If you make a big effort to be awake about the environment at home, there’s no need to ditch your green values when you go on holiday.
No matter where you go in the world, you can reduce your impact on the environment by taking some simple steps. Here are a few to get you started.
1. BE ECO-FRIENDLY IN YOUR HOTEL
Make an effort to cut down on the amount of energy you use in your hotel. Don’t leave the lights or the air conditioning on just because you are not paying for them. Instead, take just as much care in the hotel as you would back home. The same goes for the amount of water you use. Filling the bath tub to the max looks tempting right? Just spare a thought for the local resources before turning the tap. Double so when staying on an island paradise. The amount of water needed to sustain tourism is often not locally available and has to be brought it specially. Something to consider.
2. THINK ABOUT THE DRAIN
Minimise your use of personal care products and detergents, and reuse your hotel towels and bed linen to keep them out of the daily wash cycle. [minti_spacer height=”30″]
3. STAY IN AN ECO HOTEL IF YOU CAN
You could even search for a hotel that has a strong eco-friendly focus. Eco-hotels are popping up in destinations all over the world, so try to find a more suitable option for your stay it it’s available, and affordable. Look for hotels and other accommodation with effective waste treatment systems, that recycle, that are energy efficient, and, where possible, that use environmentally friendly energy sources such as solar energy or hydroelectric power. Green Hotelier offers an global directory of credible eco hotels. [minti_spacer height=”30″]
4. REDUCE YOUR PLASTIC CONSUMPTION
You’re probably no longer buying or engaging with bottled water at home. So do your holiday environment a solid by keeping your plastic shopping to a bare minimum. Bring your own durable, refillable water container and sterilise your drinking water when necessary rather than buying bottled water. Boiling it should do the trick in most cases. Alternatively, if you have to, buy the largest plastic water container you can find, and decant from that. [minti_spacer height=”30″]
5.PLANES ARE CARBON MACHINES
Most forms of transport contribute to climate change with long-haul air travel the chief culprit. So to minimise your holiday emissions, aim for a destination closer to home, or one you can reach by transport other than plane. Tricky for Australians eh? If a long-hauler is calling your name, chipping in a few extra dollar to offset your carbon use is probably the right thing to do. [minti_spacer height=”30″]
6.TRAVEL BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Once on the ground, try to stick to the public transport as much as possible in your destination. This may be easier in some destinations than others, but it can certainly help you to reduce your environmental footprint compared to hiring a car. [minti_spacer height=”30″]
7. USE A CARBON OFFSETTING SCHEME
The best way to travel abroad if you want to reduce your impact on the environment is by land or sea. If you travel by air, you will be responsible for releasing a greater amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. If you do need to fly, you can make up for the carbon released by your journey by using a carbon offsetting scheme.
The idea of a carbon offsetting scheme is that you pay some money towards an environmental scheme based on the amount of CO2 that your flight releases into the atmosphere. Your money is then used by the scheme to contribute to its activities, which could include planting trees, thereby making your journey carbon neutral. [minti_spacer height=”30″]
8. RESPECT YOUR NEW ENVIRONMENT
You may have to follow numerous rules if you go to natural areas like national parks when you arrive in your destination. Some rules may be specific to the flora and fauna of the area, and they may not be obvious to visitors. Always do your research and find out what you should and should not do before visiting any natural areas. Typically it’a all about stay on the designated trails and paths, not disturbing or removing plants or feed animals; and never ever ever ever ever littering. As if you would! [minti_spacer height=”30″]
“I am not deeply involved in Australian politics but I know there are prime ministers, governments around the world who are not acting responsibly in relation to climate change.” – Jane Goodall
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