Green Air Travel is part of our Back to School: Green Travel Basics Series.
Let’s face it flying is just plain bad for the environment. But there are plenty of ways to green your air travel.
Our Top 8 Tips for Green Air Travel
Take a Non Stop Flight
We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again. When you take a non stop flight there are fewer carbon emissions. Here are the best search engines for non stop flights.
Search for Tickets Using Search Green Travel
We created Search Green Travel as a way to give back to the environment. Every time you search through this link, 50% of profits from ad revenue are donated to environmental organizations.
Bring a Snack
Not only do you save a few bucks, but by packing a snack in a small tupperware container you’re reducing waste. Plus, you’ll likely find a reason to reuse your tupperware while traveling to cut down on more waste.
Bring a Water Bottle
Something like 80% of plastic bottles end up in landfills. The best thing you can do is bring a stainless steel water bottle.
Use Electronic Tickets
Electronic tickets cut down on paper waste. Plus they’re convenient.
Pack Light
When you take less stuff, less fuel is needed to move it. We have a great guide to packing light, check it out.
Take Public Transportation to and from the Airport
Sure, taking a cab or driving your car is easy, but to make your air travel greener take public transportation.
Don’t Eat at Airport Food Courts
Have you ever noticed that almost all airport restaurants use disposable plates, napkins, silverware, etc? Avoid the food courts and you’ll avoid excess trash.
photo credit: glass window
There you have it, green air travel is still a bit of an oxymoron, but you can take a few easy steps to be a more responsible traveler when flying by plane.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
geaat traveling tips, thanks for share.
The “direct flight” and “pack light” tips are constructive.
Mentioning the other six tips dulls our awareness of the seriousness of the problem. Although they good things to do, the difference they make is negligible compared with the flight itself. It isn’t clear that e-tickets save any paper at all, given that travellers are encouraged to print out an A4 (US “letter”) sized e-ticket receipt.
Other tips for business travellers:
1. Travel economy class. The more people each plane carries, the fewer planes are needed.
2. Combine trips to multiple destinations into one trip. This will reduce the total number of air miles (and take-offs, which is what really matters).