Friday, August 21, 2009
Exploring Green Vacations
2:16 PM | 
Posted by
lkmiller1014
Welcome back Rainmakers! The school year is about to get underway for most of you which means reacquainting with old friends, spending more time in the library than you ever though possible, and applying for internships that only give college credit while you still can. Although life in college has its rough spots, I find myself missing it more and more each day, especially in those moments when all of my hard work applying for jobs lets me down.
College was supposed to be a time to prepare ourselves for the career world after right? Too bad that all seems to have changed. Because one never knows when they will strike gold and land the job of their dreams that does not allow for weeks after weeks of time off during the summer, I have taken the time to relax and explore options of green vacationing this summer.
My favorite green vacation this summer was camping at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. It was back to basics for me: there were no overseas flights or electricity consuming hotels involved. While one might think that camping is automatically a green vacation, this is not technically correct. Camping in a motor home increases your carbon footprint as well as the use of disposable plates and utensils. It is easy to make camping a green vacation; however there are a few essential guidelines to follow:
1. Camp with reusable dishes and utensils and wash them after each use.
2. Recycle any plastic, glass, or paper just like you would at home!
3. Low tech equipment such as a tent and sleeping bag is much more environmentally friendly than your neighbors 40 ft. RV. Choosing these alternatives will even help to make your vacation more affordable!
4. Use the campfire to cook your food whenever possible.
5. Stay on designated hiking trails so that you do not destroy surrounding vegetation and habitats of the local animals.
Camping lets you explore some of the most beautiful landscapes not accessible to those who limit themselves to fancy vacations in hotels. As a cheaper alternative, camping is affordable even for students on a budget! There are campsites all over the world. Find one near you and explore an area you have never seen before!
Share any stories of how you traveled sustainably this summer! We would love to hear about it!
College was supposed to be a time to prepare ourselves for the career world after right? Too bad that all seems to have changed. Because one never knows when they will strike gold and land the job of their dreams that does not allow for weeks after weeks of time off during the summer, I have taken the time to relax and explore options of green vacationing this summer.
My favorite green vacation this summer was camping at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. It was back to basics for me: there were no overseas flights or electricity consuming hotels involved. While one might think that camping is automatically a green vacation, this is not technically correct. Camping in a motor home increases your carbon footprint as well as the use of disposable plates and utensils. It is easy to make camping a green vacation; however there are a few essential guidelines to follow:
1. Camp with reusable dishes and utensils and wash them after each use.
2. Recycle any plastic, glass, or paper just like you would at home!
3. Low tech equipment such as a tent and sleeping bag is much more environmentally friendly than your neighbors 40 ft. RV. Choosing these alternatives will even help to make your vacation more affordable!
4. Use the campfire to cook your food whenever possible.
5. Stay on designated hiking trails so that you do not destroy surrounding vegetation and habitats of the local animals.
Camping lets you explore some of the most beautiful landscapes not accessible to those who limit themselves to fancy vacations in hotels. As a cheaper alternative, camping is affordable even for students on a budget! There are campsites all over the world. Find one near you and explore an area you have never seen before!
Share any stories of how you traveled sustainably this summer! We would love to hear about it!
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1 comments:
You paint a most beautiful adventure. I just got rid of my toxic chemical cleaning products and replaced them with great green products that I feel good about. I would hate to ruin that adventure with the smell of ammonia.
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