Experiencing Trento, Italy in a sustainable way, is not as difficult as you might think. Valsugana, a valley rich in water and open spaces, is the first certified destination for sustainable tourism in the world! The Global Sustainable Tourism Council is an organization established by the United Nations to achieve the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. This organization has awarded Valsugana sustainable status. The local population is very proud of this result. The development of tourism is not only about ‘green and slow’, but great importance is also placed on the local population, the well-being of the environment and social and economic sustainability.

Travel to Trento by train

When you go on holiday, you naturally want to make sure that you do this as sustainably as possible. A good sustainable option is to go on holiday by train. From Utrecht Central you can reach Trento in about thirteen hours. Italy is therefore also easily accessible by train. In the main cities of the province of Trentino, Rovereto and Trento, national and international trains meet. As a result, the rest of the province is also easily accessible from these stations. In addition, the stations are located in the city center, which means that you are directly close to all hotspots. You can also explore Italy further from Trento by train. Connections to cities such as Verona, Milan and Venice all depart from the heart of the Province.

Cycling through Trento, Italy

The beautiful mountains, valleys and lakes offer enough nature to discover the area in Trento by bike. Italy nowadays offers many cycling routes, so that you can travel safely on the road when you are on a bike. There are several cycling routes in Trentino, with which you can plan a nice day out. We have highlighted the three most beautiful routes especially for you:

1. Valsugana . bike path

As the first certified destination for a sustainable holiday, you naturally have many options for sustainable travel. The valley is rich in cycle paths and also has an official cycle route. The route starts in the village of Pergine Valsugana, a town about 10 kilometers from Trento. The route takes you for 52 kilometers along Lago di Caldonazzo and Lago di Levico to finally finish in Bassano del Grappa in the province of Veneto.

2. The Adige cycle path

This cycle route connects Bolzano, which is located in the north of Trentino, with the city of Verona in Veneto. The route of 80 kilometers long is the longest route in the area. The most interesting part of this route is the part between Trento and Rovereto, where you are taken through the vineyards of Vallagarina.

3. The cycle path of Fiemme and Fassa

This cycling route is the ideal choice for the sporty, adventurous cyclist. The route is 48 kilometers long and is highly recommended for cyclists looking for mountains. For miles you are surrounded by coniferous spruce and larch forests, and by meadows surrounded by the Dolomites. On this route you will find a number of height differences and steep parts. This makes this real route really for the sporty holidaymaker.

Local experience in Trento, Italy

The province of Trentino provides a great diversity of local products: from wine to olive oil and from cheeses to cured meats. There are several olive groves and vineyards and farms in the area surrounding Trento. Italy is a country of culinary class, where you can enjoy food and drink to the fullest. To give you an idea of the possibilities, we will highlight two local tastings for you:

Cantina Moser

The Moser family has its roots in the Cembra Valley, where their vineyard is also located. Although this valley is located a little northeast of Trento, the family’s tasting room is in Trento itself. Here you can taste various wines, where you are taken into the wine process and history of the family.

Tasting Il Ponte Dei Sapori

In the village of Levico Terme, located on ‘Lago di Levico’, there is a specialty store with local products called ‘ Il Ponte Dei Sapori ‘. This shop organizes a tasting every Saturday in high season for all kinds of local products. The focus is mainly on local cheeses, but wine and cured meats are also included during the tasting.

Trentino is therefore an ideal place to enjoy nature and local products during your holiday. Book your holiday to Trento, Italy now. You will experience your green holiday in Italy in a unique way!

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Want to watch something that has an impact while relaxing on the couch – a documentary that really makes you think? Then choose one of these five Netflix documentaries about sustainability. We guarantee that after watching these documentaries you will have new insights and a whole arsenal of new facts!

The documentaries in our top 5 are about eating patterns and how they affect the climate, but there are also documentaries that focus more on nature and how you see nature changing more and more.

Our top 5 favorite Netflix documentaries about sustainability

1. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

Cowspiracy is a classic documentary about the impact of eating meat on the environment. Renowned environmentalists Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn explore the solution to a major problem: climate change in a fun and funny way.

What is special about the documentary is that it was made with the help of a crowdfunding campaign. A total of $115,000 was raised, more than twice the original goal. This made it possible to release the film in different languages, otherwise it might not have been such a success.

2. Seaspiracy

Seaspiracy is in line with the previous documentary, only here the focus is on fishing and what role it plays in climate problems. The documentary shows the impact of overfishing on the oceans and the climate, and also shows how the large amount of marine waste, for example from fishing nets, causes even more pollution. British Ali Tabrizi is the director and protagonist of the film. Kip Andersen (one of the makers of Cowspiracy) also contributed to the documentary.

