7 Sustainable Packing Tips
I think it's safe to say we'd all prefer to leave the earth a little more green than how we found it. That can be tricky when travelling, especially when you consider the energy and resources it takes to get you to your destination and keep you comfortable during life on the road. However, the little things are both under our control and add up - things like what we bring and reducing what we consume.
As a former sustainability professional, I'll be the first to admit I'm not perfect when it comes to reducing my footprint. But here are seven small ways I can do better before I even head to the airport.
[caption id="attachment_2519" align="alignnone" width="4752"]
You've got to be kitten me that tote is cute.[/caption]
1) Totes toting a tote
I bring my own reusable bags when shopping at home, so why not bring a small portable tote to the market, shop or souk too? I've started bringing one or two tiny totes with me so I can decline the plastic bag when I find something that totes my goats when shopping from the boat that floats in the moat.
May I recommend these reusable totes by BeeGreen? They fold down quite small and are reinforced for duarbility.
[caption id="attachment_2520" align="alignnone" width="4752"]
Sip sip hooray![/caption]
2) Keep it bottled up
For locales with safe to drink tap water, a sturdy, reusable water bottle lets you skip buying disposable plastic bottles - fill 'er up at every fountain, sink or pitcher you come across. Even if recycling facilities exist, it is still much greener to reuse a washable bottle than repurpose recycled ones. I'm a big fan of the CamelBak Podium series for being durable, sporty, easy to clean, and keeping water cool.
Water you waiting for? If you're looking to save space, a collapsable bottle is a good option or if you're bringing a backpack, I'd suggest a hydration pack that integrates into your backpack like a Platypus or CamelBak.
I can feel you judging me.[/caption]
5) Speaking of leaking
I love segmenting my suitcase using packing cubes and bags. It just makes life so much easier when you're organized. But I found myself using quite a few plastic zip bags (like Ziploc) and regular plastic bags to keep smelly or leaky items quarantined. Items like toiletries, shoes, and dirty laundry. A friend gave me an excellent pro-tip when she suggested I consider reusable diaper dry bags instead. Not only are they actually better barries against smell and liquid, but they're easily washed and reused, are sturdier and are multi-use. So I've got a few of these highly reviewed dry bags on the way.
If you want a sportier look or are making your bags multi-task for canoeing, kayaking, rafting, diving, or camping, there are many size and finish options available for dry bags like these 10, 20 or 30 litre options by Aqua Quest or these floatable ones by Wolfyok.
6) Greenwashing
If you're adventuring right, you're gonna get dirty and smelly. What better way to get clean than to also be green? I've started ordering biodegradable soaps for my laundry and washing on the road. Many countries do not have water purification systems or if you're in the outback, what you use goes immediately back to the land. I recommend a multipurpose soap like Druide Ecotrail as I find it a bit more gentle and the scent more pleasant than good ol' Campsuds.
For body products, the Green Cricket line has some delicious smelling, biodegradable options for soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. Nature Clean has a broad range of products too - and dinosaurs on the packaging!
Cool for schools. Of fish.[/caption]
7) Safer sun protection
Speaking of mitigating environmental impacts, one product I do believe in wholeheartedly is reef safe sunscreen. If you're going to be hitting the beach, riding the waves, snorkelling the sandy shores, or diving hidden depths, I encourage you to protect your skin from sun in a reef safe way.
There seems to be strong scientific consensus that certain chemicals in traditional sunscreen are harmful to aquatic environments. The Haereticus Environmental Laboratory was contracted by U.S. National Park Service for a specific study of damaged coral reefs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which led to the conclusion that certain chemical ingredients in sunscreen was the case of the coral dying. Besides the science, there are now states (like Hawaii) and countries putting legislation forward banning sunscreens with harmful chemicals.
You've got to be kitten me that tote is cute.[/caption]
1) Totes toting a tote
I bring my own reusable bags when shopping at home, so why not bring a small portable tote to the market, shop or souk too? I've started bringing one or two tiny totes with me so I can decline the plastic bag when I find something that totes my goats when shopping from the boat that floats in the moat.
May I recommend these reusable totes by BeeGreen? They fold down quite small and are reinforced for duarbility.
[caption id="attachment_2520" align="alignnone" width="4752"] Sip sip hooray![/caption]
2) Keep it bottled up
For locales with safe to drink tap water, a sturdy, reusable water bottle lets you skip buying disposable plastic bottles - fill 'er up at every fountain, sink or pitcher you come across. Even if recycling facilities exist, it is still much greener to reuse a washable bottle than repurpose recycled ones. I'm a big fan of the CamelBak Podium series for being durable, sporty, easy to clean, and keeping water cool.
Water you waiting for? If you're looking to save space, a collapsable bottle is a good option or if you're bringing a backpack, I'd suggest a hydration pack that integrates into your backpack like a Platypus or CamelBak.
Things get more challenging when you're visitng a country that does not have safe drinking water. I've been quite a few places where purchasing bottled water is not only recommended health practice for travellers, but the norm for locals as well.Even with your trusty reusable bottle, you're buying packaged water at the start of the product lifecycle. But I still plan on bringing a reusable bottle as you have the option of buying one, large container of water to split among the group. These are often able to be exchanged and refilled, staying out of the landfill a little longer. Your other option here is to get a water filtering device like the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter which alledges to remove "99.9999% of bacteria and protozoa" which case waterborne illnesses. I have not yet tried the LifeStaw, have you? 3) I'm all forked up On the road and even just at the office, I find myself going through an unacceptable amount of disposable, plastic cutlery. Even when cutlery is biodegradable or recyclable, it still has to go through end of lifecycle processing.
