7 Ideas to Be Green on Vacation
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by: ChristopherPyle
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Green, green, green, green, green. It seems to be all we hear these days. I find the new ads and the companies emerging as "green" interesting so I don't tire at the word green. I cannot help but worry that some will be completely turned off at the concept since it's so aggressively being advertised. Of course some tuned out long before it became a topic and others have been full blown green well before the rest of us. I suppose most of us fall somewhere between the two.
I'm not looking to get political or to do too much preaching. It's just that all this talk has got me to thinking. How can I help folks who want to be more Green be more Green. Here are some simple steps to being a Greener whitewater rafter, a Greener vacationer.
1. The quickest way to make a smaller carbon footprint is traveling together. Large groups can save significant money as well as reduce their carbon production. Bus lines have special rates for some rafting companies. Bus trips from Southern California or the Bay Area are common, inquire at time of booking your raft trip. For smaller groups, meet centrally and drive up together for day trips. This can save carbon output as well as save you money: share on gas as well as parking fees.
2. I know petroleum products aren't good, but sometimes it's the better of two bad choices. While its tough to even type this phrase, choose gas/propane cooking over charcoal in you have the opportunity. Ugh! I love the old fashion charcoal barbecue but, this is about GREEN, so we take the lesser pollutant. Plus, charcoal isn't supposed to be good for our bodies either, the processing puts junk in the briquettes. If you can do it, good for you. Look, at least I didn't try to convince you to bring a solar oven!
3. Since you must wear sunblock, look for all natural, organic sunblocks that avoid: PABA, octinoxate, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor and the preservative butylparaben. Studies are showing the sunblock we wear is killing coral reefs in the ocean. While there's no coral in the river, it can't be bad to avoid using the stuff, bad is bad, right? One recent study claimed some 6-million gallons of sunblock are washed into our oceans annually!
4. If you're really into watersports that require a personal flotation device, then you might wish to look to Astral. They use a more environmentally friendly foam in their vests. They're one of the top vests made as well. So, you get to be environmentally cutting edge and cutting edge in your outdoor equipment as well.
5. Look for locally grown, organic fruits, vegetables and meats. Generally these products travel less distance to the store and thus have a smaller "carbon footprint" than foods shipped around the globe. There are standards to being certified organic, if you look for free range the animals are supposed to be allowed to graze and not be kept in cages. So, you're eating happier products, leading to better tasting and kinder foods!
6. I know you've thought about throwing in the towel, that the steps to becoming a Greener Vacationer are daunting. But fret not! You're already a Greenie, you've chosen to whitewater raft, a much Greener vacation option than many choices available to you. There are no engines to emit bad gasses into the air, a raft is virtually carbon stagnant/neutral in its effort to get down the river. See, it's easy to be a Greenie.
7. One of the biggest changes we can make, whether on vacation or not, is to dump this habit of buying plastic bottled water. Look for reusable water containers. It's very important to hydrate, especially when active, like whitewater rafting. My favorite container is glass, the breakage factor often makes me chose something else but when the benefit outweighs the chance of breakage, I opt for glass. Switching to metal or even glass bottles is an excellent positive move. Here's a link from actress Rachel McAdams' website, Green Is Sexy, that sells semi-designer glass bottles, Love Bottle.
Hopefully these 7-tips help make your whitewater rafting vacation Greener. Hopefully being Greener makes you feel better about yourself, empowers you to realize how little an effort makes a huge difference. I'm enjoying the battle between the big corporations as they come out with better cars, better cleaners and better foods. Ultimately, the benefit is all of ours as we save our planet and reverse the negatives now in place.
Don't forget to give a shout when you're on the river!
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About the Author
For twenty years, Action Whitewater has provided professional whitewater rafting trips: always a leader in youth trips. Rafting Adventure Camps are the genuine byproduct of this focus as they strive to provide the most comprehensive youth programs on the river. For information, video and photos of what you can expect at an adventure camp, visit our website.
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