One of the first signs of spring is the sudden urge to start planning out your holidays for the spring and summer months. After a long, dreary winter, the thought of an escape is refreshing. 

It's simple enough to make at least some of your vacation green, thanks to several online resources dedicated to helping travelers make eco-friendly arrangements. Follow these seven steps that will help you plan with peace of mind.

- Explore the alternatives to flying on shorter trips such as driving or hopping aboard a train or ferry. Sites like carbonresponsible.com will help you figure out the impact of your planned trip.

- Several countries have green accreditation schemes making the process of finding eco-friendly accommodations much simpler. Check out the Green Tourism Business Scheme for the UK, Italy's Legambiente, the Certificate in Sustainable Tourism in central America and the Ecotourism Certification programme in Australia. Alternatively check broader sites such as RezHub.com or GreenLodge.org.

- Rind a tour operator that offers environmentally-conscious tours. The Association of Independent Tour Operators has a rating system for members, and those wanting to book a feel-good tour will find 300 community-run trips on their charity Tourism Concern website.

- Take your hotel's green claims with a grain of salt. Be sure to ask hotel management about the facility's green practices in areas such as carbon emissions, energy, water use and waste disposal. Find out if they use local food and employ people who live in the area. The only way to positively bring about change is to bring the topic front-and-center - so discuss any areas for improvement with management, because the more they hear it, the more it's likely to stick and inspire positive developments.

- Nobody likes a tattletale, but if you spot hotel staff violating environmental policies you have every right to talk to management. Do the same for any other vendors you use, such as tour operators. You can also share your experience at irresponsibletourism.info.

- Don't leave your good green habits at home. Recycle, take public transportation, turn off lights, heat and air-conditioning when not in use and take showers as opposed to baths to save water.

- Go on a working vacation and volunteer to help those in need. Many of the destinations are warm and will offer you the opportunity work and play in the sun. Visit ethicalvolunteering.org for ideas on how to find a volunteer agency and information about which kind of trip is right for you.

» Guardian

Staying in a hotel always makes you feel a bit spoiled. You can leave your room with an unmade bed, dishes on random surfaces and toiletries haphazardly scattered on the bathroom counter and come back later to find your bed with perfect hospital corners and everything tidied perfectly. No, it's not an excuse to be a total slob, but the little luxuries are to be enjoyed.

However, for the environment's sake, scrap one of those little luxuries: the option of clean towels every day. There's a good chance you don't use a fresh towel every time you shower at home, so there's probably no good reason to do so in a hotel, other than that you can (P.S. That's not a good reason).

Hotels leave guests those handy little cards advising that by simply hanging your towel on the rack, it indicates you will use it again. So rather than balling up your towel and tossing it on the floor, neatly hang it (so it dries properly) and do your part to help save water and detergent!

» EnvironmentallyFriendlyHotels.com

If you're new to the idea of eco-friendly traveling, the various words, terms and phrases might be just a bit confusing and intimidating. Take some of the guesswork out of the equation by brushing up on a few of the meanings before you start planning your next trip.

Ecotourism
Natural, unpolluted destinations are the highlight of this type of travel, which places an emphasis on earth-conscious activities such as recycling, water conservation and energy efficiency. The idea is to not have as little impact on an ecosystem as possible and to protect and preserve the natural beauty of an area, but to create environmental and cultural awareness as well.

Carbon offsets
Purchasing a carbon offset or "credit" is meant to do as the name suggests and offset the effects your travel has on the earth. Many airlines and travel agencies now offer the option to purchase these when you book a flight or vacation package. The money is intended to go toward earth-friendly initiatives such as wind farms, tree planting or renewable energy projects. It is highly recommend you research the offsets you are considering buying, as these are often criticized and some are said to be more legitimate than others.

Carbon neutral
While it is virtually impossible to live an emission-free life, the concept of being carbon neutral means being accountable for the emissions you are responsible for and working to "subtract" the emissions from the ones you have added to the earth. This is generally done by purchasing carbon offsets or credits (see above) for legitimate projects.

Hotel conservation programs
A hotel may offer water or energy conservation initiatives such as installing low-flow toilets and shower-heads, or may run an extensive recycling program. Truly green hotels will take their eco-friendliness even further by providing wind- or solar-generated energy or green roofs.

LEED certified hotels
Buildings that are certified according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System are built using specific environmentally-sustainable standards. LEED certified buildings are expected to run more efficiently than other conventional buildings that fall under the same category - such as hotels. The buildings feature prerequisite criteria, as well as optional credits with attached points values. The six major categories assigned to LEED buildings are sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process. A LEED-certified hotel will meet the required prerequisites and credits.

Greenwashing
All eager travelers hoping to stay on the green side of the tracks will want to be on the watch for greenwashing. This term applies to any business that misrepresents the company's environmental initiatives, products or services. While any number of companies may want you to believe they are a friend to the environment, consumers may want to take eco-claims with a grain of salt and request further information to validate such claims. For example, a hotel may say they are energy-efficient, so don't be afraid to ask exactly what makes them so. If their response isn't satisfactory, they may not be an environmentally-aware as they would have you think.

