Servas travelling - a climate smart choice
Overnight stays in private people’s homes generally put much less burden on the environment than staying at a hotel or other comparable alternatives.
This is pointed out in a report produced by academic researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The researchers list accommodation at relatives’ and friends’ in category that is labelled “carbon neutral”. Accommodation in motorhomes and caravans, tents, night trains or ferry cabins also belong to this category. The reason for the “carbon neutral” labelling of this category is that emissions from these kinds of accommodation are negligible and are therefore given as 0 kilos per guest night.
Accommodations in hotels, that are labelled average climate impact and lower climate impact, produce between 45 kilo and 1,7 kilo CO2 per guest night.
The report can be downloaded here
https://travelandclimate.org/sites/default/files/Methodology-report-Travel-and-Climate-Version-2.pdf
- You find the information about homestays on the pages 17–19.
Please read also the The Servas International Ethical Travel report from one of Servas' the workings group. The report can be downloaded here
Jonny Sågänger
President
Servas International