Reducing your carbon footprint by travelling
Reducing your ecological footprint is an important part of travelling. Because travel is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas pollution, it’s an important subject to address.
In this article, we take a look at the simple things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint when travelling.
First, we’ll look at pre-travel actions that can help you reduce your carbon footprint. Then we’ll look at post-travel actions that can reduce your carbon footprint, and finally we’ll give you our special tips for reducing your carbon footprint.
Before your trip
Sort out your luggage and belongings.
Sorting your luggage and belongings is an important step if you want to travel in an environmentally-friendly way. Taking care of your belongings means you won’t have to make unnecessary purchases when you’re there.
What’s more, if you sort your belongings carefully, you’ll be able to adapt perfectly to the weather where you’re travelling.
Things to do before you travel.
Before your trip, shop in local shops and prepare your trip in an environmentally-friendly way. If you have clothes or belongings to cover up, do so in bags you have on hand. The same goes for your toiletries: use bottles you have at home and reuse your plastic bags.
When choosing your clothes, choose them carefully – a thick jumper and a jogging suit are always useful.
Ask to turn off your electricity meter or do it yourself.
Electricity consumption is responsible for 42.5% of global CO2 emissions. When you go on a trip, even if it’s for 3 or 4 days, it’s often advisable to turn off your electricity meter. It takes a bit of organising, but it’s a gesture that’s important for the planet.
By going without your electricity meter, you reduce your ecological impact: for the fridge you could take a few days before your trip, for other electrical appliances it’s no inconvenience and requires no preparation.
Take public transport for your last journeys.
A useful tip when you’re not travelling, travelling by public transport reduces your ecological impact. It’s one of the most interesting ways of reducing your ecological impact. Before your trip, for your last journeys – passport, pharmacy, doctor’s appointment, visit to a friend – don’t hesitate to use public transport, which will be a great help.
Bus, metro, train, tram – the choice is yours, but the principle remains the same: reduce your carbon footprint. You can also get around by bike or scooter, but we advise against them as they are more dangerous and therefore more risky.
During the journey
During your journey, you can also reduce your carbon footprint by adopting simple and effective travel habits. Because ecology is a doctrine aimed at achieving a better balance between man and his natural environment and at protecting the latter, it can be practised anywhere and should not be forgotten when travelling to a foreign country.
Eat healthily eat locally.
The first piece of advice in this article is to eat locally when you travel. This shortens the supply cycle for goods, and reduces the pollution that comes with it. What’s more, eating locally encourages local trade and helps local life to develop in a healthy way: it creates production habits that reduce external needs.
As well as being good for local cycles, eating locally will give you the opportunity to discover new recipes and surprise your taste buds and recipe repertoire.
It’s advice that can’t be repeated often enough.
After your trip
Keep the same lifestyle habits.
After your trip, you can keep the same lifestyle habits as before to reduce your carbon footprint. This means using public transport, eating locally and sorting out your clothes.
Adopting the right lifestyle habits can drastically reduce your carbon footprint and help you live in a healthier environment.
Get involved with associations that protect the environment.
After your trip, you can turn to associations that protect the environment such as Zero Waste, WWF, Greenpeace and others.
This will enable you to learn more and become a true emissary for the protection of the planet on your next trip.
There is very little guidance on ecological gestures and practices in tourism (oral awareness, awareness-raising by guidance), so this would be a great opportunity to start practising them.
Join a company that is developing in the field of ecology and green energy.
If your trip has changed your way of seeing things, you could join a green company and become an active player in the conservation of the planet.
There are an increasing number of companies working in the field of green energy, and you could join one of them.
Working in the green energy sector is the best way to make the most of your time for the planet.