Travel Blogger Stefania Guglielmi is Redefining the “Eco-Traveler”

For 28-year-old Stefania Guglielmi, travel has always been a part of her life. The Italian-born blogger started travelling with her family on road trips around Europe as a child, and after doing exchange programs in Australia and the US, she was set on making it an integral part of her lifestyle.

Traveling is Stefania’s self-proclaimed first love, but she has another passion that she discovered later in life: sustainability.

“For a series of coincidences, I ended up writing my Master thesis about the role of corporate social responsibility in the fashion industry,” Stefania wrote in an email. “I got so hooked that later, when I started my travel and lifestyle blog, I knew sustainability had to have a big role in it since it already had an impact on my life. Once you learn what goes on behind the curtains, you can’t really decide not to care.”

On her blog, Every Steph, Stefania documents her adventures around the world, all while practicing “green travel.” She takes public transportation, limits her water consumption, and contributes to local businesses in an effort to be a more responsible traveler. (Learn more about how you can reduce harm while travelling through DoSomething’s Green Your Getaway campaign, sponsored by Cotton.)

Stefania’s motto is “Green is the new black.” She’s interested in the intersection of sustainability and fashion, and she makes it clear that being environmentally-minded can also be luxurious and glamorous.

“Don’t make the mistake to think that sustainable fashion means ugly fashion -- actually, it’s totally the opposite!” Stefania writes. “It’s mostly avant-garde, high-end fashion brands that started this fashion of going sustainable (pun intended) and it’s slowly spreading to other high-street brands.”

Stefania’s travels have taken her to the streets of London, into the jungles of Borneo, and over the peaks of the Himalayas. And she manages to do it all while staying stylish and sustainable.

“It’s not always easy, especially since most of the time I’m traveling with just a carry on backpack of 11 kilos. Can you imagine trying to be much fashionable?” Stefania said. “However, my rule is to bring a few high-quality cotton or natural fibers tops (mostly white and black) that I mix with pants or skirts.”

When she’s home, Stefania has more choices for her wardrobe, but her sustainable outlook is the same. She limits her consumption by only buying a few, high-quality items a year. Her advice for anyone looking to make responsible changes in their wardrobe is to start small.

“No one needs to do any radical changes to try and be more sustainable. Start by learning about the process of how a garment gets created and arrives in your favorite store,” Stefania said. “The same way you pay attention not to waste water in your home, or switch off the lights before heading out, think about the environment the next time you buy a new dress.”

(Hear more from Stefania and her sustainable adventures around the world on her blog Every Steph, Twitter, and Instagram.)