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Winter 2025

Greener globetrotting

Travel and tourism now generate eight per cent of the planet’s environmentally damaging emissions, but it’s possible to make changes that will result in a smaller footprint.

Patrick Langston

Can you see the world without contributing to its devastation? It’s a question concerned travellers, conscious of everything from transportation-related pollution to food wastage at resorts, are asking themselves. With the World Economic Forum estimating that this planet’s flourishing travel and tourism industry now generates about eight per cent of climate change-inducing CO2 emissions, those travellers can feel more conflicted than ever.    

The good news: there are now multiple ways to access what’s known as “responsible,” “sustainable” or “green” travel. The not-so-good news: reducing your environmental footprint will likely demand extra effort and may cost a bit more.

The key to responsible travel is approaching it “holistically,” says Melissa Snape, head of corporate citizenship at Collette, a preferred partner of the National Association of Federal Retirees.

That means looking not just at greenhouse gas emissions but all facets of your trip, from how visiting at the height of tourism season could worsen the impact on already-strained local resources to which hotels support local agriculture.

While many travellers prefer to let an agency book a green tour (Collette’s tours are increasingly sustainably oriented and its Exploration small-group tour service has been carbon neutral for several years), other globe-trotters like to carve out their own adventures. One way or the other, knowing how to travel more sustainably benefits everyone.

Green travel resources


Sage60, the digital sister of Sage, 
delivers compelling stories on healthy aging, advocacy, and community.

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