About Verdantly
Bonnie McRae and Sustainable Travel
Hi! I'm Bonnie and I am a travel enthusiast and sustainable tourism student and advocate. I began traveling at a young age with my family on yearly summer vacations. We spent a lot of time on road trips and camping and explored internationally a couple of times. As an adult, my adventures continued and I was even able to live abroad in Scotland for a semester while earning my first degree. Every trip was special and formative and led me to pursue a career in tourism and hospitality. I received a degree in Business Management and International Hospitality and Tourism, and moved to Charleston, SC, one of the top destinations in the world, to work in the highest rated boutique hotels and restaurants in the industry. I’ve held many positions and while in operations management I chaired a successful Sustainability Council.
My love for the environment and learning about different cultures also began at a young age. In Girl Scouts, one of the core tenets is to always leave a place better than how you found it. This certainly applies to cleanliness and environmental concerns, such as pollution and waste, but it can also inform how we interact with people and the community. Sustainability, in all of its forms and meanings, follows this tenet as well. But being mindful and sustainable in our actions and intentions while traveling is not always easy or clear. And the tourism and hospitality industry can face challenges in trying implement sustainability practices and meet the needs of changing policies.
With Verdantly, I hope to try to close that gap in figuring out how to travel sustainably. It won’t always be perfect and it won’t always be waste-free, but mindful movements and choices can make a big impact.
My Favorite Podcasts
Condé Nast Traveler editors dissect the realities of traveling as a woman, and celebrating all the reasons why we refuse to stay home.
A lifestyle podcast for the eco-conscious diving into sustainable fashion, economics, food, and conscious consumerism.
Conversations focused on fiscal prudence and good urban design to highlight how cities can strengthen neighborhoods and make them better places to live.