Going Green: Tips for travel

Information courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Travelers create a lot of waste, even with the best intentions. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, you can do a few simple things that will reduce your waste, conserve resources, and minimize the overall environmental impact of your visit.

Trips and vacations

  • When visiting beaches and parks, be sure to take back everything you bring in, so that you can leave places unlettered and undisturbed.
  • To pass the time on long drives or rainy vacation days, bring scrap paper for drawing and games.
  • Hot summer days make you thirsty. Be sure to recycle your used drink containers. Consider putting a filter on your water tap and refilling bottles with the filtered water. Instead of buying many small drink bottles, buy drink mixes in bulk and fill your reusable bottles.
  • Share the ride and the road. Public transportation and carpooling reduce pollution.

Car maintenance

  • If you change your own motor oil, collect and store used oil in a sturdy plastic container and appropriately recycle. Dumping oil down storm drains or on the ground can contaminate groundwater.
  • Purchase extended life anti-freeze for your car. When it’s time to change it out, ensure you appropriate recycle.
  • Take used or damaged car batteries to auto stores that stock or repair lead-acid batteries for safe disposal. The batteries contain toxic amounts of lead and acid, and should not be thrown out with your regular trash.
  • Return used car tires to retailers or wholesalers that recycle or retread them. Tires are banned from most landfills, and illegally dumped tires become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pests.
  • Make sure your car has a clean air filter—a dirty air filter can increase your car’s fuel consumption by as much as 10 percent.