10 Ways to Be a Greener Traveler, Even if You Love to Fly

You want to be green. You recycle. You turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth. But you’re not going to forgo a flight to a tropical paradise and top-notch accommodations, even though planes emit greenhouse gases and routine hotel practices, like washing the linens each day, hurt the environment. After all, you love to travel — and well.

There’s still hope. To help you sleep easier on those high-thread-count sheets, here are 10 small ways to travel a little more responsibly, even when taking that trip to Hawaii.

1. Offset Your Flight

Flying (especially on short flights) is among the least sustainable ways to travel, according to groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund. Some airlines allow you to try to compensate for the carbon footprint you create when flying, however, by buying what are known as carbon offsets, or various ways to reduce greenhouse gases. Passengers on airlines like Delta and United can calculate their carbon footprint on the airline websites, which equate the size of a trip’s carbon footprint with a dollar figure. They can then donate their money or miles to a carbon reduction project such as forest conservation or renewable energy. Airlines are not the only ones offering offsets, though. Amtrak, for instance, has a rail calculator and allows you to offset your train trip through Carbonfund.org.

Some environmental organizations have said that offset programs are problematic. And a number of them have suggested that the carbon calculators on airline sites are not precise enough because they do not take into consideration factors like whether you’re flying first class (which results in a larger carbon footprint because you’re taking up space that could otherwise have been used to transport more people). Still, contributing to such programs is better than flying and doing nothing. For a more precise calculator, check out carbonfootprint.com.

2. Tour Cities on Foot

If you can’t walk, bike. If you can’t bike, take a subway, bus or train. If you rent a car, request a hybrid. If you hire a driver, try to car pool. Services such as Lyft and Uber offer car-pooling, though the notion that they are environmentally friendly is being studied; researchers at NRDC Urban Solutions and the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, are analyzing whether such services are good for the environment or if they are merely congesting roads, competing with public transportation and encouraging people to be driven instead of walking. Bottom line: If you have the option, walk.

3. Have a Green Hotel Stay

The greenest vacation is one in which you don’t travel far, impossible for those who wish to see the world. Airbnb has argued that home sharing is a greener option than hotels, though its study published in 2014 — which said that using Airbnb results in a significant reduction in energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste, and relied mainly on guest and host survey responses from February to April of that year — was not scientific. But if home sharing isn’t for you, you can still make any hotel stay greener by reusing your sheets and towels (many hotels give guests the option to not change their linens each day), taking short showers, turning off the air-conditioner (or using a fan instead), turning down the thermostat and using less electricity by forgoing the hair dryer and switching off the lights when you’re not in the room. You can also choose to stay in hotels that have sustainable practices like harvesting rainwater and not heating or air-conditioning rooms or spaces that are unoccupied. To find them, check out a site like the Green Hotels Association. Expedia.com also has some tips for green travel. Not sure your desired hotel is green? The Nature Conservancy has 10 questions you can ask to find out.

4. Take a Reusable Water Bottle

Millions of barrels of oil are needed to produce the plastic water bottles consumed by Americans alone, according to the Pacific Institute, a sustainable water think tank. In 2007 the group said that the amount of oil used in the production of plastic water bottles was enough energy to fuel more than a million cars and light trucks for a year. You can do your part to curb emissions by always traveling with a reusable bottle. And coffee and tea drinkers can help when it comes to saving paper by carrying reusable travel mugs instead of to-go cups.

5. Pack Light

The heavier your luggage, the more fuel is needed. Even something as small as a cellphone multiplied across the number of passengers affects the weight of a plane. Besides, it’s easier and more fun to travel when you’re not loaded down with bags.

6. Opt for E-Tickets Instead of Paper

By now we know not to print documents when we don’t have to, and recycle whatever paper we do use. Paper production and pulpwood harvesting contribute to climate change and “threaten some of the last remaining natural forests and the people and wildlife that depend on them,” according to the WWF. E-tickets, meanwhile, have come a long way from their wonky early days. Having your smartphone scanned at airports and train stations is often seamless.

7. Go Local

Eat locally sourced food and buy locally made souvenirs — and carry them back to your hotel in a reusable bag instead of plastic. In addition to supporting local economies, shopping locally generally means there’s less packaging. And items don’t need to be flown or shipped in, cutting down on waste and greenhouse gas emissions. As the Michigan State University Extension has pointed out, buying locally grown food can help maintain farmland and green space. To cut emissions even more significantly, reduce or eliminate red meat; its production is carbon-intensive.

