Eco Friendly: Vatican Tours and Rome Tours

What does this mean?

Tourism is of course the main source of income for Rome, without it the city wouldn't run. However as it's popularity grows in terms of visitors each year, so to does the strain it puts on the city as a whole. It's about action and reaction, more people equal more money but also more problems in terms of pollution, waste etc. Eden Walks is about finding the balance and breaking the cycle.

How?

Through sustainable tourism.

In what way?

Whether you take a Rome Tour or Vatican Tour with us you'll notice that our groups are always small and we do this for a few reasons. One, because it provides our clients with a more intimate tour experience but also because it helps reduce overcrowding. This is extremely important in Rome's more popular tourist attractions because although many of these sites have been here for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years we still have the potential to destroy them unless we act responsibly. Just look at what's happening in Egypt right now!

Secondly, we only organize walking tours of Rome and tours of the Vatican because this is the most environmentally friendly form of travel. While we could make a lot more money selling other services like bus tours of Rome etc we don't because there are more important things than money. Less cars, minivans, buses etc, means less congestion and less Co2 emissions. Reducing pollution means improving air quality and helps preserve Rome's monuments. Walking is completely green, it's good for your mind, body and of course the environment.

Thirdly, we don't use headsets or listening devices on any of our Rome Tours or Vatican tours because we believe in a more personal approach to tour guiding. While many companies use these as a sales gimmick to sound more professional, the truth of the matter is they are quite the opposite. Aside from being completely superfluous within a small group environment they have a very negative impact on the earth and local wildlife. With your average group size being approx 20 people that's equates to 40 batteries (two AA batteries per listing device) and 20 sets of earphones per group, and while the batteries may stretch to 2 possible 3 tours, the headphones however are only used once and both are simply discarded in rubbish bins and not disposed of correctly. Batteries are of course a huge problem because they contain heavy metals (lead, cadmium, nickel and mercury) not to mention acid and other toxic materials which become highly corrosive with time and inevitably poison our soil and pollute our water tables. Headphones on the other hand can become traps for small animals and birds that can get easily get caught up in them. Headphones are also plastic, and there is a good reason why environmental groups have been asking us to recycle this material for years. The main reason it takes hundreds of years to degrade and you can't burn it because of it's toxicity levels. Which means our legacy will probably be our trash unless we change.

How can I help?

Here is a list of a few things you can do, but I'm sure you can think of a few more.

Pre Trip

Before booking your flight look into which airlines are doing the most from an environmental perspective in terms of energy efficiency on flights, bio-fuels etc. Choosing a responsible company is the first step in reducing your carbon footprint.

If you are planning on visiting more than one city on your vacation look into alternative forms of transportation to get from one to another. Trains for example are much lower impact than planes or buses.

Invest in a durable water bottle before coming to Rome. Although Italians consume more bottled water than any other country in Europe this is more of a fashion statement than anything else. The water here is actually extremely good and safe to drink, and with drinking fountains situated all over the city you'll never have to buy a bottle the whole time you are here.

Rome

Recycle when ever you can, there are recycling bins all over the city and even if you can't read Italian you'll be able to follow the pictures.

Support local business. There are many ways to do this but one of the ways is by buying locally instead of going to a supermarket, try one of Rome's many indoor or outdoor markets. One of the largest of these is called Mercato Trionfale and is only a few blocks away from the Vatican Museums on the corner of Via Tunisi and Via Andrea Doria. These are great if you are renting an apartment and cooking yourselves but even if you're not it's a great place to pick up lunch.

Instead of taking taxis everywhere which can end off becoming expensive after a while why not walk or use the metro which is fast, reliable and real easy to use.
If you prefer to be outdoors check out www.atacbikesharing.com A bike sharing scheme set up in the city last year with 19 pickup points situated in key locations all over the historical center.

How does it work?

Again it's really easy. You just need to buy what looks like a credit card (it's called a smart card) for 5 euro from one of the 3 main ATAC offices situated in either TERMINI, LEPANTO or SPAGNA. This buys you 10 hours of bike time and you can collect or return your bike at any of the 19 pickup points.

Don't use horse drawn carriages, they are not cool or quaint just cruel. These animals are over worked and with no real regulations in place to protect them the only way to stop this practice is to remove the demand.

Post Trip

If you bought a guide book why not pass it to a friend that's coming here or donate it to a local charity shop, just another way of recycling.

Finally if you can think of anything we forgot to mention or came across something you thought beneficial to fellow travelers let us know and if we like it we'll include it in this list.