Vea esta publicación en español.

From the balconies of Hotel Plaza Colón in Granada, Nicaragua, you can enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine while you take a look into the past with a charming view of the Central Park and the Cathedral of Granada.

Granada is a colorful and lively colonial city that was established in 1524 and still has a rich Spanish heritage, seen in its old and elegant architecture.

In Granada you can also enjoy the Lake Nicaragua, one of the largest and most scenic lakes in the world.

This entry was posted on May 3, 2013 at 2:51 PM and has received 33 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Vea esta publicación en español.

On the famous Lake Atitlán, known as the "mirror of the sky," is the Jardines del Lago Hotel and Convention Center. Each year, thousands of tourists visit this destination in Guatemala to enjoy its unmatched scenic beauty, rich nature and a mystical world, filled with the Maya traditions that have survived in the indigenous communities of the peoples that live around the lake.

Jardines del Lago Hotel is this month's winner of our recognition for Making a Difference. This hotel, verified by the Rainforest Alliance and certified by Great Green Deal , stands out for its strong commitment to conserving the environment and supporting local communities.

Heymi Patricia Ajcalón, the hotel's assistant for development and sustainability, tells us about the sustainability initiatives conducted by the hotel.

Question: How long ago did the Jardines del Lago Hotel and Convention Center decide to implement sustainable tourism practices and why?

Ajcalón: In February 2009, we realized that we should implement sustainable actions due to the nature of our tourism activities and the environmental importance of our location.

Q: What noteworthy sustainable initiatives are you carrying out?

A: We take measures to save electricity and lower water consumption. For example, there are energy-saving lighting systems in all hotel facilities and solar heaters for the showers. We've installed alternative ventilation systems so we can limit the use of air conditioning, and we are reusing the water treated within the hotel to irrigate the gardens.

We use biodegradable products and buy products in bulk to reduce the amount of waste generated. All of our organic wastes are converted to compost that we use as organic fertilizer in the gardens, while all inorganic wastes are sent to the municipality's collection center. We also use efficient vehicles to reduce our CO2 emissions.

On the social side, we provide all legal benefits to our employees plus additional benefits offered by the hotel owner, and we support the socio-cultural events held by the surrounding communities.

Q: What additional support do you offer to local communities?

A: We provide cash or in-kind donations and we often allow community members to use our facilities at no cost for social and cultural activities. We also buy natural shampoo and soap for our guests from the women's organization in the department of Solola. In addition, we communicate our sustainability initiatives to primary and secondary schools and universities, provide a space for learning, and give lectures on sustainability.

Q: Lake Atitlan is one of the most beautiful sites in Guatemala, but it has also suffered from pollution and the negative impact of tourism. How does your hotel take care of this lake and the wildlife that depends on it?

A: We conducted a lake cleanup rally with the collaboration of the company's entire staff, and we participate in other initiatives organized by the Municipal Environmental Commission of Panajachel.

Q: How can your guests get involved with your sustainability activities?

A: In all of our hotel facilities, we post informational signs to raise awareness among guests and visitors about saving water and electricity. We also have a Ten Card inside the rooms that tells guests to place it on the sheets and towels they want to have washed and replaced, which helps us save water and detergent.

The hotel's corridors have marked bins so that everyone can help with sorting wastes. We also invite guests to respect the cultures and customs of the communities near the Lake Atitlan watershed and to not introduce exotic species at any site they visit.

Q: Why is the Jardines del Lago Hotel and Convention Center so special compared to other hotels in the area?

A: We stand out for our sustainability activities and our perseverance for continuing improvement. In addition, our facilities and grounds are unique; no other hotel can offer the panorama that you will enjoy from our rooms and gardens.

This entry was posted on May 1, 2013 at 11:32 AM and has received 115 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

How would you like to meet a whale? Gray whales are naturally inquisitive and friendly creatures and will often approach boats of whale watchers to say hello! They make one of the most impressive migrations of any mammal, traveling about 10,000 miles each year between summer feeding grounds and winter breeding areas, like this one in Baja California Sur, Mexico. This photo was taken on a tour with Casa Mexicana de la Ballena Gris in the Ojo de Liebre Lagoon, an important habitat for seals, sea lions, and sea turtles as well as gray and blue whales.

