Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Think Green while you Travel

We're just a few days past Earth Hour. I don't know how many of you partipated (we did you can read about it here; but thought in honor of it I'd write this post about thinking Green when you travel. No, I'm not suggest you stop traveling, and yes flying and driving uses gas and therefore that isn't green. Moderation is the key. Travel, explore, learn, and have fun; but think Green. Just because you're not paying the water, the heating or the cooling bill doesn't mean you throw caution and the word moderation out the window. There's still no reason to be wasteful. Why not practice moderation while you're at the resort with taking shorter showers, using your towels and your bedding for a few days. None of us change our beds daily at home, do we need to do that when traveling? All hotels, and resorts have a card you can place on the door or the bed to have your room/condo etc straighten, bed made without having all your linens changed daily. Save water, save electric; think GREEN, put the card out.

Many hotels deliver newspapers daily, don't throw them away; recycle them. In the last 5 years I've noticed the bulk of hotels we stayed in do have a recycling program. Ask about it when you check in. Recycle your newspapers, your plastic cups and water bottles, cans etc if you're cooking.

I'm betting it's safe to say most of us don't turn on the heat and open windows at the same time at home; or open windows with the air conditioning on at home. Who wants to pay to cool or heat the outside, right? So, why do people do this at a hotel? I've noticed it most when along a beach area. A.C. on, doors and windows open cause they want to see and hear the ocean. I too like to see and hear the ocean; but choice one or the other....think Green. If it's hot and you need the ac on, or it's on and controlled by the hotel; go outside to hear and see the ocean.

Moderation is the key, you don't have to do without, you don't have to make huge sacrifices to be green, to think green. If everyone practices moderation and does their part we'll make headway.

Another way to think and practice being green in your travels is to think about items before you throw them out. If you cook (and we usually do part of our meals), you often have food left over at the end of your week. Check the desk before you throw out unused items. We've noticed many Marriott facilities have a box for collection of unused unopened food stuffs. These unopened unused food stuff's are donated to food banks. That's recycling and helping those in needs.

Traveling Suitcase contests
ends today. While I've been a bit disappointed in the number of those that choose to participate; it's been fun getting to know some new folks. I've added those that entered to my blog log, and will announce the winner tomorrow. People who stay actively involved with comments on my blog will stay on my blog log, while others will be removed.
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9 comments:

  1. How can we travel green, since many of us can't, and many won't, just stay at the same place forever?
    Thank you for your answer! :) Have a wonderful day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the idea of going green but what do you do if you travel alot like air travel?

    My whole concern with the growing green thing by the goverment is that we could of done it alongtime ago for example electric cars ..how come there has not been a bigger push for electric cars , I mean I dont mind driving one however the price is still expensive, just wish the goverment would push the electric cars as I think its the cars that are polluting the world!

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  3. Brilliant post! Now I am thinking GREEN. Thanks for the reminder. :D

    We all need to take good care of Mother Earth. Recycle and conserve, that is. What we have done to nature will just come back right to us. If we fail to do our part, we all will suffer.

    Substantial and inspiring post Sandy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello,

    I also participated in Earth Hour. It was pretty fun, me and my gf giggled in the darkness of the room and lighted some candles to see.

    Thinking "Green" should have the same popularity like Social Networks nowadays. Atleast then something might get done.

    Regards,

    Birk!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cheap Motels and passportcovers I think you missed the point of the post. Yes we can all do things that are more green when we travel. We do the things we can, we can't control the amount of fuel a plane burns, but we can control our consumption of things whether we're at home or traveling.

    I don't think we need a government to tell us to think and act green, to think and act responsibly. We all can do things each and everyday to be more green.

    This post isn't about what the government should be doing, it's not about pointing fingers or selecting one thing...electric cars. It's about making changes in our approaches.

    Thanks June appreciate your comment.

    Sandy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Traveling is a fact of life. And when you travel, odds are you'll have some sort of negative impact on the environment.

    Fortunately, there is an entire industry dedicated to helping people "travel green." They arrange eco-friendly vacations, advise you on how to buy low emission cars, recommend "green" hotels, etc.

    Green Seal is a nonprofit site that "certifies" businesses, services, and products as "green." I've included the link below as it might be helpful while planning a trip.

    EcoTourism.org and SustainableTravel.com may also be of some use. From what I can tell, they don't specialize in helping business travelers "tread lightly" but they do help families and individuals with eco-friendly vacations.

    ReplyDelete
  7. greats tips for going green while traveling. From now i will check out with the hotel staff whether they have recycle program.

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  8. The company I work for, RezHub.com (www.rezhub.com/green-travel-aspx) has built an online travel booking engine where we help travelers find eco-friendly hotels. Check us out if you get the chance!

    Great article, I agree about moderation. I don't like when people go overboard with anything.

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  9. well theres the obvious, but can i bring like perfume and everything i need to travel, in my suitcase? not my carry on, but just the suitcase with my clothes and stuff.

    ReplyDelete

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