How to go on vacation in an eco-friendly way

Brut America

Traveling to "Canada" 90 minutes away from Paris, spending a night in an eco-friendly hotel... Here are different ways to travel more responsibly.   Episode 9 of our series of stories on eco-citizen initiatives with French author Julien Vidal.

Transcript

00:00Every year, tourism emits 8% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

00:06Today, we're going to see how to be more responsible travelers.

00:19When we talk about pollution in tourism, we immediately think of transport,

00:22and in particular of the plane. It's simple.

00:24A return trip to Paris, New York, emits as much CO2

00:28as all the consumption of a Frenchman in heating per year.

00:31So what do we do? It's simple.

00:33We take the train that emits up to 50 times less CO2.

00:49Hi Ferdinand.

00:50Hi Julien.

00:51How are you?

00:52I'm fine, and you?

00:53I'm fine. You're co-founder of Chill Away,

00:55a movement that takes on a micro-adventure,

00:57and today you're making us live the micro-adventure

00:59and discover Canada in 90 minutes from Paris, right?

01:02Exactly.

01:03Well, let's go.

01:04Let's go.

01:05We're not going to wander around all day.

01:08New York

01:18Paris

01:20Paris

01:24To infinity

01:25and beyond.

01:37You see, Julien, I really feel like I'm in David Croquette's skin.

01:40Yeah, it's an adventure.

01:41This is the real adventure.

01:43We haven't seen anyone since the two hours we've been paddling.

01:47Listen to this silence, which is just incredible.

01:51Ferdinand, we don't need to go to the other side of the planet

01:55and take the plane to live the adventure, right?

01:58Exactly, Julien.

01:59That's really the concept of micro-adventure.

02:01It's the contrary.

02:02We can live a micro-adventure.

02:04It's really the concept of micro-adventure.

02:06It's the contrary.

02:07We can live a really beautiful adventure.

02:09Great nature.

02:10A few kilometers from the big islands or from where we live.

02:13We made the observation when we started Chiloé

02:16that we had traveled the world a bit,

02:20like many people, in search of our next adventure.

02:23I think we all do.

02:24We wait patiently all year to go on a long trip and a great trip.

02:29And finally, what do we do the rest of the year?

02:31We realized that the micro-adventure was about

02:33living more often experiences in nature.

02:36In France, there are a lot of crazy places,

02:39like crossing the Mercantour,

02:42crossing the Vercors in winter,

02:44skiing or paddling,

02:47going down or crossing the Chemin de Stevenson with a donkey,

02:51or, for example, for those who live in Paris,

02:53I don't know, going down the Seine in stand-up paddle

02:56from the outskirts of Paris to Honfleur.

03:00Today, when you go to Greece, Spain, Russia, etc.,

03:04the culture is quite similar.

03:07You will meet a lot of tourists on your way.

03:09We will find all the same photos on Instagram afterwards.

03:12The bet we make is to tell ourselves

03:14that the real adventurer today of modern times

03:16is the one who will, in the summer,

03:18in Auvergne, along the Meuselle,

03:20who goes to the Ardennes,

03:21where people will prefer the sea,

03:23it may be the one who will go down a river.

03:31Bingo!

03:33Land in sight!

03:39Come on, Robinson!

03:41So, we have more than 10 boats for the evening?

03:44Yes, exactly.

03:45You see, we are all a little tired

03:47of paddling so much.

03:49I think we will calmly unload

03:51what is in the canoe

03:53and then we will, I think,

03:55distribute the tasks between

03:57setting up the tent, preparing the dinner.

04:06Yes!

04:08I can tell you, in one day,

04:10it's crazy how the daily life

04:12of the city, the work, and everything,

04:14it's gone.

04:15I feel like we've been here for a week.

04:17You have the feeling of disconnecting quickly

04:21and when you come back,

04:22you feel like you've gone very far.

04:24Rather than thinking about a destination

04:26where we are going to check boxes,

04:28here it is almost the means of transport

04:30that becomes the adventure itself.

04:32That's exactly it.

04:33The trip is not the destination,

04:35it is the fact of going there,

04:37it is the fact of being on the move.

04:38You know, you can spend a lot of time

04:40always projected into your goals,

04:42whether professional or even on a trip.

04:44We are going to South America

04:46to see Machu Picchu,

04:48to go to the Everest, etc.

