In countries like the Netherlands we are lucky to have efficient systems for processing and recycling trash. Many homes have efficient heating systems that limit the amount of resources we use when we're at home. All passenger trains are powered by stored wind energy and electric vehicles are on the rise in 2019. Still, we impact our environment and its health every day and while we can't prevent it, we can certainly take steps to limit the damage we're doing.

If you want to help better the environment but you don't know how you can start contributing, this list is a good place to start.
You can help the environment by doing these 5 simple things, and on the plus side, your wallet will thank you later!

1. Limit your water usage

People who have traveled to countries where water is a limited resource will all tell you that, upon returning to their home country, started taking shorter showers. Our world's population is increasing and so is our usage of water. Don't leave the tap running when brushing your teeth. Wet a towel and wash your face with that instead of with tap water. By taking shorter showers you save yourself some money at the end of the month too!

Watch: "Take shorter showers"

2. Turn the lights off in the rooms you're not in

Easy to do, hard to remember. By turning the lights off in rooms you're not in, you're saving yourself some unnecessary power usage. Sure, leaving that light on in the bathroom once or twice isn't that bad... But imagine what it adds up to over the course of a whole year. You can even invest in sensors so you won't have to hit the switch every time.

Watch: "3 Ways to Turn Off the Lights (Without getting out of bed.)"

3. Use less paper

Did you know that around 40% of the world's timber is used for the production of paper? You do now! The production of all this paper endangers forests and natural habitats. So before you print that ticket for your concert, boat ride or your curriculum vitae for a job interview, ask yourself "Do I really need to print this?"

Watch: "Save Paper to Save Forests"

4. Buy reusable products

Try to limit the amount of disposable products you buy. Get yourself a refillable water bottle or reusable tupperware, and buy a quality grocery bag instead of the plastic disposable ones.

5. Wear a sweater

Especially in winter, it can be quite cold outside. We're humans and we're inclined to turn up the heating when we want to warm ourselves up. Instead, try putting on a warm sweater and those nice-looking winter socks with the funny print on them that you got for your birthday three years ago. By dressing up warm you'll save yourself heating costs at the end of the year and, over time, you'll get used to it!

Watch: "National Sweater Day"

Sustainability

Looking back at 2017, focussing on the positive. I have been asked to talk, and sometimes even as a Keynote Speaker on Conferences.

My talks are about Sustainability. I did some research and taught myself all about Sustainability. It was a journey and I would like to share that with you in parts. Why am I thinking about that now? Because one of our interns, who was with us 2 years ago, visited us all the way from Belgium to the Philippines. She graduated Tourism and decided because of her Internship with World Experience Philippines to study more about Sustainability. 

Today she helped me, what is Sustainability and what are the Measurement Tools? For me Sustainability is if you like to make the world a better place and you dont only think about yourself. The official description is: it has to do with lagom (yes the "trendy" word from Sweden) balance, to sustain the world that generaties after us, who will follow us, have gain. Wow. So how do we do that? I am studying again, check out: The Feeling Responsible Platform of Koning Aap, Joker Reizen, check the trends on the newsletter of Travel360. 

I was inspired today. I wish you too.

Hey everyone, 

Today I want to talk about travelling sustainably and ethically, since I think these are two of the most important things if you want to keep travelling and enjoying cultures/natures. 

So much can be learnt through travelling. It is meaningful and wonderful and gives us the opportunity to explore other ways of thinking, other cultures, other perspectives on things and not to mention a great variety of beautiful ecosystems. It is easy to assume that the way we do things here is the right way, that how we live, is how it should be, but travelling can totally mess this idea up, in a good way :). However, tourism can also put great stress on other cultures and ecosystems. Whole societies can change and disappear if tourism is performed in an unsustainable way. In this day and age in which travelling is so popular, easy and cheap, it is therefore very important to travel sustainably to sustain a place and its character. 

So what makes travelling sustainable? Many ideas and opinions exist about this, but I think it comes down to focussing on these things: respect, ethics, eco-tourism. Again, these terms can be interpreted in multiple ways of course haha. 

Respect is one of the main things if you want to be accepted into a culture, but also preserve a culture. Respect begins with researching the country you're visiting. This means looking into the culture, the rules, the unwritten rules and sometimes even the language if you're up for it. Getting to know a culture before you see it (by reading, watching movies/documentaries, researching the internet) can already increase your respect for it. Even though you might already think you are respectful, understanding exactly what and why will help you to act on it even better! And, it's also great fun to know so much about a culture. You can talk to local people about it, or explain things to other tourists which in turn helps them to travel more sustainably as well. 

Being respectful and being ethical has a lot in common. However, being ethical to me means that you are aware of what you do and how you do it, and that you really try to limit any negative impact you can have on cultures/environments. This means that for everything you decide to do, you do some research on how, why, where and by whom. So if you want to visit a local village for example, how is the trip conducted, what are the real reasons behind the trip (making money or supporting the local industry?), where are you going (what kind of village is it? Are they real local places, or are they places set up for tourism and making money?) and who is conducting the tour (is it local, what do they spend the profit on? etc). Of course, some of these things are really difficult to find out, but by trying to dig deeper than just booking the first cheap option, you might really have a positive impact on local cultures and help in preserving them. The same can be important for animal/wildlife shelters. 

Ecotourism, a term defined by the World Conservation Union as "Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples." As you can read In ecotourism a big part of the money made by tourism is usually put into conservation practices, like tree planting, preserving lands or helping animals. This goes hand-in-hand with cultural conservation. It's all about minimising your impact on the environment and being aware of what you can do (through tourism) to preserve the country you're visiting. Again, you can do research on the impacts of certain things you want to do. You can also find out which place you should and shouldn't visit by reading reviews for example. For example in Thailand, elephant riding can be a very popular activity for tourists, but it is terrible for the elephants. If you do want to see an elephant though, or maybe even be super close to one, you can visit an animal/elephant shelter where the elephants live that were rescued from these terrible circumstances. Often, you can also volunteer at these places which helps them in taking care of the animals and sheltering more animals. 

If you want to know more about eco-tourism, check out this page for example: https://ecotourism.org/news/

Well, I think it's all about pre-reading, which is also a fun way to prepare for your travels. Learning about a country can help you in making sustainable decicions. Travel in a local way, eat in a local way and sleep locally, this can all help in preserving nature, food and whole cultures. If you have more suggestions, let me know! Good luck with planning your sustainable travels :). 

Cheers, 

Hannah