Greening Your Travel: What to Take on a Camping Trip

August 30, 2011 by 1 Comment

For many of you Labor Day weekend represents the last chance of the year for a mini-camping vacation, so I thought it would be good to share some tips on how to green your camping. Of course these tips apply whether you’re a frequent camper or just an occasional one. And if you’ve never been camping before but have considered it or are planning to, then this is a great opportunity to do it right from the get go.

A lot of the same principles that apply to other types of travel apply to camping as well. Travel as light as possible, bring only the necessities with you, pack re-usable and double-duty items wherever possible, and most important, leave no footprint behind –meaning no trail of waste that others have to deal or that might not be handled in an environmentally responsible way.

The key things to pay attention to are your consumption of energy, water, and food with an eye towards minimizing or eliminating unnecessary pollution and litter. You need to plan ahead for how to handle the waste you produce. Here are some basic DOs and DON’Ts:

DON’T bring plastic water bottles. This is one of the biggest contributors to pollution –both in the manufacturing of the bottles and in their disposal. Bring one large capacity water carrier (preferably PVC-free) that can fold up small when not in use. Fill it with water from a spigot and use it to fill your re-usable stainless steel or BPA-free water bottles.

DO bring re-usable silverware, cups and plates (aluminum, stainless steel or BPA-free plastic). Using disposable plates and cutlery is a lot more convenient because it doesn’t require washing and drying, but it can create a tremendous amount of waste.

DON’T leave your trash or recyclables behind. Place garbage and recyclables in designated receptacles. If there are none, then collect and take them with you until you’re able to dispose of them properly. This especially applies to used batteries or spent fuel canisters. And except for paper items that can be tossed into a campfire, NEVER burn your trash –especially plastics because that is toxic to you and the environment.

DO use biodegradable soaps and detergents. If you plan to shower outdoors or wash your dishes then be sure to use biodegradable soaps to avoid polluting the grounds. Wherever possible toss your dishwater down a drain instead of directly onto the dirt.

DO use a solar shower instead of the local facility. These cost very little and can be purchased anywhere camping supplies are sold. All you have to do is fill it with water and hang it up somewhere in the sun. After a few hours of exposure –voila! You have hot (or at a minimum, warm) water to shower with or to wash your dishes with. If you want to be really green try this PVC-Free 4 Gallon Solar Shower from Seattle Sports.

DON’T idle your car if you’re car camping because the exhaust is polluting and can disturb other campers. If you need power to charge up your gadgets then buy solar-powered chargers.

DO stay in designated camping areas and on designated hiking trails. Designated areas are designed to minimize potential or unintended damage and harm to surrounding nature

DO invest in LED flashlights, headlamps, and lanterns as these are last longer, offer brighter light and far more efficient use of battery power. Whenever possible use re-chargeable batteries and don’t ever leave used batteries behind. If you have the funds to invest then consider solar-powered lights like the ones featured in this My Life Scoop blog post. Also consider a hand-cranked flashlight or combination radio and flashlight which are less expensive than solar-powered gadgets.

Finally, if you don’t plan to camp a lot (i.e more than a couple of times a year), consider buying second-hand equipment (tents, sleeping bags, stoves, etc.).

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What to Pack If You’re Only Taking One Bag

August 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

So you’ve decided to make a bold move and pack just one bag for your next travel adventure. While everyone is different in terms of what they like to pack and have with them on a trip here are a couple of tips for double-duty (i.e. multi-purpose) items and clothes that should help with your endeavor as well as some links to additional resources like packing lists.

  1. Smart Phones & Digital Gadgets When it comes to travel, smart phones may be the single greatest invention of our time. Being a Mac aficionado I’m naturally partial to the iPhone but many of the newer smart phones including the Android and even the Blackberry have some of the same or similar key applications. Wherever you’re headed, you have the equivalent of a GPS in your pocket with Google Maps and numerous apps that can help you navigate the local terrain either by foot or by car and uncover hidden treasures you might not have learned about in a travel book!Granted, using your smart phone while travelling overseas can be pretty expensive, but you can switch to wireless access to save a little on the cost for data transfers –enabling you to search the Web or check your email while on the go. Even if you opt not to use the phone your gadget can do double duty as a digital camera (most newer phones have the ability to take higher resolution images and even videos, so you won’t need to drag along a separate camera). Your smart phone can double as a flashlight, an alarm clock, and as a music player.