This entry was posted on April 26, 2013 at 1:05 PM and has received 406 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Staying at a sustainable hotel is a great way to minimize the impact of your vacation – but what about when you leave your hotel? The businesses you support, attractions you see, transportation you use, and virtually everything else you do will all have some effect on the environment and local community. The only way to be sure of your impact would be if the entire destination was sustainable. Sound impossible? Thanks to the work of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), sustainable destinations are now on the horizon.

The GSTC created the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, which are a set of widely used standards that hotels and tour operators must reach in order to be considered sustainable. More recently, in addition to targeting individual tourism businesses, the GSTC has turned their attention to creating a set of criteria that encompass destinations as a whole.

According to the GSTC website, "Destination stewardship is a process by which local communities, governmental agencies, NGOs, and the tourism industry take a multi-stakeholder approach to maintaining the cultural, environmental, economic, and aesthetic integrity of their country, region, or town." In other words, destinations are best protected when all of these groups – private citizens, government, and businesses – work together in a coordinated effort to protect their home. All destinations are different, so the criteria are meant to be a set of minimum standards that each destination should add to or adjust based on its unique needs. The goal of the criteria is to maximize social, economic, and environmental benefits for host communities.

Overseeing this process will be a "tourism management organization," or a group responsible for a coordinated approach to implementing sustainability. This will mostly likely be formed by a government agency and/or non-profit organization. This group would be responsible for establishing and implementing an overarching sustainable tourism strategy that considers environmental, economic, social, health, and safety issues, and was developed with public participation. Climate change adaptation, equal access for people with disabilities, and prevention of sexual exploitation are some key aspects of the destinations criteria.

Last year, the GSTC released a set of draft criteria for sustainable destinations based on input from experts around the globe. All interested persons and organizations were able to comment and suggest improvements during the public consultation phase, which ended last month.

Now, some early adopters have been selected to test and provide feedback on the destinations criteria. Most recently added were the Cusco-Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu corridor in Peru and the shores of Lake Llanquihue, Puerto Varas, and Frutillar in the lakes region of Chile. These destinations were specifically chosen because of their demonstrated interest and commitment to sustainable practices. But it is the GSTC's hope (and ours!) that this is the next step toward a world in which sustainable tourism--and sustainable destinations--are the norm.

This entry was posted on April 25, 2013 at 2:38 PM and has received 680 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Vea esta publicación en español.

Chiloé Island in southern Chile has a tourist attraction that many consider surreal: a sunken forest of dead trees. In 1960, a strong earthquake caused a tsunami that flooded the valley Chepu, leaving behind hundreds of dead trees.

Today you can tour the Chepu River wetlands in a kayak. This photograph from Chepu Adventures Ecolodge shows a dawn excursion amid the the famous dead trunks.

This entry was posted on April 19, 2013 at 2:24 PM and has received 590 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Vea esta publicación en español.

In 2009, the President of Costa Rica declared that the country would become the first in the world to achieve carbon neutrality by 2021. Since then, government officials have joined with the agricultural, energy, and tourism sectors to take action towards achieving that goal.

Although tourism is not one of the highest carbon-emitting activities, a study by the World Tourism Organization shows that the tourism sector generates 5% of the total CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, and as the industry is rapidly growing, it's important for tourism businesses to commit to reducing global emissions. In Costa Rica, several lodging, transportation, adventure parks, and tour operator companies are making efforts to take inventory of their CO2 emissions and follow the necessary steps to reduce and offset them. Many of these businesses have even opted for certification or accreditation as carbon neutral companies.

If you plan to visit Costa Rica, famous for its abundant nature, heavenly beaches, and a long tradition of conserving the environment and its natural treasures, see our directory to find sustainable business options that are also climate-friendly:

Hotel Montaña de Fuego: Located near the impressive Arenal Volcano in the northern zone of the country, this hotel has a carbon neutral certification that even applies to the special events and adventure tours it offers.

Las Colinas Hotel: The hotel has achieved carbon neutral certification from the Costa Rica Neutral organization since 2010. As part of this effort, Las Colinas offers a tour for guests to visit the La Fortuna regeneration project where they can plant a tree from a certified source, helping to mitigate their vacation. The hotel is also near Arenal Volcano.

