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Travel Tips for Ecotravelers -- Robin Dalmas of MSNBC
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- "Buy Locally. It ensures that the maximum amount of tourist dollars spent remains in the area. ". . . Stay in locally owned guesthouses, eat in local restaurants, book tours through local agents & guides."
- Choose a hotel that is environmentally responsible.
- When renting a car, reserve the smallest, most fuel-efficient vehicle that meets your genuine needs.
- Don't damage the habitat. "Don't take a chance with fire where it is not allowed, and where it is, be careful," says the public relations coordinator for the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. "Don't see how far off-road your vehicle can go. You may drive over the fragile eggs of some struggling creature such as the gopher tortoise. Don't discard any liquids into lakes or streams. Don't disturb nests or pick up eggs."
- Don't remove plants or animals to take home. They probably won't survive, and if they do, they may react differently in your home than in their own. For your own safety, leave baby animals alone. You don't want to deal with "Mom or Dad."
- Don't touch anything while diving or snorkeling. "Touching coral kills coral," says Kristine Gentry, "and touching animals like sharks and sting rays can be harmful to the animals. Their immune systems are not equipped to handle human germs and diseases."
- Take pictures, not petals. "The national parks and other parks are inundated with visitors," says Glen Hanket. "If every visitor picked one Rocky Mountain Columbine, or one Indian Paintbrush, the meadows would soon be denuded/bare. Leave it there for those who come after you to enjoy. A photo will live much longer.
- Don't feed the furry things. "You may think you're doing that cute squirrel a favor by giving him that bread crumb, but instead you're sentencing him to starvation, says Hanket. "Think of what happens when winter comes and the visitors go --- and that critter is no longer able to forage food for himself.
- Don't litter. "Most people don't realize the cost of litter. Money spent on trash removal is money not available for spending on (things) like campgrounds, visitor centers and the like. Some of the litter is also dangerous to the wildlife --- plastic six-pack rings being perhaps the foremost example, as animals get their mouths and beaks entangled and then cannot feed."
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