Travel Bits: June 2018

Being environmentally-conscious during our travels.......

We all know it from the well-publicised facts that the human race is causing huge changes and damage to the environment as our civilisation progresses. Yes, we cause damage to Mother Earth whether we are at home or traveling. But more so when we travel. Why is this so?

Clear waters are a joy to look at and behold when we avoid pollution of our waterways , Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2016)

Air travel contributes to many kinds of damage to the environment including carbon emission. As I am no environmental scientist or professional, I am unable to go into the details of all the damages, their causes and effects. What I know as a layperson is that whenever I fly, I contribute to environmental damage and degradation. While there is nothing much I can do about this, I can certainly help to be kind to the environment by generating less wastes in situations more controllable at the personal level.

Plastics are a major cause of concern. Both at home and during my travels, I have often noticed how much plastic waste is being generated per person. From the bottles of drinking water to those so-called disposable utensils like plastic knives, forks and spoons. This is an area where I think everybody can contribute towards generating less plastic waste.

When I travel, I bring along my own re-useable water bottle. Buying a large bottled water and using this to top up my smaller re-useable water bottle helps cut down on generating what could have been lots of smaller used plastic bottles each time I need a drink. I also bring along my own set of chopsticks, fork and spoon. When I need a light meal in the hotel room at night or when I buy takeaways from eateries, I will use my re-useable utensils instead of using disposable utensils supplied by the shops or cafes.

The Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort provides bottled water to guests in re-useable glass bottles, greatly reducing unnecessary plastic wastes, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2016)

And I also usually carry around a small plastic bag with me when I go sight-seeing. This is to bag items such as wrappers, used tissue papers and the like. I do not litter because each time someone litters, the refuse will likely end up in drains and waterways, contributing to the serious pollution problems which the world faces.

Plastic and other wastes strewn on a beach, Mahibadhoo, Maldives (2014)

At the hotels we stay in when  traveling, it is not necessary to change the bedsheets and bath towels every day. I always left notes to inform the hotel staff that it is not necessary to provide me a fresh set of bedding items or bath towels every day and that I will let them know should I really need these items to be changed. This helps cut down on unnecessary water and detergent usage, resulting in less sewage generated. And please do avoid filling up and soaking in those bath tubs. A huge amount of water is used each time someone does that. Fresh and clean water is an extremely valuable resource in many parts of the world. Let's all help to cut down on the unnecessary use of fresh clean water.

All of us can play our part in generating less wastes and contributing to a greener more sustainable use of precious resources. Each time we cut down on generating unnecessary waste, we help save the Earth. As individuals, each of us contribute a small part but when taken collectively, these seemingly small efforts will hopefully lead to better environmental conservation and more sustainable living and traveling.

Avoiding use of so-called disposable utensils and plastic bottles helps greatly in keeping our environment clean, green and heathy, Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, Japan (2018)