Reducing, reusing, and recycling can be a part of an everyday lifestyle because there are numerous things that can be done to make a home eco-friendly. It’s just as easy to go green during business trips, family vacations and holiday travel and here are a couple of ways to do it.
Going Green before the Trip•Turn the water heater to the lowest setting.•Turn off the air conditioner/heat or adjust the thermostat for plants.•Unplug appliances like the TV, toaster, microwave and DVD player. According to the Green Hotel Association, they can leak as much as 40 watts/hour even when they are off.•Stop any newspaper service.•Avoid buying travel size products says Meaghan O’Neill, editor of Treehugger and PanetGreen.com, in an article for ABC news titled “Green Ideas: Tips for Eco-Friendly Travel.” Instead purchase reusable plastic containers to fill with products from home.Making the Trip Eco-Friendly •Take the train or the bus on short distances instead of flying. Airplanes use a great deal of fuel taking off and landing.
Go Green at the Hotel•Stay at eco-friendly hotels. The Green Hotel Association has a listing of hotels in many states that are taking steps to green up their practices. Also, when considering a hotel, inquire as to what they are doing to help the environment. Many hotels have a linen program and use flow restricting shower heads, but this shouldn’t be the only way they are reaching out. Try to stay at hotels that are going above and beyond the minimum to run a “greener” establishment.•When using the linen program during a hotel stay, it can be difficult to keep track of who used what towel. The Green Hotel Association suggests packing safety pins with small beads on them. Each family member should have a different color to pin to the towels they are using during the trip.•Be sure to turn off the air/heat and lights and close the curtains when no one is going to be in the hotel room.
Be a Green Tourist•Walk, take public transportation, or share a taxi instead of renting a car.•The Green Hotel Association also recommends eating cuisine local to the region. For example eat seafood on the coasts, steak in the Midwest, etc.An Environmentally Friendly Travel ExperienceLiving a greener lifestyle includes eco-friendly travel. With “going green” turning into the new black more and more companies are thinking about how their actions affect the environment. Traveling consumers need to heavily patronize those businesses that are actively becoming more eco-friendly as well as request greener practices from businesses that are not.
Get more travel related tips on camping, hiking, backpacking, air, train, cruise travel on Trip Planner
Posts Tagged ‘EcoFriendly’
Eco-Friendly Travel Tips
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011Travel Tips For The Eco-Friendly Traveler
Monday, May 31st, 2010Tourism can actually save the environment. A large number of people are now becoming more conscious of their actions toward the environment. Especially with the effects of global warming being felt, many people are now trying to help save the environment. An example of this is the rise of eco-tourism that caters to individuals who would want to explore and travel around the world in a way that doesn’t negatively affect the environment. Eco-tourism is a novel idea of exploring the world while advocating for the environment.Overseas travel could be made more environmental friendly by opting for eco-tours available in the country to be visited. Often composed of outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and mountain climbing, eco-tours are best for physically active individuals. Not only do they get to explore and appreciate the natural beauty of a place, they are able to do it in a healthier and enjoyable way too.However, eco-tours are not the only way to have an eco-friendly travel. There is several energy saving tips that could be done especially for people who want to travel abroad. The first consideration should be to lessen air travel. Energy consumption and carbon emissions are far heavier in air travel compared to other modes of transportation. Overseas travel would have would have less impact when one would opt to explore a single locale rather than having several short trips around the region to be visited.Perhaps the most essential travel advice is to travel light. This is because people who travel are usually prone to waste. This can be avoided by planning the things to be brought in the trip. Bring only the things that are sure to be used because anything extra will become a waste. Having light luggage not only contributes to lower greenhouse gas emission, but also makes the traveler less tired when on the move.Before traveling, be sure to leave the household appliances unplugged. The same goes for the appliances in the hotel or resort. Turn on only those that are to be used. Try to make use of public transport like bus, train or taxi when exploring the place. If possible, try walking or biking to get to your destination. Not only is it healthier, it allows the traveler to enjoy the place more.Purchasing locally produced food is another eco-friendly travel advice. This is because locally grown food has less food miles and carbon footprint. If you could spare time, visiting the local market is also a good option.Conserving water is always a must. This is especially true during travel for this is when people use more water than what is needed. So much so that it has been estimated that what an average tourist consumes in a day is a week’s worth water of a local family. Even when shaving or brushing one should not let a drop of water go to waste.By doing all these steps, you are sure to enjoy a guilt-free trip on your vacation. Now, you can enjoy and appreciate both the natural sights and beautiful places of the world and contribute to preserving the environment at the same time.