Even if you don't have a green thumb, you can appreciate the fact that you'll save...

More than just a nature tour. This trend in traveling is about visiting natural areas responsibly, in a way that helps to conserve and promote the environment of the region and supports the indigenous populations there. Eco-friendly travel also means using the most sustainable, energy-efficient transportation possible.

Travelers' warning: Ecotourism is very popular now, and many tour companies want to climb on the bandwagon. Not all are actually green in their practices. There are no universally accepted ecotravel standards as of yet, so there's no golden stamp of approval to tell you what's what. It pays to do a little homework to see if your hotel or tour company is as good as they say-if they make efforts to conserve energy, to use sustainable, recyclable materials, to invest in the local economy-or if they're just "greenwashing." A reliable company will have plenty of information to substantiate its green claims. Also called ecotourism.

Seeing pages and pages of glossy magazine photos of sustainable homes replete with glass panels...