August 2019: Green Travel

Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 6:30 PM – 8 PM

Quixotic Coffee, 769 Cleveland Ave S, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55116

Green Travel– Lessing environmental impact that traveling has by focusing on reducing travelers’ waste and carbon footprint
Preparation for travel

- Pack lightly– save baggage cost and fuel from less weight
- Bring multi-purpose clothing and items

- - Capsule wardrobes
  - Coats with SO MANY pockets lol
  - Bags

- - - Smaller bags with maximum storage
    - Travel Backpacks- suitcase with back straps and compartments
    - Purse/day pack- fit for a water pack, souvenirs and adventures
    - Duffle/suitcase
  - Packing Cubes (from recycled plastic)
- Bring reusable items
  - Reusable Water Bottle with a filter, or a straw/stick filter
  - Dish-ware, silverware set, straw and tupperware
  - Reusable make-up wipes
  - Reusable cloth/napkin- to use as napkin, washcloth
  - Reusable laundry bag
- Eco friendly travel items
  - Soap bars (Shampoo, conditioner, body, deodorant (plastic wrap free!):
  - Ex. Lush, Friendly Soap, Ethique, Basin Hair Care
  - Bamboo toothbrush
  - Antibacterial and odorless clothes (less smell = less washing = saving environmental resources) Organic’s Basics
  - Raw organic sunscreen made from natural ingredients
  - Solar charger, and solar powered items
Reservations
- Accommodations
  - Eco-friendly hotels
    - greenhotels.com– association of hotels with environmental resources
    - www.tripadvisor.com/GreenLeaders- levels of green living

- - - - GreenPartner (minimum), GreenLeader – Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum
    - Environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com
      - Eco-friendly score 1-7 leaves (must have 10 of possible 30 green initiatives)
  - Eco-friendly hostels
  - Airbnb’s– less waste, water, energy used
    - Airbnbs (https://press.airbnb.com/how-the-airbnb-community-supports-environmentally-friendly-travel-worldwide)
    - www.ecobnb.com– lists its sustainable perks
    - Launched Office of Healthy Tourism- empower emerging destinations and support environmental sustainability
    - Partnered with My Green Trip- eco-friendly travelers’ network that organize community clean-ups and share sustainable travel habits
      - Based in Switerland! (Vive la francophonie !)
  - Couchsurfing– app to stay at someone’s home (couch or room)
  - Camping
    - Supports State Parks & states’ Department of Natural Resources!
    - Items
      - Steel wool scrubber
      - Water purifiers
      - Microfiber towels (smaller dry faster, and usually softer!)
      - Multi-functional soap (body, dishes, etc)

- - - - Rub greasy dishes with dirt and soap
      - Refilling propane tanks (refilling)
      - Keep recycling items until obtaining access to a recycling bin
      - Compost- dig 30cm (2.5ft) deep in the earth- then cover
      - Natural bug spray- lavender or vinegar oils →Sara knows
      - Wax ear plugs- reusable and compostable
      - Solar lamps & chargers
      - Refillable lighters
    - Other alternatives
      - Log cabins
      - Staying with friends/family
      - Converted van life-rental
Cross country transportation
- greenroutes.org– routes leading to sustainably minded businesses and areas throughout MN & WI
- Planes
  - One round-trip flight from the US to Europe adds three to four tons to an individual’s annual carbon footprint and creates more greenhouse gas emissions than driving a medium-sized car 7,500 miles a year (about 2 US cross country trips)
  - Tips to reduce your carbon emissions while flying
    - Take a direct flight if possible
    - Travel economy, fits more people than luxury
    - Pack light, less weight = less fuel used
In-city and city to city transportation
- Mass Transportation
  - Mega bus- all over the world
  - City busses/trains/subway
    - Trains are also a great option when traveling city to city in Europe
  - Hotel/airport bus/shuttle
- Rental
  - Rental bike-Rent a bike through a city bike rental program
  - Rental scooters
  - Rental cars
    - Avis, enterprise
      - Some Hybrid and “Green Fleet” i.e. low emission cars (ford focus, etc
- Ride sharing
  - Blablacar- ride sharing app for people going in the same direction
- Eco-cab companies-
- Walking
  - Ride share with family, friends

While traveling

- Activities

- - Nature
    - Hiking, bike trails, rock climbing, camping, learning about the area at museums in state parks (about 70 in MN)

- - Green tourism companies
  - Walking tour
    - FreeToursByFoot.com– Harry Potter, Rock n’ Roll, Street Art Tours
  - Museums
  - couchsurfing.com– also has activities and meet-ups
  - Shopping
    - Locally owned shops with locally made souvenirs that represent their culture (generally away from tourists areas)
    - Markets- Night, book, farmers markets, craft fairs, etc.

