How to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions While on Vacation

While you're on vacation you may want to consider how you can reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Even by looking at the small aspects of a vacation like your transportation or using ineffective energy will impact the amount of carbon dioxide being released. You can still have a normal vacation, while using alternative resources and different ideas to make the most positive impact on your physical and social environment.

Step 1. Alternative Transportation

Using a car or truck for traveling will be a major source of carbon dioxide emission. There are several ways in which you can use different transportation to save on carbon emission. Check your car and make sure your tires are inflated and change your air filter. These things can will give a good impact on your carbon dioxide contribution. Removing any carriers or other items that are weighing the car down will help reduce the workload on your engine, which means you will use less fuel and CO₂ levels.

If you are using your own car, make sure you do not let it run in idle as this will impact your carbon dioxide emission rate. Another way to reduce carbon is by renting a car that will have better mileage, lowering your direct emission; or rent a hybrid which will also greatly improve on reducing carbon. When driving, keep your speed up to 55 mph as this will help reduce your emission and you will enjoy your great view on the way to your vacation.

If you do not want to rent a car, you can also take a train which is a great way to see the scenery and also save on carbon emission by leaving your car at home.

Step 2. Lodging

If you need to find a hotel, plan on staying at one that is eco friendly. Though there are hotels who claim to be eco friendly, only few actually are, and you will want to do a little research before you go. Search the Internet for hotels who use environmental aspects in their lodging. Since some hotels win awards for being eco friendly, you will be able to find a few that you know for sure are telling the truth. Look for hotels that have one the Energy Star award.

Step 3. Green Tourist

Whenever possible on your vacation, try walking to see the scenery or use a bike if you are not traveling very far. As this will save on CO₂ emission otherwise used by a car.

If you a traveling further away, your best eco-friendly way of saving carbon emission is by renting or driving a hybrid car like a Toyota Prius, which has 46 mpg, as opposed to 23 mpg for a normal car. This way you will be saving double the amount of CO₂ being emitted when traveling around. When eating out you will want to consider about buying local food from a farmers market which will save on the trucks coming down emitting gallons of carbon into the atmosphere.

When being recreational and you want to do something fun you can try biking or climbing instead of snowmobiling and jetsking and this will give you a chance to really enjoy the scnenery and environment of your vacation.

Step 4. Leaving Home

Make sure that you turn off all your lights and unplug any appliances or electronics that will not need to be used while you are away. To deter theft, you can  have lamps on timers if you like, but by making sure nothing is using unnecessary electricity, you will help save CO₂ emissions and have a smaller energy bill that month.