"You should not necessarily choose the train instead of an airplane," Geng explained, "but you should have this awareness during your trip, always choose the most environmentally friendly transportation, accommodation and think about the local environment."

"Exploring on foot, climbing mountains, picking up garbage from the road, real travelers have always practiced low carbon travel, although we didn't always have the term," keen traveler Gou Jinyan, told the Global Times.

Friends of Nature (FON), the oldest environmental NGO in China, has been organizing environmentally-friendly bicycles trips since 2005, in 2008 they added the term "low carbon" to their program. As part of the initiative, FON members cycle through their local areas and upload recommended route maps to FON's website.

Several travel agencies, airlines and hotels are also jumping on the low carbon bandwagon. Travel website Ctrip.com launched carbon compensation activities last year. Merit points are earned when purchasing travel services and travelers can trade their points for saplings that environmental protection organizations will plant for them. Hotels are also encouraging environmentally-friendly practices by calling for travelers to bring their own wash-kits and providing clean linen and towels every other day.

While travel agents and tour providers are going low carbon, Gao Jianzhong, manager of Shaanxi Normal University's travel service explained that tourists have to want to take part in such options, "If travelers have to pay more for taking battery cars instead of coaches in scenic areas, they may refuse low carbon choices."

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