So we all love to travel. But how do we do it while honouring Mother Nature? Check out these 11 tips and tricks for curing your wanderlust while also reducing your carbon footprint.
1. Pack light
Those 18 pairs of shoes that all made it into your suitcase? Not only will you tire your arms out but that extra weight hurts the earth. The heavier the load, the more energy it takes to move it, which means that your overpacked luggage causes the trains, planes and cars you’ll be riding in to use more fuel. More expended fuel means more greenhouse gases. Pack light and help keep our atmosphere clean!
2. Unplug before you go
Plugged in electronics leach power even when they aren’t turned on. Save some electricity while also keeping your energy bill down by unplugging all non-essential electronics. Remember to turn down your thermostat as well! An empty room doesn’t need to be heated.
3. Don’t buy travel hygiene products (i.e. soaps) with microbeads in them
Microbeads are the tiny spherical particles that you find in many exfoliants, body scrubs and even toothpaste. Once they’ve washed down the drain they get into our water systems and don’t biodegrade by the time they end up in lakes, rivers and oceans. These little pieces of waste will end up inside the stomachs of wildlife and are generally just horrible for the environment. Don’t buy these products when you’re travelling…or ever.
4. Bring a reusable water bottle
Never again waste money on plastic water bottles by bringing along your own reusable water container. Depending on where you’re going, the tap water will be completely safe to drink so reduce your carbon footprint and save yourself some cash by filling your trendy bottle instead. Even more rural destinations have designated fill stations and fountains where your water bottle can be filled, worry-free. Another advantage to bringing your own bottle is the size; typically reusable bottles can fit more liquid.
5. Reach your destination without flying
Ask yourself if you’re able to get where your going without an airplane. For instance, if you live in Toronto and plan to escape to New York City for the weekend, consider taking the train or bus. While these options are more time-consuming, you can take an overnight trip and sleep your way to the Big Apple. Or, you can always take an afternoon trip and see a part of New York state you otherwise wouldn’t get to experience. Taking the train saves up to 75% of the energy you would spend flying.
6. If flying is unavoidable, choose an airline that lets you buy carbon offsets
Many airlines offer passengers the option of purchasing a carbon offset with their ticket for a small fee. Your carbon offset can range from the airline planting a tree on your behalf to investing in programs that prevent deforestation in at-risk regions. There’s many different kinds of carbon offset programs but whichever airline you choose, do your research to ensure that their claims are verified by third-party standards. And remember, next time you’re hanging your head low as you walk past first class, stand tall! Your economy seat is way easier on Mother Nature than the first class ones.
7. Take public transit rather than a taxi
After a 12-hour long flight and two layovers, the last thing you’ll want to think about is how to take the metro. But taking public transit is a big step in the right direction towards reducing your carbon footprint, and also typically a much cheaper option. Look up how to get from the airport to your accommodations before departing and save yourself the hassle upon arrival. Most airlines offer various transportation instructions on their websites.
8. Choose a green hotel or a green tour company
Green hotels will be in LEED Certified buildings that use renewable energy, eco-friendly cleaning products and make recycling a high priority. You can also make your hotel greener by making simple requests like asking for your sheets and towels to not be changed daily. Of course you can always stay in small local hotels, which tend to be greener as their demand on resources is lower than a large chain hotel.
As far as tour companies go you’ll want to choose the one that uses local guides, focuses on ethical practices, respects the local ecosystems and considers the impacts of political and social issues on the regions they’re visiting. You can figure this stuff out by reading the operators’ corporate responsibility mandates on their websites and looking into specific tours for more details on individual practices. Be especially careful when booking a tour that involves animals.
9. Eat local food
When you’re travelling, it’s pretty much a given that you’ll be eating local food but it’s important to do your best to ensure that that “local” food really is local. Pick food that has been sourced from local farms and fisheries (responsibly of course) and don’t eat endangered species. If you aren’t sure what food is really local then you can rely on small restaurants (think mom and pop shops) that are less likely to get their products shipped from far away destinations.
10. Hike marked trails only
We all want to walk the path less travelled but not only could you get yourself into a dangerous situation, you could be disrupting important local plant life and protected habitats. Also remember to only light campfires in areas where permitted and make sure they’re 100% extinguished before you continue on your way.
11. Don’t print tickets
It’s pretty much the new normal to be sent electronic tickets when purchasing flights or events. Save the documents to your smartphone to avoid needing to print them. Less printing = less wasted paper = happy Earth.
