To make more environmentally friendly travelers of us all In an effort to make more environmentally friendly travelers of us all, the United Nations has launched a Twitter competition inviting users to share their tips on how they save water while they travel .
The competition is being launched to help promote World Tourism Day September 27, which this year will focus on “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future.”
“With a record one billion international tourists traveling in a single year in 2012, now is the time to commit a more sustainable tourism sector in order to protect our common future,” says the UN.
The theme coincides with the UN’s overarching theme “International Year of Water Cooperation.”
Since the competition was launched Tuesday, Tweeps have been sharing suggestions that include letting hotel staff know of any leaky taps that need fixing, “Just as you would close or fix a leaking tap at home,” and reusing towels.
To participate, use the hashtag #WTD2013 in English, French or Spanish, and the five best tips will be retweeted by @UNWTO over the days leading up to September 27, uploaded on their website and disseminated at official WTD celebrations in the Maldives.
Here are a few ways tourists are encouraged to be responsible water consumers when they travel abroad:
-Take a shower instead of a bath
-Leave your towels on the rack and let housekeeping know you don’t need to have your linens and towels changed every day. This simple gesture saves on unnecessary use of water and chemicals.
-Where possible, select green, sustainable accommodations with water-saving programs such as rainwater barrels.
-Respect the sites you visit. Leave seashells in their natural environment, for instance, and use water-resistant sunblock to avoid polluting the sea and damaging marine fauna. Scientists have shown that commonly found sunscreen ingredients can kill off coral.
Source: Relaxnews