How Will The U.S Make Travel Sustainable?

One of the more fun parts of traveling is knowing that you’re doing it sustainably. Trust us, farm-to-table tastes sweeter and bike riding is such an enjoyable way to explore a small town or even large city. And, nearly 70% of travelers in the U.S agree with us. So, what is the U.S travel industry doing to help travel in ways that reduce carbon emissions, limit plastic pollution and explore our environment without harming it? After all, as sustainable as it is for us to carry our own water bottles, the bigger impact from traveling comes from airlines, hotels and others within the industry.

Thankfully travel industry believes that it must be sustainable too. That was the message presented by the U.S Travel Association this past week. Leaders across various sectors agreed on five key priority areas for ensuring that the industry moves forward with minimizing its environmental impact. And, this isn’t the first big sustainable announcement within the industry. Last year several airlines made sweeping anti-single-use-plastic gestures and search engines like Google and Booking.com launched options to help link conscious consumers with hotels noted for their sustainable initiatives. Now, the U.S travel industry is coming together to form new groups to identify their impact and forge policies and processes to become more sustainable.

As a conscious traveler it always pays to know the ways that companies from airlines to hotels and even the powers that be are making the industry more sustainable. By understanding the options that are and aren’t available to us allows us to make educated decisions about we will travel and support the companies who are taking strong actions to be more sustainable.

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The Future Of Sustainable Travel

It’s estimated that domestic travel accounts for 3-4% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. 

What will travel look like in the future? According to the U.S Sustainable Travel Association it will look like solutions that will both save the world from the negative impacts of climate change while still allowing people to see it. That can look like airlines making the switch to alternative fuel options from plant-based sources like sugars and feedstock. Or, leading conservation and preservation efforts to protect our natural environments. In order to make these changes the association highlighted five key priority areas to help them meet their goals:

1. Spotlighting industry progress, and telling stories on the ongoing actions travel is taking, including innovations.
2. Amplifying industry goals and leadership, to reinforce that travel has to lead in this.
3. Highlighting why sustainability matters through events and research.
4. Identifying the right policies to drive this change.
5. Defending against harmful policies that slow progress towards sustainability.

“The travel industry is committed to supporting our national and global climate goals and becoming a recognized leader on sustainability practices and innovations and initiatives,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy at U.S. Travel. “Our collective commitment and industry leadership will ensure that travel’s future is even more vibrant, prosperous and sustainable.”

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More on sustainable travel: 

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