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"  Travel is among the least earth-friendly activities, from the polluting exhaust of airplanes to the often intensely manicured grounds of hotels. Launched by the non-profit Sustainable Travel International, the aim of green.travel is help you find the least earth-impacting options for your vacation plans. The site rates tourism companies on a &amp;quot;five-green-suitcase&amp;quot; system. Points (well, green suitcases) are earned based on efforts made toward sustainability \u2014 such as implementing efficient electricity and water practices or contributing to the preservation of the ecosystem in which they are located. Criteria fall under three categories: environmental responsibility, socio-cultural impact (such as fair labor practices), and economic corporate accountability (like a financial commitment to supporting the surrounding community). Even travel companies listed that currently have zero suitcases have signed an affidavit pledging that they are committed to sustainable practices and have received a recommendation letter testifying to this from an approved list of independent ecotourism organizations. The site also explains that you don&amp;#039;t have to give up creature comforts in order to be kinder to the earth. For example, delicious gourmet meals can include local produce, and organic cotton sheets won&amp;#039;t feel any less sumptuous if they aren&amp;#039;t washed and replaced every day. Just shopping and booking excursions through local vendors are habits of a good ecotourist.  If you opt to reserve your trip through the site, it will donate 1% of its earnings to charitable travel initiatives. It&amp;#039;s not a ton, but every bit helps. Find additional ecotourism info on our sister site, thedailygreen.com. Have you made any efforts to green your travel plans? Tell us about it in the comments below. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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