We all want to be more environmentally conscious, but how can you turn your good intentions into concrete, actionable steps that ensure you're minimizing your environmental affect while traveling abroad?
Fortunately, we're here to assist you! Read on for ten simple suggestions to make your next trip as eco-friendly as possible.
Reduce your flight's carbon footprint.
If you're planning on flying to your next excursion, you can quickly offset your trip's carbon emissions with a few clicks.
Let's take a step back and define what carbon offsetting is. Another way of carbon offsetting is estimating how much carbon dioxide your flights emit and then donating to programs that seek to reduce carbon emissions to compensate for your emissions.
Tree-planting activities and energy-efficient cookstoves for communities in underdeveloped nations are examples of carbon-offsetting programs, as African Adventures is doing with our Gyapa stoves campaign in Ghana.
Carbonfootprint.com, myclimate.org, and the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization are just a few websites where you may assess your carbon footprints and donate to carbon-reduction efforts.
Bring your garbage home with you.
We can recycle a considerable part of our home waste in the United Kingdom. Depending on where you're going, your destination may not have the ability or resources to recycle materials like plastic bottles, glass, or aluminum.
When our volunteers travel to Ghana, Kenya, or Zanzibar, we advise them to bring as little trash as possible back with them, such as empty shampoo, drink, or sunscreen bottles. These objects can then be safely recycled once they arrive at their destination, preventing them from ending up in landfills in nations that cannot properly dispose of them.
Make use of a refillable water bottle.
On that topic, we advise you to use as few single-use plastic water bottles as possible. The explanation for this is simple: did you know that it takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose? This means that all of the plastic that has ever been manufactured and found its way into the environment is still there.
Bring a reusable aluminum water bottle instead of buying plastic bottles if the tap water in your destination is safe to drink.
If the tap water is unsafe to drink, don't worry: you may avoid buying single-use plastic bottles by purchasing a water bottle with a built-in filter. Just make sure you do your homework to ensure the filter has been thoroughly tested and is suitable for use. LifeStraw, for example, offers a variety of alternatives, including this bottle that kills 99.999999 percent of microorganisms. Plus, they provide a child with a year's worth of safe drinking water for every transaction.
Local economies should be supported.
By dining and drinking locally, you will reduce carbon emissions caused by long-distance transportation of food and drink. Still, you will also be able to discover and enjoy your destination's authentic cuisine. Experiment with your meals — it's good for the environment!
Similarly, for souvenirs, we recommend going to the local market. You'll not only find some incredible, one-of-a-kind, handcrafted souvenirs of your trip here, but you'll also be directly supporting the local economy and helping to make tourism in your area more sustainable.
During our tours, African Adventures is delighted to assist local economies. We only utilize locally owned and operated accommodations and transportation, eat locally-sourced cuisine, and employ locals to administer our programs. On our website, you may learn more about our strategy.
Use as little water as possible.
This one is simple: try to use as little water as possible. We can all do something to save water, whether it's taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth, or reusing hotel towels for more than one day.
According to a TUI study, every 10kg towel wash uses at least 50 liters of water, resulting in dangerous detergent chemicals ending up in our oceans. Plus, because you wouldn't wash your towel every day at home, why not do the same with your hotel towel?
Bring reusable shopping bags with you when you go shopping.
When shopping at local markets for one-of-a-kind souvenirs, bring a reusable cotton bag to hold all of your purchases.
Plastic bags take 20 years to degrade, according to the WWF, and many governments have already made efforts to tax or even ban their use. Did you know that our host countries of Zanzibar and Kenya, for example, have banned plastic bags?
Kenya has outright prohibited the manufacture, sale, and distribution of plastic bags, and anyone caught producing, importing, or selling plastic bags in Kenya faces a fine of up to £32,000 or a four-year prison sentence for using a plastic bag resulting in a one-year prison sentence!
Animal contacts that are unethical should be avoided.
Consider which attractions you visit if you want to include an animal encounter in your vacation. Some animal centers may utilize inhumane ways to tame and teach wild animals, but if you do your homework, you can have an ethical animal encounter that does not contribute to animal captivity or put animal welfare at risk.
We work with reputable tour operators at African Adventures that appreciate the need to protect Africa's beautiful wildlife. We provide a variety of adventure activities, ranging from safari drives in Kenya to snorkeling trips in Zanzibar, that allow you to experience our host destinations' spectacular wildlife in a sustainable, ethical, and respectful manner. Through our volunteer programs, we assist a variety of animal sanctuaries, including the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's elephant orphanage in Kenya, a protected monkey sanctuary in Ghana, and The Giraffe Centre near Nairobi.
Here's where you can learn more about how to organize an ethical animal encounter.
When it comes to animal interactions, choose responsible tour providers.
Use a sunscreen that is safe for the environment.
Because we don't receive much sun in the UK, we all go for sunscreen when we travel to a warmer destination. Have you ever given it any thought as to what's inside?
Some lotions contain toxic chemicals like oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate, which can harm aquatic life if they get into the water. In fact, in order to conserve their rich marine fauna, Thailand, Hawaii, and the Pacific island nation of Palau have already prohibited sunscreens containing dangerous chemicals.
Thankfully, there are a number of more environmentally friendly options available, such as Tropic, Pai, and Ren. More eco-friendly sunscreens can be found in this article.
Pack as little as possible.
It may seem insignificant, but packing as light as possible can have a significant impact. Reducing the weight of your luggage by a few kilograms can reduce the amount of fuel required for your travel, lowering carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
Consider how much of an impact we could make if we all committed to packing light!
Remove any traces of yourself.
Finally, our final piece of advice is probably one you've heard before: 'leave just footsteps, take only images.' While this relates to bringing all of your trash homes and not harming your destination's natural environment, why not go a step further and strive to leave it even better than you found it? We could make a tremendous difference if we all picked up a few bits of trash from the ground and securely disposed of them. On your next trip, give it a shot!
We take pride in organizing long-term volunteer opportunities at African Adventures. Click here to learn more about planning a trip.