Travel is not always about scenic escapes, but sometimes also for inspiration. On the outskirts of Oslo, Norway, in the Nordmarka forest which is home to the Future Library project, people are travelling to witness a thousand trees planted in 2014 which will provide paper for a collection of manuscripts that will remain unread until 2114. Every year, a celebrated author contributes an unpublished work, with authors so far including Amitav Ghosh and Tommy Orange. Oslo’s Deichman Library safeguards the manuscripts in its Silent Room, transforming a forest walk into a meditation on literature, patience and ecology.
Finland too offers another inspiring example through Tree Mountain, an environmental artwork created by artist Agnes Denes. More than 11,000 trees, planted by volunteers from around the world on reclaimed land, have transformed an abandoned gravel pit into a living monument that celebrates ecological restoration and collective action.
Climate change has given rise to a new form of travel that bears witness to disappearing landscapes. Think symbolic funerals and memorial tributes for melted and dying glaciers, such as the Yala Glacier Tribute in Nepal, the Okjökull Glacier Funeral in Iceland, and the Pizol Glacier Event in Switzerland. These gatherings are designed to mourn ecological loss and warn about climate change.
In Iceland, one can hike to the site of the former Okjökull Glacier, the first glacier officially declared ‘dead’, where a memorial plaque titled A Letter to the Future urges travellers to act before more ice is lost. These are commemorative walks to honour vanishing glaciers while raising awareness of the climate crisis.
In England, the Eden Project in Cornwall has seen more than 25 million people visit the spot built inside a reclaimed China clay pit, famous for massive dome structures called Biomes that house plants. It’s a laboratory-like space built to educate on the damage done by poor agricultural practices as well as solutions to improve such practices. Senegal’s Ferlo region is about the Great Green Wall Initiative, where you can learn about land restoration, native tree planting and water conservation alongside local communities.
How to go about it
- Choose community-owned accommodation, hire local guides, travel during quieter seasons and select operators committed to low-impact practices
- Learn about local cultural heritage, sustainable wilderness adventures, view or volunteer with wildlife
- Opt for trips dedicated to activities that promote the planet’s well-being, like beach cleanups