Sustainable travel isn’t only about being green on the road, it’s about thinking a more carefully before you hit the road. A little trip preparation goes a long way (no matter how far away you’re going). Take a few minutes to contemplate your itinerary, your suitcase and your appliances before you fly the coop.
Consider Your Mode of Travel
Carpool. Take the bus. Walk. Bike. Hitchhike. Okay, so maybe it’s not totally feasible to swim to Costa Rica, but you could book a flight on Nature Air. Nature Air offsets 100% of its daily carbon emissions and offers 74 flights a day to Costa Rica. Nature Air is the world’s first carbon neutral airline, but it’s not the only airline joining the sustainable travel movement. Virgin America, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and others have made an effort to reduce the negative ecological impact of flying. So check your airline’s green factor before you book.
Don’t Forget That Water Bottle
While savvy consumers like you probably recycle, an estimated 80% of water bottles get tossed in the trash. Mother Nature Network suggests that these empty bottles create 1.5 million tons of waste each year. That’s. A. Lot. Instead of joining the waterfall of waste, pack your bottle. There are plenty of eco-friendly water bottles to choose from; the Swiss company SIGG, for example, declares their bottles “ecologically sound.” And they’re pretty cool, too, so you can enjoy sustainable travel in style.
Re-Use Those Little Travel Containers
The 3-oz rule is brutal, isn’t it? Sometimes, it seems like the big consumer companies have arranged a conspiracy against travelers – making it so that you have to buy that mini-toothpaste tube again and again. Wait! You can refill those bottles. Even the toothpaste.
Also, whatever you do, make sure your liquid containers fall within TSA regulations, because security will throw them away. It would be nice if all that shampoo could be donated to the homeless shelter, but according to the TSA Blog it’s a “liability risk.” Bummer. Pack carefully for the sake of sustainable travel.
Unplug Before You Leave
The “sleeping” appliances in your house – everything from your toaster to your MacBook – still consume energy when they are plugged in. Even if you remember to turn everything off. According to Thomas M. Kostigen (author of The Green Book), inactive appliances burn up 10% of the energy in an average household. Yikes! While it may be inconceivable to unplug your microwave after every use, taking a few extra minutes to check the outlets before you leave is a good idea. Don’t forget to kill the thermostat, too.
Clarissa Caldwell - Clarissa Caldwell lives, reads and writes in Walla Walla, Washington. She has a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of ...
