Tourism is on course to thwart humanity’s efforts to reach a zero carbon economy because of its high growth rates and carbon intensity. To get out of its carbon predicament, the tourism sector needs professionals with carbon literacy and carbon capability. Providing future professionals in the full spectrum of tourism-related study programmes with the necessary knowledge and skills is essential. This article reports on ten years of experience at a BSc tourism programme with a carbon footprint exercise in which students calculate the carbon footprint of their latest holiday, compare their results with others and reflect on options to reduce emissions. Before they start, the students are provided with a handout with emission factors, a brief introduction and a sample calculation. The carbon footprints usually differ by a factor of 20 to 30 between the highest and lowest. Distance, transport mode and length of stay are almost automatically identified as the main causes, and as the main keys for drastically reducing emissions. The link to the students’ own experience makes the exercise effective, the group comparison makes it fun. As the exercise requires no prior knowledge and is suitable for almost any group size, it can be integrated into almost any tourism-related study programme.
Designers have grown increasingly interested in social consequences of new technologies. As social impacts become increasingly important it might be fruitful to understand how social impacts develop and how a designer can anticipate these consequences. In health care practices, for instance, it is important to control unintended social impacts at forehand. Social impact is an outcome of the mediating effect of a technology with its social environment. Human behaviour in a social environment can be analysed from the perspective of a social ecological system. To anticipate social impacts simulations of social practices are needed. To simulate practices the persona approach has been adapted to a screenplay approach in which the elements of a social ecology are used to gain a rich description of a social environment. This has been applied for a 'Heart Managers' case. It was concluded that the screenplay approach can be used for a systematic simulation of future social impacts.
For a number of years now, NGO Milieu Centraal has been running the website www.klimaatwijsopreis.nl, which informs Dutch consumers about the climate impact of holidays and also allows them to calculate the climate impact of their own holiday. This calculator is based on, among other things, a number of calculation models and a series of emission factors for transport, accommodation, activities, and holiday types. These emission factors are subject to change and should be updated regularly. This project provides an update and substantiation of emission factors for a number of accommodation types, activities, and holiday types.Societal issueThe contribution of holidays to climate change is substantial, depending on choices regarding transport, distance, accommodation, and activities.Benefit to societywww.klimaatwijsopreis.nl informs consumers about the climate impact of holidays, so they can make more informed choices. Up to date and sound emission factors enable giving the most accurate advice.
