Here’s how it all works:  Beginning on January 1, 2010, log onto the Disney “Give A Day, Get A Day” website and register everyone who will be volunteering.  During the registration process you will be able to select a volunteer opportunity organized by the HandsOn Network.  The HandsOn Network which has 70,000 affiliated agencies across the country including Habitat for Humanity, local food banks, health care centers and local educational programs.  There should be no shortage of volunteer opportunities near your home.

Once you have completed your volunteer day, you will need the volunteer organization to verify your participation.  Once Disney receives your verification, they will email you instructions to print out your free pass vouchers.  On the day you wish to visit the Disney park, you will present your voucher for a free pass.

At Walt Disney World in Florida the free one day pass will be good for admission to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, or Hollywood Studios.  Black out days are March 29-April 4th and July 4th.

For Disneyland California, the free day pass is good for the Disneyland Park or Disney’s California Adventure Park.  Black out days in California include 2/13-14, 3/21, 6/21-22, 7/4, 22/21 and 12/11-12.

If you plan to purchase multi-day passes for your family, the volunteer voucher can be exchanged for a “FastPass” for quick access to the park’s most popular (and crowded) attractions.  Or your pass could be donated to a designated non-profit organization for an underpriviledged family to use.

Congratulations to the Disney organization for inspiring volunteerism in both old and young across the United States and Canada.

Exploritas offers indepth tours throughout all 50 States in America and to over 90 countries around the world.   Programs vary in length and topic, with selections including Days of Discovery, Adventures Afloat, Road Scolar, Intergenerational, Service Tours, Independent City Discoveries, For Women Only, and much, much more.  Check them out and get on their mailing list for future catalogs.

1) Support destinations that are taking an active stance to protect sensitive areas, species in decline and preserve natural resources. The National Geographic Traveler is a terrific resource for research – click on their Geo-Tourism tab. You’ll find the Nat Geo Center for Sustainable Destinations on their website, where they have rated 115 places in the world for their environmental policies.

2) If going on a group tour, seek companies that are committed to responsible touring. Choose a company that has an environmental impact policy in place and who sponsors programs that give back to the communities in which they operate tours. Top companies offer travelers an opportunity to volunteer in local settings during their tour.

3) Look for boutique hotels and lodges which place less of an ecological burden on the local bio-systems rather than large sprawling resorts or giant high-rise hotels. Select properties built with a respect for their unique environment, and which incorporate the topography in their buildings. These hotels or lodges often employ local people who are experts about the area’s natural wonders, culture, indigenous groups, and geography. These unique properties often seek relationships with local food producers to provide guests with succulent meals that showcase authentic flavors of the region. Take a moment or two to see if the hotel you have chosen has an environmental impact policy stated on their website. Some hotels will donate a portion of their income for carbon offsetting, or are active partners in local volunteer programs, or may work with visitors to plant trees to assist reforestation of tourist areas.

4) When possible, seek the services of a locally-based guide. This provides jobs for the people who live in the area, improving their quality of life, and returns funds to the local community improving the environment in which they live.

5) Minimize the amount of packaging you take with you or leave behind. Most countries do not recycle at the same pace as the U.S., and whatever you throw away usually ends up in a landfill – so take that toothpaste out of the carton before you put it in your bag. Give consideration to the number of sample shampoos and hand lotions you collect. Do you really use them or do they end up on a shelf at home waiting for someday????

6) Leave no trace – dispose of litter properly and keep an eye on kids and help them learn to be considerate travelers. Most importantly, take plenty of photographs, but please leave any “souvenirs” from the wild you are tempted to take home with you. Stay on the paths and walkways – leave natural habitats and wildlife undisturbed as much as possible. Look for sightseeing opportunities that avoid a negative impact on the environment – for example, the Amazon offers many canopy tours. These tours allow visitors to see the jungle from bridges suspended 40 or more feet in the air, providing unparalleled eye-level bird-watching experiences, while preserving the jungle habitat below.

7) Shop for hand-made crafts and works by local artisans, but refrain from products made from endangered animals (for example, ones using ivory or tortoise shell). Tip that item over and make sure it doesn’t have a “Made in China” sticker on it somewhere. I’ll never forget shopping for souvenirs in Fiji, only to find foreign made goods everywhere. It was worth the effort to seek out a local artisan to purchase goods from.

Enjoy the bounty of locally-grown produce and eat at restaurants that use local food producers and specialize in local cuisine. Visit a produce or farmer’s market to get an appreciation of the local fare and culinary customs. Then patronize a family run restaurant rather than an international chain restaurant.

9) Whenever possible take public transportation, train, subway, or bus, rather than taxi or car. If you do rent a car, consider requesting a hybrid vehicle. Most major car rental firms now offer hybrid vehicles in varying sizes. Finally get out and walk or bike whenever possible – you’ll see so much more than gazing out a window!