8. Put Your Laptop to Sleep

Allow your computer and other devices to sleep when you’re not using them. It’s an energy saver that’s good for their battery life and for the earth, too.

9. Choose Tours That Don’t Harm the Environment

Many environmentally minded groups including the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club and the WWF offer eco-trips and outings that strive not to harm natural resources, wildlife or people. Backroads and REI Adventures also offer tours that aim to be environmentally low-impact.

10. Spread the Word

Pass your green travel habits on to others. You’ll multiply their effect — something you’ll need to do given all the trips you hope to take.

即使你愛搭飛機(jī)旅游，這十種方法讓也可以讓你變成綠色的旅行達(dá)人

摘自《紐約時報》2016年4月20日

你想要保護(hù)環(huán)境，所以你利用可回收垃圾咒吐，你在刷牙的時候關(guān)掉水龍頭。但是你抵擋不住飛往熱帶度假天堂和頂級會所的誘惑罗岖，然而飛機(jī)會釋放大量的溫室氣體，而且賓館的日常運營腹躁，例如每天洗床單桑包，也會破壞環(huán)境。但是沒辦法啊纺非，你熱愛旅行捡多。還好，還有希望能讓你躺在那高級床單上铐炫，放下這些心事睡個好覺。以下是十種小方法能讓你變成一個更加負(fù)責(zé)的旅者蒜焊，甚至是飛去夏威夷倒信。

為飛行造成的污染買單

根據(jù)美國環(huán)保協(xié)會的調(diào)查指出，航空旅行（尤其是短途航線）是最不環(huán)保的旅行方式之一泳梆。很多航空公司都為旅客提供多種方法來彌補(bǔ)他們在旅途中所留下的碳足跡（碳排放）鳖悠，你可以購買“碳補(bǔ)償”，也可以通過其各種他方法捐款以減少溫室氣體的排放优妙。三角洲航空和美聯(lián)航的乘客可以在航空公司官網(wǎng)上計算他們的碳足跡量乘综，然后得出整個行程碳足跡的報價單。他們可以按此把錢或里程數(shù)捐給環(huán)保機(jī)構(gòu)套硼，這些機(jī)構(gòu)可能從事防林業(yè)卡辰，也可能從事可再生資源的開發(fā)。不僅僅只有航空公司提供碳補(bǔ)償，美國鐵路公司的旅客也可以再Carbonfund.org上計算并購買他們搭乘火車旅行所留下的碳足跡九妈。

很多環(huán)保組織稱碳補(bǔ)償計劃存在很多問題反砌。很多專業(yè)人士指出航空公司網(wǎng)站上的碳排放計算器并不十分準(zhǔn)確，因為他們沒有考慮到旅客搭乘的是否為頭等艙（頭等艙旅客所制造的碳排放要更大一些萌朱，因為他們占據(jù)了更多空間宴树，這些空間本可以被更加充分利用以容納更多旅客）。即便如此晶疼，參與碳補(bǔ)償活動也總好過完全不做為酒贬。若您想要更精準(zhǔn)的計算碳排放，請登錄carbonfootprint.com翠霍。

2. 步行游城

如果你不想走路锭吨，那就騎車。如果你不想騎車壶运，那就搭地鐵耐齐、公交或者鐵路。如果你要租車蒋情，那就租混合動力車埠况。如果你打算雇一個司機(jī)，那就干脆拼車棵癣。很多服務(wù)機(jī)構(gòu)辕翰，例如雷夫和優(yōu)步都提供拼車服務(wù)，雖然人們?nèi)栽谘芯窟@種做法到底是否環(huán)保狈谊。加州大學(xué)交通持續(xù)性研究中心NRDC城市交通問題解決部的專家正在分析這些服務(wù)機(jī)構(gòu)是否有利于環(huán)保喜命，亦或者因為他們與公共交通的競爭而把道路變得更加擁堵，這些服務(wù)機(jī)構(gòu)會不會反而鼓勵人們開車而非步行河劝。因此我們的底線是：如果你方便的話壁榕，請選擇步行。

3. 入住綠色賓館

最綠色最環(huán)保的假期要求你不出遠(yuǎn)門赎瞎，這對那些“世界那么大想出去看看”的人來說根本是不可能的牌里。愛本卜公司認(rèn)為家庭共享

相較于住酒店要環(huán)保的多。雖然他們在2014年的調(diào)查報告說明使用愛本卜的服務(wù)可以大幅度降低對水電的消耗务甥，減少溫室氣體和垃圾的排放牡辽。然而他們的報告卻被指不科學(xué)，因為只有2014年2月到4月之間的旅客和屋住參與了調(diào)查回饋敞临。

