Demystifying Sustainable Tourism: A Traveler’s Guide to Stewardship
Driving toward the entrance of Kenai Fjords National Park, when the winding road curves at just the right angle, you’ll see Exit Glacier glistening in the distance. But if you pull your eyes away from the horizon and look toward the roadside, you’ll notice something else: small, unassuming brown signs posted along the road.
While easily overlooked or misidentified as mile markers, these signs actually list years. They mark where Exit Glacier terminated in that given year, presenting a chronological map of 195 years of glacial retreat. As you walk the Glacier Overlook Trail, the realization hits you: the very pavement you are standing on was once engulfed by ice that is now a distant speck.
While almost all glaciers retreat, the impacts of climate change impact Alaska more dramatically than other parts of the world due to our northern latitude – and Exit Glacier provides a stark illustration of the magnitude of these changes. The choices you make as a visitor can either strain the landscapes and cultures that make the 49th state extraordinary or can help protect them.
Defining the Path to Sustainable Tourism: Adventure Green Alaska
The Adventure Green Alaska (AGA) program is the state’s only certification program for businesses operating sustainably. With over 100 certified businesses across all regions of Alaska, the AGA program provides a clear roadmap for travelers to ensure their visit has a lasting positive impact on the state.
While environmental protection is a cornerstone of the program, AGA’s definition of sustainability extends beyond protecting Alaska’s natural resources. At its heart, AGA is about ensuring that tourism contributes to a robust and thriving economic, cultural, and environmental future. To do that, the program evaluates businesses based on four key pillars:
1. Management: Behind the Scenes of Your Adventure
A business can only be sustainable if it’s built to last. This pillar ensures that a company is designed to remain in operation and generate revenue within Alaska for the long term. Certified businesses practice equitable hiring, invest in employee training, and weave sustainability into their core executive decisions.
2. Local Communities & Economies: Maximizing Local Benefits
Sustainability is as much about people as it is about glaciers. This pillar ensures that the money generated from the tourism industry actually benefits the residents who call Alaska home, supporting local jobs, schools, and infrastructure. AGA certified businesses prioritize local suppliers, volunteer in their communities, and maintain year-round offices in the state.
Additional ways to support Alaskan communities as a visitor, beyond AGA: Shop for the "Made in Alaska" bear logo or the "Silver Hand" tag (which identifies authentic Alaska Native art). These ensure your souvenir budget supports an actual Alaskan artist rather than an overseas factory.
3. The Environment: Protecting the Wild Heart
This is the pillar most of us know best: being a steward of the land. Because Alaska’s geography is so diverse, “being green” looks different for a remote lodge than it does for a downtown hotel. AGA businesses are evaluated on how they minimize their footprint given their specific circumstances—whether that’s through Leave No Trace principles, upstream solutions to minimize the waste created in remote communities, or utilizing electric vehicles and carbon offsets.
4. Alaskan History & Culture: Honoring 10,000 Years of Stewardship
Alaska is the ancestral home of 229 federally recognized tribes. Sustainable tourism means acknowledging that you are a guest on Indigenous lands. It involves learning about the history of the Gold Rush, the pipeline, and, most importantly, the living cultures of Alaska Native people. AGA certification requires that businesses actively engage with local Alaska Native tribal leaders and educate both visitors and employees on the rich history of the area.
When you look for the Adventure Green Alaska logo while booking your trip, you are choosing a partner who is committed to a thriving Alaska. By prioritizing management, community, environment, and culture, you ensure that the state remains a vibrant, thriving home for the people and wildlife who live here year-round.
Ready to start planning? Explore our directory of Adventure Green Alaska certified businesses to find tour operators and stays that share your values.
Alaska: AKA Your Next Adventure
Where will your Alaska adventure take you? Order our Official State of Alaska Vacation Planner and plot your course.