One of my idols is Taylor Swift. Queen of my Idols, actually: a Hera of sorts. There is but one thing wrong with her, and that is the size of her carbon footprint.
It's not entirely her fault — is she really expected to fly coach or spend precious hours on a cross-country tour bus? Even if she did elect for alternate transport, we demand far too much of her time in too many places to expect her to be a Sustainability Queenᵀᴹ.
This likely keeps her up at night, as it is a favorite topic of TS critics. She recently parted with a personal jet, officially sold for personal safety reasons (read: stalking), but the publicly tracked data was not exactly intended for showing Taylor in a positive light, and a girl’s gotta protect her #Rep.
Regardless of your stance on this particular case, a buzz surrounds the phenomenon of excessive CO2 emissions from celebrity activities -- frankly, people are irked. But can we as fans (and beneficiaries of The Swift Effect) first beg Taylor to perform at superhuman levels in all parts of the world, then criticize the modes of transport she utilizes to get there? Not without at least mentioning her attempts to mitigate the problem: America's Sweetheart offsets her carbon footprint at 2x the EPA requirement! Not to mention her well-documented history of generous donations to communities around the globe, so we will let her be for now.
Sadly, *I* am not Taylor Swift, nor any other type of VIP. So, I must use more common methods of transportation for travel. And as some of you know already, I travel a lot.
So how does a self-proclaimed Sustainability Queenᵀᴹ like myself, still support Taylor and her lifestyle? Or try to find peace in my soul when booking the high-CO2-emitting vacations that we are taking more frequently than ever before? Unlike Taylor, I do not buy EPA credits or donate literal millions to areas I visit. I instead compensate by trying to make the most sustainable choices and produce as little waste as possible.
Here is the first attempt at compiling a list of opportunities to improve sustainable practices for the every-day traveler. Here are some tips on how to reduce waste and conserve energy gathered over the last ten years of frequent, diverse travel experiences --often saving money and time in the process!
A is for: Avoiding Air Travel and Add-ons
University of Oxford Climate Scientist, M. Klöwer, says to avoid plane travel, as it is one of the worst climate change culprits.
Air travel is known throughout the scientific community as a high-emission activity, "responsible for about 2.4% of global annual carbon emissions," with most of it from commercial travel (Klöwer et al, 2021). This may not seem like much, but it's more than most entire countries emit! In simple terms, if air travel were its own country, it would come in 6th place worldwide for biggest emission contributor. Yikes...
Air travel emits "around 100 times more CO2 per hour than a shared bus or train ride" (Abhishyant Kidangoor, 2022); so, opting for alternate modes of transport when possible reduces the carbon impact of travel; especially those that are all-electric like the ones we recently got in the Peninsula! You'll see more of the region this way, too, and it can save a lot of $$$.
Save that reusable bus card. Public transport systems have a reusable pass option now. You don't want to have to stand in line wasting your vacation time, using more of your hard-earned money (and paying international fees) to buy extra passes. And the plastic or paper product should not be wasted if preventable. Most cards work for the entire trip, depending on the selection you choose at the kiosk.
Oh yeah, and most foreign service people want to help you, especially outside of the US, so don't be afraid to take the extra 5 minutes to seek out a station attendant and save the life of a plastic card. This applies to hotel keys, credit cards, or amenities access passes. These contactless cards are typically multi-layer plastics and E-waste, and since most recycling facilities are unable to handle products with multiple materials, try returning them for reuse at their point of origin when you are done.
Alternatively, you can collect the cards (and many other products) for optimal recycling pickup by companies like Ridwell.com.
Refuse or reuse in-flight goodies. Many times, flying is the only option. But there are ways to reduce waste while flying, such as returning the airplane blanket and bringing your own! Same goes for eye masks, sanitizer packets, headphones, and other airline "gifts". Or at the very least, save them. Airline-emblemed items can make fun souvenirs for children, you can put sanitizer wipes in your purse for future cleaning needs, and plane blankets can be stored in your car for emergencies or unexpected weather. Better yet, add them to your new sustainable travel pack you're going to want to build after reading this article.
