August 2017 Green Tip: Eco-Friendly Staycations

Air travel is awful for the environment – its impact on Mother Nature is huge, representing the worst form of travel in terms of greenhouse gases per passenger mile. According to the Air Transport Action Group, 12% of all CO2 emissions are generated by airplanes. So, save the Earth, some money and time, by staying close to home this season and enjoying the wonders close to you. Here are a few ideas for your next eco-friendly stay at home vacation:

• Check out the tourist spots near you (that you never go to). You know how you might only go to that National Park, hot air balloon event or natural wonder if the relatives are in town? Well, you may be missing out on lots of opportunities to have fun close to home! If you don’t already know what’s around you that might make for a fun day-trip or family outing, check out your local chamber of commerce for community event listings, TripAdvisor (an online travel site), or the National Park Service (www.nps.gov) for ideas.
• Create a family scrapbook, memory box or photo collage together. A lot of the fun of vacationing with family is making memories and spending unscheduled leisure time together. How about dragging out the old photo albums and spend some time talking about the events and places in the photos? Or maybe a family game evening or afternoon? Putting down the tech devices and allowing space for family to share can be one of the best ways to spend vacation time together.
• Turn the back yard into a place for adventures. Plant a garden with your family; look for native plants to reduce water use and have been adapted to the environment. Check out the California Native Plant Society for more info: www.cnps.org.  Host a cooking competition for your neighbors; provide reusable containers for leftovers. Create a fort or tree house together, get the kids involved!
• If you’re driving, take care to go more green. You can do that simply, by using your cruise control when appropriate; not accelerating rashly; avoiding (as much as possible) sharp braking; and, taking your time, remember, you’re on vacation! And for the cheapest gas prices in your area, try this website (or download the app) that finds low prices on fuel, has a trip calculator, blog and other info: www.gasbuddy.com.
• Have you heard of “Geocaching”? According to the official Geocaching website, “Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.”  Get more information here, or find local Geocaching groups here.
• Get creative. How about playing paintball or Lasertag? Miniature golf or batting cages? Getting a summer pass to the local pool? Paddleboarding? Canoeing? Get outside, be healthy and go gently on Mother Earth.

 
Thanks so much for reading this article. We encourage you to search the internet for more info and have fun; it doesn’t take a long distance trip to make summer memories. For more info, email Jude Frates of Sustainable Business Solutions: jude@sbs.green.
 
 

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