Hotel Presidente : This historic hotel in the heart of San Jose, the nation's capital, was the first in Costa Rica to be certified carbon neutral. They achieved this by reducing energy use, improving facilities, educating staff, and participating in a reforestation program with the organization CarbonFund.org.

Rancho Margot: This innovative farm and lodge is a model in the field of sustainable community development, permaculture, and self-sufficiency. Located in La Fortuna de San Carlos, it is the first and only company in Costa Rica with a negative carbon footprint under PAS 2060 Carbon Neutrality Certification, administered by Carbon Clear.

Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort: Tabacón is a luxurious 5-star hotel, famous for its hot springs and location near Arenal Volcano. It is certified carbon neutral and its climate-friendly actions include having water heated by the volcano rather than by electric heaters and 865 acres (350 hectares) of forested land on the property.

Mar y Selva Lodge: This hotel was declared carbon neutral thanks to donations made to plant trees during the national campaign "Neutralizing Climate Change 2009-2010." It is located in idyllic Ballena Bay, in the southern part of the country.

Rainforest Adventures Costa Rica Pacific: This 222-acre (90-hectare) ecotourism project includes aerial cable cars that carry guests through the canopy of a private reserve. The company has carbon neutral certification from EARTH University, thanks to efforts such as its Adopt-a-Hectare program, which protects hundreds of acres worldwide through a tree planting program for children who visit the park.

This entry was posted on April 16, 2013 at 3:06 PM and has received 513 views. There are currently 2 comments. Print this entry.

Have you ever noticed that an amazing view is all the more spectacular when you've earned it with a hard-won ascent by foot or bike? It just wouldn't be as satisfying if all you had to do was get in your car and drive for a few minutes! This lookout point in Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, more than 9,000 feet above sea level, is located in one of the best conserved natural areas in Mexico and one of the three richest zones in animal diversity in the country. Our friends at the Benito Juárez ecotourism center recommend an early morning hike to see the central valleys lit up by a breathtaking sunrise.

This entry was posted on April 12, 2013 at 10:38 AM and has received 341 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Many hotels (like the ones in the SustainableTrip directory) are doing great things to protect the environment and support local communities. By choosing to stay at one of these hotels, guests are already accomplishing a lot in making their trip more sustainable. Some hotels offer "Sustainability Tours" that give guests a look at what goes on behind the scenes in a hotel that follows best practices for sustainability. But what about travelers who want to go a step further? Look for hotels that offer their guests a chance to participate in programs that are making their environment and community a better place!

One great way that guests can get involved is by participating in a "Plant a Tree" program, in which they receive a seedling from the hotel and plant it on or near the hotel property. This is especially important in areas where deforestation has threated habitat for endangered species, like the rainforests of Central and South America. Planting a tree also helps offset the carbon footprint of your trip, which can be quite high if you traveled by plane.

At Arenas del Mar, an eco-resort located on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica, guests can plant trees in key areas as part of a larger reforestation effort that is restoring habitat for squirrel monkeys. Other Costa Rican hotels with Plant a Tree Programs include Natural Lodge Caño Negro, Las Colinas Boutique Hotel, Ecolodge San Luis, and Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort.

Some sustainable hotels in coastal areas offer travelers the opportunity to participate in beach clean-ups. This not only makes the beach more safe and enjoyable for locals and tourists alike, it improves habitat for coastal and marine wildlife and can have a particularly meaningful impact on endangered species such as sea turtles. Sea turtles are in danger of extinction, in part due to a rapid decline in the availability of clean and safe nesting beaches. Guests at Los Cardones Surf Ecolodge in Nicaragua and Secrets Marquis Los Cabos in Mexico can help the hotel staff patrol the beach at night to look for nesting sea turtles and release tiny hatchlings into the ocean. If you're really interested in traveling and volunteering with sea turtles, check out the SEE Turtles program in Mexico and Costa Rica.

Sustainability isn't just about flora and fauna – it's also about supporting local communities economically and culturally. Sustainable hotels encourage their guests to support locally-owned businesses such as restaurants, tour guides, souvenir shops, and more. For those who enjoy working with children, some hotels facilitate volunteer programs at local schools. For example, guests at Los Cardones can accompany hotel staff on their weekly visits to schools, during which they lend books from their mobile library and offer educational activities on varied themes, such as the environment, the arts, sports, English, science, health, careers, and crafts. Guests with special skills are invited to share those with the students, such as playing an instrument, yoga, and teaching English.

