Why we need to fly less
The single biggest change we can make is to fly less often, to nearer destinations - something we can all embrace in these times of domestic-only travel.
This is particularly important for New Zealanders and their visitors because Aotearoa is about as long-haul as you can get. Flying return to Europe generates three tons of CO2 per passenger. Some experts say this is equivalent to your entire carbon budget for a year. Others would say it's double or even more.
Alternative fuels and electric planes won't get us off the hook, sadly. According to Dr Susanne Becken, professor of sustainable tourism and contributor to 100% Pure Future, they simply won't compete with fossil fuel anytime soon.
"While considerable progress is being made on multiple fronts," says Becken, "new technology is constrained by various factors including cost, flying distance and carry weight, and the availability of sustainable feedstock for fuels. The best we can hope for in the near-term is to fly 'carbon light'."
As for carbon offsetting, it might make you feel a bit better and it's certainly an enabler for those who can afford it, but it's no replacement for a real reduction in emissions.
Travelling more slowly, staying longer in one place, and not trying knock off every icon on your travel list will mean fewer flights and less on-the-ground transport. Chances are your travels will be more immersive and spontaneous as a result. You'll likely see more, learn more and meet more people.
Think local
Leisure travel relies heavily on commonly held resources such as the fresh air, forests and oceans that sustain life on Earth. While not everyone gets to enjoy it, the negative effects are felt everywhere.
What's more, research shows that holidaymakers tend to throw many of their everyday eco-friendly actions out the window.
Stick to the drill. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Waste less food and eat less meat. Buy local, sustainable and NZ-made.
Where you spend your money really matters. As big corporations have pounced on profits, a lot less trickles down to the ground. Staying at smaller, locally owned accommodation, for example, is more likely to fill local pockets than the coffers of shareholders with no connection to the whenua.
Smaller properties are also less likely to gobble up vast quantities of energy, water and other resources used by vast hotels and cruise ships. Swimming pools, golf courses and excessive laundry are just some of the reasons hotel guests can use nearly 20 times more water per person per day than locals.
Book direct so that your money goes straight into the hands of the people who've earned it. Whether accommodation or adventure tour, business owners will usually match the lowest price offered by foreign, robotic ticket-clippers. And every penny makes a difference to those businesses right now.
Going eco
The more we demand sustainable travel experiences, the more the market will adapt to satisfy us – especially if we, too, are prepared to adapt and make sacrifices, including paying more.
There's no shortage of eco-friendly travel options, at least if the marketing bumph and badges are anything to go by. Be wary of greenwashing. It was already rife in tourism pre-Covid but likely go full spin-cycle as the global industry desperately tries to recover.
Get tough in your verification. What do you have to do to get that green logo? How low-carbon is that tour once the flights are factored in?
Here in New Zealand, most tourism businesses are signed up to the Tourism Sustainability Commitment, an initiative of their membership organisation, Tourism Industry Aotearoa.
Although aimed at industry rather than consumer, the Sustainability Commitment is a solid go-to for anyone looking to make their travel more sustainable. While the environment is a major focus, its 12 actions also address the many other negative impacts of travel including the effects on local communities.
The journey begins and ends at home
One of the most inspiring and potentially transformative things I've read recently about sustainable travel is Rotorua's Destination Management Plan. Such plans set out intentions around regional tourism management and are now requisite for local governments across New Zealand.
Over 50 detailed pages, the creators of Rotorua's plan have cast their net deep and wide to harness the collective experience, values and wisdom of the community. It looks back to go forward, tracing the history of its tourism industry and honestly acknowledging the costs as well as the wins. Its vision is "Hei painga mō te ao katoa" – for the betterment of all.
Rotorua's plan isn't just refreshing. It's radical, prioritising mauri over market forces and rebalancing the relationship between visitors and their hosts.
Wherever you go and however you travel, being sustainable begins and ends at home.
Check traffic light settings and Ministry of Health advice before travel at covid19.govt.nz