The film was criticized by the fishing industry and by some scientists because some of the information was incorrect. The film was praised by environmental activists because it accurately reflects the consequences of overfishing.

3. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

David Attenborough may have one of the most recognizable voices in the world, and what a joy it is to listen to him! The biologist is now 95 years old and has devoted his entire life to nature. He is best known for the BBC’s award-winning documentaries, for which he provided the voice-over.

The film takes you into the life of this special man. It shows how he started working for the BBC in 1950. During his work he could then see many different ecosystems. A lot has changed during his life and he has seen it. In the documentary, he tells in his own way what the future will look like if we don’t change our behavior and habits.

4. Our Planet

The Netflix series Our Planet shows you the most beautiful places in the world in a unique way. Not only do you see surprising new places, the documentary also introduces you to animals that you have never seen before. In the eight episodes, the documentary maker takes you to the sea, the forests, the desert and the jungle.

It is recommended to also view Behind The Scenes – Our Planet. In this episode you can see for yourself how the images were shot and why they give you a unique insight into the animal world. In this way you also learn how special the images that appear in the documentary are.

5. The Game Changers

The documentary “The Game Changers” takes a closer look at the vegan diet. Based on scientific information and with the help of interviews with top athletes, this documentary tells about the rise of veganism. For example, Lewis Hammilton, the famous Formula 1 driver, various American football players and former bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger talk about their diet choices and lifestyle.

Which Netflix documentaries about sustainability will you watch?

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Going on vacation is wonderful. Whether you go for a walk through the forests in Eastern Europe, or discover our own country: you always run into the same problems, because where do you eat? What should I bring? Fortunately, in 2021 we have a smartphone that makes life (partly) a lot easier. This way you can focus on relaxing and dreaming away during your holiday! Wherever you go, these handy travel apps travel with you and they’re smarter than ever!

The best travel app(s) for in your pocket!

1. Happy Cow

Finding a good, tasty place to eat can be quite difficult, let alone if you are a vegan, vegetarian or lactose- and gluten-free. Where should you go then? With the travel app HappyCow you will not run into these kinds of problems. You just need to enter your location and tick your diet preferences. Based on this, the app provides restaurants, cafes, B&B and even vegan clothing stores where you can go for everything you might need on the go. The travel app is especially useful for finding restaurants.

Since the launch of HappyCow in 1999, the platform has grown at a rapid pace. Especially in the last few years, it has become more and more popular, as more and more people choose to eat more consciously. There are currently 50,000 restaurants and cafes in 175 countries on the app.

2. Fair Trip

Looking for a unique travel experience? The FairTrip travel app helps you on your way. By using the app, you can find places that are trying to make a positive impact on the environment and the local economy.

On the map in the app you can choose one of the 3,000 places you would like to go to, each place special in its own way. On the app you will find restaurants, bars, experiences, hotels and much more.

3. NS international

Do you also suffer from flight shame ? Or would you rather take a city trip by train? Then the NS-International app is the ideal app for travelling. You travel by train with very low CO2 emissions, can sit comfortably and you arrive in the middle of the city!

Have you ever heard of the NS interrail tickets? An interrail ticket is a roaming card with which you can travel through Europe carefree. You pay a fixed amount. This way you know exactly how much you have lost in advance! There are two variants for sale:

• The Interrail Global Pass: allows you to travel across multiple countries in Europe
• The Interrail One Country Pass: suitable for travel through one country in Europe.

The interrail tickets are only for sale to people living in Europe.

4. PackPoint

Are you always afraid that you will forget something? With the handy app from PackPoint, you don’t have to worry about this anymore. How does it work? You enter your destination, how long you will stay there, what you are going to do and voila! The travel app presents a packing list based on the weather and the information you entered previously.

5. Forest

The phone is of course a necessity for the holidays, especially now that you have all these handy travel apps installed. It can also, from personal experience, be wonderful to put the phone down for a while and completely relax while reading a book. With the Forest app, you get points and plant virtual trees by putting your phone away for more than half an hour. Disconnect from online life for a while and focus on all the beauty that can be seen in the place you are in!

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The demand for a good walking app is growing. There are certainly good hiking apps, but they are difficult to find because of the large selection. In this blog we explain which apps are the best and why. The top three look at the app’s user-friendliness, the range of walking routes and the possible costs of the app.

The best walking apps of the moment:

1. Hiking App

The first app on the list is Hiking App . This free application is already used by more than 100,000 other Dutch hikers. The idea of the app is that there is always a nice walk nearby, super fun! Are you satisfied with the app? Then you can consider upgrading it. The costs for this are 99 cents: relatively cheap, because you get a considerable expansion of the number of routes. You get up to a hundred routes per province.

