With the benefit for themselves, without harm to nature: How to travel more environmentally friendly
Traveling is not the most eco-friendly. No matter how we move, we inevitably encounter garbage (for example, non-recyclable packaging, plastic dishes in airplanes or shampoo probes at a hotel) or carbon dioxide emissions that cause significant environmental damage and affect climate change. According to research, world tourism is associated with 8% of all global carbon dioxide emissions - this is not only transport, but also waste from food production, hotels, and shopping. Understand where to start if you want to cause less damage to the planet while traveling.
Text: Lada Poltavskaya, author of the telegram channel My Eco Routine
How to get to places
Any means of transportation, if it is not a bicycle and not your legs, is not environmentally friendly: both airplanes and automobiles emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When choosing a vehicle, we are accustomed to be guided by the price of the ticket and the duration of the trip, however, the high speed of movement does not guarantee the ecological journey. For example, according to The National Geographic, the most environmentally friendly way to get from New York to Toronto, apart from electric cars, will be a bus: this will give 24 kilograms of emissions per passenger. Behind them go the plane (75.3 kilograms of CO emissions2 per passenger), car (80.7 kilograms) and train (84.3 kilograms). It is important to consider not only the amount of emissions, but also other factors. In the case of airplanes, fuel is consumed more efficiently if the flight is long and there are many passengers on it. Trains are considered more energy efficient transport compared to airplanes and cars, but in the case of a train from New York to Toronto, emissions per passenger will be more, as the train goes a long route. Finally, in the case of a car, much depends on the number of passengers in the cabin: the fewer people in the car, the more fuel is spent on each.
Airplanes, in principle, are not too friendly to nature. According to Professor Ulrich Schumann, Director of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the German Aerospace Center, airplanes account for about 2.2% of all carbon dioxide emitted by mankind into the atmosphere. And although this is less than the percentage attributable to cars (about 14%), the figure could grow significantly in the next few years. According to the WWF, by 2020 the amount of emissions will be already 5%, and by 2050 it can reach 50% - primarily because there are no ways to switch aviation to energy sources that are not related to carbon dioxide emissions.
Of course, the specific numbers of waste per passenger depend on the size and fullness of the flight, however, you can focus on the average values. For example, according to the company KLM, during the flight Amsterdam - Brussels (cities are just 183 kilometers of flight), about twenty kilograms of carbon dioxide gas is released per passenger, and during the flight Amsterdam - Chicago (distance between airports is almost 7 thousand kilometers) - about 644 kilograms per passenger. So, when planning a trip, if possible, choose direct flights - you can see the data on flights from Russia and their corresponding waste, for example, on the Aeroflot website. Some airlines offer offsetting CO emissions.2by making a small contribution when buying tickets - this money, as a rule, goes to the development of projects that are struggling with climate change. Such programs are offered by KLM, Air France, Delta Airlines and Lufthansa.
What matters is not only how you get to your goal, but also how you move afterwards - it's best to walk or use public transport.
Among other types of transport, trains are traditionally considered more environmentally friendly, but not everything is so simple here either. First, the opportunity to get to a specific point by train is not always. Secondly, the type of train is important: for example, according to experts, transport on a diesel engine is about as good as cars - so if possible, it makes sense to choose an electric train.
If you decide on a long car trip, it is worth remembering a few things that will help reduce fuel consumption and, consequently, reduce the amount of harmful emissions. Take one, and preferably several fellow travelers with you, so you can use the car as efficiently as possible. Try to plan a route in advance to avoid traffic jams and road sections with repairs and not stand idle. Do not load the trunk with unnecessary things - they increase the weight of your car, and this affects fuel consumption. In addition, try to use less air conditioning: according to the Ministry of Natural Resources of Canada, the air conditioning system can increase fuel consumption by 20% due to the additional load on the engine.
Remember that not only how you get to your goal is important, but also how you move afterwards - it's best to walk or use public transport. To understand what will be more environmentally friendly in the latter case, Greenpeace has created a special calculator that shows the amount of carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions from different types of transport. Thus, for a half-hour car ride, almost four and a half kilograms of carbon dioxide are allocated, while only 139 grams stand out in the tram in terms of one passenger. Many cities have a bike rental system: on Wikipedia, you can find a list of bikesharing systems around the world — before you go, find out if you can rent a bike where you are going.
