Sometimes living green is just not easy. During the months of December and January, my kids and I did a lot of traveling. We traveled as far as Chicago and Minneapolis. We had a lot of fun on these trips. We got to do lots of shopping, eating at new places; we saw things that blew our minds. I mean have you ever seen the clock tower made of Legos at the Mall of America?
But in all these travels we discovered perhaps what we had forgotten. Living Green on the road is a lot of hard work! Let’s face it, we live in a society that is on the move and is geared for just that. While on the road we live on fast food and disposable containers. Usually where we go there is no recycle bin in site. It’s a sad reality, but it is true.
So here we are, on all these road trips and what did we do to live our life a bit greener? Well here are a few tips the girls and I picked up along the way.
We avoided drive through windows. Even if the Stop-n-shops were a bit more expensive for drinks, we knew that the containers we got we could later recycle rather than throw away. We kept a large black bag in the trunk to put our recycle containers in to dispose of later or when we got home.
We also avoided fast food places. The packaging alone kills me. Take one trip to the golden arches and you have several bags of trash. Not to mention all the napkins, sauces and straws they put in extra, of course unless you need it and then there is none. Instead we went to sit down restaurants. This meant no packaging. To avoid food waste the girls and I often shared our meals. And yes quite often the girls and I can eat one adult meal and an appetizer and be very happy. This meant no doggy bags and no leftovers to be thrown away.
We also took care of our car. It is winter here in Wisconsin and it is important for it not to break down, but it is wise to take care of for efficiency as well. Gas prices have come down, but I still don’t like putting money in the gas tank if I don’t have to. I drive a small fuel-efficient car, but there are steps I can take to improve my gas mileage. Take it in for regular maintenance and oil changes. Check your fluids. Check that tire pressure, this will really help with gas mileage. Keep track of your gas use. Know how your car runs and take care of it. It’s true if you take care of it, your car will take care of you.
There are many other things you can do on trips to be greener. It is becoming easier, but it isn’t always easy. You may have to go out of your way to get it done, but in the end, it is well worth it!
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[...] may have read Judy’s post recently about avoiding take-out food places while they were traveling and after that, I became a little more conscious of that. I [...]