Sustainable Travel? Really?

Just Look for the Eartcheck Symbol

Let’s see..you’ve chosen a vacation package…check….it meets your budget….check….it has everything you want…check….does it have the Earthcheck certification?  I bet you’re saying, ‘Huh? What’s that?’

If you’ve ever considered taking a sustainable vacation, there are now ways of ensuring you’re getting what you paid for. Your best bet these days is to look for the Earthcheck certification or symbol. It’s like when you’re buying food – look for the heart check symbol. It’s a form of consumer reassurance that you’re getting exactly what you’ve bargained for - in this case a sunny vacation somewhere with peace of mind that you’re maintaining a light tread on this precious earth.

Earthcheck is a fairly new organization that’s been around a few years and provides third party assessment for all kinds of businesses, namely tourism destinations. To be more specific, they design programs and products to help businesses streamline their operations to be more “green”, reduce waste, improve safety and conserve resources in the whole manufacturing process. And they do follow up.  They gather data on things like chemical use, amount of waste that goes to landfills, energy consumption and recycling practices. Each location that is audited by Earthcheck is given a checkup and is informed of ways to improve their green practices.

Although Mexico in general has received a lot of bad press as of late, it is good to remain informed of the areas you can head to if you’re hankering for a bit of Mayan Riviera culture. One particular place that has recently received gold status from Earthcheck is Huatulco in southern Mexico. The coastal paradise became the first tourist destination in the Americas to receive EarthCheck's gold certification earlier this month for meeting the meticulously thorough sustainable tourism requirements of EarthCheck. The requirements range from environmental legislation, energy usage, water conservation, wastewater management, biodiversity, and waste reduction.

Earlier this year at the EarthCheck Sustainable Tourism Forum in Huatulco, Adriana Perez Quesnel, director of the Fondo Nacional del Fomento al Turismo (FONATUR), said, "We are immensely proud to receive this certification and even more so to be the first destination in the Americas to do so. This achievement is a clear demonstration of how government, the private sector and local communities can work together to deliver significant benefits to the world in which we live."

In fact it may interest you to know that Huatalco has received Earthcheck certification for the past five years. Because of this certification, Huatalco will be featured as one of 13 sustainable destinations on a Discovery Channel program to be aired in 2012.

"In Mexico alone, EarthCheck member organizations have saved a combined total of 26,349,880 kg of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) since data started being collected in 2003," said Earthcheck Ambassador Gustavo Ramos Fumagalli in a press release June 3. “"They have also reduced water consumption by 2,196, 674,635L of water, dramatically reducing pressure on natural resources in a country that is familiar with the unforgiving effects of drought."

Earthcheck has provided its “greening” certification and assessment services to more than 65 countries and more than 1,100 businesses worldwide. One shining example they give on their website is in St. Lucia at Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort and Spa. They reduced their energy consumption by 51 per cent. In addition, Ecoturismo Kuyima in Mexico is seeing a 97 per cent improvement in their water consumption.

Remember before booking any trip, it is always smart to check with your travel agent or people you know who have been to Mexico, or view travel advisories at www.voyage.gc.ca.

Remember the crime watchdog character, McGruff? If they can give you sustainability and safety in one vacation package, now that would be true peace of mind. For more information about Earthcheck, visit www.earthcheck.org.