SURE, we all want to do our bit to help the environment. Just maybe not as much as we want a vacation. Here are five great ways to have your cake and save the world, too.
CORAL CAPER
Aruba
Coral reefs around the world are disappearing (due in large part to rising levels of CO2), and the Caribbean isle of Aruba is doing something about it. Since 1994, the annual Aruba Reef Care Project gets volunteers (both locals and tourists) involved in clearing beaches and reefs of debris and garbage. Participants receive a T-shirt, box lunch and entry into a raffle; plus, you’ll come away knowing you did your bit to maintain the health of the island’s waters. To alleviate the stress on the natural reefs (which run along its southern coast), artificial reefs were created all around the island by intentionally sinking old planes, cargo ships and tugboats. These, along with several historic wrecks (including the 400-foot-long Nazi warship Antilla), make up the extensive number of diving and snorkeling sites around Aruba. This year’s event is scheduled for July 3 and 4, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Volunteers can sign up through local dive operators, hotel green teams and the Aruba Tourism Authority.
Info aruba.com
PUT IT INTO PARK
Nationwide
How’d you like to spend a week helping to restore an archeological site in New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon? Or painting historic structures at Maryland’s Antietam National Battlefield? Or helping endangered plant species of Kauai’s Koke’e State Park? Sign up for one of the 90 Volunteer Vacations through the Sierra Club. and you can help maintain public land and wilderness areas year-round, all across the US. Some national service trips involve simple trail-blazing, cleanup and upkeep, or landscape and habitat restoration, others require more advanced skills (kayaking, strenuous hiking). And it’s not all work and no play; there’s plenty of downtime to enjoy the gorgeous scenery.
Info Most outings cost between $495 and $595, including meals and (very basic) accommodations; outings.sierraclub.org
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Ecuador
No reason you can’t get the kids involved in an exotic volunteer vacation. Planterra’s Ecuador Family Adventure is a weeklong journey that mixes hands-on volunteerism with plenty of fun activities, including wildlife viewing, canoeing, horseback riding, ocean swimming and more. You’ll visit the coastal towns of Bahía de Caráquez and Rio Muchacho, where you can feed local farm animals, learn how to make cheese, fish for shrimp, and create art projects using native vegetable ivory and palm seeds. Spend some time volunteering at an organic farm and primary school, then head to Saiananda Park to see ostriches, mangroves and waterfalls. A day in the capital of Quito is also included. Groups average eight people and run throughout the year (except October and November). Rates start at $1,049 per person (book during April and save 10 percent) and include accommodation and most meals.
Info planeterra.org
HEAD TO THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS
North Carolina
To most New Yorkers, something called the Swag hardly conjures images of a rustic inn on a mountaintop. Unless it’s a one-night-free coupon in a gift bag, that is. The word refers to the dip between two peaks (like on a horses back) where the Swag Country Inn is set some 5,000 feet up, along a divide that overlooks four mountain ranges. A split-rail fence is all that separates the property’s 250 acres from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — which means guests have a surfeit of nature to explore. Hike on your own or take a guided excursion, then soak your aching tootsies in the outdoor hot tub. The 15-room inn dates back to 1795. Logs from a former Tennessee Baptist Church were reassembled to form the main lodge, while the guest rooms and private cabins are crafted from native hand-hewn trees. Accommodations have an Appalachian flavor — antique wood furnishings, patchwork quilts, twiggy headboards and stone fireplaces — but they’re plenty luxe, too; many have steam showers and private saunas. Meals are included and feature homespun buffet breakfasts (biscuits, grits, country sausage) and fancy, Southern-ish, four-course dinners like barbecue-glazed Osso Buco.
Info from $490 with a two-night minimum; theswag.com
GO NATIVE
Monument Valley, Utah
John Wayne westerns introduced people to Monument Valley’s otherworldly beauty, which meant it was only a matter of time until hotels followed suit. Still, it took awhile. The View Hotel opened a little more than a year ago, and its the only one set within the park. Because it’s owned by a Navajo, this is one business that takes its eco-friendly claims seriously. (Navajos believe they have a sacred duty to live harmoniously with the land.) First off, the energy-efficient building was designed to blend into the natural surroundings. Then there are all its green practices: recycling, low-flow showers, organic linens and native plantings. The restaurant features mostly locally sourced food grown without pesticides or fertilizers. But what will make you feel truly close to the Earth is the setting: All 95 rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies that look out onto the iconic red-rock formations. Unlike its new neighbor, Amanresorts’ $950/night Amangiri, the view is also affordable.
Info from $195; monumentvalleyview.com