Food and waste reduction

- Focus on local restaurants
- Avoid fast food to reduce 1 use to-go containers
- Bring your own Tupperware for leftovers
- Save extra sauce packets- using/finishing food
- Research where/how to recycle at your destination beforehand

- - keep until you can properly dispose
- Keeping a fire and it’s ashes away from water to protect water quality

Environmental Travel nonprofits
- Pledge for the Wild-a group of mountain towns supporting responsible tourism in wild places.
- Suggested donation of $1 per hour of your time spent outside enjoying these places

Delphane’s 10 tips

- 1. Gather your addresses before leaving– research eco-friendly places
- 2. Prepare for you modes of transportation – car, train, plane,)
- 3. Tupperware/food containers– to reduce food waste and packaging
- 4. Zero Waste Kits– picnics and take-out
- 5. Prepare your toiletries bag– reusable, package free items
- 6. Avoid supermarkets
- 7. Learn how to say “no thank you” – to straws, take out containers, etc
- 8. Be attentive when buying souvenirs & gifts- made local, second-hand
- 9. Eco-tourism– preserving the land and communities you visit
- 10. Buy Carbon Offsets– to balance out the carbon from your transportation

Extra

- Dr borax- can clean everything with it
- Sephora & Lush- return black make-up containers to be reused (after every 5/6 you get a free item)
- Carbon Footprint calculator
- Working while abroad

- - Work away- working while away
  - Wwoof.com- organic farms
  - Numundo.com- experiences or stays (appetences, or eco-friendly accommodations)
- Twin cities pera-culture group-

Green Tips

Host an Art Night

Looking for a new way to connect with your neighbors, get free life advice, and spark your creative juices? Consider hosting an art night at your house, complete with paints, modeling clay, colored pencils and art smocks. Get messy, be creative, and let the conversation flow. For inspiration and resources, check out this article.

Choose Safe Art Supplies

Arts and crafts materials can be hazardous to your health and the environment. Even though the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act of 1988 requires stringent labeling of hazardous materials in art supplies, many materials are out of compliance. This article offers tips to help you choose safe art supplies, plus substitutes to harmful substances.

Support a Local Business

Did you know that roughly 73 cents of every dollar spent at a local business stays within the community, compared to 43 cents for non-local chain stores? When you buy from local businesses, you help that business employ community workers, support other local businesses, and contribute to the community’s overall health. Read more here about the benefits of buying locally.

Buy Green Office Supplies

“Green” doesn’t necessarily mean “good” when it comes to so-called green office supplies. To help your office green up, consider durability, natural resource and energy use, recycled content and recyclability, toxicity, biodegradability and packaging before you purchase supplies. You can also set up a reuse system for the supplies you already have. For more tips on green office products, check out this article.

Think Twice About Bottled Water

If you live in an area with clean drinking water, fill a reusable bottle with tap water and bring it with you wherever you go to avoid buying bottled water. The U.S. sends 2 million tons of plastic water bottles to landfills each year—and producing those bottles requires oil and emits carbon dioxide. Some restaurants in the Twin Cities feel so strongly against bottled water that they refuse to sell it. Learn more.

Contact Your State Legislator

As a constituent, you are your local legislators’ highest priority. Why not share your views with them and ask them to support your position? It may seem like your letters and emails will get lost in a deep, dark political hole, but don’t despair. Whether you call, fax, email or visit in person, this article offers tips on how to effectively communicate with your elected officials and get them to listen.

Get Engaged!

Individuals’ actions are important in setting sound policy, so become an engaged citizen. Whether you call your legislator’s office, testify in a legislative hearing or attend a rally, you can make your voice heard. Still doubt that you can make a difference? This article addresses couple common concerns about whether civic engagement is worth it.

Take the Energy Challenge

The fastest, cheapest, easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is through energy efficiency and conservation. Plus, you’ll save yourself money in the process! Need a little boost to get started? Join the Minnesota Energy Challenge and learn from thousands of Minnesotans who have pledged to reduce their energy use—and are finding fun, creative ways to do it. Read more about the Challenge here.

Make an Action Plan

Wait. Scratch that. Don’t make your own list of simple things you can do today to make a positive difference for the climate—use ours! This list offers 20 easy things you can do that will help you and your family lighten your load on the environment, keep more money in your pocket, and inspire you to find even more ways to tread lightly on this earth.

Check Out This Template for Action

Scientists say a global warming “tipping point” in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about 30 years. These news flashes are just some of our climate’s changes happening daily. You and your kids can help. Read more here, and then check out Climate Generations’s Take Action! Guide, which offers hands-on activities for grades 3-12.

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