Doing The Green Thing On Holiday

Going on holiday sometimes pushes us out of our habitual mode of thinking and operating. Being on holiday is a time where we are willing to pay for added convenience without thinking about the consequences of our actions. Going on holiday shouldn't change your responsibility towards the environment, if anything you have to learn to respect other environments outside of yours.

Even when we are on holiday we can reduce our carbon impact in many ways. Let us take a closer a look at some of these ways:

Choosing Your Accommodation 
There are a number of hotels or accommodations which make a conscious effort to reduce their impact on the environment, from structure, to operation, to maintenance. Some classic examples which i have come cross are:

• Grey-water recycling, which is the reuse of kitchen, bath and laundry water for garden and landscaping.
• Use of non-toxic cleaning agents and laundry detergents.
• Energy efficient lighting
• Renewable energy sources like solar power.
• Encourage people to re-use their towels and bed sheets reducing water and energy consumption.
• Air-conditioning shuts off when doors are opened.
• Serve organic and local grown food.

Some of these establishments concepts are centered on their  unique ecological characteristics, and more importantly they are surprisingly interesting and exceed any persons expectations. There are thousands of such concepts to choose from. You night want to consider staying in one of them on your next vacation. Even if you have not chosen to stay at a ecological lodge, this doesn't stop you from acting in a Eco-responsible manner. Staying in Eco-friendly concepts can be quite fun and will exceed your expectations. Alot of people have the wrong impression about these types of accommodations, these can vary from adventurous to very classy places.

Traveling Around

What is next your probably wondering?, "swimming the Atlantic or Mediterranean to get from country to country". Well that wouldn't be a bad idea if it were physically possible. Well you could canoe it there! Here the basic motive is to consider your options, i.e. if you can walk it then don't bother getting a taxi or a bus. By walking around this allows you to absorb the surroundings better and getting a feel for an area. Most cities or towns have bikes available for rent, so that would be a great way to get around. 

What helps with deciding on how to get around requires a little planning. Gathering information about distances and climate may help you with deciding on the means of moving around.  A lot of cities offer a rickshaw service, allowing you to sit back and be driven around on a bike. Totally environmentally friendly.

So it really is simple. Your responsibility to the environment should never stop.