Questions to Ask Yourself
- Do you buy products that are traditional and not made from wildlife?
- Do you show proper respect for local traditions and ceremonies?
- Do you support local tour guides?
- Do you donate to local conservation centers?
- Do you keep the area clean by not littering?
- Do you help local environmental organizations?
- Do you use the same resources as native people?
- Do you stay in local homes or establishments not run by multinational corporations?
- Are you courteous to local residents and fellow travelers?
- Bring useful gifts (books for libraries, eyeglasses & medicine for clinics, pens for students, supplies for research stations and used & new clothing for orphanages).
- Have they initiated ways to reduce waste, garbage and water pollution?
- Do they offer publicity for local causes and volunteer activities, even if they don't benefit financially?
- Do they administer educational, health, and cultural preservation programs in the areas visited?
- Do they hire local guides, speakers, artists, and teachers?
- Are they willing to tell local guides and operators not to engage in ecologically harmful practices?
- Do they provide information about endangered species and illegally traded products?
- Are they members of networks and coalitions such as Educational Communications' Project Ecotourism?
- Do they inform their clients about local customs, dress and behavior patterns so that they can be observed?
- Do they evaluate the effects of their trips on the local ecosystems and local inhabitants, and are they willing to share the results?
- Do they transport educational materials to local schools and equipment to rural clinics?
- Do the trips strictly observe local regulations?
- Are the hotels, transport agencies, restaurants and shops to be patronized locally-owned? Do they engage in unethical activities, such as keeping captive animals on the premises?
- Do the newer hotels fit into the local natural settings? Do they reflect cultural motifs in their architectural design? Are they constructed of native materials?
Be a concious traveller and learn how to contribute to a sustainable future, conservation and communities.
Great collection of links for those who wishes to contribute to a better world, including advices, organizations, eco-friendly accomodation and tour operators.
An affordable eco hotel owned by a local Berber family located by the lake of Bin el Ouidane in the Middle Atlas Mountains, all in traditional Berber style. Offering kayaking, fishing, field trips, climbing and more.
