As published in the Lafayette Today newspaper.
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Green Travel Tips - By Becky Shafi
Many people don’t stop to think about the environmental impacts of their summer vacation travel. Oftentimes our trips may be very costly to the earth, but there are ways we can reduce our impacts with a little thought and pre-planning.
First of all, consider the mode of transportation for your trip – planes, trains, automobiles and cruise ships all have varying degrees of impact. Airplanes are most detrimental to the atmosphere and cruise ships to our ocean waters. Airliners emit their CO2 directly into the upper atmosphere, where it is likely to do over twice the damage of the same quantity of CO2 emitted at ground level. Airplanes are one of the largest sources of carbon emissions for the transportation category and cause 3.5% of all global warming emissions overall.
Cruise liners, on the other hand, are becoming increasingly damaging to our oceans. The impact of cruise travel is growing with the ever expanding popularity of this type of vacation. Here is an estimate of the amount of ocean pollution created by an average large cruise line in just one week:
• 210,000 gallons of human sewage
• 1 million gallons of gray water
• 25,000 gallons of oily bilge water
• 130 gallons of hazardous wastes
All of this is released straight into the oceans. Cruise ships are allowed to dump untreated sewage into the ocean as long as the ship is more than three miles from the shore. Ships also create impacts on the air. Each day one cruise ship can create diesel exhaust equal to that produced by thousands of cars. If you are considering a cruise vacation, look into eco-cruises that work at reducing their impacts. Consider smaller, more earth-friendly ships. Do your homework - conduct some research into alternatives. Treehugger.com has a list of cruises that are less impactful on the environment. Read up on the impacts of your cruise and consider some alternatives before booking a cruise vacation.
No matter what mode of travel you choose, your impacts can be more balanced by purchasing carbon offsets. Carbon offsetting helps reduce the impacts of your trip by allowing you to invest in projects such planting trees, erecting wind turbines, capturing methane and other programs that help to protect our air quality. By making a small investment in clean energy technologies, you can equal the damage done by your emissions, thereby making your trip carbon neutral. There are many companies that sell carbon offsets. One of the more reputable companies is TerraPass.com. This site allows you to calculate the emissions of your air or auto travel and purchase your offsets online.
Next you’ll want to consider your lodgings. Most hotels now allow guests to reuse their towels to save water and energy. But, many hotels are going a lot further. There is a new green certification for hotels. In order to achieve this certification a hotel must have implemented energy-saving, recycling, composting, water reduction and many other programs to help the hotel to reduce its environmental impacts. To find out if a hotel is green certified you can simply ask them or check their website. You can also learn more about these programs at greenhotels.com. The Kimpton hotel chain is an exemplary hotel that is working hard to minimize their impacts. They have gone above and beyond to care for the earth. The Kimpton Hotels serve local organic meat and produce in their restaurants; they have implemented an Earth Care program and have partnered with the Nature Conservancy to plant a billion trees. It’s easy to feel good about your vacation stay when your hotel has programs to improve environmental sustainability. To learn more about green hotels and to book a sustainable vacation visit iStayGreen.org.
Finally, your trip is planned, your impacts are reduced and you’re ready to head out the door. Not so fast. You’ll want to do a quick check of your home make sure it isn’t wasting energy while you’re away. Check your water heater, either turn it off or set it on vacation mode. Make sure that you unplug all of your appliances. They can draw energy even when they aren’t turned on. Make sure all thermostats are off. Now, you’re ready for your vacation – Have a great green trip!
link to PDF of Lafayette Today that
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