If you want to do your bit for the environment, but still fancy having a first rate holiday you might well decide to opt for a carbon neutral holiday; but what actually is a carbon neutral break?
The plain truth is that the definition is varied, and therefore what constitutes a carbon neutral holiday is too – and whilst some practices may be considered counterproductive, there are a few things you can do to make your break a little bit greener, and a lot more guilt-free.
Croatia 2010 by Anthony Freeman
Choose greener or cleaner transport
Unless you own a car that runs on LPG, biofuel or a battery – opt to travel by train to the airport, or to your ‘staycation’ location.
Staycation?
Avoiding a plane journey is a great way of keeping your carbon footprint down – so holidaying at home in the UK is one way to opt for a greener break. However, if you still feel the call of the continent – catch a ferry then take to the road, or rails!
Eco Retreats
From holiday accommodation that has no more than a solar heated pool, to holiday resorts that are totally self-sufficient, there is a huge variety of places to take a break that are at least making an effort to cut their own carbon footprint as well as helping visitors cut theirs.
Carbon Offsetting
You can ease the guilt of a plane journey by donating money to plant a tree – but general consensus is that offsetting in this way is not actually a long term solution to the problem. Instead – why not donate your money to renewable energy projects. Whilst this still doesn’t cut the amount of carbon being put into the atmosphere, it does at least fund a way to find better alternatives. To find out how much, use a carbon calculator such as the one at http://www.climatecare.org/home.aspx then choose a charity or cause to donate your money to.
How much does it cost to keep your carbon spend in credit?
Not as much as you would think. A return journey from London Stanstead to Split in Croatia is about £2.50; to travel the average annual distance in a car that does 30 MPG will cost you just over £37.