Hotels in rural areas are more likely to have close ties to the local community, thus making it easier to find ways to help out. Guests at Totoco Ecolodge in Nicaragua, for example, can participate in local community initiatives such as their education project, healthy women project, and their local children's football club. Another option is choosing a home stay, where travelers stay in the home of a local family, helping travelers connect with the local community and making it easier to connect with local projects. At Hospedaje en Quebradas, Costa Rica, guests can participate in a multitude of activities like assisting with community projects, making trails and signs, and helping in the local school and church.

Pack for a Purpose is a fantastic program that offers travelers a meaningful and easy way to help support local communities. Travelers can bring school supplies, medical supplies, and other small items (soccer balls are always popular!) and donate them to the local community. If you're staying at a hotel that participates in Pack for a Purpose, all you have to do is drop off your donation at the front desk, and the hotel will deliver it for you.

Have you ever participated in a sustainability project while on vacation? Tell us about it!

This entry was posted on April 10, 2013 at 2:32 PM and has received 568 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Vea esta publicación en español.

Cuajimoloyas is a small village located in the region known as the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, one of the best conserved natural areas in Mexico. Cuajimoloyas, famous for its beautiful forests that are ideal for hikes and mountain biking, is also widely known as "the land of the mushroom" because of the high diversity of fungi that can be found in its forests.

Every year, the community hosts the traditional Regional Wild Mushroom Fair. During the fair, visitors can tour the forests that extend across the surrounding mountains to identify different mushroom species, attend conferences, and enjoy traditional mushroom-filled cuisine! To learn more visit Ecoturismo Cuajimoloyas, part of the Pueblos Mancomunados, a network of small communities developing initiatives for sustainable use of Oaxaca's montane forests.

This entry was posted on April 5, 2013 at 2:11 PM and has received 437 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Vea esta publicación en español.

One of the biggest tourist attractions of the Dominican Republic and the other countries of the Caribbean is the natural coral reefs. Reef ecosystems, which occupy about 11% of the Dominican Republic's coastline, offer opportunities to explore rich marine biodiversity through activities such as snorkeling, diving, and, more recently, exploring coral gardens.

Coral gardening is a new activity that minimizes reef ecosystem degradation and its negative impact on marine life. It consists of developing underwater coral nurseries, using primarily rare and endangered coral species, and then transplanting them to degraded reefs in order to protect them and improve their health. Consequently, deteriorated coral reefs can again attract marine life and balance the surrounding ecosystem.

In the Dominican Republic, the creation of coral gardens is being promoted to tourists thanks to the project "Coral Gardening to Support Reef Conservation," developed by the Multilateral Investment Fund and the Puntacana Ecological Foundation (FEPC) since 2012.

This project aims to merge sun-and-sand tourism with elements of conservation, education, and culture. Tourists interested in participating in coral gardening visit local communities and take a tour that allows them to observe and even participate in the entire process of creating, maintaining, and expanding the coral nurseries. This process begins with the collection of material from existing coral colonies.

Snorkelers dive underwater to carefully extract the precious coral, transport it to underwater nurseries, and secure it to frames made of rope and metal. When the corals in the nurseries grow, tissue fragments are pruned and a team transplants them to the degraded reefs. In the Dominican Republic, tourists can work with two species of endangered and eye-catching corals: staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata).

Currently, Puntacana has the largest coral garden program in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. The FEPC has also created nurseries in Punta Rusia, Sosúa, and La Caleta National Underwater Park.

For communities in these tourist destinations, coral gardening means more income from the arrival of more tourists. In addition to those who come for the beautiful beaches, coral gardens also enhance scientific, academic, and volunteer tourism. Residents are also benefiting from new job opportunities in the development of coral gardens and indirect revenue from services such as transportation, food, and guided tours.

This project is expected to grow in coming years to stimulate the sustainable development of other tourism communities in the Dominican Republic while continuing to support the restoration of coral reefs threatened by climate change and human activities such as unsustainable urban and coastal tourism development, overfishing, overharvesting of marine species, and irresponsible recreational diving.

To learn more about this project please visit the Puntacana Ecological Foundation.

This entry was posted on April 2, 2013 at 6:50 AM and has received 708 views. There are currently 1 comments. Print this entry.