Reducing Waste When You Travel:
Making Environmental Choices
T
ravelers create a lot of waste, even with
the best intentions. Whether you're trav-
eling for business or pleasure, you can
do a few simple things that will reduce your
waste, conserve resources, and minimize the
overall environmental impact of your visit.
What's more, you won't have to sacrifice
comfort or convenience to do them.
Before You Leave.
With a little planning and a few simple
changes to your habits, you can make a big
difference when traveling.
Stop your newspaper subscription while you're
away. Some newspapers will let you donate
these papers to a school or other group.
Check with your newspaper publisher.
Use electronic tickets whenever possible for
plane, train, boat, and bus trips. They gener-
ate less waste and cost less to replace.
When planning a road trip, make sure
your vehicle is "road-ready" to
improve fuel efficiency, prevent pollution, and
save money. Make sure your engine is prop-
erly tuned and your tires are properly inflat-
ed. If you change your own motor oil, be
sure to recycle it at any "quick lube" shop,
gas station, or auto parts store that accepts
used oil for recycling.
When booking your guestroom, campsite,
or meeting location, consider locations within
walking distance of planned outings or that
are easily accessible to public transportation.
If you have one, remember to take your own
camera, so that you don't have to rely on a
disposable one. To reduce packaging waste,
try to use film with more exposures since
12-exposure film uses the same amount of
packaging as 36-exposure film.
"Down-size" your toiletry items for travel
by reusing and refilling small bottles and jars
you already have with products you already
have, such as mouthwash, shampoo, or
other necessities.
Did You Know?
Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)
and mature travelers made over 241 million
trips in 2002. Mature travelers (age 55+) made
about 75 million of those trips.
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Many hotels have waste reduction and energy
conservation plans. Book your trip with one
that does, Otherwise, try these easy things to
help hotels reduce waste,
Participate in the hotel's recycling program,
If they don't have a recycling program, ask
them to start one,
Let the hotel know that it's not necessary to
change your sheets and towels every day.
When you're out of your room, turn off the
lights, radio, TV, computer, and other electric
devices, and adjust the air conditioner and the
heat to use less energy.
On cold nights, draw curtains to keep heat in
the room, and similarly on hot days, draw cur-
tains to keep the heat out of the room,
When camping,
whenever possible. Rent equipment
and waste-free by bringing
reusables and recyclables home with
you.
To out of the environment,
don't use when fishing.
When hiking, carry an so
you can pick up and carry out any
along the way.
If the hotel provides a complimentary newspa-
per, or if you buy your own, ask the hotel to
see that it's recycled,
Take partially used shampoo, soap, and other
complimentary hotel items with you when
you check out; leave unopened items in
the room.
If available, use the hotel's electronic check-
out program on the television or over the
telephone to reduce paper waste.
If renting transportation, ask about
alternative fuel vehicles. Although such
rentals may be limited in availability,
do gas,
hybrid-electric, or clean-air gas
vehicles.
and
Sightseeing brochures, food, and packaging
account for most of a traveler's trash, By tak-
ing some simple steps, you can eliminate or
reduce this kind of waste, as well as cut
down on other types of pollution.
— Plan sightseeing activities where you can use
public transportation or the hotel van, or walk,
bike, or rideshare,
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Resist the urge to grab more brochures than
you need. Be sure to recycle the ones you
don't keep as souvenirs.
Don't litter. Carry your trash with you until find
a waste container,
Buy recyclable products for your trip, or as sou-
venirs. Be sure to recycle them when you're fin-
ished using them,
Dine at "eat-in" restaurants and hotel dining
rooms whenever possible to decrease the num-
ber of disposable items associated with meals.
When eating at carry out restaurants, take only
the condiments, napkins, and utensils you
need, Try skipping a straw altogether, or
declining a bag when you don't need one.
Take reusable plates and flatware on picnics.
Clean up after picnics and other outings.
Dispose of all waste in trash receptacles to pre-
vent debris from accidentally fouling the land,
the water, or harming wildlife.
wildlife.
Ecotourism is a traveling philosophy to
minimize their impact on the
they visit. It doesn't much to
be an ecotourist or a "green" traveler.
You can set an by following
few simple practices.
• only footprints. Take everything
out that you brought with you,
• Don't anything from natural
historical or hotels.
• Value wildlife. and their
undisturbed,
• Protect and
and wetlands.
« Conserve and natural resources,
• Don't litter. Pick up and properly
of trash when you see it.
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