You don’t need to stop flying in order to be more environmentally conscious, however, there are some steps you can take while traveling to reduce your impact on our beautiful world.
Conscious Accommodation
Sustainable doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on the luxuries you love. Before you book your next trip, consider how your stay affects the local ecosystem. There are lots of options if you want to choose accommodation that is committed to reducing their impact on their surroundings. They look to reduce waste, use recycled and organic materials, clean with environmentally-friendly produce and cleaning produce. Respecting the local culture is also really important, you can get a more authentic experience by choosing locally produced goods and taking tours with local people- they will often know the top-secret spots!
Refillable Bottles
So, while the initial outlay maybe a little more, the financial savings quickly add up when you think about a bottle of water in the airport can easily costing over £2. There are many designs to choose from, companies such as Swell or Chilly's offer insulated bottles that keep your cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot. Water-To-Go bottles are another great option, they offer filter technology designed by NASA, allowing you to enjoy safe drinking water from any freshwater source.
Reusable Utensils
Reusable straws and cutlery sets have become increasingly popular and mean you can easily refuse the plastic alternatives. These are particularly good when you’re out exploring or visiting theme parks and food markets offering mostly "on the go" style food and drink.
Eco Sun Cream
It is important to protect yourself from the sun's harmful UV rays, however, did you know many sun creams are damaging to the environment. Hawaii has announced that they intend to ban the sale of sunscreens that are harmful to coral reefs by 2021 and its likely more countries will follow suit- this was particularly prevalent in Australia. Why not try Amazinc sunblock? We love that this sunscreen comes in a biodegradable cardboard tube and is both skin and planet friendly, allowing you to protect yourself and the natural environments of your destination.
Solid Cosmetics
Have you considered swapping to solid cosmetics? Not only do they help the environment, but they also save you a lot of hassle when you’re traveling with hand-luggage only – they don't count towards your liquid allowance! Lush provides a really extensive range of packaging-free products from shampoo and conditioner to moisturiser and makeup.
Fly Greener
Unfortunately, flying is not green. So how do you fly with the smallest environmental impact possible? First of all, choose a flight that is as direct as possible. When you opt for connecting flights, you have to fly a greater distance resulting in more carbon emissions. Some airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific, and Air France are taking steps to make their flights greener. They are putting various initiatives in place to help with fuel efficiency and working on developing lower-carbon, renewable aviation fuels from environmentally and socially sustainable sources. In the long run, the companies hope to use biofuels to power our planes. A more simple one (for some) would be to pack lighter- the lighter the plane the less CO2. It's 2020 and nearly every airline has an app these days, so why no say goodbye to your paper boarding pass and travel documents and just use the digital versions instead of printing them out?
There are lots of steps that we can help you take to make ensure your trip has as little impact on the environment as possible. If you have any questions about more sustainable options for your next trip please feel free to give on 01737 244411 us a call or pop in and see us.
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