About Greenloons

• Greenloons Services
• About the founder of Greenloons
• Story behind the name Greenloons
• Criteria for ecotourism listings on Greenloons
• About our collaboration with Rainforest Alliance

Please refer to the About Ecotourism and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sections for more information.

Greenloons Services

Greenloons is a McLean, Virginia based company (located just outside Washington, D.C) was created to introduce more clarity to what constitutes true ecotourism, while emphasizing the abundance of quality ecotours worldwide.  We are dedicated to providing family vacation planners with trusted information about responsible, sustainable and certified ecotourism travel vacations both in the U.S. and internationally.

Greenloons offers parents, as well as other nature and wildlife enthusiasts, with a one-stop shop for ecotourism travel services to help make vacation purchasing decisions based on standards and not eco marketing tactics.  It is the only website that both recommends authentic family ecotours led by third-party certified ecotour operators and brings transparency to the different ecotourism certification standards.

We provide you with clear definitions for ecotourism, key information about regional certifications and international standards for ecotourism, topical news, certified ecotour search and reservation capabilities, volunteer conservation effort search, tour reviews and a community forum to share your eco-travel experiences.

Greenloons provides ecotourism information, search and reservation capabilities to its customers for free.  There are no hidden fees.  Instead, Greenloons has established contracts with certified tour operators all over the world and for each ecotour reservation made through this site, Greenloons receives a commission.

We've simplified the process for finding high-quality ecotours and eliminated the need for annoying advertisements.  Also, you have Best Price Assurance meaning that the lowest price presented by the specific ecotour operator at the time your reservation is processed is the price you pay and there are no booking fees! 

Our aim is to inform smart consumers, like you, about:

• Safe, responsible and enriching Ecotourism Destination options for your next family vacation
• Differences among ecotourism, sustainable tourism and responsible tourism certifications through our Blog
• Day Volunteer Conservation Programs your entire family can be involved with as a part of your next vacation
• Greenloons Community submitted eco-travel tips, reviews, and conservation ideas

Need help designing an eco-vacation itinerary that is also environmentally friendly? 

We can create a personalized itinerary that incorporates some of the eco-travel tips suggested on this site with a trip that may be just right for you. Even if Greenloons does not represent all accommodations or ecotourism activities, we'll provide you with the information that will make your eco-vacation unique, memorable and sustainable.

Contact Us if you are interested in a customized ecotourism itinerary.  Please note that if your itinerary does not include one of our trips, a small fee will be charged.

About the founder of Greenloons

Hi there! My name is Irene Lane and I am the Founder & President of Greenloons. I'm also a Mom – an eco-conscious Mom who loves to plan vacations and travel to exotic and inspirational places in an environmentally responsible manner.

Before I started doing mommy time, I completed by MBA in International Finance and was in the corporate world for 12 years as a consultant for federal government agencies as well as private information technology companies. I also worked for eBay in their information technology department specifically focused on customer service solutions.  In addition to being a dual EU citizen and living in 5 countries, I have had the pleasure of extensively traveling through 28 more countries in Asia, Oceania, South America and Europe.

I started Greenloons in May 2010 while completing my Certificate in Sustainable Tourism Management and after I realized that there was a lot of misinformation about ecotourism and very little transparency about the industry. Of course, I wanted to build a site that would present the facts about ecotourism, let consumers decide for themselves, and supply a forum to share their experiences. But, I wanted to go one step further and only offer vacation packages provided by certified or accredited tour operators.

It doesn't need to be said that families are very busy these days and that vacation time is precious. I'm proud that each of the ecotours that Greenloons.com offers are safe, educational, and fun vacation experiences for all.

My hope is that you will begin connecting at a deeper level with the places and people you are visiting and will feel good knowing that each ecotour listed supports local communities, emphasizes environmental education, supports conservation efforts, minimizes tourist waste, and respects local cultural traditions.

This website is a testament to my love of culture, nature, and wildlife as well as the environment. I welcome you all to search through these quality tours or if you've already planned your vacation trip, consider volunteering at a local conservation effort as part of your vacation.

Finally, I appreciate any suggestions you may have for improving Greenloons.com.  Feel free to contact me anytime.

Happy and safe eco-travels!

Watch our video to learn more about Greenloons!

Read the Greenloons Blog and sign up for our biweekly Ecotourism Inspirations e-newsletter, which is packed with destination information, eco-travel tips and exclusive discounts with our travel partners.  To subscribe, just enter your email address in the navigation bar above. 

Story behind the name Greenloons

The inspiration for the name actually came about because I wanted to signify a migratory bird that lives lightly on the land. An animal that needs to explore to survive. When I read up about the loon, immediately I recalled how so many people who are environmentally-conscious are called "loonies" or "loons".  So, I thought I would flip the pejorative term sideways and say to the world "very well then, we'll be loons calling out in the name of conservation education, we'll be green loons!"

Criteria for ecotourism listings on Greenloons

Greenloons only lists ecotour operators that have dedicated nature and wildlife tours, established energy and wildlife conservation policies, commitment to host destination economic prosperity, and adherence to environmental standards as set forth by recognized third parties including: Australia's ECO Certification Program, Botswana's Ecotourism Certification System, Brazil's Adventure Tourism Certification (Aventura Segura), Costa Rica's Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST), Green Globe Certification Program, South Africa's Fair Trade in Tourism (FTTSA), South America's Smart Voyager Program, Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program (STEP), Tourism Sustainability Council (TSC) or United Nations Global Compact.

Additionally, the ecotour operator needs to have received a conservation or environmental award by a legitimate organization – you would be surprised how many companies make up awards and then award themselves!

About our collaboration with Rainforest Alliance

Essentially, working with the Rainforest Alliance translates to more high-quality, certified ecotour choices for you.  The Rainforest Alliance a leading international conservation organization whose goals include promoting ecologically and socially responsible best practices for sustainable tourism businesses in Latin America. Also, it is helping to establish an accreditation body, which is part of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GTSC), to help tourism certification programs around the world develop and implement environmentally and socially sound standards.

The Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable tourism program helps tourism professionals improve the ecological balance of their businesses through training workshops and on-site technical assistance. Initiatives include adopting ecosystem and water conservation measures, reducing energy use, supporting local economies, hiring from within the community and reducing costs. Learn more about how the Rainforest Alliance helps tourism operators become certified.

Once an ecotour operator has completed the Rainforest Alliance’s Best Management Practices in Sustainable Tourism Program and has obtained accreditation (i.e. Certificate for Sustainable Tourism, Smart Voyager), Greenloons works with the individual tour operator to promote its ecotour offerings to you.

Our collaboration works to educate consumers about the benefits of choosing environmentally and socially responsible vacation packages thereby increasing demand for certified ecotourism businesses and ultimately affecting positive change for local communities.

Learn more About Ecotourism and About Certification.