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In my everyday life I work hard to care for my little corner of the earth. I’m not perfect, but I try to make a difference. Whether it’s recycling, eating organic foods or supporting companies that share my views, I continue to plug along-taking baby steps towards making the world a better place.
Being green on vacation takes effort
I just landed from an incredible family vacation. Incredible in the sense that we just spent 10 days hanging out, eating well, watching the sun set and doing a whole lotta nothing-together. What I noticed on this vacation is how easy it was to place most of my efforts to make the world a better place on hold.
Being green on vacation seems to be counter-intuitive. Vacation is for relaxing and letting go of all effort. So why does it take so much more of an effort to be green and make eco-friendly choices?
I think it comes down to being outside of our normal routine. Also, I’m relaxed and just plain lazy on vacation. Isn’t that a sign that the vacation is doing its job?
Now that I’m home I thought I would take a moment to reflect on my eco-errors and make a list of all the things I could have done to make this vacation, and all vacations, greener. I’m bringing this list with me next vacation!
How to have a green vacation
Bring reusable bags
There’s always enough room in the suitcase for a few reusable bags [2]. We did a lot of grocery shopping this trip and it would have been nice to have my arsenal of reusable bags on hand.
Pack reusable water bottles
We all know that you can’t bring liquids through security. The solution is to pack a few empty reusable water bottles [3] for the family. When you arrive at your destination fill them up and use them for the duration of the trip. Say goodbye to those plastic water bottles that are calling your name in every airport.
Conserve those towels and sheets
Many hotels have sheet and towel cards asking guests to consider not having sheets and towels changed every day. I don’t change my towels and sheets every day at home so why would I need that service on vacation? What a simple way to conserve water and energy.
Recycle
Our room didn’t have any recycling options. It would have been simple to designate one of the garbage cans as a recycling bin to use throughout our stay. There were recycling bins on the grounds which could have been used to dump the recyclables from our room.
Bottom line: Vacation is a lot of fun, but we all have to work a little harder to keep it green.
Are you as green on vacation?
Photo courtesy of my groovy husband, Joel.