It's time for YOU to do something.

People rarely change - why? My class and I are the PERFECT case study - we are young and determined for change, educated and knowledgeable. But no matter how much we preach about sustainability even WE don't change our behavior why would others?

When Rachael said this it totally made me feel like crap! Because she's right! Way to totally guilt trip me. So I decided to do something. After class I went to Canadian Tire and bought a reusable water bottle. No more plastic bottles for me :) And I went home and told my mother to stop buying disposable plastic water bottles too. Yes I am proud because I just reduced the number of plastic bottles produced in a year by 200. I didn't do much but hey at least it's something! *Lead by example!*

The Water Bottle Problem:

So what can YOU do?

• -Be considerate of the communities and environment you visit
• -Don't litter - Try to carry your own bags to avoid contributing to the plastic problem, try to avoid excessive waste and use of plastic bottles
• -Educate yourself about the place you are visiting and the people
• -Respect cultural differences
• -Do not purchase/eat endangered species just because you're on vaca!
• -Support the local economy - buy local so that the money stays in the communities and does not leave the country back to the big companies
• -Do not support the illegal drug and sex trade
• -Support a local charity or organization that works towards responsible tourism
• -Ask companies about their environmental responsible tourism policies and support those who support responsible tourism!
• -Ask your accommodations about their sustainability practices - do they recycle? have fair labour laws? an environmental policy?
• you'd be surprised how much by simply asking you can do! One person asks, then another..then another and eventually change will happen b/c companies see that customers obviously care enough about to ask! 

(Dodds R, Sustainable Tourism Development, March 17, 2011)