Tourism is bandied about under many names to the extent that experts can be confounded, industry players confused, and travellers bewildered. As such, it is necessary to put green tourism in proper perspective before delving further. Green tourism is not confined to a narrower range of products as in ecotourism, which is limited to the natural environment, with eco meaning nature-friendly. Green tourism extends to man-made structures and surroundings as well as transportation used for travelling between and within natural and artificial environments.
Whereas responsible tourism are ethical practices applied on goods and services offered to tourists, green tourism focuses on not causing or minimising harm to the natural environment. The goals of responsible and green tourism are similar, and that is to ensure sustainability of popular sites by not causing harm to the local population and environment, allowing the future generations to enjoy.
Sustainable tourism is aimed at creating positive economic, social, and environmental impacts on host destinations and these are largely the purview of the authorities, while responsible tourism depends more on tourism service providers and visiting tourists.
Sustainable tourism is mainly at macro level by the government, and responsible tourism more of micro efforts by industry players. Tourists practise responsible tourism when choosing to travel ethically by selecting service providers that act responsibly towards the local community and environment.
So, how can we practise green tourism?
Let us start with man-made structures and surroundings. According to World Green Building Council, a ‘green’ building is one with its design, construction or operation, that reduces or eliminates negative impacts, or can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings, such as hotels, can preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life. Environmentally conscious travellers choose green hotels over others. As for transportation, engines that run on clean natural gas are preferred over diesel, as black smoke are emitted whenever the air filter or fuel injectors are clogged.
On August 1, three hydrogen fuel cell buses went on a trial run in Kuching with the words ‘Zero Emission’ emblazoned on both sides of the vehicles. Earlier in May, the first integrated hydrogen production plant and refuelling station in Southeast Asia was launched by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Fuel cell converts the chemical energy of hydrogen fuel with oxygen drawn from the air into electricity through a pair of redox reactions that produce electricity continuously for as long as hydrogen and oxygen are supplied, with water as the only by-product.
When it comes to conservation of natural environment, many concerned tourists are influenced by non-governmental organisations such as Greenpeace, which was founded in 1971. Its international coordinating body is located in Amsterdam with offices in 39 countries including one in Kuala Lumpur.
Responsible practices of green tourism contribute to sustainability of planet earth, such as applying the 3R — reduce, reuse and recycle. For example, reducing use of water and electricity ought to be habitual, single use plastics avoided and replaced by reusable items, and used materials recycled instead of discarding and causing harm to wildlife and environment.
But there is one more R which should be observed by Malaysians, which is refuse and should be the first R. We must learn not to take, accept or buy things we don’t need to reduce their demand, particularly if they are produced in large quantities to be sold cheaply or given away as gift items.
These include a large variety of corporate gifts such as diaries, notebooks, calendars, pens, bags, caps, umbrellas, T-shirts, water bottles, mugs, phone charges, power banks and flash drives; and those for distribution such as cards, vouchers, leaflets, brochures, magazines, newsletters and newspapers.
These freebies tend to pile up in offices and homes. If one cannot practise moderation, it is better to be a minimalist than a hoarder. The former believes in getting rid of excess stuff and living life based on experiences rather than worldly possessions, while the latter not only accumulates garbage but also debts from unnecessary expenses.
Like most Asians, Malaysian tourists spend most on shopping, unlike European travellers who are long known to be culture conscious, value local experiences and are conscientious in not causing harm to the environment.
If we are truly proud to be Malaysians and want others to be proud of us, we must demonstrate to the world that we care about planet earth by practising green tourism. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
