sportychick

A little piece of me dies every time I hear the sad stories about polar bears drowning, global warming, and the horrible (and worsening) state of the environment. I'm looking for ways, even little ways, that I, as an individual, can help turn things around. I've started bringing a cloth bag to the grocery store (and not taking paper OR plastic), turning out the lights, driving less, biking more, buying products that aren't over-packaged, recycling, fixing vs. replacing, etc... and I'm wondering what I can do differently when I travel. I love to travel, I love to explore, and I've done a fair amount of it.

Pollution from air travel is immense. Pollution from ship travel is bad too. Pollution from car travel is a problem. Knowing that I can't change it all, what can I do to be an environmentally-conscious traveler (beyond just lip service and make-me-feel-good-about-myself tricks)?

Any ideas?

escargot

We have planned some (but not enough) travel based on eco-lodging, etc - usually by investigating in whatever particular area we were headed for - you can also try the regional and national park sites - in the meantime, here are some interesting sites to look over:

ecotourism.org
tourismfortomorrow.com
sustainabletravelinternational.org
greenhotels.com
ecotravel.com
epicadventures.com

You may want to subscribe to one of the environmentally friendly travel mags or websites for more info.
There may also be an environmental group near where you live that could use volunteer help!

christy1

I've thought about this, too-I love to travel but air travel is incredibly polluting, and as you say, car and ship pollution is a big issue too. But I can't see myself NOT flying or ever taking a road trip again. So, I just try to make other decisions that are environmentally responsible, since my travel isn't. For example, I rarely drive at home-I purposefully live in a location where I can take public transit or walk everywhere. I don't buy foods that have traveled from 10,000 miles away on a plane or ship (produce in the winter from South America, for example). I've also thought about renting a hybrid (if I don't break down and buy one) when I take road trips in the future. A perfect solution? No, but I don't know of a way to have zero impact on the environment and still travel (or just live, for that matter).

I do remember hearing of a program where you donate money per amount of air and car travel you do, and I think they donate the $$ to tree planting or some other enviro cause. Maybe that is a good idea, donating to an enviro cause every time we travel.

suze

My understanding it that it's the jets/fuel that are so harmful. There's just no getting around that if you want to travel.

At your destination, sure you can use public transportation instead of renting a car, not drive those stupid ATV's around on a beach (sorry pet peeve of mine crept in), but to be honest with ourselves, there is simply a certain amount of harm that comes in transporting ourselves around the world.

lynnejoel1015

i feel the same way! when we stay at hotels, don't have housekeeping wash the towels more than once every three days or so, we don't need our sheets changed daily, etc.

we always rent the most fuel efficient vehicles available- and when they offer us a free upgrade to some beastly gas-guzzler we decline and tell the counter agent why. in fact, i think some rental agencies will let you rent a hybrid nowadays! (we own a toyota prius and LOVE it! the ultimate road trip vehcile. it's spacious, with lots of room, easily accessed, in the hatchback.)

reduce the amount of trash/waste in the things you purchase- especially on vacation. no reason to purchase things with extra packaging, etc.

instead of renting a car when you travel, consider renting a bicyle if the destination allows for that sort of thing.

recyle your used suntan/lotion/shampoo bottles, etc.

take direct flights whenever possible, that way you're not taking off twice, which seems to be when a lot of fuel is spent.

stay in family-owned hotels rather than mega resorts with 7 swimming pools, mega workout rooms, video games, all that extra junk.

don't leave the air conditioning on in the hotel room when you're gone. same with the lights.

don't take coach busses- which heavily burn diesel, and usually sit idling for hours at stops. i see it every day here in LA.

it sounds like you're doing as much as you humanly can already. i feel the same guilt as you do, but it would be pretty draconian to avoid taking trips altogether! good for you for starting this thread! it's important to keep environmentalism at the forefront of people's minds.

lynnejoel1015

and ALWAYS donate to good causes like:

www.nrdc.org

www.wwf.org

etc...

the_scarecrow_in_oz

How old are you people?

Obviously not old enough to remember (or know) what REAL pollution was 40 and 50 years ago. When a dense pall hung over Los Angeles every single day. When the Cuyahoga River was so polluted that it actually burned. When 3 of the 5 Great Lakes were close to being cesspools. When emissions from anything were blatently unchecked.

My point is.......everything is relative. Believe it or not, this country is a WHOLE LOT cleaner now than it was 40 years ago. (To bad the same thing can't be said of the former Soviet Union and China). I can catch trout and salmon out of the Milwaukee River when 40 years ago all I would have caught was a turd.

Don't be so angst ridden.

Sheesh!!!!!!

sportychick

How old are we? Are you serious? We're old enough to know that there's a real problem here. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be snippy, but I just don't think we can ignore the larger impact of the choices we make. Yes, China is a huge polluter. It breaks my heart. But to say just because you feel like your backyard is cleaner is an indicator that we're better off than we were 40 years ago, is sticking your head in the sand.

And by the way, I'm well over 40, thank you.

the_scarecrow_in_oz

Well....... aren't we a "glass-half-empty" bunch!

The impact on this planet of the day to day choices we make individually are infinitesimal.

On the other hand....what we have done collectively via entities such as the EPA, and the Clean Air and Water Act has made this country a much cleaner and healthier place to live since the time I was a kid.

