It's not always easy to see the difference between being green and greenwashing... between protecting the environment and protecting the brand. Many are doing things well, but the industry is far from where it should be, and when it comes to small improvements, there's plenty of lowhanging fruit. Making real improvements is going to require a team effort, and travelers can encourage good behavior by voting with their wallets. We should reward those who are really trying to make improvements and steer clear of those who aren't. To those in the tourism industry who aren't enlightened enough to embrace the environment, perhaps they will do it because it's smart business.

When it comes to travelers' decisions, maybe we need to be better at picking a beach or ski resort or city just a little closer to home. Even choosing a destination that's 1 5 hours away by plane instead of 7 14 hours away makes an enormous difference. With current plane technology, there's really no way to have an ecotrip if we're starting it with an air travel journey that's more than a couple away.