如果你不想住別人家的話态辛，你也可以更加環(huán)保的居住酒店。你可以不必每天換床單和浴巾（很多賓館同意客人選擇不每天更換床單浴巾）挺尿，縮短沐浴時間奏黑，關(guān)掉空調(diào)炊邦，把溫度調(diào)低，不使用吹風(fēng)價攀涵，并且人不在房間的時候關(guān)掉電燈可以省很多電铣耘。你也可以選擇入住履行環(huán)保作業(yè)的賓館，這些賓館采取回收雨水以故，對于無人居住的房間和區(qū)域不提供供暖和空調(diào)蜗细。你可以登錄例如綠色賓館協(xié)會等相關(guān)網(wǎng)站搜索這些賓館。Expedia.com也提供一些綠色出行的小貼士怒详。如果你不確定你所居住的酒店是否是綠色酒店炉媒，你可以查詢美國自然保育協(xié)會，他們準(zhǔn)備了十個問題你可以研究一下得出答案昆烁。

4. 不要用一次性水壺

一所名為“太平洋研究所”的可持續(xù)性水源智庫指出僅美國一國對塑料水瓶的需求就要消耗上百萬桶原油吊骤。該智庫于2007年聲稱用來生產(chǎn)塑料水壺所消耗的原油足夠為一百多萬輛汽車和電燈提供一年的能量。你可以通過在旅途中使用可再用的水壺為節(jié)能減排出一份力静尼。喜歡喝咖啡喝茶水的旅客也可以通過使用自己的水杯而不是一次性的外帶紙杯來節(jié)省對紙張的消耗白粉。

5.輕裝出行

你的行李越重，消耗的能量就越多鼠渺。即使是像手機(jī)這么小的東西鸭巴，乘以旅客的數(shù)量也會影響飛機(jī)的整體重量。況且拦盹，如果能輕裝上陣鹃祖，你也會在旅途中玩的更開心，更方便普舆。

6. 使用電子票據(jù)而不是紙質(zhì)票據(jù)

現(xiàn)在我們已經(jīng)習(xí)慣于在不必要的時候盡量不打印恬口，并且把紙張循環(huán)利用。據(jù)世界野生動物基金會沼侣，造紙和紙漿制造會增強(qiáng)氣候改變祖能，并且“威脅著最后僅存的幾片我們?nèi)祟惡鸵吧鷦游镔囈詾樯脑忌帧薄ｋ娮悠睋?jù)早已經(jīng)脫離了當(dāng)年尷尬的雛形蛾洛，現(xiàn)在我們可以在機(jī)場和火車站無縫的掃描手機(jī)上的電子票據(jù)芯杀。

7. 消費本地化

購買本地生產(chǎn)的食材，購買本地制作的紀(jì)念品雅潭，然后在把這些東西使用可循環(huán)利用的購物，而非塑料袋却特，袋帶回酒店扶供。這樣做不僅可以刺激本地經(jīng)濟(jì)，而且可以減少包裝浪費裂明。這樣一來貨物不需要長途運輸椿浓，減少浪費和溫室氣體的排放。密歇根州立大學(xué)拓展計劃指出購買本地種植的食材可以維持農(nóng)場和綠地。若要進(jìn)一步減少排放扳碍，那就減少食用紅肉提岔，紅肉的生產(chǎn)是極度碳密集性的。

8. 把你的筆記本電腦調(diào)到休眠模式

在不使用的時候笋敞，請把你的電腦和其他設(shè)備調(diào)到休眠模式碱蒙。這樣做既可以延長電池壽命也可以延長我們地球的壽命。

9. 選擇不會破壞環(huán)境的旅行

很多環(huán)保旅行團(tuán)體夯巷，例如大自然保育組織赛惩、塞拉俱樂部和世界野生動物組織都提供環(huán)保出行，旨在不妨害自然資源趁餐、野生動物或居民喷兼。Backroads和REI Adventrues也提供環(huán)保旅行。

10. 宣傳環(huán)保意識

把你的綠色出行意識宣傳給其他人后雷。這樣事半功倍—要想無憂無慮的自在旅行季惯，你一定要記得這樣做哦。