July 2nd 2008
KT Tunstall Shares Her Green Travel Tips, Love For Maldives
Filed under: music — michael @ 11:18 am
KT Tunstall is getting ready to kick off her US tour in August — and as a result we’re starting to see a bit more media interest in the rockstar from Scotland. In a recent interview, Tunstall shared a few tips on travelling green — and her most favorite vacation spot in the world, the Maldives. Here’s her advice:
On reducing her impact in hotels:
I don’t let housekeeping in when I stay in hotels. It cuts down on all the caustic cleaning products and aggressive water usage, and I never use the little plastic bottles of toiletries they set out. I try to take everything I might need when I travel to cut down on my consumption and I just use my own products until I run out.
On the beauty of the Maldives:
I visited the Maldives on my first fancy holiday three years ago when I first had success and really needed to lie down for a week! I fell in love with it. What was incredible about the Maldives was that the entire island we were on consisted of sand. There didn’t seem to be any dirt. You could walk around for hours barefoot with your white trousers skimming the ground, and they’d still be pristine white.
According to National Geographic Adventure, the Maldives are currently suffering from climate change and rising sea levels. “Already 12 islands have been mostly abandoned and their residents moved to Malé, (around which multi-million dollar protective barriers, called ‘tetrapods,’ have been erected).”
Enjoy it while you can, KT! To check out Ecorazzi’s interview with the singer, click here.
The Maldives isn’t the only small island nation threatened by climate change and the degradation of our oceans. The self-interest of large nations dominates the media as well as international negotiations on such issues, while the existential threat of islanders goes largely unnoticed. Kudos to KT Tunstall and ecorazzi.com on bringing attention to their plight. Islands first!
KT’s tip only works for me when I actually catch the maid at the door, but as much as I travel, that’s a tough tip to put in action. Easier ones can be found on this free download, hype and guilt free, http://www.ecoluxurylodging.com/pdf/easygoing-green-vacation-tips.pdf
When I’ve called housekeeping to ask they skip cleaning the room, the response is usually, “Too bad, we have to come in and check the room.” And the message doesn’t get to the cleaner– the room gets cleaned anyway. Guess I need to be famous to get heard.
Why not just leave the “Do Not Disturb” door hanger up? That’s what we always do and it’s never a problem.