Login | Register | Subscribe to the GG RSS Feed

Does Your Conscience Travel with You?

1
2
3
4
5

It's easy than you think to lighten your carbon load while traveling

Reducing how much you take on vacation also helps cut down aircraft carbon emissions, says a report by the International Institute for Environment and Development in association with the International Center for Environmental Tourism.

Whew, talk about collective intelligence. Slim Your SuitcaseSlim Your Suitcase

By taking just a couple of pounds out of your checked luggage, you can lighten the plane's carbon load. And it may eventually be enforced (and charged for) if we don't start complying on our own.

  • Call ahead and ask if you'll need your hairdryer, flattening iron, curling iron, etc. If not, leave it at home.
  • Do you really need 3 pairs of shoes? I'm a ruthless packer and can usually make do with 2 pairs - regardless of where I'm headed.
  • If you're an avid reader, leave the books you finish behind for someone else to enjoy. At Bookcrossing you can even trace your book as it travels from reader to reader.
  • Wash what you wear. I pack for a maximum of 3 days, even when I'm traveling for weeks. Washing single items in the hotel sink eliminates the need for massive amounts of luggage.
  • Use public transportation to and from the airport and at your destination. Hopping on a bus anywhere will give you an inside view of local culture - and may even point you toward the best local food hangouts.
  • Eat locally grown produce to you eliminate the transportation costs (of the food). You get tastier meals to boot.

My love of travel is never going to change, but putting my carbon responsibility first allows me to enjoy my passion without guilt.

Do you consider your eco-conscience when you're travelling? How do you lighten your load?

Talk Back, Girlfriend and rate this post!

Rate This Post

Average: 4 (1 vote)

Bookmark This Post



Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Copy the characters (respecting upper/lower case) from the image.

Register

Membership is free and with it you can set up a profile, vote on stories and post your opinions.

Already a member?
Login
Not a member? Join!
Register

Most Recent Comments

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Sad and heavy heart said "On a note about the roads of Totrola which are steep, and windy and narrow, all the more reason that tour vehicles should have regular safety checks, SEATBELTS (which dirvers should mandate use or not allow passengers to continue with the tour, driver's should go slow, and Princess Cruise Lines should do extensive background checks, and not hire people with the nick-name of Crash-Dummy."

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Jan said "We were also on the ship with our friends, had spent the day at the beach in Tortola where the slider on my Omega came off, "broke" and lost. I had just purchased it on board the ship the day prior. But nothing can compare to the loss of a family member. The Captain had everyones attention for the announcement. Captain Draper done a great job informing the passengers of the accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Rumphrey family."

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Anonymous said "I was on that cruise that took Aaron's life, and it definatley upset my week. My heart was so heavy over the thought of his dear parents losing their son on what was to be a very happy time. My heart is with his family and I will pray for them."

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Julia Rosien said "Thanks for posting your comment. I was very impressed with the way Captain Draper handled the situation and I told him so. He made it a priority to inform all passengers and eliminated rumor and speculation. It's nice to know the other passengers involved felt the driver saved their lives. The roads in Tortola are terrible and I'm sure much skill is involvd navigating them safely. I hope you enjoyed your cruise, despite this tragedy. Julia"

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Anonymous said "I just returned from this tragic Caribbean Princess cruise. Although I was not a part of this particular excursion, it was both saddening and shocking for everyone on the ship when Capt. Draper made the announcements. The following day, we spoke to one of the excursion bus passengers who felt the bus driver did everything in his power to slow the bus down and they felt the bus driver had saved all of their lives. According to my fellow passenger, the fatality was caused by the young man being thrown through the front windshield. Of note, it was rumored told during the cruise that a witness saw the brakes being worked prior to the excursion."