02 September 2010

Shower with a friend and save the planet

EarthCheck, the environmental management system used by more than 1000 travel and tourism organisations around the world, has put a new slant on the meaning of green.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThere was once a time when the colour green was associated with all things humorous: St Patrick's Day beers, Kermit the Frog, Leprechauns and the odd political party,Ã¢â¬~ said an EarthCheck spokesman.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœBut somewhere along the way the colour became a little shady, as it mixed with the laundry and churned out green wash.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœSo it's a welcome relief to see that the tourism industry's largest environmental certification company encourages its members to inject a little levity back into the task of caring for the planet.Ã¢â¬~

EarthCheck - once called Green Globe - has a reputation for its hard-nosed science-based approach to sustainable tourism and an expectation that companies should open themselves to scrutiny before making green claims.

It recently released a range of print-ready signs that are free to download and make eco-messages a pleasure to read.

One sign suggests that we conserve water by showering with a friend, or the one that asks smokers not to dispose of cigarette butts in the water as the fish are trying to quit.

The signs are available in English, with Spanish, French, German and Chinese soon to be released.

Check them out at: www.earthcheck.org/en-us/signage/index.aspx