A good rule-of-thumb? Even single-use is better than disuse and disposal! Don't take perfectly good items just to throw them away unused later: collect them for use on the next trip or refuse.
B is for Bottles, Baggies and Bee's Wax Wrap!
It is a sad fact that 38% of food produced in the USA is wasted. Bringing along your own drinks, snacks or even meals can greatly reduce waste during travel (and you can salvage your remaining home groceries, too! Did you know solid foods can be transported in your carry-on luggage?). The ability to save leftovers while traveling also comes in handy for late nights back at the hotel, avoiding expensive room service or delivery fees.
"Jacquie... This all sounds good in theory," You say, "but most food storage containers are bulky and unrealistic for travel. In order not to waste food or packaging, I need something compact and effective that I will actually use."
Well, fear not, Imaginary You Inside My Head! One of my favorite solutions is very portable: Bee's Wax wrap. I love this stuff. It's hand-washable, so versatile, lasts a long time remaining in good condition, and takes up virtually no space which is a common barrier to using other food containers. When the wraps are used up, you can feel good sending them back to landfill or even reuse the fabric and DIY your own wax wraps! Just warm it up in your hands for a few seconds to make it malleable, and voilà: many foods become portable. There are even bee-free versions if veganism is your bag.
"But Jacquie!" You say. "Preserving certain foods just doesn't work in a wrapper..."
And too right, You are!
Another option: storage bags of food-grade silicone. These are great for all types of food, and very portable, too.
Hydration is especially important during air travel and yet it can be challenging with airline liquid restrictions. At the minimum, refilling your drink cup when the flight attendant comes back by saves at least one single-use cup. Better yet - bring and refill your own water bottle at the airport, and refuse any additional disposable utensils or dishware. Overly-cautious COVID days are over honayyyyy, refill that bottle! 👏🏼 (There are even collapsible bottles like this one to save room in your carry-on.)
C is for Caring and Carrying
Sometimes, just taking care of things and keeping them with you is the answer. For example, I kept the same travel neck pillow for 7 years. It has a removable cover that you can wash (so I never feel gross airplane vibes from it) and I'm therefore more likely to keep it around! As someone with major sensory issues, it's really important to me that things that touch my skin are clean and comfortable, but sustainable choices come in at a close second priority. In the case of the travel pillow, I can have both. And there are many to choose from.
"Caring and carrying" applies to everything we pack. It seems we have been trained (especially as women) to buy a whole new wardrobe for every trip, which inherently increases not only the cost of the trip, but its environmental impact as well. It is broadly known that the origins of fast fashion clothing are the opposite of sustainable. Though well-aware of Shien's concept (and how its employees are treated), every woman I know owns something from that site; myself included. But the numbers don't lie. According to an article from Earth.org, "fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions, as much as the [entire] European Union." And the inevitable cleaning of those low-quality clothes releases microfibers into our water supply at "the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles" annually (Maiti, 2024).
As someone who loves being inventive with my style while traveling in new places, I've had to put in work to learn how to pare down my packing. I find the 3,3,3 rule to be inspired and easy to follow. Put simply, you pack 3 tops, 3 bottoms and 3 pairs of shoes, which should be enough for up to a two week trip. Stick to a complimentary color palette to maximize your wardrobe, with up to 27 possible outfit combinations, and this simple rule should at least reduce how much you purchase in preparation for a trip. If you can't find what you want in your closet, opting to buy a staple wardrobe piece can go far when revamping the wardrobe.
Staple pieces that work for multiple outfits help you pack lighter. If you only take what you can carry with you, you are forced to maximize your packing efficiency. The reality is, you'll likely want to shop when you get there anyway, and you'll need all that extra room you just made in your suitcase! {Check back to see if I ever learn to follow my own advice here, so I can save some moola on checked baggage fees and not lose any more precious cargo.}
I could probably write a whole book on the benefits of choosing quality over quantity, but it's true for everything: suitcases, jeans, air fare, (the people you choose to travel with...), hired cars, etc. Durability at a higher cost often saves money in the long run, too (see: Boots Theory). (I probably will write in more depth about the atrocities of fast fashion but from my perspective and for the purposes of this article, there is a correlation between social media, the uptick in travel and associated rapid fashion trends, all of which I abhor but have also participated in. The duality of the modern woman...).
