St. Patrick’s Day may be over, but it seems like everyone around me is still going green – environmentally green, that is.
I’ve always been concerned with historical preservation, an interest I carry over to many of my handbags. So, it seems natural for me to find ways to preserve the environment as well. With Spring Break and summer travel on the horizon, I’ve been looking for ways to make my trips a bit greener.
Planet Green has some excellent ideas for making Spring Break and summer travel green and easy. With a little bit of planning, you can reduce the environmental impact of your vacation by packing less, using green products, renting a greener hybrid car and eating locally grown foods.
If you are planning a fairly traditional spring break or summer vacation, you can do your part and buy green sunscreen, green clothing, green tents and even organic cocktails. If you are traveling, try choosing a green city such as New York or San Francisco that offers environmentally friendly entertainment.
A trip to San Francisco can include using public transportation, eating organic and vegan foods and visiting state and national parks.
Like San Francisco, New York offers public transportation and green restaurants. It also has several certified environmentally hotels, including the Benjamin that was renovated and Ecotel certified in 1999.
Many other U.S. cities, including Denver, Dallas, Fort Meyers, Detroit and Philadelphia have environmentally sound offerings for residents and tourists who want to have some fun while staying green.
If you want to take it a step farther – or greener, as the case may be – you could join a growing group of people who are planning alternative Spring Breaks and summer vacations during which they volunteer either at home or abroad rather than consuming and polluting.
Depending on your time and your pocketbook, a green vacation could be volunteering at your local food bank, building homes for Habitat for Humanity, painting houses on a Navajo reservation or planting trees in Mexico.
I’m still in the planning and dreaming stages, but wherever I go on my next vacation I want it to be green.
Tags: alternative vacation, ecotel, environementally friendly, environment, green, Handbag, New York, San Francisco, spring break, summer, Travel, trip, vacation
