Traveling While Green

I just returned from a business trip and I was acutely aware of just how non-environmentally friendly travel can be these days.  First of all, jet airplanes are a major cause of carbon in the environment. Planes also use a lot of disposable plastic, styrofoam, and other non-environmentally friendly items.  Hotels use tons of water to wash linens daily, and restaurants and other travel service organizations are usually geared toward attractive presentation, not green principles.  Fortunately, there are increasing ways to plan a greener trip, and many companies are shifting their practices in response to customer demands.  Here’s what you can do:

–Consider telecommuting or avoiding a trip altogether — obviously there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting, but if you have regular meetings of a team of people (say monthly), see if it is possible to go to video-conferencing every other month.

–Aim for a non-stop flight — the greenest way to fly is to make as few stops as possible for the same distance.  A number of travel websites can help to navigate a good route.

–Use reusable items rather than disposable — there are now great looking stainless steel water bottles and nice shampoo and lotion bottles for toiletries.  Refilling these regularly will save on cost and waste.

–Reuse towels and linens in the hotel — most hotels have a policy to allow guests to elect how often to change the sheets and towels, enabling customers to use only what is needed. The amount of water conserved by this move is substantial.

–Try out new vegetarian cuisines — one of the great pleasures of traveling is trying out new foods. Use the opportunity to try local produce, abundant fresh vegetables and fruits and vegetarian cuisine.

I’d love to hear other suggestions for greening travel.

shared at Works for Me Wednesday