Whether your preference is to relax on a tropical beach with a Pina Colada, explore out-of-the-way treasures, navigate museums in the world’s greatest cities, or travel to visit friends and family for the holidays, traveling is an adventure that many of us love to experience. That said, we live in a time when we are more conscientious of the impact our actions have on the environment—so how can we travel green? In other words, how to we continue traveling the way we want to while at the same time reducing our carbon footprint?
While planes are the fastest and most convenient way to travel to faraway places, they are also one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions. If we aren’t flying, we are driving—and it should go without saying that vehicle pollutants harm our health and contain greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
How can we balance our desire to travel with the reality of carbon emissions and climate change? By following these tips, we can all reduce our carbon footprint and travel green.
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Travel Green: Planning
1. Research — There is a litany of apps, websites, and online articles that help you search for eco-friendly travel accommodations, ride shares, sustainable flights, and restaurants that source their food and ingredients locally.
2. Unplug — Don’t just focus on the trip itself. You can do plenty of things before you leave the house to save energy, including unplugging lights and appliances that will not be used while you are away.
3. Raise/lower the thermostat — To piggyback on the previous tip to travel green and reduce your carbon footprint, adjust the thermostat in your home so that you use less energy while on vacation. Raise the temperature in the summer to use less air conditioning and lower it in the winter to use fewer resources to heat an empty house.
4. Purchase only reusable goods — Reduce waste and travel green with a reusable water bottle. Also, a reusable shopping bag helps you carry all those souvenirs without taking paper or plastic bags.
Travel Green: Getting to Your Destination
5. Fly nonstop — If you must fly, try to avoid connecting flights. Remember that more fuel is used during takeoffs and landings. Therefore, the fewer flights you are on, the less fuel your travel consumes.
6. Fly economy — By transporting more people, less. Fuel is used per person, and, therefore, less carbon is produced per person. Business-class and first-class have a higher carbon footprint, thus making it harder to travel green.
7. Pack light — Less luggage and lighter luggage means less weight, which translates to less fuel usage.
8. Purchase a carbon offset — Some airlines offer carbon offset programs, and Amtrak does, too. These programs allow you to donate a monetary equivalent of your carbon emissions from travel.
9. Ride share — If your destination is within driving distance, find a buddy or two to carpool with.
10. Take the bus or train — For traveling shorter distances, consider transit via train or bus for fewer emissions.
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Travel Green: At Your Destination
11. Stay in an eco-conscious hotel — Many hotel chains and boutique accommodations offer water reduction programs and energy-efficient equipment. And there are more of them across the nation than you might think.
12. Minimize resource use — Just because you are on vacation doesn’t mean you can’t use the same towel a few extra times, take shorter showers, turn off lights when you leave, and keep the thermostat at an energy-saving level.
13. Recycle — Learn how to recycle in your host city’s public areas, cafes, hotels, etc.
14. Use public transportation and walk — Perhaps there’s no better way to travel green and minimize your carbon footprint by utilizing the local public transportation, cycling, or walking instead of renting a car or taking taxis.
15. Electric car rentals — If you must have a car, consider electric when traveling green.
16. Sign up for a tour — Walking tours and bus tours are plentiful no matter where you decide to go on vacation. They are also great ways to experience a city and travel green without renting a car.
17. Eat locally to travel green — Not only will you experience the local cuisine, but you will also reduce your footprint by limiting the amount of transport for the foods you eat.
Texas Recycling in Dallas Wants to Be Your Recycling Partner
If you travel green by incorporating the above tips into your travel plans, you can relax and enjoy your trip without feeling guilty about your carbon footprint and natural resource usage. Bon Voyage! Meanwhile, please remember that Texas Recycling is dedicated to improving the environment by providing the highest-quality recycling services in the D/FW Metroplex. Our creative solutions help companies embrace environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Texas Recycling offers personalized customer service for our commercial and industrial customer accounts. Large commercial entities may qualify for schedule pickups based on quantity in the truckloads. At our Public Buy Back Center for individuals and smaller businesses near Fair Park and Downtown Dallas, our friendly staff will help you unload your vehicle quickly in a convenient covered area.
Help the environment and your bottom line by calling Texas Recycling at 214-357-0262 to get started on a commercial recycling or industrial recycling program for your organization.