New Zealand is just one of the world’s most eco-friendly destinations to visit, writes Louise Southerden.
France Canada New Zealand
The world is changing and travel is changing with it, thanks to a green revolution occurring beneath our feet. Not so long ago, most of us travelled to forget the world’s problems, as well as our own. Now we’re taking our sustainable sensibilities with us. We’re travelling with our own reusable water bottles and coffee cups. We’re choosing trains over planes, eating plant-based and SLO (seasonal, local and organic), picking up litter, saying no to plastic bags and straws, thinking twice about the impact we’re having, being kind to animals, and giving back.
But we can all do more to put our frequent flyer points where our values are.
An increasing number of us want to visit places that are moving in the same direction. So where to go? There are various ways to measure a destination’s ‘‘green-ness’’ such as energyefficiency, use of renewables, and plastic-free and zero-carbon initiatives, as well as their ability to reconnect us to nature.
This list isn’t intended to be exhaustive, but shines a spotlight on seven destinations doing good and green things. Just remember, that as travellers, we’re part of this movement towards sustainability too, and the more we care about these issues and support destinations, tourism organisations and travel businesses doing the right things, the more we normalise sustainable travel.
Perhaps one day, in the not-too-distant future, there will be no such thing as sustainable travel. There will just be travel that naturally enriches our lives, those of the people we visit, and the planet upon which we all depend. France has been kicking climate goals since the COP21 climate conference in 2015 that led to the historic Paris Agreement, signed by 195 countries and the European Union. It was the first country in Europe to require supermarkets to donate waste food to charity, in 2015, and the first in the world to ban plastic picnicware from 2020. Last year, President Emmanuel Macron pledged to close all of the country’s coal-fired power plants by 2021, and reduce its reliance on nuclear power from 75 per cent to 50 per cent by 2035.
Why visit: Paris, of course. But also Provence, Mont Blanc and the French Alps, Corsica with its GR 20 hiking trail, Burgundy for its wines, and the Loire Valley, the surf coast around Biarritz, and so much more. And in June/July every year, the entire country celebrates the culture of cycling with the world’s biggest bike race. See letour.fr.
Don’t miss: It’s still five years away, but the Paris 2024 Olympics will be the first to align with the Paris Agreement to ensure it’s the most sustainable Games yet. See paris2024.org.
Keep it green: In October last year, Paris introduced car-free Sundays once a month in the city centre. Get around like a local by renting a bike or doing a guided bike tour.
See bikeabouttours.com.
Essentials: For the ultimate European cycling adventure, spend a week riding some of the best stages of the Tour de France, hours before the pros, with Swiss-based Australian environmental advocate Keith Tuffley, who rode all three grand tours in 2013 to promote sustainability.
See grandtoursproject.com. Earlier this year, Canada, while not entirely a cleanskin when it comes to the environment, passed legislation to stop whales and dolphins from being bred or held in captivity. It announced a Zero Plastic Waste strategy, which includes holding manufacturers responsible for plastic waste, important in a country with the world’s longest coastline. It banned deep-sea mining and gas drilling in marine protected areas.
And British Columbia is phasing out petrolpowered vehicles by 2040, the first province in North America to do so.
Why visit: The Rockies, Banff and Lake Louise, Vancouver Island, the Northern Lights (in winter), the wild Yukon, Inuit and First Nation cultures, Niagara Falls and the Great Lakes, the ‘‘Canadian Galapagos’’ of the Haida Gwaii islands, polar bear safaris in Manitoba, wilderness lodges and grizzlyviewing, sea kayaking with orcas . . . Canada’s nature show is one of the most varied in the world.
Don’t miss: Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, father of current PM, Justin, was a fan of Canadian canoes, and they’re still one of the most quintessentially, and most sustainable, ways to travel. There’s nothing more Canadian than a guided canoe-camping trip exploring the wild lakes of Algonquin Provincial Park.
See algonquinoutfitters.com.
Keep it green: Beat ‘‘flight-shame’’ by using VIA Rail to criss-cross Canada, which will have 32 more energy-efficient trains by 2022. One of the best long-distance trains is The Canadian, the fournight sleeper between Toronto and Ontario.
See viarail.ca/en.
Essentials: Escape the ordinary at Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland. Built in 2013, it’s ecologically minded in every way and co-exists lightly with the island and its people. From CAD$1975 a night (NZ$2350). See fogoislandinn.ca. Two words: Jacinda Ardern. New Zealand’s PM banned single-use plastic bags in July, is aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2035 and has been encouraging vegetarianism to ameliorate climate change. We also plan to ‘‘lead the world in sustainable tourism’’, according to Chris Roberts, chief executive of Tourism Industry Aotearoa, which has the goal is to see every tourism business in the country committed to sustainability by 2025. See tia.org.nz.
Why visit: Natural beauty galore: its glaciers, fjords, big mountains, tussock-grassed ridges, volcanoes and hot springs, rugged coastlines and pristine beaches, not to mention kiwi, kea and other birds. Then there are the spectacular multiday hikes, particularly the nine iconic Great Walks that include the world-famous Milford Track, the Abel Tasman Coast Track and the volcanic