As travel fanatics, we have kept up with the changes in the travel industry and the shift of focus towards more sustainable travel. Though we travel often, most of our time is spent at home with our family. That’s why we are making the push for sustainability at home! Check out some of the simple changes we are making around the house to be more eco-friendly when possible.
The goal for sustainability at home is to preserve as much as we can for the well-being of future generations. As proud parents of three incredible kids, we want to make sure we do our part to preserve what we can for them to enjoy years down the road!
On average, one person generates roughly four pounds of trash per day, resulting in 1,500 pounds of trash per month. In the United States alone, every hour, people throw away around 2.5 million plastic water bottles per hour. Just by recycling an aluminum can, the energy that is saved from this small single action can power a TV for around three hours. Many people tend to think that their efforts won’t matter, that just one person can’t make a difference. While sustainability is mainly a group effort, you, as an individual, have a choice to make if you want to participate in making the world a better place for generations to come.
There are an endless amount of ways that you can live sustainably without making any major life changes. A lot of these things are essentially just creating habits. On average, it only takes two months for a habit to become a routine that you no longer have to consciously think about.
Here are some ways you can incorporate sustainability into your own home:
Grow a Garden!
Plant some fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees, or whatever you desire in your backyard. This is a great way to spend time with your loved ones as well. Growing something yourself like vegetables and being able to serve it to your family at dinner will give you a great sense of accomplishment, and your helping the environment. This is a win-win and it is a perfect summertime hobby!
Energy Conservation:
This is as simple as remembering to turn the lights off when you leave your living room. Hang clothes to dry rather than using the dryer. Install energy-efficient appliances (they’re cheaper than non-energy efficient appliances anyways). In the summer, open up your windows and breathe in the fresh air! It might be a nice change of pace from the artificial air conditioner.
-Be aware of what you buy. Things that are packaged in styrofoam and plastic contain heavily polluted material that cannot be recycled.
-Shop from environmentally ethical clothing brands. Lululemon, Patagonia, and Summersalt are all examples of clothing companies making strides towards sustainable products!
Donate old clothes:
Donate your old clothes to clothing drives or places like the Salvation Army. Try following the one-to-one rule, every-time you purchase a new piece of clothing, donate an old piece. We all have old t-shirts and sweatshirts that are just sitting in our closet receiving no love. Someone will have an infinite amount of love to give to that item!
Eat locally:
This is a fun activity at home and on the road! Taste the local culture and support small businesses! We’re not saying you need to completely make a lifestyle change and go vegan. That’s not realistic for everyone to do, we get that. But, you can buy produce from local farmers’ markets (surprise, this can often be cheaper than your supermarket).
Recycle:
You probably already do this. But, if not, here’s another reminder to please do so. 70% of waste can be recycled, just put it in the right bin.
Purchase E-Tickets:
Rather than printing things out, just download it right to your phone! Download your airline or movie theatre app. This takes less effort, activity and honestly saves you the hassle of tracking down all your tickets!
Try to Decrease Your Carbon Foot-Print, Just a Little:
If you and your friend are meeting for Sunday brunch, drive together. This will give you more time together while exposing fewer toxins into the air, win-win!
Just a simple switch that is again, cheaper. Think vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, the list goes on and on. These items work just as well as the alternative!
Remember the paper straw trend that went viral then basically disappeared? This issue is still just as important. Animals are still dying from ingesting plastic. Order a few reusable water bottles and metal straws off of amazon and you’re on your way to making a difference!
Love your daily trip to your local coffee house? Us too. Bring a to-go mug with you to fill up. Some places even give you discounts on your order for doing this! If they don’t, drop that idea in their suggestion box!
Bring Your Own Shopping Bags:
When you go to the farmers market or clothes shopping, bring your own reusable bags. It’s easy to get cool bags from local artists that are unique and stylish!
Make the Change
Here at Wellness Inspired Travel, we’re more than just luxury vacations. We advocate for people to live their life to its fullest potential. Living and leading a healthy life also includes doing your part to take care of the earth. If we don’t have a happy and healthy planet, then we don’t have vacations to enjoy with our loved ones. We do our best to supply you with hotels and vacation destinations that are environmentally conscious. As we said, this is a group effort here! In order for your kids and your future grandchildren to go on the adventures that you’ve had we need to have a sustainable planet. We cannot maintain our earth unless we embrace it for how it is meant to be. There is no quick and easy fix to get our earth back to its authentic self. We understand it’s not realistic to ask people to become the next environmental activist. But, if you try to incorporate these earth friendly changes into your life, you will be doing more for the earth than you can imagine. Even more, tell your friends about your new eco-friendly habits. They’ll be proud of you and want to follow the leader. You have the opportunity to make this change for your grandchildren, their kids, and so on. Take this chance. Practice these habits. The earth will thank you!
