day 29

Day 29: Green Travel

Sunday March 27, 2011

The new trend in traveling has been how to reduce our carbon footprint.  A variety of components factor into this: using public transportation, minimizing luggage (extra weight for the plane), minimizing use of plastic bottles, staying at a hotel that emphasizes their adherence to green standards, and possible volunteer work as part of travels to a eco friendly cause.

Today was my green day.  I recycled.  This seems to happen once every 2-3 months.  This sounds disgusting, but we already try to limit water bottle consumption and plastic Gatorade bottles.  We are opting for purchasing bigger bottles of Gatorade which are less in the amount of plastic versus smaller bottles more plastic.  When I lived in other states, recycleables were automatically separated from regular trash.  It was easy, but here in Hawaii, it takes effort to recycle.  Some people stay careless and assume the homeless will sift through their trash and do their homework for them.  But for me, I am making a concerted effort to go to the recycle center myself.  And I did, with 3-4 bags of recycleables pre-separated: bottles, cans, glass, plastic. After all this work, I was left with $5.96.  I was completely astounded, all this work for this?  Last time, I received at least $15.  But I already made the shift to purchasing less plastic, the refunds show.  I do not buy more plastic in hopes for more return, but I question is this really worth it?

I talked to my friend Pam later in the day about this, and she said “I used to recycle for the money, but now I do it for the cause.”   That reminded me of the perspective shift I once had, recycle because you are doing your part to better the world, not for the sake of your profit. 

I realize that I try to live these principles outside of just recycling, but reducing waste.  I opened up a recent wedding invitation and inside the envelope there were 5-6 pieces of paper, all components to the invitation.  Beautiful, but wasteful.  Ironically, I am in the putting together wedding invitations, and have explored how to minimize excess paper and waste.  Postcards for response cards and two sided invites. 

As we travel, it is important to keep this in mind.  What can we do to better the world?  How can we green up our travel plans?  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is not a motto just for when you are in your hometown.  Mother Earth has so much to give us, how can we give back?   How can we ensure she is there for future generations to share in her wealth?