1. Give as you go // Make your trip count by giving your tourism dollars to companies that take action to better the world. Intrepid Travel (866-847-8192, intrepidtravel.com), an adventure-tour outfit, matches clients' donations dollar for dollar for developing-world causes, such as protecting children and preventing AIDS.
2. Think when you fly // Experts speculate that negative emissions at high altitudes have greater effects, which would make airplanes prime culprits in global warming. You can buy "offsets" to mitigate your carbon output. These are invested in energy-efficient and renewable-energy projects (720-273-2975, sustainabletravel.com). Also choose airports such as Seattle-Tacoma International and BWI Marshall that make significant trash recycling efforts.
3. Buy -- or don't -- for effect // Avoid souvenirs and products made from endangered plants or animals, which cannot legally be brought into the United States. For souvenirs, choose items of local origin.
4. Teach your children well // What you do for conservation and cultural sensitivity is all well and good, but will your children follow in your footsteps? By teaching younger generations how to live and travel responsibly, we can ensure a brighter future for all, so make their travels a time for learning.
5. Drive conscientiously // If you have to drive (the better alternative is mass transit), tread lightly. Renting? Hertz recently launched its Green Collection, with more than 35, 000 fuel-efficient cars, including the Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion.
6. Stay green // Don't leave your eco-sense at home when traveling: Turn off lights, conserve water (avoid lengthy showers in water-needy spots) and use air conditioning and heating sparingly.
7. Support local culture // "Educate yourself on local culture and the environment before traveling -- it will not only make the trip more enjoyable, but provide you with a greater understanding of how you might help, " says David A.Kelly, a travel expert at the Practical Traveler (thepracticaltraveler.com).
8. Dine ethically // Your journeys are ideal for letting restaurants know that you don't support unethical food production. Avoid foods such as veal, foie gras and shark-fin soup that involve harsh treatment of animals. And don't order seafood that threatens endangered wildlife populations.
9. Donate your vacation time // Volunteer. A recent Travel Industry Association survey indicated that almost 25 percent of travelers are interested in service-based vacations. To find a charity travel opportunity that caters to your interests, go to volunteermatch.org.
10. Just travel // According to LeLei LeLaulu, president of the global humanitarian group Counterpart International, "Tourism represents the greatest voluntary shift of wealth from rich to poor in history." It has become the world's largest and fastest growing industry and may well be the most effective way to heal poverty, she said.
[From the Los Angeles Times]