4Rs Tips for June 25 – How to Plan a Climate-friendly Vacation

Summer vacations don’t have to be Earth-shattering – make them Green!

Everyone needs a vacation sometimes. Even if you love the work you do, you need time away from it to decompress and relax. It’s healthy for you. But is it healthy for the planet?

How you travel and your actions when you’re doing it make a big difference in how much it harms the environment. But first…

Call to Action for July

In line with sustainable vacations, is building plastic-free habits. Summer is when a lot of people travel and it’s when single-use plastics waste is at its peak. Join the Plastic Free July campaign and learn how to skip single-use plastics. Take their Pesky Plastics Quiz to learn where these plastics show up in your life.

The top four single-use plastics we humans dispose of are…

• plastic bags;
• water bottles;
• takeaway coffee cups;
• and plastic straws.

And we tend to use these a lot more when traveling and on vacation.

You might think, “Vacation is the last place I want to think about my trash.” Actually, for a couple of reasons this is the best time.

• When you’re not on vacation, you get into a routine. You have less time to think about plastic waste while you’re in the busyness of your week.
  • You’re going to think more clearly about waste habits when you’re removed from the environment where the habits happen.
• Spending quality time with the family is an opportunity to talk about how to eliminate plastics. Discuss ways to make changes back home and during vacation.
  • Most kids are learning about sustainability in school and will have input.

Before you plan a vacation, consider the tips below on how to reduce the waste and emissions that go with it.

How Are You Going To Get There?

Here are ways to enjoy your time off AND reduce anxiety over the environmental impact of your vacation. While we can’t avoid it all, there are plenty of ways we can avoid some of it.

Use Lower Emissions Transportation

The different ways we travel each have their own challenges, but if we pay attention and work on them we can make them less impactful. In general, this is the best to worst form of travel when it comes to emissions.

1. Train travel causes the least amount of carbon emissions and should always be your first choice, if possible.
   • In some areas, trains are becoming zero-emissions.
   • You can carry your own beverages and snacks in reusable containers.
2. Bus travel can be really low on the per person carbon output, depending on how full the bus is and the type of engine on the bus.
   • We are starting to see electric and hybrid buses on the roads.
3. Car, camper, passenger vehicle – for these the carbon emissions depend a lot on how many passengers per vehicle and the type of vehicle.
   • A big travel camper is going to emit a lot more carbon than, say, a hybrid SUV.
4. Air travel is one of the least eco-friendly ways to travel. The only vacation travel vehicle that emits more carbon is a cruise ship.
   • If you have to fly, look for an airline that offers carbon offsets.
5. Cruise ships emit more carbon than any other vehicle. Like 3 – 4x as much. Going on a cruise is also one of the hardest places to reduce your waste and disposable plastics use.
   • They won’t let you bring your own snacks in reusable containers on this trip.

When planning your next vacation, try using a carbon footprint calculator like this on from Conservation International. This is a good way to plan for making the least amount of impact and enjoying your vacation even more.

Before you select a travel company (agent, airline, hotel, transportation, etc.) check and see if they are a certified B Corp. This is a certification that verifies a company is acting responsibly and sustainably.

When You Must Fly, Do This

If your destination requires you to fly, there are ways to reduce the impact of your air travel.

• Carry a reusable water bottle. It has to be empty when you go through security, but most terminals have water stations on the other side to fill it up.
• Pack your own meals and snacks in reusable zip bags or containers.
• Fly direct – the highest amount of carbon emissions happen during take off, so the more times you go up… the more damage is caused to the environment.
• Pack light – because a lot of emissions happen during take-off the weight of the plane influences this. If you pack things you don’t need or won’t use, why do it?
  • I use to overpack. I would carry books I wanted to read but never did (I was on vacation!). I would pack twice as many clothes than what I would wear (I wanted options!). These were all terrible excuses for me to carry twice as much weight as I needed. I didn’t know back then that these poor packing habits were increasing my carbon footprint.
• When you can, book the cheapest flights, not the most convenient. The more expensive seats are on high-demand flights. If those sell out, airlines will often add another flight to meet the high demand. This increases per-person emissions from air travel.
• If renting a car, spend a little extra and rent a hybrid or electric vehicle. Most rental car companies have full hybrids that don’t require plugging in.

When On The Road, Do This

Road trips can be fun and a much cheaper way for a big family to travel. With a bit of planning you can lower the impact so your time on the road is more eco-friendly.

• Get your car maintenance done ahead of time.
  • Regular oil changes keep your engine clean and running efficiently.
• Check your tires regularly.
  • Low tire air decreases your fuel efficiency.
• Pack snacks in reusable containers.
• Pack cans of soda and juice in a cooler. Avoid plastic beverage containers.
• Don’t speed. On the highway, your vehicle is more fuel efficient at 55 mph.
  • You waste gas and increase your carbon output when you drive too fast.

Reduce Waste While On Vacation

While some disposables are unavoidable when traveling, like when the only food available is carry-out or drive-thru, even when you eat at these places you can feel good about reducing waste with some basic practices.

• Refuse the straw.
  • Carry reusable straws so if you go to a drive-thru you can say “No thanks, I have my own,” when they offer you a straw. That’s what I do and it feels great!
• Skip the bags.
  • Bring your reusable shopping bags on vacation and use them everywhere. 
  • I have the Baggu Bags that fold up in my purse so I can use them everywhere.
• Get reusable coffee cups.
  • Single-use coffee cups do not recycle. Even if you think they’re paper, they’re coated with plastic so that paper doesn’t melt. There’s no such thing as a recyclable carry-out beverage container… only reusable.
• Carry a reusable water bottle.
  • Check out this article, “7 Eco-Friendly Water Bottles To Make Each Sip Sustainable,” and this article, “9 Plastic-Free Water Bottles For The Best Non-Toxic Hydration.”

And don’t forget the rule of being a good scout… 
always leave natural spaces looking nicer than when you arrived.

If you are the type of traveler who likes to leave reviews, make sure to mention if the places you stay or eat are eco-friendly.

Learn more about ecotourism in this article from Green Global Travel.

Take Action

Beyond taking the Plastic Free July pledge, consider some of these other actions that can help our planet heal.

• We are at a crucial point in the life of our oceans. Right now it’s important we get educated on issues like drilling in the deep sea bed being pursued by big corporations. Tap into learning about how to protect our oceans and support a healthier life for us all at Mission Blue.
• The best gift we all have against fighting climate anxiety is action. Use your talents and do work you enjoy. Learn more – check out these Ted Talks: How to turn climate anxiety into action, and How climate change affects your mental health.

Why It’s Important

Nearly one-fourth of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation and waste is a major contributor to climate change. We need to look for ways to tackle both of these problems, whether it’s in everyday life or while we’re on vacation. 

Earth needs a vacation from the damage
we’re doing to the environment.

With Much Gratitude

That’s it for this issue. I hope you found it helpful.

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Drop me a line anytime if you have questions or comments. I love hearing from you.

Thank you for reading these tips and subscribing. Pat yourself on the back for doing your part. Remember, everything helps.

We’ve got this!

All my best,
Jen
jen.thilman@gmail.com 

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