Nicole and friend taking a pedi-cab to a Colorado Rockies game
How eco-conscious are you when you are on vacation? Is it like your diet – a distant memory until you return home? Or are you aware of your environmental impact even when you are away? In the United States alone, more than 43 million people consider themselves eco-tourists.
Here are a few of my tips for things that you can do to conserve and protect our earth while you are traveling:
1. Pack your own reusable water bottles. Simple enough! Not only is this cost-effective for you but it significantly cuts down on plastic waste. More than 31 million single-serve plastic bottles end up in landfills or as litter every day. You can light a 60-watt light bulb for six hours a day from recycling a single plastic bottle.
2. Bring your own toiletries, instead of using the hotels’ bath products. You can purchase travel size refillable bottles for almost anything from shampoo to contact solution. Simply fill them before your trip and never be without your favorite incidentals. This is a significant change you can make as solid waste disposal and landfills become an even bigger environmental issue. Operation Clean the World collects leftover and discarded soaps and toiletries from hotels, reprocesses them and distributes them to homeless shelters and across the world to stop the spread of infectious diseases.
3. Reuse hotel towels. Most hotels now post signs in the bathrooms requesting that you re-hang your towel for an extra use before having it laundered. On average, the washing of linens consumes 35% of a hotel’s energy consumption for the laundry process and 65% for the drying process. According to Zerowaste.org, the average amount of water used (in a luxury hotel) is 475 gallons per room/per day. Wow! While many hotels are putting in systems to reduce water waste and maximize efficiencies, you can help by simply being aware of your own water consumption.
4. Consider alternative transportation. Choosing a hotel that is centrally located to the sites/interests that you are visiting may enable you to eliminate the need for a rental car. Minimize your carbon footprint and get to know an area by walking to nearby sites. Take advantage of complimentary hotel shuttles or hire a pedi-cab. Many hotels can help you with a bicycle rental as well. Some cities, such as Denver and San Antonio, actually have a bike sharing program called B-Cycle that allows you to take a bike located at a number of bike racks around the city for a nominal charge and simply leave it at another rack when you are done.
5. Choose Sustainable Hotels and restaurants. Many hotels and resorts realize the negative impact that their business was having on the environment and have taken significant steps to alleviate that strain. Efforts include but are not limited to reducing waste and eliminating toxic chemicals used in cleaning, installing energy efficient lighting, dimmers and timers to reduce energy consumption, installing Energy Star appliances, installing water diverters on existing toilets or low-flow toilets, installing high performance, low-flow showerheads, landscaping with native plants, serving water only when requested, providing recycling areas for guests and staff. Here are a few of the notable eco-friendly hotels.
How are you reducing your carbon footprint when traveling? Please share any thoughts or questions you may have below!
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