What to take with you
Another important step in planning a trip is to think about what things you would like to take with you. In addition to clothing, first-aid kits and hygiene items, grab a textile bag and bags for shopping, in which you can take products by weight - this will not only save on packaging, but also avoid purchasing plastic bags, each of which has been decomposed for at least twenty years.
If you are traveling by car, you can pack a lunchbox, a thermos with tea or a bottle of water, and then replenish supplies on the road. If you like to take away coffee, take a reusable glass or a thermocup - it will replace a huge amount of disposable dishes, which can hardly be called environmentally friendly: to keep the glass in contact with hot water, it is covered with a thin layer of polyethylene, which makes processing much more difficult.
Do not forget to take a travel set with bottles, where you can pour shower gel, shampoo and other necessary means. This will not only save space in the luggage, but also relieve the temptation to use hotel miniature tools and then puzzle over what to do with the remaining packaging.
How to avoid unnecessary
Recently, disposability is increasingly perceived as a synonym for comfort. For example, we buy water in a plastic bottle on the way to the airport in order to throw it away before passing the passport control and buy a new one in five minutes, which we will take on board the aircraft - simply because it’s as if it’s simpler. On board, we get food wrapped in a plastic wrapper, and disposable cups with cold and hot drinks are convenient, but all of these dishes are then sent to the trash. Fortunately, as in any other situation, when traveling, it is in our power to approach the process more consciously.
First, you can choose an environmentally responsible airline. For example, Virgin Atlantic is trying to reduce the amount of debris remaining on board after each flight, and is working on other relevant initiatives, and Emirates has introduced measures for recycling plastic, aluminum, glass and paper products on board. They also use blankets made from recycled plastic bottles. Secondly, do not buy water before passing the control - it is better to take an empty bottle with you and fill it in a coffee shop before boarding. On board, try to refuse food in a disposable package; if the flight lasts longer than one hour, it is better to take food with you in a container.
Do you really need a daily maid to change bed linen, towels and half-empty plastic bags in the bin?
Remember that there is a certification that helps to assess the environmental friendliness of hotels. For example, there is a LEED system - a guide to energy efficient and environmentally friendly building design; Green Leaf is a certification system that promotes the integrated development of ecological, social and economic systems, and finally Green Key is a certification system designed specifically for the tourism industry and has nearly three thousand hotels in fifty-seven countries. The presence of the latest certificate means that the hotel has fulfilled the necessary requirements related to environmental management and increased awareness of guests and staff in environmental issues, including, for example, the economical use of water and energy, environmentally friendly materials and means for cleaning, proper waste management, the presence of recreational zones and more.
Even if the hotel has no special certification, the stay can still be made more environmentally friendly. If you stay for longer than three days, hang a “do not disturb” sign on the door. Daily cleaning is synonymous with hotel comfort, but think about it, do you really need a maid to change bed linen, towels and half-empty plastic bags in a trash can every day? Will help and informed approach to food. Try to choose local seasonal vegetables and fruits, and also go to the shops where you can buy food in bulk. If you cannot avoid plastic packaging, try recycling it according to local regulations. If you are not staying at a hotel, but in an apartment and you have the opportunity to cook on your own, take a closer look at this option - it is much easier to control the leftover food and the quality of the products themselves, and also keep track of what goes into the trash.
What else might come in handy
Recently, many green initiatives and resources have appeared that help to remain environmentally friendly in an unfamiliar country. To choose a certified eco-hotel, you can use the Green Key card - it shows hotels in Europe, the USA and partly in Asia. To buy products in your own bags, without plastic bags, you will need a Bepakt card with stores and supermarkets in Europe that follow the principles of "zero garbage", that is, sell goods without packaging. While it is working in test mode, but you can use it now. If you are going to the USA or Canada, this card is useful to you - there are more than three thousand places on it, and it works on the same principle as Bepakt.
Happy Cow helps you not to wander in an unfamiliar city in search of a vegan menu - this guide will show all the necessary points. Entering the name of the city in the line on the main page, you will receive a list of establishments with contact details, work schedule and average check. In parallel, the marked places will be displayed on the map: vegan restaurants are marked in green, vegetarian — in purple, and a cafe with a vegan menu - in red. And finally, do not forget about the application Refill - with it you will always know where you can replenish the supply of water (it works in Europe and the USA).
PHOTO:Pavel Chernobrivets - stock.adobe.com, alekseyliss - stock.adobe.com
