Do the winter blues have you planning a little getaway to find some sunshine? If you decide that you would rather build sandman than snowmen and plan a mid-winter vacation, remember these 10 simple ways to make your trip more Eco-friendly.
1. Reuse It:
Use the same linens and towels throughout your entire stay at the hotel, bed and breakfast, Airbnb, swap or friend’s home. My guess is that you don’t change your linens and towels everyday when you are home, so why do it on vacation?
If every passenger packed just 10 pounds lighter, 350 million gallons of jet fuel would be saved. And better yet, take a staycation or travel by bus or train.
You have already, right? If not, now is the time and have no film waste!
There are many types of excursions that have fewer passengers and give you the opportunity to actively engage in the environment.
Eco-friendly hotels, bed and breakfasts and Airbnb’s use 20-40% less energy than conventional hotels. You can find an Eco hotel here.
Use your own luggage tags and forget the paper ones that the airport offers. Better yet, make your own from recycled items found around your home.
If everyone started using E-tickets and online itineraries the airports would no longer need to print paper ones – just think of the paper and ink that would be saved!
When choosing a rental car, pick a hybrid or take a hybrid taxi. Better yet, choose an Eco-friendly hotel that is right in the middle of where you want to be, then ride or bike your way around.
9. Refuse It:
Don’t use the complimentary shampoo, soaps, cups, napkins and other freebies at the hotel. If everyone used their own personal care products and brought their own reusable cups and napkins, the hotels would stop offering complimentary and disposal ones. It’s a step to towards ridding our planet of one-use items.
Pack items that you can reuse over and over again while on vacation. Such as, your own water bottle, reusable napkins, personal care products and a coffee mug.
* Sandman creation and photo courtesy of Eben Lyon
by John Reynolds Gardiner. It’s the story of a little boy named Willy, who’s grandfather is deathly ill, and it’s up to him to find a way to pay the tax collectors or they will lose the family farm. The only solution is for Willy to win the National Dogsled Race and pay the tax collectors with the prize money. However, there are many people who want to win the race, including Stone Fox – who has never lost a race in his lifetime.
