With the warm weather springing upon us, we're more tempted to step out the door and head to better scenery. It's the time where we start brainstorming our next road trip and scheduling our time off. But before you jump into any decisions, you should rethink the way you travel. The green movement has impacted everyone from millennials to top notch business owners in an attempt to better sustain our planet. There are numerous reasons to stand behind going green outside of kicking climate change and pollution to the curb like frugal living and improving our health. Although you may be actively eco-friendly at home, you might find yourself in need to step up your green travel game. Check out these five best ways to go green on your next adventure.
1.) Think before you leave.
You might think going green starts the moment you walk out your door, but there are quite a few things you could do before taking off that only require a simple walk around you home. While you're away, you don't want unnecessary amounts of energy negatively impacting the environment or racking up your electric bill. So turn off and unplug everything you don't need on or running while you're away like the television, heater or air conditioner, and even your coffee pot. You could save up to 10% electricity a day by doing so.
2.) Consider fuel efficiency.
Next, when contemplating your mode of transportation, you want to look over all of your options before deciding how you're getting to your destination. Using public transportation or car pooling with a friend instead of traveling separately or flying are surefire ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Yet in cases where flying is the only option, aiming for a direct flight will help you avoid any more fuel being released during stop-overs.
3.) Reevaluate what to bring.
Travel sized packages are cute and convenient to you, but definitely not the environment due to all of the extra packaging. It's best to use refillable containers as much as possible. Also, bring your own water bottle and reusable bags for the road so you can avoid plastic waste and you should do your best to pack lightly so you have an easy time fitting on to public transportation systems.
4.) Aim for green arrangements.
If you happen to know someone in the area, it would be more eco-friendly to stay with them during your trip due to the large amounts of energy majority of modern hotels use. If this isn't something you could pull of, then take advantage of any conservation options you have at the hotel such as recycling programs. Bring what you can like shampoo and soaps and opt to not change your sheets and towels every single day. Just like before leaving your house, remember to turn off any electrical appliances you won't need on while you're out.
5.) Watch where and how you shop.
Finally, while you're out on the town you can still take it upon yourself to go green by eating in rather than obtaining a lot of disposable materials with your meal and aim to shop at local owned businesses to help out the economy.
So next time you're on a journey to better yourself, aim to better the world as well.
