Any far-reaching initiative that promotes tolerance, interfaith harmony and shared opportunity really stands out, especially in the world of travel. Such is the case with The Region Initiative, a broad-based, tri-regional responsible-tourism partnership founded in May 2010 and spanning South Asia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe with the goal of connecting communities along the ancient Silk Road.

To the well-intentioned traveler, ‘green’ labels can be a bit vague, a tinted title that has been taken to mean a host of things, not all of them positive. Faced with growing concerns about tongue-twisting turns of phrase like ‘sustainable eco nature adventures,’ the average person is left wondering what a green leaf means on hotel pamphlets. So what makes green hotels truly ‘green’?