Dec. 7, 2021

While we’re getting into the Christmas spirit and preparing to travel for the holidays, we thought to share 7 sustainable practices that are not only fun and save the planet, but also help you save some cash. Want to know what they are? Here you go:

Go for reusables
What are eco-friendly holiday trips without reusables? Planning ahead is one of the things to do to have a sustainable road trip during the holidays.

Because it’s a road trip, there’s every tendency that you may not have the capacity to stick to your sustainable or zero waste habits, but you can still keep a few reusable essentials and do away with single-use items.

For example, you could opt for reusable cups, plates, utensils, bags, water bottles, etc. That way, you’ll have a trip void of plastics!

Buy local
Embarking on road trips means you’ll likely run into local sellers. Why not make a quick stop and buy from them instead of buying from large supply chains which mostly aren’t eco-conscious?

After all, you’ll be sure you’re buying organic food items and other groceries.

Dispose of waste responsibly
Just because you’re miles away from your home recycling and composting systems doesn’t mean you responsibly dispose of the waste you generate on your trip. Remember that how you treat your waste indicates how good you are when it comes to sustainable practices.

You could use your phone and search for recycling centers nearest to you and drop your recyclables.

Also, remember to store up food wastes in a reusable retainer and dispose of them when you find drop-off locations for compost waste.

Wash with biodegradable soaps
If your holiday destination is quite a distance, there’s every possibility that you’d camp along the way or check into a hotel. Whichever it is, ensure you bathe, wash your clothes, do the dishes with biodegradable soaps.

If you’re camping, make sure you do not wash in any body of water as you could do inadvertently harm aquatic life. Instead, wash in a basin you must have packed initially, and dump the soapy water far away from waterways. You could dig up a hole in the soil and pour it in or pour it on dense foliage.

Minimize emissions
Driving fast to get to your holiday destination on time may save time, but it comes at a great price – the planet.

This is because speed, as well as other factors like AC use, decreases fuel efficiency thereby increasing CO2 output.

As an important sustainable practice, you might want to take it slow and steady. You could also roll down your window to let in fresh air. Never forget that an air conditioner cannot compare with nature’s breeze.

Conserve water
Conserving water usage helps to reduce the energy required to process it – filter, heat, and pump.

So, you can reduce how often you wash your clothes and after your laundry, try as much as possible to find a way of reusing the water before throwing it away.

Courtesy: Climateaction.africa