The New Green Guidebooks: A Sampling

* "Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime," Lonely Planet

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Charts 82 trips and highlights the "responsible travel credentials" of each one, such as yurt stays in Tajikistan's Pamir Mountains; a village walk and home-stay in India's Kumaon region; and a canoeing-camping trip to view hippos on Zambia's Zambezi River. Touts destinations that have environmental attractions but are not in immediate danger of being overly exploited, usually because they're remote.

* "25 Ultimate Experiences: Ethical Travel," Rough Guides

Describes 25 trips that minimize visitors' effect on the environment while helping local communities, including a zero-impact luxury ski camp in the Swiss Alps consisting of white-canvas geodesic domes and a beach lodge near Mozambique's Guludo village that employs 55 locals who will eventually run the resort. Provides advice on ethical clothes shopping, volunteering abroad and cultural sensitivity.

* " Green Travel: The World's Best Eco-Lodges & Earth-Friendly Hotels," Fodor's Travel (April 2008)

Details eco-destinations in six regions of the world: North America and the Caribbean; Central and South America; Europe; Africa and the Middle East; Asia; and Australia. Explores ethical travel dilemmas such as renting a car, giving money to beggars and visiting countries ruled by repressive governments.

* "Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel & the Yucatan 2008," Frommer's Travel Guides

Includes a section on eco-tourism that refers readers to two groups, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and Tread Lightly, that address the ethics of swimming with marine mammals. Provides information on visiting protected areas, such as the Rio Lagartos and Celestun refuges, both of which feature flamingos.

-- J.E.