NEW YORK (AP) ? Visiting an eco-lodge in a rainforest somewhere may sound appealing. But when you consider that carbon dioxide emissions from planes are a major contributor to global warming, you might do more for the environment by staying home. While you?re at it, cut out the road trips in that gas-guzzling car.

If staying home isn?t an option, however, here are three things you can do to start travelling in a more environmentally responsible way.

Erase the impact of your trip through carbon offsetting. That means you?ll help reduce carbon emissions somewhere in the world in proportion to the damage caused by your travels. At http://www.climatecare.org, you can calculate the amount of carbon your flights will emit by keying in your departure point and destination. The formula includes a suggested payment to Climate Care, a British environmental organisation.

Climate Care uses the money for projects like building wind farms in India; installing energy-efficient lighting in South Africa; and providing energy-efficient stoves in Madagascar, where unique habitats face deforestation.

Flying round-trip from Chicago to Australia?s Great Barrier Reef? For a $65 payment to Climate Care, you can travel with a lighter conscience.

The Lonely Planet guidebook publisher now has its entire staff tracking air miles with Climate Care in order to offset the collective impact of the company?s travels.

?We pay them every six months,? said Jason Shugg, Lonely Planet?s global product marketing manager in Melbourne, Australia, ?and they use that money for sustainable energy projects.?

Patronize hotels, lodges and spas that are ?green?. For example, Inn Serendipity in Browntown, Wisconsin, about 150 miles from Chicago ? http://www.innserendipity.com/ or 608-329-7056 ? uses wind power and solar power, serves food from its organic garden, and composts leftovers. The B&B is one a number of environmentally conscious tourism businesses in Wisconsin; details at http://www.wi-ei.org/ (click on ?Travel Green Wisconsin?).

Even some major hotels and resorts are developing environmentally friendly policies. Vail Resorts Inc. announced in August that its company would offset 100 percent of its energy use by purchasing nearly 152,000 megawatt-hours of wind energy for its five mountain resorts, retail stores and other lodging properties. Vail Resorts is also offering a free one-day ski lift ticket to anyone who purchases wind power for their family?s residence for one year with an energy company called Renewable Choice; details at http://www.snow.com.

Educate yourself about environmentally responsible travel. Subscribe (to the digital version, of course!) of the newsletter of the International Ecotourism Society at http://www.ecotourism.org.

Get ideas for your next trip from Lonely Planet?s ?Code Green.? The book offers advice ranging from taking your used batteries home when you travel in developing countries, to vacationing on a windjammer up in Maine ? http://www.sailmainecoast.com/contact.htm. These historic wind-powered schooners only use their back-up engines when coming in and out of harbours; a few have no engines and rely on small motor boats to tug them along.

Or join the Google Groups discussion on green travel by clicking on ?Share your green experiences? at http://maps.google.com/green. The same Web site also profiles ?green? attractions in five cities ? Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando and San Francisco ? such as LA?s Audubon Center at Debs Park, which is considered one of the US?s most environmentally friendly buildings ? http://www.audubon-ca.org/debs?park.htm.