Earth Day Lessons from Destination Spa vacations

Did anyone notice, the extreme amount of media coverage that Earth Day received this year compared to past years? Do we have An Inconvenient Truth to thank? Is the media jumping on the bandwagon? Frankly, it doesn’t matter. It is great to see more coverage, awareness, and most importantly more action related to taking care of earth!

Almost every media outlet covered Earth Day and offered tips for taking better care of our environment. Some of the tips and ideas require a large investment (e.g. hybrid vehicle or energy efficient appliances) and aren’t feasible for everyone at this time. When the time comes to replace these large ticket items, commit to making a green change.

While not a large ticket item, I have been following this same principle for light bulbs. Any time one goes out, I replace it with a compact fluorescent bulb. According to www.earthday.net this can have a huge impact. If every household in the U.S. replaced a burned-out bulb with an energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent bulb, it would prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that from nearly 800,000 cars. It would also save enough energy to light 2.5 million homes for a year. Did the light bulb just go on for you ?

There are many other simple and effective strategies we can all start with TODAY. Take a cue from Destination Spa vacations and make a difference with these green ideas:

1. Use your canvas bags. Tote your bags with you when you go shopping to reduce or eliminate the use of plastic or paper bags. Chances are you have a bag from your last Destination Spa vacation or professional conference that you attended or a backpack that you use for picnics or hiking. Put it to good use next time you hit the grocery store, farmer’s market, or department store and say no to the store bags.
2. Drink from your water bottle. Using a refillable water bottle versus buying bottled water can have a big impact. It is a simple equation -- less packaging translates into less energy which is better for the environment.
3. Exercise outdoors.There are so many reasons to enjoy outdoor fitness activities – fresh air, scenery, free, and interaction with nature to name a few. And, it doesn’t require all of the motorized fitness equipment of a gym, the energy to operate a business, or your gas to get there.
4. Eat seasonally and locally produced foods whenever possible. Not only will the food taste fresher and be full of nutrients, but it will also be better for Mother Earth. The less the food has to travel, the less carbon dioxide from the trucks that ship it. Plus it will probably save you money.
5. When traveling, re-use the towels & sheets. Typical hotels use 218 gallons of water per day per occupied room. In addition to the large amounts of water used, excessive use of laundry detergents and other cleaning chemicals pose dangers to the environment and to the housekeeping staff. Many hotels will not replace your towels if you leave them hanging up neatly; if you're not sure, write a note for the housekeeping staff or notify the front desk.

We want to hear from you. Do you have some easy ideas or tips to share ?

Comments

[High Blood Pressure Diet]

"Eat seasonally and locally produced foods whenever possible. " How about organic foods?