This ball of rock has gone through hundreds of upheavals in its billion-plus year history - and all before homo sapiens even arrived. With a few notable exceptions, the planet has been gradually warming since the last ice age..... and for 9,900 of those years there were no cars or airplanes to blame it on.

Are we better off than we were 50 years ago? Yeah... you betcha.

Are we better off than we probably could be? No way..... but we're getting there.

Lighten up.

The devastation of the planet ain't going to hinge on whether you take a flight from Philly to Nashville.

But............. if you think it will, then don't take the flight.

Dukey

"The devastation of the planet ain't going to hinge on whether you take a flight from Philly to Nashville."

No, but it will hinge on people like you who refuse to recognize there are thousands of flights a day...duh.

trippinkpj

We use energy efficient light bulbs, drive a Pruis and regularly use public transit (family of 3, 1 car). So if we want to take air trips from time to time, that's okay. I think everyone needs to make that decision for themselves.

trippinkpj

We recycle also and have for over 20 years.

aileen679

The plane will go from point A to point B whether or not you are on it. Therefore, staying at home won't help one bit.

Can you convince enough people to cancel their travel plans so that the flights will have to be cancelled?

escargot

The OP asked
"what can I do to be an environmentally-conscious traveler" -
she didn't say she wasn't going to ever get on a plane or in a car, she was just asking what she could do to alleviate enivronmental damage -
finding ways to avoid being wasteful or to adapt and work with our environment is always prudent -
waste not, want not as my nana used to say

klam_chowder

This is a great thread topic. I only recently drew the explicit connection of travel and its environmental impact when a girlfriend of mine told me they had cancelled their planned trip over the holidays to Hawaii because of the pollution air travel creates. Instead they spent the New Year's eve upon a local snow-capped mountain!

While this "extreme" choice is not for everyone (me included) over the past few years, my SO has shown me that every little thing that we can do for the planet is positive, especially when considered collectively.

I appreciate the tips on what others do when travelling. I also do many of those things; here's a tip not yet mentioned.

If we are doing a roadtrip, when we buy bottled water, we buy two individual bottles and then the big gallon jugs afterwards. We just wash out our bottles and replenish it from the jug to keep down the number of plastic bottles heading to the landfill.

Enjoy-la!

aileen679

There is no doubt that this old earth has undergone many cycles of warming/cold, and we are in a warming trend now. It's going to continue no matter what we do or don't do.

However, even though this warming trend can be considered "normal" there is no doubt that we may be hurrying it along some. How much??? The scientist will be arguing about that for eons.

What to do to slow it down to a more natural speed???? Get ALL the countries to close ALL the factories. Stop ALL automobile and airplane travel. Stop harvesting the forests. Turn off the power plants, stop big trucks and railroads. Lots of things that MIGHT slow it down a little, but it will happen sooner or later regardless of what we do.

These climate changes just don't happen over night. It would take decades to see any big changes. Cloth bags at the grocery store won't help. The factories will just keep right on producing the same amount of plastic and paper. It will take at a couple of billion people doing the same to have any effect on production worldwide.

So, if it makes you feel better to stop traveling, then do it. It won't help any unless you can convince EVERYONE EVERYWHERE to do the same.

Fat chance of that happening

sportychick

Sigh. My intent was never to suggest that people stop traveling. In fact, traveling and appreciating the world is what can (maybe) drive us all to try to conserve something, just a little. My question was what I could do to be more environmentally aware when I travel. Thanks to the posters who answered that, you offered up some great ideas.

J_Correa

I think that if we all make incremental changes in our daily lives to use fewer resources and create less waste and pollution, then we will all be better off.

Yes, the earth is in a natural warming trend. Yes, human beings are helping that warming trend a long. Yes, we have made huge strides toward a cleaner planet in the last 50 years.

I think that people have some really good ideas for limiting their impact while still being able to travel and enjoy their lives. If we all adopt some practices, then we will make good progress.

I look at it in a similar manner to personal health - most of us eat things we shouldn't sometimes and most of us don't exercise as much as we ought to. But if we make some changes toward better health, we will be healthier.

the_scarecrow_in_oz

"My question was what I could do to be more environmentally aware when I travel."

Tread lightly.

When hiking or 4-wheel driving, stay on designated trails rather than create new ones.

Pack your non-biodegradable waste out with you rather than leave it behind.

Don't pick the flowers.

Take only pictures and memories out with you instead of pieces of the environment.

Keep a reasonable distance from the wildlife and leave them alone (unless you're hunting them, of course).

Seek out and patronize environmentally aware tour operators and guides.

Try to avoid overuse of sunscreen when swimming and snorkeling in fragile waters.

Don't touch the coral.

Don't bathe in rivers and lakes.

ilovetulips

Sportychick, I understand exactly what you are saying. I recently read a report on National Geographic Traveler about the current state of our national parks. It was a good article. Some of the parks in trouble regarding traffic/pollution include Rocky Mountain Ntl. Park and the Smoky Mountain National Park. Many of the less popular parks seem to be in better shape as well as some Canadian parks. I sometimes wonder should I seek out some parks that have fared better and steer clear of the others or maybe I should try to donate to some of these parks in hopes that they will clean up their act.

For those people who believe that the earth is inevitably getting hotter and there is nothing we can do to slow it down, just remember your kids and grandkids will be living in this world and wouldn't you hate for them to remember our generation as the one who did nothing?