Eco Travel: Where To Begin
If the fight for environmental preservation feels overwhelming to you, you’re not alone. In the face of heartbreaking news about climate change, our reaction is often to look way.
If you start to feel this way, remember Gandalf’s response to Frodo in The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring when Frodo wishes he didn’t know so much evil in his lifetime:
“So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
In other words, we may not get to choose the state of the world we are born into, but we do get to choose whether to take action or not. And what better place to start than our travel? We’re already outside of our day-to-day routine, so it’s a good time to experiment with new habits. Every trip we take can become an opportunity to make a difference. Here are a few ways we recommend:
Invest in reusable water bottles and coffee/tea cups to avoid single-use plastics when traveling. We love the colorful varieties from Simple Modern, and their commitment to sustainability and people over profits! They also have beautiful and reusable coffee cups, tumblers, wine glasses, food containers and more.
Ask your servers to skip the straws. It’s all the rage in California! When your waiter asks whether you prefer bottled or tap water, remember to also ask that it - and any other drinks you order - come without the straws.
Pick up garbage when you see it. It may not be the most glamorous thing to do on vacation, but it will help ensure future travelers can enjoy a less trashy trip than you, and you know what they say about karma…BONUS: Grabbing trash is also a great excuse to sprinkle some squats into your day. Just remember to protect your hands with gloves, bags, etc.
Shop Locally! Supporting local communities is a great way to protect the environment, because by stimulating the local economy you provide more funding to help preserve local resources and are putting the power of environmental conservation into the hands of the people in the best position to benefit from conserving it.
Use a reusable shopping bag for purchases on your trip. Many destinations will be outlawing single-use plastic in 2020 anyway, so best to come prepared with this OG of eco-conscious consumables.