Do you love traveling? Your travel habits should be such a way to have fun while protecting nature and local communities. This is what we call sustainable travel, and the United Nations has set some goals for this purpose. One of the famous sustainable development goals is SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). If we commit and produce things responsibly during travels, it becomes easier to achieve many goals.
We know that SDG 12 is part of the 17 SDGs of the UN. Its main focus is that global resources and energy use should be more efficient and sustainable while reducing waste and pollution. In fact, SDG 12 plays an important role in travel, as tourism has a direct impact on the world’s resources, food, energy, and environment. For example, hotels in the Maldives and Costa Rica adopt renewable energy and zero-waste policies. Similarly, green key certified hotels in Europe are those that follow the principles of SDG 12.
In this blog post, we will see how you can (as a traveler) support UN sustainable development goal 12 during your trip or tour. Because when people travel, they use more resources in hotels, flights, and restaurants and generate more waste. So, SDG 12 encourages this sector, but let’s see how!
Pick Eco-friendly Transportation Options to Get Around
This is true that you will use a flight to travel to reach your tour destination. Fully eco-friendly flights do not yet exist, but the aviation industry is working in that direction. Eco-friendly transportation cause less pollution to the environment. Its main purpose is to reduce fuel usage, release less greenhouse gas, and conserve natural resources.
Travelers can support SDG 12 by using environment friendly transportation. One of its best practices is to walk for short distances while exploring the city. This allows you to see the local culture and street life more closely. Apart from this, you can also use:
- Cycling – many tourist cities, including Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen, offer bikes for rent. It also doesn’t cause traffic problems.
- Public transport – metro, trains, and buses are cheap and eco-friendly. Day passes and travel cards are often available.
- Carpooling – for a group, it’s best to share vehicles.
- Electric vehicle – Now, EV rental is available in many airports and cities. So, you can pick them.
- Eco-friendly Ferries – It’s available in some tourist destinations to provide clean transportation. These works on solar power or electricity.
Don’t Let Food Go to Waste
Did you know that when food is wasted, the resources (water and energy) used to produce it are also wasted? When you, as a tourist, avoid food waste, then resources get saved and local communities are supported. This directly supports UN SDG 12 for responsible consumption and production. Tourists should follow these practical ways to avoid food waste:
- Order only what you can finish.
- Share meals with a travel partner.
- Use leftovers; hotels provide boxes.
- Buy local and fresh food.
- You can pack snacks for journeys.
- Respect the buffet culture, as people often fill their plates and leave half of them.
- Donate extra food where possible.
Stay in Green Accommodations That Care for Nature
Choose accommodations, hotels, resorts, hostels, lodges, or greenhouses that adopt environment-friendly and sustainable practices in their operations. These accommodations protect nature through energy-efficient systems, water conservation, waste management, and eco-friendly building design. When you choose green accommodations, you are responsibly consuming and promoting them.
Before your departure, when you make your travel arrangements, find eco-certified hotels. You can see on Booking.com, TripAdvisor, or in Expedia by using the sustainability filter. Also, check out the accommodation’s sustainability policies. It’s also a best practice to choose a local and small-scale accommodation to support the local economy and communities. Prefer those hotels that source food from local farmers and avoid buffets.
Say No to Single-Use Plastic
Avoid using plastic products that are used only once and then thrown away. It’s difficult to recycle them, and they are very harmful to the environment. Single-use plastic products are shopping bags, bottles, straws, disposable cutlery, plates & cups, wrappers, and sachets. The problem is that they fill landfills and oceans, which is dangerous for wildlife and climate change.
As a tourist or visitor to any country or city, you can avoid using single-use plastic in many ways to support SDG 12 of the United Nations. Tourists can use these methods to support this:
| Carry reusable water bottles | Refillable stainless steel or glass bottles |
| Use cloth and jute bags | For shopping purposes |
| Take eco-friendly cutlery & straws | Keep bamboo/steel cutlery and metal straws |
| Prefer solid toiletries | In tablet form |
| Use tiffin boxes for food & meals | Use this in food stalls and restaurants |
| Choose plastic-free hotels | Those resorts that follow plastic-free policies |
Give Honor and Respect to Local Cultures
Respect the local culture and lifestyle of the people in your travel destinations. This embraces the people, their customs, language, food, clothes, music, dance, values, and traditions. For example, Italy is famous for its pizza and pasta, and Japan is renowned for its sushi. These are their local customs that international tourists like. Did you know that you are directly supporting SDG 12 when you value local customs? Because you are responsibly consuming and empowering local communities.
You can also support by following these practices:
- Buying local handicrafts and souvenirs
- Trying local food
- Participating in cultural festivals
- Respecting local dress codes
- Hiring local tour guides
- Learning a few local words
When you support local food and traditions, you are making the purpose of the tour meaningful and helping to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 12, Responsible Consumption and Production.
Let’s conclude this text! Travelers play a very important role in supporting UN SDG 12. If you make your small choices conscious, the negative impact on the environment is reduced, and sustainable tourism is promoted. This will keep the planet safe for future generations.