D is for Define, Decrease and Defy!
Possibly the most impactful time of your travel sustainability choice making begins in the early planning stages. Some will disagree with what I'm about to say--indeed, travel should be spontaneous at times. Planning every minute is unrealistic at best, and at worst it detracts from the experience. But I found it helps to define some goals for sustainability when traveling, which begins in the initial planning stage.
My personal top priority goal is optimizing the major travel routes of the trip, in order to see what you want to see by using the most sustainable routes possible between them. Visiting regions in order of proximity can help narrow options, which simplifies the entire planning process from the start. For example, if you narrow in on one region of the Philippines like Palawan, you can explore the many options there and optimize the transportation plan, instead of vaguely wanting to "Island Hop" to see Manila, El Nido and Boracay in a one week vacation. Not only will this planning save travel time, it will probably save money on last minute ferry or train rides you didn't expect.
I recently learned from a coworker that AI chatboxes like chatGPT.com can build trip itineraries for you! Just add your cities and interests, and ask for the most efficient way to see it all. You can get as specific as you want.
Decreasing the frequency of travel is the obvious (though, my least favorite) way to reduce the environmental impact of traveling. But more realistically, defying typical travel wastefulness is the answer for frequent travelers. Practice refusing or returning things you do not need. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable interactions this may include. Defy what you know about what's recyclable or not. Define rules for your household and what you are comfortable asking of others outside of it. Decondition yourself from believing this isn't your problem.
Not everyone is going to be open to your ~*woke*~ ideas about protecting the environment. Defy them anyway. One person speaking up leads to a domino effect of learning opportunities.
Defying social norms, caring about what you carry, and acting sustainably when returning hotel key cards or choosing to-go containers isn't exactly exciting, and it's not always the easy way to do things. But it is honest work, and somebody has to do it!
E is for Embarking on the Eco Path: Embrace it! Educate about it! Empower others with it!
I'd like to acknowledge a phenomenon I struggle with quite often: once you've begun the journey toward a more sustainable future, there can be a lot of guilt associated with the "normal" processes of modern life, including and especially travel practices.
My responding opinion is this:
Every long-established system in place in the US was designed for profit, not the planet. By taking personal responsibility to learn and change, you are in direct defiance of the system: so, it's OK if you aren't perfect at it! It's OK if it feels hard.
When efforts appear fruitless, or the solution seems insurmountable, that's because you exist in a society that prioritized development, not sustainability. Yet in order for us to continue the former, we desperately need to focus on the latter now! This certainly means massive overhauls in the big picture for redesigning corporations, infrastructure and finance: the awareness of which can be overwhelming. But it also means that down to each individual person, there is room for improvement, and a good place to start is with small, attainable goals.
Even small changes over time can make a big impact, especially if you are a life-long frequent traveler like me. And Step One (or in this case, Step C) is Caring. You cared enough to click on this post. You cared enough to read this far. And You care enough about someone or something that sustaining life on this planet matters to You.
And I, truly care about You. No one should ever shame You for wanting to be better, nor for not being perfect. As You embark on this path, have grace for Yourself and others. Use Your findings to teach and inspire others!
And Taylor, if YOU ever see this: I love you, you're perfect, and you have an honorary Sustainability Queenᵀᴹ title from me (which can be picked up at my house any time, and will be almost as meaningful as Your honorary NYU Doctorate Degree).
And there You have it. The ABC(DE)'s of Sustainable Travel, and my first published blog post! Can't wait to see your Sustainable Travel Kits!
-Jacq
What other ideas or practices do you have for a more sustainable travel itinerary? Please share your thoughts with me: jacqattacqs@gmail.com.
Author is not sponsored by any of the referenced websites or journals. Intended for entertainment purposes only, not to diagnose, treat, advise or instruct. Please contact directly for editing and citation requests @ jacqattacqs@gmail.com
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