BE AN ECO WARRIOR
Sustainable Travel, I launched Bouteco (bouteco. co) with former editor of Green Hotelier Holly Tuppen, to make it easier for seekers of stylish hotels to find the most sustainable ones. On our site we share stories of sustainability, offer independent tr
1. MAKE A FUSS
If we all talk louder about the hotels that do support local suppliers and
consider environmental impact, it will prompt others to be more responsible. Before booking, email to ask the hotel about water preservation. And request menus that promise local, seasonal ingredients from
small producers.
2. SAVE WATER
Shower instead of having a bath and limit laundry, including bed linens and towels. Buy a refillable water-filtering bottle such as LifeStraw (lifestraw.com) and make sure drinks in restaurants are local and
not imported.
3. AVOID PLASTIC
Oceans are teeming with rubbish and microscopic
plastics from beauty products, and many tropical destinations are landfill disaster zones. Leave all packaging out of your luggage, avoid plastic bottles of water and never use a plastic straw again.
4. BE NATURAL
Chemicals in toiletries are killing the coral reefs. Avoid oxybenzone, the UV-filtering chemical found
in most sunscreens, in favour of natural products
such as those at nealsyardremedies.com. and jasonnaturalcare.co.uk.
5. GO GUERILLA
Initiatives such as packforapurpose.org recommend what to take to donate to certain places, including paperbacks for South Africa’s Ulusaba Private Game Reserve’s adult-literacy programme.