Which platforms can help me choose the most eco-friendly travel?
With our environmental impact at the forefront of many of our minds these days, the way in which we travel is changing. And while in the past it may have been more difficult to accurately track your carbon footprint, nowadays we have the power in our pockets to explore more environmentally friendly ways to go abroad. Below we have listed mobile apps to get you started when optimising your eco-travel practices!
UNEP Carbon Calculator
Created by the United Nations in 2011, this free carbon calculator app was designed to help people across the world manage their carbon emissions. It works by combining all of your travel statistics, including train, plane and automobile journeys, to work out how much habitat would need to be planted or conserved to balance things out.
Once you have recorded your journeys, you can choose to support conservation work around the globe to offset your emissions. The app also offers you tips and tricks to conserve energy, so you can reduce your carbon footprint if you would like.
However, at the moment this app is only available on the App Store for iOS devices.
Glooby
Created by two Swedish programmers, this website enables users to find and compare prices on aeroplane tickets and hotels, while indicating the most fuel-efficient flights and eco-labeled hotels. The site searches a variety of travel agencies, airlines and booking sites to show you all the information you need to make better travel decisions.
Glooby’s online search engine also offers the option to refine results by flights with the lowest CO2 emissions—making the act of reducing your impact on the environment as simple as checking a box.
One Planet Rating
One Planet Rating (OPR) is the world’s first dedicated review platform for sustainable travel & tourism. Travellers rate Hotels, Restaurants, Cities, Sights and Activities based on sustainability, specifically environmental, social and cultural issues. The idea is that this empowers travellers to search, rate and plan travel based on human impact, anywhere in the world.
For example, you can rate visible factors such as the prevalence of organic food, litter free beaches or energy saving advice in hotel rooms, to more in-depth issues like fair wages and local heritage protection.
Their platform can be accessed online via desktop and mobile here.
Green Globe
Green Globe is an app aimed at business travel, that can help businesses organise accommodation, hospitality, transport and, conference venues to the highest level of sustainability – using a rigorous checklist of over 40 items, from recycling practices, to schemes that pay back to the local environment.
TripZero
It’s no secret that air travel contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases that have a harmful environmental impact. With, this travel booking website you can offset the carbon footprint created by your trip at no extra cost to you.
Through a partnership with Expedia, TripZero has access to millions of hotel rooms around the world and when you book your trip through the website, a portion of the money goes toward buying carbon offsets by funding projects such as reforestation in Kenya or wind turbines in Indiana.
What’s more, the offsets are certified by reputable third parties, including the Verified Carbon Standard and the Green-e Climate Standard.
It is also worth noting that apps like Skyscanner will also now tell you the most eco-friendly choice, based on the reduction of CO2, when listing the possible flights you can take.
Anyone can choose to make smarter decisions when traveling, from choosing a hotel that uses renewable energy, a restaurant that has a working food waste strategy or by contributing to the local economy by choosing local service providers. We hope these platforms give you some inspiration when booking your next trip.
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