21/12
by Brendan Buzer
Your Green Guide to Travel
If you are planning a holiday road trip for the festive season in 2011, but want to keep your carbon footprint to a minimum, we’ve got some quick and easy tips for you to keep your travel as eco-friendly and carbon-neutral as possible.
- Get ready before you leave – When you realise you have to return home for something, the car is then turned around and your carbon output is doubled for that distance. Eliminate this through careful planning and you will save the environment while saving yourself some very precious holiday time.
- When possible, drive with the windows up and the air conditioner off – Some engineers have studied the benefits of both and found that at low speeds one should try to drive with the windows down, however, at highway speeds it is more economic to have the air conditioner on.
- Streamline your vehicle – You will greatly reduce your fuel consumption by removing things that are not in use such as roof racks and keeping the load weight to a minimum.
- Charge your electronics at home – Using car chargers are convenient but do increase your fuel consumption, the most efficient way to charge your electronics is with a proper plug at home, even better with a solar charger!
- Use Public Transport – Or better yet, walk or ride a bike wherever possible. Hiring a car is a nice convenience but if you are in a big city you can more than likely manage with buses, trains, and even your own two feet for a green and fit option!
- Before you leave, unplug it all – Check all plug-points in your home and be sure they are all off, especially your hot water geyser. This will save you a huge amount of money and help you be extremely green!
- Offset your carbon emissions – Some airlines have options for you to offset the carbon emissions of your flight through them, but you can always search for other organisations that will offset your holiday footprint with some great environmental and community upliftment projects.
- Book a Greener Seat on a Flight – Did you know that you can reduce your flight’s carbon footprint by up to 5 times by flying economy instead of first class? (Guardian, UK)
- Get a room! A Green one! – There are many green hotels that one can stay at when travelling. Make these establishments your first choice, and no matter where you stay, tell the hotel staff to keep your towels and linens in your room so that you can re-use them during the duration of your stay to reduce water consumption.
- Head for Greener Pastures – There are a great deal of beautiful and exciting destinations all over that the planet has to offer. Let Mother Nature be your host this year, it’s good for your health and by visiting parks and outdoor destinations, you can make a contribution to help sustain the natural wonders we have.
From MiX Telematics, Happy Holidays and travel safely!
Brendan Buzer is a Product Manager at MiX Telematics International, based in South Africa. He is passionate about the outdoors and the environment and hopes to convey his enthusiasm for this subject on to others. Follow him on Twitter at @brendanbuzer.
Shawn Graaff is the Online Content & Social Media Manager for MiX Telematics International. Based in South Africa, Shawn is an American dreaming in digital with a special interest in Mobile for Africa and sustainable living. Follow her tweets about Social Media Marketing, SEO, Content Strategy, and Online Community Management @ShawnGraaff.
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