Signsin bathroomsaboutreusing
yourtowelssimplydon’tcutit whenit
comestoassessingthesustainability
ofyourhotel,cruiseorothertravel
operator.A betteroptionis tolookfor
accreditationfroma reputablesource,
suchasEcotourismAustralia.“Our
programis reallycomprehensive,”says
thenot-for-profit’scommunications
andauditmanager,LinaCronin.
“Businesseshavetoaddresshowthey
lookaftertheirnaturalenvironment
withthingslikewater,wasteand
energy.Thenwelookathowthe
businessengageswiththeirlocal
community,suchasitsstaffand
suppliers.It’salsoabouttheircarbon
emissions,andhowtheytreatwildlife,
suchasendangeredspecies.It’s
reallyin-depthanda lotofworkfor
a business to achieve certification.”Astonishingly, thenumberonethingpeoplecoulddotodramaticallycut
downtheworld’sgreenhouseemissionshasnothingtodowithgoing
vegetarianorswitchingtoelectriccars.It’smuchmoreboringthanthat:
keepupthemaintenanceonyourlargehouseholdappliances.According
toProjectDrawdown,fixingleakingrefrigerantfluidsfromfridgesand
air-conditioners,anddisposingofthemresponsiblyaftertheyareno
longerinuse,would“domorethananyotheractiontohelpthe
environment”.Infact,onetonneofhydrofluorocarbon(HFC23)is
equivalenttoreleasing14,800tonnesofcarbondioxideintothe
atmosphere.Chooseenergy-efficientappliancesandmakesurerepairand
disposal is carried out by technicians with refrigerant handling licences.GREEN FROM
GREENWASHING
WHEN
TRAVELLING
YOUR FRIDGE
SEPARATE
FIX
PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES.Lookforcertified
sustainable
accommodation
when travelling.64 GOURMET TRAVELLER