04:50And finally, the present moment,

04:52the real present moment,

04:54the moment you are living in your trip

04:56and it's not the destination,

04:57it's not the goal, the objective,

04:59it's the present moment.

05:00Behind the micro-adventure,

05:01there is this idea of re-understanding nature.

05:04Cousteau said a great sentence,

05:06he said,

05:07we love what amazes us

05:09and we protect what we love.

05:11And we realized,

05:13by founding Chiloé,

05:15by launching Chiloé,

05:16that by encouraging citizens like us

05:18to spend more time in nature,

05:20in the long run,

05:21we want to protect it a little more.

05:24So, when we talk about eco-responsible trips,

05:27we think about experiences in the middle of nature,

05:29but there are also ways to reduce

05:31your ecological footprint

05:33when you visit large urban centers

05:35like here in Paris.

05:36François, hello.

05:38Hello, William.

05:39Thank you for the welcome.

05:40We are here for you to introduce us

05:42to the Solar Hotel.

05:43The Solar Hotel, which is the ecological hotel,

05:45par excellence,

05:46when we talk about eco-responsible hotels in Paris.

05:48This year, it's been 10 years

05:49since we opened the Solar Hotel.

05:51So, yes, it's true that today

05:52we have become a bit of a reference.

05:53And by the way,

05:54you can see it right away,

05:55we just had to raise our heads.

05:56You announce the color directly

05:58with solar panels on the facade.

06:00These solar panels allow to power

06:02the facade of the hotel

06:03and the small courtyard inside.

06:05Can you show us that?

06:06Yes, of course.

06:07Let's go.

06:13So, here you can see

06:14the solar panels on the facade.

06:16The solar panels on the facade

06:19Here you can see some of our labels.

06:21In particular, the green key,

06:22which is the most important label for us.

06:24Because it's the first label

06:25we got after our transition.

06:37Here we are.

06:38Welcome to the origin of our rooms.

06:40All supplies are recycled

06:42and maintained since 1992, right?

06:45Maximum, of course.

06:46When it's completely broken,

06:48we change it.

06:49In terms of maintenance,

06:51I imagine that all cleaning products

06:54are organic,

06:55probably a lot of white vinegar,

06:57certified products.

06:58Yes, yes.

06:59Not only is it important for customers,

07:01because when they come to us,

07:03they don't breathe toxic products,

07:05but it's also very important

07:06for the women in the rooms

07:07who work at our hotel.

07:08So here we are in the small breakfast room

07:11of the hotel.

07:12And so I guess

07:13everything we see here is organic, right?

07:15Exactly.

07:16We are lucky to have several organic suppliers

07:19for breakfast,

07:20so we only have the choice box.

07:21Cereals, apple juice, milk,

07:24and an organic bakery next door

07:26that provides us with bread

07:27and 100% organic croissants

07:28all week long.

07:30And this is your peace tree?

07:32Exactly.

07:33This is our little courtyard

07:34which is really unique.

07:36And we see bikes.

07:37Exactly.

07:38So there are normally

07:39about ten of them.

07:41We see that it's summer

07:42and that people are enjoying it.

07:45There are only three left.

07:46Because these are bikes

07:47that you make available for free?

07:48Yes, exactly.

07:49It would be unthinkable for us

07:50to pay for the rental of the bikes.

07:52On the contrary,

07:53we encourage people

07:54to take the bikes as much as possible.

07:55Besides,

07:56this is something

07:57that we haven't said yet,

07:58but in fact,

07:59when we look at the prices

08:00of the Solar Hotel,

08:01we could think

08:02that the ecological approach

08:03necessarily implies a surplus,

08:04while in fact

08:05you are not only

08:06largely in the prices,

08:07but perhaps almost

08:08even a little below, right?

08:09The goal was to be

08:10ecological and economic.

08:12To make a long-term stay

08:14accessible to everyone.

08:17Thank you François

08:18for this visit

08:19which was exciting

08:20and well done for your work.

08:21You're welcome.

08:22Thank you for coming to see us.

08:23See you next time.

08:24See you soon.

08:29We have just seen

08:30that there is no need

08:31to go to the other side of the planet

08:32to live a real adventure.

08:35Because in fact,

08:36to travel in an eco-responsible way,

08:38it starts at the doorstep.

08:42Changing your world

08:43is changing the world

08:44and participating in the construction

08:45of a better world,

08:46it starts with me.

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