| How to be an Eco-Traveler |
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| By Michael Tulipan | ||||
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It is well known that traveling is hard on the environment. Transportation is hardly efficient as airplanes idle on runways, cars gulp gas and buses wheeze exhaust. Many places travelers visit are choked with traffic and people in a rush to get from place to place. In addition, much of traveling is about disposability – carrying plastic water bottles, getting overwrapped “meals” on airplanes, accumulating newspapers and other refuse – and often the places we visit don’t make many efforts to recycle our waste. Even worse, while many hotel chains are becoming eco-conscious, there is still a lot of waste in the hotel industry as many still change your sheets and towels every day and leave lights on throughout the day. Here are some tips for eco-travelers. Please add your suggestions in the readers’ comments below.
As paper tickets have thankfully been eliminated by almost every airline, we all have to deal with e-tickets. This is great except if you actually try to print an e-ticket, it will print out 3 or 4 pages including the terms & conditions. Instead, copy and paste the portion you need (confirmation number, names of travelers and times of departure) into a one-page document. Remember to unplug chargers for cell phones and computers when not in use as they do use energy even when not charging. When you are done with your newspaper or magazine, don’t leave it on the plane. Some airlines such as Southwest, JetBlue and British Airways are great at recycling but on some your paper likely will not be recycled. Instead, take it with you and deposit in the terminal. Most airports, especially in Europe, have special containers for recyclables. If you’re not sure if they recycle, just ask the flight attendant. If you are staying in a hotel that has turn-down service, ask them to leave the radio off. While you are out at dinner, the room does not need to listen to the local classical music station. When arriving in your hotel room, look for an “eco-friendly” card stating the policy for changing sheets and towels. If the hotel still does not practice green cleaning, let the front desk or housekeeping know that you do not want your sheets and towels changed every day. Chains such as W Hotels, Hyatt, Kimpton and Embassy Suites are all members of the Green Hotels Association (see sidebar), as are many smaller hotels. While walking around any destination, you’ll no doubt need water. Instead of buying a new small bottle of water every day, keep one or two small bottles and buy a large one on your way back to the hotel at night. Then refill the small bottle each day before you leave. Air conditioning should never be set to less than 70 degrees. If it is extremely hot outside, you will better adjust to it if you don’t go in and out of very cold environments. When dining, visit local markets and restaurants that serve locally sourced food. Eat seasonal dishes as out-of-season ingredients are often flown thousands of miles to be served on your plate. Use public transportation or walk. Many cities around the world are very walkable. Rent a car only as a last resort. In many cities, you can rent bicycles to get around. European cities such as Amsterdam and Paris are extremely bike friendly. If you are in a national park, remember to take all your garbage out with you. The only thing you should leave behind is a footprint. If you still use disposable cameras, make sure you get photos developed only where they recycle the camera. If your digital camera uses batteries, make sure to buy rechargeables. If you need to dispose of rechargeable batteries, bring them to Radio Shack.
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