As the summer holiday season draws near for many, the Vatican has issued a set of guidelines offering advice on how to make vacations more environmentally responsible and friendly.
“One can choose to be a tourist at odds with the Earth or in favour of it,” said the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, according to excerpts published by Italy’s ANSA news agency.
Tips included taking less luggage, cutting back on plane and car journeys and planting trees, to offset tourists’ carbon footprints. They also advise choosing vacation spots more in harmony with nature.
Under Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II, the Vatican itself has taken steps to become greener. Solar panels have now been installed on the roofs of buildings to produce electricity.
Last year, the Vatican hosted a scientific conference on climate change.
With acknowledgments to Independent Catholic News – http://www.indcatholicnews.com/
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