Eco-friendly trips are the latest vacation craze. We've found some hands-on opportunities for you and your grandkids to help conserve resources and preserve unusual ecosystems — while still having fun.
Austin-Lehman designs its Family Adventure Vacations to emphasize fun and learning for families with children ages 7 and older. Its Havasupai adventure takes you deep into the Grand Canyon to learn from Native Americans how they live in partnership with nature in such a remote setting. While most visitors peer down from the top of the canyon, you'll trek all the way to the bottom for a sleepover at the only private base camp. It's a magical place, with waterfalls that feed into grottoes for swimming and natural hot tubs surrounded by watercress and fern gardens. The Native American village of Supai is the last site in the country that still sends and receives mail by mule train.
Global Volunteers invites willing travelers of all ages to the exotic Cook Islands in the South Pacific to work in the Takitumu Conservation area; the organization protects native plants and one of the world’s rarest land birds, the Kakerori. You'll help local staff repair existing trails and clear fallen trees. On your time off, you can walk the beautiful beaches with the grandchildren, swim, snorkel, bike, or go on an organized whale-watching or walking tour. Visit Rarotonga's National Cultural Centre to learn about the island culture and admire the dancing skills of these Polynesian people at any of their festivals and gatherings, and — in the shops — marvel at their expert weaving and quilting skills.
The resident naturalist at
Teton Springs Lodge & Spa in Victor, Idaho, will take you on dawn-and-dusk wildlife safaris in nearby Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. He can also take your grandkids to the Keeper Kids program of the
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, designed for children ages 5 to 12. They’ll accompany the animal keeper into the bear habitat to hide food for some of the resident bears. Jewel, the center’s Karelian bear dog, will show children how to stay safe in bear country.
Celebrate the anniversary of the publication 150 years ago of Charles Darwin's opus on the origin of species: Visit the Galapagos Islands, which inspired him. Ecoventura has won several awards for its environmentally sensitive cruises to this unusual ecosystem in the Pacific Ocean. Ecoventura converted one of its yachts into the first hybrid-energy tour boat in the Galapagos with the installation of 40 solar panels and two wind turbines at a cost of $100,000. Partnering with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and NativeEnergy, Ecoventura was the first company in the Islands to offset carbon emissions in 2006. Shore excursions with naturalist guides bring life to the discussion of ecology and environmental stewardship.
An up close experience |
Make like a Siberian nomad and stay in a yurt in the 11,000
-acre wilderness preserve of
The Birches Resort in Rockwood, Me., accessible only via nonmotorized trails. Take one of their nonstinky, quiet, snowmobiles on the 35-mile ride to Pittston Farm, which has installed a renewable wind- and solar-power system. Owner Jenny Mills (who hand-cranks some of the best old-fashioned, homemade ice cream in Maine for the farm's restaurant) says that without this new system, fuel costs for the farm's old generators would have put them out of business. (If your grandkids are at least 14 years of age, they can legally drive a snowmobile in Maine, and they will thank you forever for this opportunity!)
Go on an Earthwatch family expedition in the summer to see if climate change is affecting the Gray Whales of British Columbia. Your tracking the whales in their summer feeding grounds off the west coast of Vancouver Island will help researchers design better ways to protect the whales. Spend days on the water in a sea kayak or converted fishing boat searching for whales and mapping their prey with sonar and underwater-video. Learn how to identify individual whales, record data, and assist with navigation. Spend time in the lab digitizing and analyzing photographs of whales and matching photographs to a database.
Rustic Volunteer and Travel invites you and your grandkids to Africa, where the expanding population is accelerating deforestation. You will work with KIWAMA, a community-based conservation group dedicated to conserving Tanzania's forests. Put your green thumb to work preparing nursery beds, sowing seeds, weeding, trimming, pruning, and distributing native tree seeds to villagers.
Earthwatch family expedition track the climate change affecting the Gray Whales of British Columbia |
Take your grandkids to the annual
Telluride Bluegrass Festival during the summer solstice. Camp in the mountains and hear some excellent bluegrass music at one of the first truly "green" festivals. Organizers ask "festivarians" to buy carbon credits to offset the carbon dioxide released getting to the Colorado town; urge everyone to bring their own dishes and utensils and reuse and recycle them; and set up a wind-power booth to educate attendees. You can encourage your grandchildren to volunteer here when they turn 18 by helping on composting and recycling crews. Besides being the first 100 percent carbon-neutral music festival in the world, the family vibes here are strong. During the day, there's a special area for kids' games, face-painting, and hula-hoop contests; children have a ball.
Related Information
The Nature Conservancy explains what eco-tourism means.
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) offers tips on environmentally responsible travel.
Calculate your travel carbon footprint and purchase carbon offsets with online calculators from the nonprofits carbonfund.org or Sustainable Travel International.
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