by Jane Onstott---
for Directory of Hotels

What have you done lately for the environment? Recycling your newspaper, cans, and bottles is a given these days. Biking or busing it to work when possible is commendable. Did you know that picking up your dog's mess is good sound ecology, too? Okay, let's not go there. We'll assume you're doing your part for our favorite blue-and-green planet. Why not reward yourself with an ecologically correct vacation?

What exactly is ecotourism? This term---which has been thrown about so much since the 1990s---is mainly about sustainability. It's about improving people's lives as well as protecting the environment. If cruise ships destroy coral reefs, snorkelers seek other destinations, and local business owners suffer along with cabbies and busboys. If economic necessity leads a community to denude a vibrant forest in order to survive, we all lose, including the birds and beasts whose habitat has disappeared.

Ecolodges are found in areas of great natural beauty and biodiversity. Some cater to birders, others to a broader base of nature lovers. Almost all are rustic, and that's as it should be. If you dislike bugs, humidity, and occasionally dirt under your fingernails, you may be happier elsewhere. Food choices may be limited, accommodations are rustic, and timetables are slow. As you move farther from civilization, decrease expectations. Increase your sense of wonder. Take off your watch. Trust us, it's better this way.

True ecoresorts contribute to the local economy by hiring locals rather than importing all of their help. Local people also benefit by selling their produce, eggs, and so on to the ecolodge and handcrafts to visitors. Revenue generated by ecolodges benefits the local people in the form of taxes. And when government and community leaders see that there's money to be made in environmentally friendly enterprises, they may abandon others that are ecologically unwise.

An excellent example of cooperation between private enterprise and the native population is Kapawi Ecolodge, in the Ecuadorian jungle. Humble thatch-roof cabins built by the Achuar people mirror their own dwellings. This is a true partnership involving the local community at every level. The land housing the lodge is rented from the community, and in fact the whole project will be entirely owned by the Achuar by 2011. The environment is protected by using electric and two-stroke motors on boats. Solar energy is clean and green. Composting toilets save water over flush toilets and when appropriately managed are not unpleasant.

Each of Kapawi's approximately 1,000 yearly visitors pays a $10 fee that goes directly to the community. And since the project began, some of the communities involved are considering reducing their dependence on cattle ranching, an activity that is disastrous to the rain forest ecology.

Not all ecolodges are bare bones, however. At the five-star Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort on Fiji 's Vanua Levu Island , guests enjoy Italian-tile bathrooms, individual French-press coffeemakers, and well-stocked mini-bars. There are nannies, turndown service, and a spa. The resort gets the green thumbs up because of ecologically sound trash disposal (a unique type of composting), the use of local-style huts called bures that don't require air-conditioning and other eco-friendly practices. This property was listed on Conde Nast's 2005 Green List for lodges worldwide.

Ecological trips are about seeing nature, and also about experiencing the world in a whole new way. If you want to see Mongolia like the Mongols do, see it on horseback and camp in a yurt. And just forget about the dirt under your fingernails.

To Find the most fabulous eco resorts around the globe, search Directory of Hotels find the perfect hotel for your destination.