October 09, 2009

Greasy Rider

Well, it kind of depends on what kind of a vacation you're expecting. Do you want spa treatments and 1,000 thread count, unbleached cotton linens while you're doing good, or do you mind a cot and a pit toilet? If you're one of the spa-and-fancy-sheets types, your most beneficial contribution (and a considerable one at that) is supporting the community by simply staying at the resort and maybe convincing your friends at the country club to make a trip there, too. But if you want to make a dirt-under-your-fingernails impact on the earth and people's lives, I suggest you organize a trip through one of these four organizations:

Earthwatch Institute (earthwatch.org)
Enables you to work alongside scientists on field experiments, conservation projects, and educational initiatives around the world. The organization supports about 3,500 volunteers a year, who do everything from protecting monkey habitats in Costa Rican rainforests to scuba diving in Thailand to documenting changes in coral reefs.

Globe Aware (globeaware.org)
Organizes volunteer projects to promote sustainability in impoverished communities in 14 countries on five continents. You can help build fuel-efficient stoves in a hidden Andean community in Peru, or dig wells for schools in mountain villages of Ghana, to name a couple.

Global Service Corps (globalservicecorps.org)
Oversees sustainable service projects in Cambodia, Tanzania, and Thailand. Your vacation options include working in orphanages, promoting sustainable agriculture, teaching English, and providing HIV/AIDS education.

Do you have a question of your own?

Global Volunteers (globalvolunteers.org)
Pioneers of the volunteer vacation. They work within 100 communities in 19 countries on five continents. The group provides medical care, teaches English, builds schools and playgrounds, and tutors at-risk kids from Ecuador to South Africa to Vietnam.

RECENT QUESTIONS
Got a question for the Eco Adventurer? Ask it here.
•	What is the greenest ski and snowboard on the market?
•	Can I really damage a coral reef with sunscreen while snorkeling?
•	What are the five best environmental movies of all time?
•	What are the greenest colleges?
•	What are the top four environmental do-gooder vacations abroad?
•	Which airline is the greenest, and which is the worst polluter?
•	What chemical component of gear is the next BPA?
•	What is the greenest tent on the market?
•	What's the best way to dispose of paint supplies?
•	What are the best green Twitters to follow?

RECENT FEATURES
•	The Green Issue
•	Code Green: Western Drilling
•	Code Green: The Upside of Downturn