those who have sought to protect the culture while guarding and maintaining portions of land and the animals, birds and insects that live in them. Furthermore, focus has been given to the proficiency of using available resources.

Being proficient at using available resources can include serving foods that are local to the area as well as installing showerheads and faucets that have valves that can shut off automatically. Las Vegas, which is a popular destination for many people around the nation and world, has sought to have many of their buildings and operations receive LEED certification. An interesting fact is that the Las Vegas Palazzo Resort recently has been named the “Most Eco-Friendly Hotel in America.” Some of the reasons for receiving the award are that the facility has self-governing systems as well as being able to recycle the waste that it produces. In addition to this, there are New York City hotels, similar to the ones in Las Vegas, which seek to be more sustainable. Some hotels have become intentional in reducing the carbon footprint that they make by recycling waste and to install self-governing systems. The Ink 48 Hotel, which is located in New York City, has created a group that focuses on how to benefit the earth in a good way. The program, Earthcare, provides a platform where members can come together and discuss different ways they can become more sustainable.

I must say that seeing people make buildings that are self-reliant is quite wonderful indeed. As an experienced contractor, it is amazing for me to have a part of this kind of special work.  It is important for workers in Las Vegas to know that the city receives 40,000,000 visitors each year, where they stay in 124,000 hotel rooms. Because of the amount of traffic Las Vegas receives, new green Las Vegas hotels are constantly going up. This is an extremely encouraging sign and must be duplicated in other parts of the world. If everyone does their part, the positive impact will be sign by future generations.