    If you’re a voracious reader and like to devour books while on vacation, consider a Kindle digital book reader – it’s small enough to fit into a purse and way lighter than toting books around. The iPhone has a Kindle app that allows you to read books on the phone if you can cope with the smaller screen!

  2. Practical Clothes & Footwear What to wear is always the biggest challenge when packing for a trip. A lot depends on the nature of your travels, what the expected weather forecast looks like, and whether you need to dress up. If haute couture is a requisite for your trip, then packing only one bag may not work for you. Choose dark clothes that dry quickly and either don’t wrinkle or look good wrinkled. And women can use lightweight colorful scarves to accessorize outfits. Of course, it’s good to have a pair of comfortable shoes that can be used for getting around but are dressy enough for dining or a night out. If you must bring dressy shoes then pick a pair of slip-ons and wear them while traveling to facilitate moving through security at airports.A quality rain shell jacket can come in handy if it rains and do double duty as a windbreaker when layered over a fleece jacket or warm sweater, and it can roll up small. Convertible pants, men’s swim trunks that can double up as shorts, and ladies tankinis that can double up as summer tops are also good choices. Remember to not pack specific outfits, but focus on simple, easy-to-wear pieces that you can mix and match.You can always buy clothes while traveling. Last, but not least, a tote bag that can fold up into a small pouch or a lightweight duffle, is great for short trips to the grocery store or Laundromat and as a catchall for souvenirs or gifts you purchase on your trip.

    For more resources on packing light check out the links in Go Green Travel Green’s Ultimate Guide to Packing Light.

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Greening Your Travel: Why Packing One Bag is the Best Way to Go

August 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

luggageI’ve been on a little bit of a break from blogging and writing this summer so I apologize for not getting this out sooner but I’m back now and wanted to share some of this information with you because, while the specifics will vary, the principles apply no matter what time of the year you travel.

As I mentioned in my last post, packing only one bag for your trip not only has tremendous practical advantages, but is probably the single most important thing you can do to green your travel. Why? Because it really forces you to think carefully about what to take on a trip, and that process in turn, helps you select items and outfits that serve multiple purposes –taking up less space in your luggage and lightening your load.

So pack with an eye towards picking items and clothing that can do double duty so to speak. If an item can perform more than one function, it allows room and capacity for other items that may not be as versatile but you feel you must have with you when you travel. Think of the Swiss Army Knife concept only upgraded for post 9/11 travel.

For example, rather than packing a moisturizer and a sunscreen you can pack a moisturizer with a built-in sunscreen and now you’ve covered two bases with one item. Or you can invest in a pair of convertible pants –ones that can be converted into shorts simply by zipping off the legs– and an item like this can often carry you from day into night without requiring a change of clothes. In many cases, packing layers of clothing means you won’t have to pack a heavy jacket or coat which can take up a lot of room in your luggage and add considerable weight.

The goal is to have one bag that is light enough to tote around with you wherever you go. That way you can easily get around using public transportation, bicycles, or even walking –all of which are either carbon neutral or less carbon intensive than driving or riding around town in cabs. Packing re-usable items like a stainless steel water bottle or bamboo utensils means you won’t leave a trail of waste that will likely wind up in a landfill! And using refillable bottles for your toiletries means if you run out sooner than expected, you can purchase more along the way to refill them. For short trips, I like to pack sample packets of toiletries that I’ve collected from different places. These are usually single-use items but they are lightweight and flat so they won’t take up a lot of room.

And now with the advent of smart phones and other digital gadgets you can really lighten your load while still having access to many things that in the past, would have required packing a lot more. Tune into my next post where I’ll offer additional suggestions for what specific double-duty items to pack if you’re only taking one bag.

