Nearly one billion tourists travel around the globe every year – many by plane or car. Can you imagine the carbon emissions?

In an article on the website The Independent Traveler, Ed Hewitt compares car travel to airplane travel. According to the article, “… if the average American drives 10,000 – 15,000 miles each year, it takes only a trip to Europe for a West Coaster, a trip to Hawaii for an East Coaster or a couple of cross-country flights to do as much damage (or more) as you do during an entire year of commuting and cruising in your car.”

Wow. So, what do you do if you want to get away, but want to do it in a green way?

Hewitt writes about buying carbon offsetting, where you donate money to green organizations or companies to plant trees (or something along those lines) to offset the damage  your flight will do to the environment. This article is not going to get into carbon offsetting, instead we’re going to discuss greener vacation ideas.

• Stay local. This is the easiest (and possibly the least appealing) vacation idea for many. See if there are any fun events going on in your town, or in a town close by. Try something you did as a child, but haven’t done since. Get out and hike. If there’s something touristy, why not try it out and see why people travel to your area. 
• Travel to a nearby hotspot. If you don’t live in a big city, there’s usually one or two within a couple of hours’ drive.  Or, if you live in a big city, there’s usually a small, quieter town that’s not too far off the beaten path. If you do drive somewhere, look for green activities — walking around the city, hiking trails, biking, etc.
• If you do live in a more metropolitan area and would really like to get away, look into something like the BoltBus. These buses have an that cuts nitrous oxide emissions in half.  Most of the cities that have BoltBus are in the northeast – NYC, D.C., Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, etc. The fares start at $1. The buses are also equipped with WiFi.
• Consider camping — the kind where you take a sleeping bag and build a tent. It’s a great way to experience the great outdoors, it’s cheap, and most of the activities are also pretty green — fishing, hiking, biking, exploring, etc. (If you know of a green mosquito repellent that works, please let me know!)
• If you’re going to drive somewhere and you own a gas guzzler, think about renting a hybrid. The money you save on gas will probably pay for the price of the rental.

These are just a few tips. Obviously, if you do go somewhere and stay in a hotel, put out the little sign that lets them know you don’t need new sheets and towels for everyday of your stay. And look for chains that are eco-friendly.

Any other green vacation suggestions? Please comment and let us know about them!

To make it easier to experience America’s Great Outdoors, the National Park Service is waiving entrance fees, so visitors can enjoy all 392 national parks for free April 17-25. This is great news for all of you spring breakers out there looking for a quick trip to the great outdoors. For others, its a perfect opportunity to experience your local national parks in bloom this spring.

At more than 100 parks, there will be specials on concessions, lodging, and transportation in the parks to give further incentive to get out and explore.

If that were not enough to get you out in the nice weather and out of the winter doldrums, take a moment to check out the list of events parks plan to have around the country nearly all of which are family friendly. For those of you looking for ways to give back to your community as a way to celebrate this year’s 40th Earth Day, the National Parks Service has more than 400 volunteer opportunities announced.

For those of you resigned to spend the week in your office staring longingly out your window, check out the virtual tours of your favorite national parks and enjoy the scenery virtually!

So which park are you making plans to visit next week? Get out there and explore!

Grand Canyon

Here at BeGreenMinded.com we want to make sure that not only are you protecting your environment, but that you are getting out there to enjoy nature too! So as summer finally warms up most of the country, it’s time to get outside and enjoy yourselves.

This weekend, consider finding a local trail to hike. The Sierra Club is putting together a new website database of favorite trails around the country. If your favorite isn’t in there, add it for others to enjoy. You can search all states and even search by the trails difficulty. This is a great way to try something new and check out the path less traveled.  Maybe there is a trail nearby you didn’t even know about – this site offers a great way for you to learn more about your natural recreation options, so get out there and enjoy the outdoors!

Just in case you needed even more reason to get out there, how does FREE entry to our nations’ national parks sound? For the first time in more than two decades, the National Parks Service is opening up parks which normally have entrance fees for free on two more weekends (July 18-19, 2009 and August 15-16, 2009) this summer. In some parks, even the concession stands will have discounts for visitors.

It’s expected that millions more visitors will be encouraged to go to parks on these weekends so be prepared for crowds if you take part in this excellent opportunity to see America’s natural beauty. Planning on camping? Make your campsite reservations early as they may be full. The Park Service expects this to help gateway communities surrounding national parks as visitors are likely to stop by the local restaurants and gift shops. Sure the stimulus plan is supposed to help us all out of the economic mess, but it may be the Parks Service that really helps some communities.

Most Americans live within a less than a day’s drive from a national park so find a park and take the kids for a day of family fun and a lifetime of memories. You can get a list of which parks are waiving the fees here. There are a total of 147 parks that normally charge entrance fees. The other 244 are always free.

So tell us, what are you doing this summer to not just conserve and protect the environment but enjoy it too? Send us a comment below or tweet.