» Wikipedia

At Ecollo we always try to tell a tale from both sides and in the past we've given you a whole list of reasons that vacation cruises were destroying the earth one midnight buffet and cheesy lounge singer at a time. We're going to be narcissistic for a moment and let ourselves believe representatives from various cruise lines read Ecollo and took our information to heart.

Regardless of the source, it seems these companies are well aware of the negative impact cruising has on the environment and are taking steps to reduce their massive footprints. Royal Caribbean has spent a whole lot of money (think millions and millions of dollars) to conserve energy and re-think the way they dump waste and they aren't the only ones: Holland America, Princess and Celebrity have all introduced initiatives meant to bring about positive eco-change.

In the meantime, if you're determined to take a winter recess via a cruise ship, there are a few things you can do to make your impending journey a bit greener.

There's no place like home - At least for your place of departure. If you can't leave from a port in the place you currently reside, choose the one that is closest to you rather than traveling a far distance to depart. By avoiding setting foot on an airplane, you'll reduce the carbon emissions associated with your travel plans. There is even a residential ship called the World that will allow you to board in alternative cities such as Charleston or Fort Lauderdale so long as you agree to spend a minimum of six nights aboard the ship (what a hardship!)

Five-star water treatment - Where does all of that nasty waste waster end up? If you ask that question before you book, you may actually be able to use a cruise line that has eco-friendlier waster disposal initiatives in place. In fact, Royal Caribbean just spent $100 million to retro-fit their ships with a new treatment system, a move Norwegian and Celebrity have already implemented. Some cruise lines have also added gas turbine engines to their new ships to reduce their nitrous oxide emissions by 80 per cent and and sulfur oxide by a whopping 98 per cent, while others are using methods including using seawater to scrub smokestack emissions and turning off the engines while docked and using onshore hydroelectric-power transformers instead.

What's on the agenda? - Choose a cruise line that offers eco-friendly itinerary options and work to offset the carbon emissions of your traveling. Some cruise lines even work with on local conservation initiatives and make donations to environmental causes they support.

Size doesn't matter - Smaller cruise ships with 150 passengers or less often forego some of the traditional luxuries such as laundry and entertainment, but in return, burn much less in the way of fuel. Maybe your sacrificing some of the conveniences, but chances are you're still sailing to (and through!) a beautiful location, which you'll get to experience regardless of whether there in ping-pong and round-the-clock spa services available. In the end, those just prove to be a distraction from the main event.

» CNN Travel

Belize is an ideal Caribbean destination.  It's only 2 hours from Houston or Miami, English is the country's official language, and of course the scenery is just fantastic.

But what about the people?  When you go on vacation is your only exposure to local culture at some cheesy Vegas-style theatre show?  Are the service workers at your hotel only local people you interact with?

And what about all that money you're spending?  Is it going back into the community or is it being funnelled to an international hotel chain?

Beyond Touring is a Belize-based tour operator that offers a richer, more fulfilling vacation experience for you and your family.  You can make crafts with local resident artisans.  You can help develop schools and community libraries.  You can help with training and literacy programs.

It's about doing something more fulfilling with your 2 weeks of paid vacation than just sitting around guzzling fruity drinks.  This isn't charity.  This is connecting with a community and making a difference in people's lives while enriching your own.

Hit the jump to learn more about Belize travel and Beyond Touring.

» Beyond Touring

Finding eco-friendly accommodations when you're away from home just got easier thanks to greenlodge.org, an online resource that assists travelers with finding the greenest hotels the U.S. has to offer. They've even broken it down into three levels (bronze, silver and gold) to make it easier to understand exactly what makes a location green. The website has specific criteria assigned to each level, from the voluntary action a hotel is taking to become more earth-friendly to facilities that are LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Development), as well as properties certified by EPA EnergyStar and Green Leaf.

“We are making it easy for travelers to go green. We offer a searchable database with green hotels from across the country so you can point, click, reserve a hotel and have a carbon neutral hotel stay -- all from our website” says Green Lodge co-founder Jeremy Allen.

Right now, the term ‘green hotel’ means a lot of different things. Our site helps individuals learn about the different ways hotels are going green and how they can do their part to be a more eco-savvy traveler. Until there is one green certification standard for hotels, we will continue to include all of them in our database, so travelers can compare before they decide where to stay” says Allen.

Green Lodge's database already contains nearly 600 hotels of which the combined 314 gold and silver-rated hotels save 185,260 tons of carbon emissions each year. Travelers who book reservations through their website will also receive carbon credits with each booking, and have the opportunity to share travel tips in an online community and share their experiences staying at some of the hotels found on the site.

Book your next hotel stay through GreenLodge.org and learn more about the site after the jump.

» GreenLodge.org