10) Use water and energy wisely – I’m pretty sure you’re up on this already, but here’s a quick rundown:
Turn off the lights when you leave the hotel room, turn down the AC if you’ll be out touring all day, use that towel several times instead of just once, consider how many tourist brochures you’re collecting (do you grab every one you see, give it a casual glance and throw it away?? – consider collecting only the ones you are likely to actually use).

Every effort to be eco conscious makes a difference. Many hotels, cruise ships, and tour operators have incorporated practices to offset the environmental impact of tourism. Some regions are rich with people and companies who are committed to protecting the environment and making sure the natural wonders of the area are preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Our thanks go to Ker & Downey for providing many of these environmental tips. Ker & Downey is a stellar example of a tour company leading the way to travel gently upon the Earth.

Offering vacation packages to some of the most beautiful natural areas in the world, Ker & Downey have partnered with many environmentally aware hotels, parks, and travel providers. To learn more about their tours, contact your travel agent or visit Ker&Downey.com.

Here are some that have peaked my curiosity:
Survey of Prehistoric Quarries in Northwestern Colorado
Gold Mountain Mine Mill Restoration in the Black Hills of South Dakota
Restoration of the Theater-In-The-Pines Amphitheater in Sundance, Utah
Weaving Connections – Interacting with Basket Weavers in Northwestern California

Visit Passport In Time for all the details and click on “Current Projects” to see which projects are accepting applicaitons for Summer 2009.

Let me introduce you to TribeWanted.  The imaginative developers of Tribe Wanted along with a local Fijian team are developing a cross-cultural community from scratch.  The new island community of Vorovoro is fusing traditional Fijian customs with ways of living for sustainability and with innovation to improve life and living conditions in remote Fijian villages.   Have a look at the FABULOUS YouTube video explaining all about the project. 

Now for those of you who can’t jet off half way around the world at the moment, no worries…. anyone can join the Tribe on Vorovoro virtually (and for free) by creating a tribal profile on the website.  Even if you don’t join, you should take a few minutes to bounce around the site – it’s fascinating!  Here’s a post from their blog about how they are trying to figure out how to retain water from the rainy season to use for the crops all year long (blog post here) – any environmental engineers out there??

So have some fun with this site and take a short virtual adventure to a beautiful Fijian island with “The Tribe”.

Bidding For Good – This site is choc-o-block full of great travel and entertainment experiences.  Take for instance an auction item we found to benefit the Perkins School For The Blind – a “Chance of a Lifetime opportunity to be a Celtics Ball Boy or Ball Girl”, that starts at $500.  Or how about 50,000 frequent flyer miles currently bid at $450?  Golfers would jump at the chance to play a round  during the 2009 Masters Tournament in South Carolina to benefit Muscular Dystrophy.  There are tons of great offers on this site.

Generous Adventures – I’ve known about this site for years and find their offers to be interesting and often times exotic.  They offer adventurous travel experiences all across the globe for the benefit of various charities.  They select 5 charities at a time to receive the profits from their auctions.  I particularly like their “Steel of a Deal” section and the ability to search by auction closing date – which are coordinated to close on the same day once a month.  Today’s offerings include several resort offers in Belize with bids starting at $325, or how about a chance sail aboard Dennis Conner’s famous America’s Cup boat Stars and Stripes in San Diego, including airfare on American Airlines and 4 nights stay at the Hyatt – bidding is currently at $2,800 for two.  Now if you’re really adventurous, the Mt. Everest Trek for 4 might just be the thing…

Charity Buzz – For all you celebrity junkies, this site’s for you!  This site is brimming with opportunities to get up close and personal with your favorite star of stage and screen for the benefit of their favorite charity.  Bid on the chance to meet Cher or Bette Midler backstage after their Vegas show, or hang out with Elton John in Paris.  Take a private tennis lesson with Andre Agassi or become a Sound Stage intern for a day, or BE STILL MY HEART>>> dinner with Congressman Dennis Kucinich!  They’re all here, the famous and the infamous… it only takes money (and quite a bit of it) to meet your favorite celebrity and see if that golden star glow is as great as you’ve been imagining.

So the next time you’re looking for unique and unusual travel experiences, give these travel auction sites a try – you’ll have a great vacation and a charity will be the better for it.

Guests pay from $50 to $100 to participate in the “Give Back” programs with all profits going to the partner organizations. Each program is unique and tailored to the community the hotel is located in. Projects have included building a library for children of migrant workers in Beijing, saving sea turtles in Cancun, mapping endangered blue iguanas in Grand Cayman, and building homes with Habitat for Humanity. You’ll find projects identified as Hunger and Poverty Relief, Environmental Conservation, and Well-Being of Disadvantaged Children.

Have a look at all their upcoming Give Back Getaway opportunities around the world, and take advantage of this terrific program the next time you’ll be staying at a Ritz property.