We all travel to some extent whether it’s regularly for business or occasionally for family vacation. We have a choice as to how much impact we have when we travel, and there are a few simple things we can do.
- Choose a hotel chain or resort that recycles, has a towel reuse policy, and a sustainability program. Most major hotel chains these days have all of these, but some follow through better than others. Most will tell you about it on their website or you can ask when considering booking.
- Breakfast included hotels are great – some have better food options than others, but one key question is disposable or reusable? Many of the better hotel chains use real plates and silverware instead of disposable.
- Bring your own coffee cup and water bottle. You will need to dump them out before going through airport security, but many airports now have water bottle filling stations on near the gates, so you can avoid paying for disposable water bottles and coffee cups.
- When on family vacations, eco-tourism options are available in many places to help you reduce your impact and help preserve the environment you are enjoying.
- In your hotel room, throw all your trash into a single trash can so the staff only has to empty one can, saving additional trash liners.
- Turn your your heat or a/c off when not in your room.
- If your room has operable windows or a sliding glass door, close it when the heat or a/c is on.
If you travel frequently, you will have plenty of opportunity to see which hotels and restaurants are doing their part to reduce their impact to the host environment.
Last but not least, enjoy your travels knowing you are helping to reduce your impact in the local environment!
