Green Theme International Home Exchange agency was established in 1989 at the time the debate about consideration for the environment and the need for sustainable tourism was just beginning. At that time, climate change and the extent to which our world is becoming polluted had not come to the forefront, but now the environmental lobby is making everyone aware of the true danger of the wasteful use of natural resources, and the careless pollution of our environment without consideration for its long term effect.
We believe that Home Exchange is a concept right for our time by making maximum use of existing resources. Home Exchange is an environmentally friendly mode of travel and a comfortable alternative to high priced hotels and organised package tours. It is a way to experience an area as a local, not a tourist, to bridge the cultural divide make new friends, and a great way to travel with children. It also achieves a balance between outgoing and incoming tourism, and does not place excess demand on destinations sometimes created by the flow of package holiday tourists to destination hotspots and the consequent over development of those areas, which often risks endangering some of the world's most beautiful locations.
An article in the Washington Post discusses the impact of extreme tourism on the environment. Don't Travel Like A Tourist
To help provide even more Green Theme vacation options, members may search for homes where mass transportation is excellent by selecting "car not needed" for a search criteria. Not all homes on this site are green because we welcome all who do not want to travel like a tourist. We do encourage members to make the green pledge. Type "green pledge" in the key word search box to find others who made the pledge.
Green Theme Travel
Some members help each other promote sustainability by sharing eco-friendly travel ideas, including:
Green Theme Homes
Some members write how their homes promote sustainability (not all homes on this site are green) by describing how their home is environmentally friendly. Some key features of an environmentally friendly home are:
Environmental Resources