7 Easy Ways to Live Green on Vacation
It's an interesting fact that most of us who take steps towards living green by recycling, using products that are less harmful to the environment, and whatever else we can do to keep our world healthy, don't live this lifestyle while on vacation.
Why do many of us completely forget about the environment while on vacation?
We leave the lights on in our rooms when we're not there, we rent a car that guzzles gas, and spews toxins into the air, and many other things without even thinking about it.
Yet when we do these kinds of mindless things while on vacations it has just as much of an impact on the environment as it does if we were to do it while we were at home.
Scary thought isn't it?
However, the good news is that just as we can green our habits at home, we can also green them on vacation.
Here are some things you can do to live the green while on vacation:
- Don't leave the lights on in your hotel room:
If it's daylight out open your curtains and use natural light instead of leaving them closed with the lights on. This will help to conserve energy, and maybe in the long run may help to keep hotel rates down! - When possible, use public transportation:
Now if you're in the back of beyond where there is no public transportation that may not be possible, however these days even some of the smaller cities and towns have some form of public transportation and using it helps to cut down on air pollution. Not to mention you'll see more of the place you're visiting since most bus routes don't take the short way to get where they're going! - Turn off the air conditioning:
If you're vacationing in a more tropical location, turn your A/C off if you're not in your hotel room. A/C eats up a lot of power and turning it off when you're not really using it is a great way to go green while on vacation. This is very similar to installing and utilizing a programmable thermostat at home. - Opt for no laundry service:
If you are going to be at your destination for only a week or less you don't really need to have clean towels, and sheets, and pillow cases every single day. You can cut down on the amount of energy the hotel is using to wash these things by opting for no laundry service. After all, do you wash these things every day at home? I sure don't! - Unplug appliances in your hotel room when you're not using them:
According to the department of energy 75% of power used in homes is from electric appliances that are turned off but still plugged in. 75% ouch! That's a lot of wasted power not to mention money. - Scale down and pack light:
The more heavy bags you bring on vacation the more energy is required by the transportation you're using to carry them. Packing light is a good way to conserve energy. - Go digital instead of disposable:
Taking your digital camera instead of a slew of the disposable ones leads to less batteries in landfills and less paper and chemicals being used to process photos. Since most of us just e-mail pictures these days anyway it's a fact that you don't have to use prints anymore if you don't want to...except for the occasional one for grandma who may not have a computer.
These are just a few of the ways you can go green while on vacation. Anyway that we can reduce our carbon footprints in everything we do, not just when we are at home, helps tremendously.
What are some creative or practical ways you've found to green your vaca?
Image background credit to Manuere
Those are some great tips and certainly food for thought. People generally think of vacations as being a break from the every-day considerations and concerns. So it would require conscious thought to put energy conservation into practice. That's not to say that we should not do it! I don't know that hotels would ever drop their rates, but they very well might encourage guests to "green up" if some type of 'energy-saving credit' was offered on their bill if they opt for just one or two of your suggestions.
Good article!
Daniel, that is SO true! great tip for greening your vacation...cut down on phantom power back at home by unplugging all those devices that aren't being used!
My programmable thermostat has a "vacation" setting where i can let it run on a more energy efficient temperature setting and then automatically return to the temp i leave it at (usually 71 or 72) on the day i'll be returning home. programmable thermostats ROCK!
great tips! thanks for sharing!
The whole point in going on vacation is to do “mindless things.†Without them it wouldn't be a vacation.
#1 and #3 – Don't leave the lights on and Turn off the air conditioning. You suggest that in the long run hotel rates may go down. Guess what! They won't! The only way that hotel rates will go down if everyone truly goes green and only travels by green means (Walking, Bike riding, Bio-Diesel buses, etc).
You didn't even mention the easiest ways to go green when your on vacation: Unplug your TV, microwave, computer, video games, CD players, clock radios, lamps, DVD players, etc. All of these pull energy even if they are shut off.
Adjust your thermostat accordingly. A lot of people I know move their thermostat too far in either direction when they're gone. All this does is cause their furnace or air conditioner to work harder to get your house back up to the optimum temperature. That uses more energy than just leaving the thermostat where it stays all the time.
Going green is hard enough for most people. Most people don't want to take the extra time and effort to do it in their own homes let alone when they go on vacation. This is a movement and it needs to start with individual awareness at their home, work, school, and community. Once that is done it will just go with us wherever we go.
Go Green, Go Strong!!!