There's no real excuse for forkgetting reusable utensils. I've started stashing a set in my desk at work and in my day pack when travelling.I like either sturdy plastic versions like the HumanGear Gobites trio or lightweight titanium versions like the finesscity set. Two things I like about both sets are that they contain all three utensils (sporks lack a knife or have that weird side-cutty knife edge designed solely for cutting open the sides of your mouth when you try to eat) and they come with a carrying case to keep clean in transit. I also have a pair of chopsticks I pack which were a gift from a friend prior to my tip to Japan. Earnestly, I don't have a fancy pair of collabsable or foldable or extendable chopsticks as my regular glazed wooden ones I use at home are just fine. In fact, they're easier to clean and have less room to malfunction. Plus, if you're travelling to a country with chopsticks-based food culture, it's the perfect time to grab a souvenier set! 4) Conditioning behavoiur Uuuuuuugh... I am the worst for this one. But I'm working on conditioning myself to be less (sham)poopy about bringing multiple mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner travelling with me. I have to confess I find it so convenient to bring minis with me to use for one or two washes and then recycle or (cring) toss. I've bought and re-bought different travel containers like GoToob and MOTONG only to have them either leak, break or just be frackin' ineffective at dispensing product. I've also schlepped around big bottles of shampoo and conditioner but am just annoyed at how much precious packing space the half-empty bottles take up. *Huff* Okay. I can do better. I promise to give reusable containers another go. [caption id="attachment_2522" align="alignnone" width="4242"]
I can feel you judging me.[/caption]
5) Speaking of leaking
I love segmenting my suitcase using packing cubes and bags. It just makes life so much easier when you're organized. But I found myself using quite a few plastic zip bags (like Ziploc) and regular plastic bags to keep smelly or leaky items quarantined. Items like toiletries, shoes, and dirty laundry. A friend gave me an excellent pro-tip when she suggested I consider reusable diaper dry bags instead. Not only are they actually better barries against smell and liquid, but they're easily washed and reused, are sturdier and are multi-use. So I've got a few of these highly reviewed dry bags on the way.
If you want a sportier look or are making your bags multi-task for canoeing, kayaking, rafting, diving, or camping, there are many size and finish options available for dry bags like these 10, 20 or 30 litre options by Aqua Quest or these floatable ones by Wolfyok.
6) Greenwashing
If you're adventuring right, you're gonna get dirty and smelly. What better way to get clean than to also be green? I've started ordering biodegradable soaps for my laundry and washing on the road. Many countries do not have water purification systems or if you're in the outback, what you use goes immediately back to the land. I recommend a multipurpose soap like Druide Ecotrail as I find it a bit more gentle and the scent more pleasant than good ol' Campsuds.
For body products, the Green Cricket line has some delicious smelling, biodegradable options for soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. Nature Clean has a broad range of products too - and dinosaurs on the packaging!
I realize the term "biodegradable" can cause some anxiety as there is no universal definition or certification, although there are governing bodies like the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. and the Canadian Standards Association that provide guidelines.Honestly, I haven't totally committed to using natural or biodegradable products in every situation because I'm skeptical of the claims made by products. According to the Canadian Standards Association "Manufacturers, importers, distributors or anyone who promotes a product or service may decide to make environmental claims about it. These claims are usually based on a single attribute (for example, that a product is biodegradable or recyclable), rather than on the environmental impact of the product's entire life cycle, and may not be independently tested or certified." A product may be biodegradable in water, but not degradable in a lanfill while the packagaing may be degradable or recycled, or not degradable at all. Just be aware of the impact you're trying to mitigate and realistic about the product before purchasing. [caption id="attachment_2521" align="alignnone" width="4752"]
Cool for schools. Of fish.[/caption]
7) Safer sun protection
Speaking of mitigating environmental impacts, one product I do believe in wholeheartedly is reef safe sunscreen. If you're going to be hitting the beach, riding the waves, snorkelling the sandy shores, or diving hidden depths, I encourage you to protect your skin from sun in a reef safe way.
There seems to be strong scientific consensus that certain chemicals in traditional sunscreen are harmful to aquatic environments. The Haereticus Environmental Laboratory was contracted by U.S. National Park Service for a specific study of damaged coral reefs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which led to the conclusion that certain chemical ingredients in sunscreen was the case of the coral dying. Besides the science, there are now states (like Hawaii) and countries putting legislation forward banning sunscreens with harmful chemicals.
To find a reef safe sun screen, start by avoiding products with butylparaben, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, oxybenzone, octinoxate, and octocrylene and find a non-nano formulation. Not wading in to the water? Skip the spray sunscreen on the beach as it mostly ends up coating the sand and the harmful chemicals wash in to the water when the tide comes in, and choose a reef-safe spray .Too complicated? Here are a couple of my favourite reef safe sun screens:
- Reef Safe by Beach Buff - it's available in almost every dive and water sport shop
- Badger Balm kids tangerine and vanilla - it smells so good!
- Stream2Sea - I've only been able to try this once as it's not available in Canada yet, but it has been touted with top honours for reef and eco-friendliness
- I have not gotten my hands on this product yet, as it's not the easiest to find here at home, but it comes highly recommended by several scuba product review sites. Thinksport sunscreen also comes in kids and baby formulas.
Comments
Post a Comment