Most of us desire to explore the world, meet new people, and experience different cultures. The dawn of modern times, however, has brought about the difficult task of traveling in a sustainable manner. Thankfully, this guide to sustainable travel will help you explore the world with a conscious mind and a light footprint. Discover how you can best reduce your environmental impact while still enjoying the wonderful adventures of travel.
1. Exploring Sustainable Travel: Why Sustainable Travel Matters
As the world is becoming more interconnected, national borders are opening up and travel is becoming more accessible. But as popular as travelling has become, tourists are increasingly concerned about the potential environmental, economic and social impacts of their journeys.
Why Sustainable Travel Matters
- It ensures that the environment is not destroyed and the economic stability of the communities is preserved.
- It allows us to have a more authentic and educational experience as opposed to the ‘cookie-cutter’ of tourism.
- It reduces our carbon emissions, which combat climate change.
The idea behind sustainable travel is to ensure that the natural environment, cultural heritage and local communities are treated with respect. Thus, sustainable tourism not only benefits the environment but also helps to benefit local businesses, stimulates local growth, and ensures that the communities living in the areas are not exploited.
It is important to take into consideration the environmental, cultural and economic impacts of our travels, in order to ensure that our travels are sustainable. With a positive approach to sustainable travel, the industry can become a force for good and can help to create a brighter future for everyone.
2. Achieving Eco-Friendly Transport: Choosing Transportation with Less Emissions
Humans need to travel to commute for work, to visit family, to explore new places and to lead active lives. But often, transportation comes with negative environmental impacts.
In a bid to reduce emissions and conserve our environment, eco-friendly methods of transportation should be chosen whenever possible. Here are some of them:
- Public Transport: To save time and energy, choose public transport such as buses, metro and trains. While often overcrowded, these modes of transport typically use renewable energy sources such as electricity.
- Carpooling: Sharing a car with a co-worker, friend, or neighbour can reduce the number of cars on the road, ultimately reducing energy consumption.
- Biking and Walking: Cycling or walking is the most energy-efficient way to get around. Biking and walking not only reduce air pollution levels but they are also good for our personal health.
In addition to these eco-friendly modes of transport, drivers can take other steps to reduce their impact on the environment─such as keeping tyres properly inflated, avoiding idling, and reducing speed. Instead of driving just for fun, check to see if the destination can be reached through a greener way of transportation.
3. Eating Locally: Benefits of Eating and Supporting Local Foods
Living in a world where the vast majority of people’s diets consist of packaged, processed, or foreign foods, it may seem tricky to transition to eating locally. But there are a lot of benefits to eating and supporting local foods – and here are just a few of them:
- Health: Eating locally grown produce generally results in greater flavour and nutrient content, since it hasn’t been shipped for long periods of time. Additionally, local farmers are usually more transparent with practices surrounding the health of their crops.
- Taxes: Supporting local businesses helps keep your money within the local economy, keeping taxes within the city or town, benefiting everyone.
- Environment: Local farms often employ more sustainable farming practices than larger operations, like crop rotation and using fewer chemicals. This helps keep the land healthier, and can result in less pollution.
- Community: Eating locally gives people the opportunity to meet the farmers who grow their food, forge relationships with their neighbours, and participate more in their community by attending local markets and other local food events.
Ultimately, eating and supporting local foods strengthens the local economy, becomes part of a healthy lifestyle, and encourages environmental sustainability. Making a conscious effort to eat more local foods can make a big difference in the culture, economy, and ecology of the area.
4. Staying Sustainable While Abroad: Simple Tips for Minimizing Impact
Traveling can be one of the most enriching experiences of our lives, but sometimes it comes at a hefty environmental cost. But don’t worry – there are a number of ways we can all reduce the impact of our travels. Here are some simple tips to help you stay sustainable while abroad.
Opt for Eco-Friendly Transport
- Bike, walk, skate or rollerblade when possible.
- If those options aren’t available, try using public transportation.
- Look into carpooling opportunities in your destination.
- Make sure to rent a hybrid car when driving is your only option.
Choose Green Accommodations
- Look for hotels and hostels that are dedicated to sustainable practices.
- See if there are local homestays (Airbnb, couch surfing, etc) available.
- Check to see if the establishment you’re staying at recycles.
Be Conscious With Your Food Choices
- Opt for organic and local food whenever possible.
- Avoid single-use plastic, like straws, bottles, and bags.
- Bring containers with you for leftovers or to-go.
- Support roadside vendors and food markets to minimize food waste.
By incorporating these sustainable choices into your travel itinerary, you can minimize your environmental impact while still having a wonderful, memorable experience. So don’t forget to think consciously and be mindful of your decisions while abroad!
5. Minimizing Waste: Eco-Friendly Disposal Options
Sustainable disposal isn’t difficult if you arm yourself with knowledge. The basics are simple: reduce what you consume and reuse or repurpose items whenever possible. But what if the item can’t be re-upcycled or recycled? In that case, it may be best to take a closer look at eco-friendly disposal.
Compostable
Composting is an effective way to break down organic matter into more harmless substances. It’s a natural form of disposal where waste is exposed to oxygen-rich environments that are conducive to breaking down organic matter and converting it into compost. Essentially, it’s a recycling process that adds nutrients to create new compost to use in home gardens or parks. Compostable items include food waste, plants, leaves, and even some paper products, depending on their composition.
Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste should be handled separately from regular waste. It includes items like electronics, oil-based paints, batteries, medicines, cleaning solvents, and much more. Depending on your location, there may be a designated drop-off point or collection bin where you can properly discard these items. It’s important to know what type of hazardous waste your city or state accepts, as regulations and restrictions on disposal may vary.
Biodegradable
Biodegradable waste is composed of organic materials that can be broken down by microorganisms. It’s possible to reuse biodegradable materials for multiple times before properly discarding them. Here are some common items that are considered biodegradable:
- Food waste
- Cotton
- Wood
- Paper
- Leaves
- Yard waste
Most biodegradable waste can be composted or recycled. Compost piles are a great option for biodegradable waste, and they don’t take much effort or space to set up. Additionally, organic waste can be collected by curbside programs or compost service companies. Check with your local government to see what options are available in your area.
6. Closing the Gap: Solutions for Mitigating Negative Impacts of Travel
Traveling can have mammoth implications for our environment and its future. Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce the environmental impacts of travel while still having a great experience. From the industry level to individual decisions, here are some solutions to help mitigate the negatives of travel.
Green Tourism Practices
Tourism businesses, such as resorts and transportation companies, can make a big difference with green efforts. Sustainable management of resources, green buildings and energy efficiency, reducing waste, and supporting local communities are all strategies that can cut down on the negative environmental impacts of travel.
Green Transport
Individuals can make greener transport choices, for both shorter and longer journeys, that have less of an environmental impact. Some of the best green transport options:
- Ride sharing
- Riding a bike
- Taking public transportation
- Carpooling
And, of course, the most environmentally-friendly way of traveling is not to travel at all– turning to video calls and virtual meetings when possible.
By prioritizing sustainable travel, we can help care for the planet while still enjoying the joys of exploring the world. By traveling consciously and with respect for nature, we can help protect our planet so that it’s still around for generations to come. So let’s make a conscious effort to minimize our environmental impact as we explore the great outdoors – it’s the responsible way to travel!
