ECO-TRAVEL

If you’re planning a vacation this summer, you might want to consider going somewhere green – and by that, we aren’t necessarily referring to the foligage, though it’s a bonus. A special Green Travel Special Report by smartertravel.com lists the top 10 Green Destinations
in the world. Following are the study’s results:

1. Portland, Ore. The recipient of numerous green and sustainability awards, Portland, recently earned the highest score in a Popular Science ranking of America’s 50 Greenest Cities. The city was also the first in the nation to adopt a Global Warming Action Plan and now half the energy it consumes is renewable.

2. Vermont. It’s easy to be green in the Green Mountain State, where residents have long been committed to environmental protection and heritage preservation. Currently Vermont is working on revitalizing the downtown areas of its many historic communities through the Vermont Downtown Program, and the state’s Northeast Kingdom region has partnered with National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations to implement tourism practices that protect the destination’s environment
and culture.

3. The Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Winner of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s top destination award in 2007, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef was recognized for the effective partnership between the government and the local tourism industry that work together to protect it.

4. Dominica. Unlike many other Caribbean islands blighted by massive resorts, cruise ports and casinos, rainforest-covered Dominica has made an effort to protect its environment and be the region’s ecotourism destination. In 2004 Dominica was the first country to earn a designation as a Green Globe Destination from the eco-certification organization Green Globe 21.

5. New Forest National Park, England. Originally a royal forest created in 1079 by William the Conquer, New Forest National Park was designated a national park in 2005, making it the U.K.’s first national park to be established in nearly 50 years. The status was granted to protect some of southern England’s last remaining tracts of old growth forest, unenclosed pastureland and heath land that is home to 3,000 free-wandering ponies and five species of deer.

6. Aspen, Colo., is one of the greenest ski towns around, thanks largely to the efforts of the Aspen Skiing Company. In 2007 the company won the top Tourism for Tomorrow Conservation Award for its efforts, including being the first U.S. ski resort to purchase wind power and build certified green buildings. It also uses 100 percent renewable energy and created a nonprofit employee organization to raise money to protect mountain ecosystems.

7. Norwegian Fjords. In 2006, National Geographic Traveler Magazine awarded Norway’s West Fjords the highest score in its destination scorecard ranking of 94 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Experts who graded the area were impressed by the fjords’ unspoiled scenery and small farming communities.

8. San Francisco, Calif. A long-time forward thinker and actor on social and environmental issues, San Francisco has had a sustainability plan in place for nearly a decade. Almost half of San Francisco’s residents commute by public transit, walking or biking; more than 17 percent of the city is green space; and voters recently chose to allocate $100 million in bonds to finance renewable energy projects.

9. Greenbox, Ireland. A unique approach to conservation, Ireland’s newly established Greenbox ecotourism zone comprises a portion of northwestern Ireland rich with unspoiled wilderness areas and ancient archeological sites. The Greenbox works to certify local tourism business in ecotourism and promote environmentally friendly travel through the region.

10. Sydney, Australia. Famous for its beautiful beaches and harbor and its outdoor-loving populace, Australia’s Emerald City recently launched Sustainable Sydney 2030. Among the goals of this long-term initiative are revitalization of the city center, a more sustainable transportation system, more green space and greater energy efficiency.

It doesn’t take much to leave a big trace in wilderness

We weren’t too surprised. But we were disappointed.
We weren’t surprised that a beautiful, remote backpacking campsite high in northern Colorado’s Rawah Wilderness Area had been discovered by someone else. We were disappointed, however, that it had been pretty much trashed since our last visit.

Years of traipsing around in the mountains west of Fort Collins had finally led us to the 76,000-acre Rawah, one of 41 wilderness areas in Colorado. It quickly became our favorite “guys weekend” destination, with long, steep hikes rewarded with roaring waterfalls, wildflower-studded meadows, snow-fed lakes brimming with brook trout – all cradled by 12,000-foot peaks jutting in stark relief against azure skies.

Within this alpine Eden we had found a postcard-perfect camping spot, a half-mile off the main trail, tucked beneath a waterfall at 10,500 feet and overlooking the entire valley. And we did our best to return Mother Nature’s gift to us. If we didn’t exactly practice the Leave No Trace outdoor ethic, we gave our best attempt at “Leave As Little Trace As Possible.” (See accompanying story.)

But on our most recent trip to the Rawah, we found that others had loved the same spot nearly to death. A ring of fire-blackened rocks sat in the middle of trampled vegetation. What was once a faint hint of a path to the nearby stream had become a full-fledged walking trail, with several forks branching off it. Bottle caps littered the ground. Worst of all, an impromptu table had been constructed using deadfall wood, nails and nylon rope. It wasn’t a scene you’d expect to find, well, where we found it.

This is not to imply we believed the site to be “ours,” and expected to keep it that way into perpetuity. As stated above, we weren’t surprised someone else had discovered this special wilderness niche. We did expect, however, that this magnificent spot be given the respect and care it deserved.

We will return to the beauty of the Rawah again. But we won’t go back to the same campsite. Not because it’s been despoiled, but because it needs to be left undisturbed for a long time to regenerate. Our presence there would only delay its much-needed respite from human touch. Hopefully other campers will feel the same way.
~ Tim Walmer