The app currently contains 3,500 walking routes that are clearly visible on a map. In addition, the app has also integrated all walking events of the Nederlandse Wandelbond (KWBN) on the map. There are about 1,500 in total.

2. Experience Routes

The hiking app Experience Routes brings you more than a hiking route: with a clear interface and handy extras you can easily follow nice routes. The idea of the app is that you take a digital guide with you, which tells you fun anecdotes about the area and provides other interesting facts about the history of the places you pass. How does the app do this? When you enter a so-called highlight zone, you will receive a notification on your smartphone. As soon as you see the notification, you know that there is something to see or experience in the area!

The routes of Experience Routes are almost all free! In addition to the walking routes, the app also has various cycling routes.

3. Nature routes from Natuurmonumenten

This walking, cycling and sailing route app is perhaps the most special of the list. The nature routes app tries to give you a unique experience in nature. While following the route you will hear interesting audio fragments from forest rangers. Furthermore, the app is easy to use, the interface is very clear and there is also a clear instruction video on the website of Natuurmonumenten.

The app has a wide range of routes. In total there are no fewer than 400! They vary from routes you can take with children to long-distance hikes for the avid walker. The hiking app is free to use for members of Natuurmonumenten, which is handy! Not a member yet? Try the app for free for a limited time.

The 3 best hiking apps: conclusion

All three apps have a clean interface that is easy to use for everyone. What they mainly differ in is the type of walk. Do you only want a route and have a nice chat during the route? Then the Wandel app is most suitable for you. Do you want to go for the unique routes with interesting background information from forest rangers? Then go for Nature routes from Natuurmonumenten. By using the app (paid) you also support nature in the Netherlands. Would you rather not spend money on hiking routes, but do you want a hiking experience that you wouldn’t have otherwise? Go for the Experience Routes app. The walking app has a wide range of free routes that take you to special places in the Netherlands.

During long hiking trips, don’t forget to bring a refillable sustainable water bottle and fill your backpack with enough snacks! A poncho or raincoat is also a nice item to take with you in your backpack in case of unexpected rain showers. Have you packed all these items? Then you are in for a beautiful walk!

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Where years ago you might not have hesitated for a minute and took the plane to your destinations, something has changed in your head: flight shame. In recent years it has been a growing phenomenon and for a logical reason: climate change.

Flying is still one of the most polluting means of transport we know. It accounts for 2-3 percent of global CO2 emissions annually . Furthermore, a journey by plane is usually about 7 to 11 times more polluting than by train. In this blog we look at the solutions and dive into avoiding flies. This way you can now go through life without flying shame!

What to do about flight shame?

It is important to look for alternatives where possible. Remember the train! The first thing you can do about flight embarrassment is to avoid short flights. Destinations such as Paris, Berlin and London are easily accessible from the Netherlands by train. In some cases, the train is even faster than the plane. This is especially the case if you factor in the long check-in time. Another advantage of the train are the prices. Train tickets fluctuate less in price than airline tickets, which can be advantageous if you want to go somewhere around the holidays. It is usually cheaper to buy your train tickets a while in advance.

Compensating for CO2 emissions

Not everyone can stop flying completely overnight. You may also feel ashamed of flying because of all the miles you’ve flown in the past. Fortunately, it is not yet too late. There are various tools online that calculate how many kilometers you have flown in total, how much CO2 you have emitted with your flights and how many trees are needed to compensate for this.

Providers such as Greentripper offer the option of first calculating the emissions and then immediately compensating your emissions. Many companies can be found for offsetting CO2. For example, at Trees for All you can invest in various certified forest projects. Another option is to take out a monthly subscription to offset carbon emissions through various sustainability projects at Regreener .

Are you going to your destination by plane?

Make sure that the shame of flying does not turn into complete emission shame. It is important that you pay attention to your emissions during your stay. Try to buy your food locally and choose a destination where mass tourism has not yet prevailed. It can be said with certainty that your vacation will be much more surprising that way if you avoid well-known tourist spots and choose to visit small local places.

You can also make a positive impact when choosing a place to stay. Choose sustainable accommodation with, for example, solar panels and a heat pump. Prefer to stay in a hotel? Choose a hotel where sustainability is on the agenda. If you do take the plane, it is also important to book a direct flight. Multiple stops can be a few tens cheaper, but is also a lot more polluting because of the large amount of fuel that is needed during take-off and landing.

Flight Shame: Conclusion

Hopefully after reading this blog you are more aware of the concept of flight shame. Awareness is the first step to change, and yes, the flight behavior of many will have to be changed. Fortunately, this can be a lot of fun! Enjoy a long train journey and make this part of your holiday! Play games on the go or relax while watching a movie. This makes sustainable travel very easy and offers a chance to spend more quality time on the road!

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