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Summer’s Here and the Time is Right: 5 Tips for Greening Your Travel

June 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

These days you probably hear the catch phrases “eco-friendly travel,” “green travel,” and “eco-tourism” quite a bit as early adopters in the travel arena try to set the ground rules for how the rest of us will eventually “green” this aspect of our lives too.

While the term “eco-tourism” tends to conjure up images of what some refer to as “volunteer vacations” where you might be involved in a beach clean up project or wildlife preservation program, you really don’t have to sacrifice comfort or go for an adventure in the wild to do it. There are as many different ways to green your travel, as there are ways to travel. It’s all a matter of degree and commitment.

The truth is that while these terms actually mean different things they all follow the same guiding principle: be mindful of your impact on the natural habitats and cultural environments that you visit. In other words, leave no footprint behind, respect the local cultures and customs, and wherever possible, make a positive contribution to the local communities.

If you want to green your travel then always keep this core principle close to your heart. And practice the 3 Rs inherent in any greening activities: Reduce, Re-use and Recycle. So what does that exactly mean when it comes to travel? Here are 5 tips to help you get started.

1. Maintain Carbon Neutrality. While you can purchase carbon offsets for a nominal price to assuage your guilt, one the best ways to minimize your impact is to take fewer plane, train, and car rides to get to your destination (i.e. fly non-stop as much as possible and map out the most efficient routes for road travel).

For shorter trips take the train instead of a plane. This works out well if you’re traveling in Europe where the train system is extensive, fast, and reasonably priced. If you must rent a car, try to rent a hybrid, electric car, or most fuel-efficient model available.

2. Use Public Transportation. Once you arrive at your destination, make a point of using the local or regional public transportation systems to get around as much as you can. Better yet ride a bicycle or walk. This also helps maintain carbon neutrality.

3. Reduce Energy Consumption. At home and on the go, there are numerous ways to lower your energy consumption. For example, at the hotel where you stay turn off lights, air conditioning, and appliances whenever you are out or not using them. Tell them that you would like re-use towels and sheets. Most larger hotels now enable you to let them know when you want or need the linens changed. At home unplug all unused appliances and keep critical systems like lights and sprinklers on timers for a minimal amount of time each day.

4. Think Global, Eat Local. While many of us are tempted to bring snacks and food from home along on our travels, try to get in the habit of leaving that stuff behind and enjoying local foods of the areas you are visiting. Become a traveling locavore –eat only foods that have been grown or produced within 100 miles of wherever you are on your travels. Choose regional foods, preferably organic and grown on a family farm or produced by a local business. This may take a little extra research up front to ensure you can find enough of a selection to suit your dietary needs and preferences. If you’re traveling to more exotic locales you might want to watch a few episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s TV show “No Reservations” for some ideas of where to go and what to try. Check your local listings for the Travel Channel.

5. Pack Light. There are many good reasons for packing just one bag chief among them is your increased mobility and flexibility on the ground, greater ability to walk or take public transportation, and lightening the overall load on a plane. Not only will this save jet fuel it will save you money in baggage check fees, excess weight fees and countless tips for all the porters and door people who handle your bags for you at every step of your journey.

Even travel connoisseur Rick Steves recommends you limit yourself to one carry-on bag no more than 20 lbs, and optimally one that fits under your plane seat as competition for those overhead bins just keeps getting stiffer all the time. His considerations are more practically motivated but ultimately have the same desired end-result.

Stay tuned for my follow up blog post on why this one thing alone can make a huge difference in helping you green your travel and some helpful tips on how to do it.

In the meantime, you can consult the Independent Traveler web site Green Travel Resources for ways to offset your carbon emissions and some choices for eco-friendly lodging.

 

Copyright 2011 Dropwise Essentials

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Donya Fahmy, is a green business owner and the creator of Dropwise Essentials’ spa-quality aromatherapy body products that help you safely relieve stress, increase vitality, improve confidence, or simply manage your emotional state any time or place without popping a pill. For more free tips and valuable information visit www.dropwise.com and subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or blog feed.

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