Green - Precision Packing

With a little foresight your vacation preparations can help not only you but the planet, too

by Jessica Hornbeck

With only roughly 4000 permanent residents on St. John, most of our island's occupants are visitors. (The National Park itself is responsible for about 1 million annually!) Most of our visitors are coming from places where the recycling of many man-made products is commonplace, green products are bountiful, and reused outlets (such as Salvation Army or garage sales) are abundant as options for buying recycled clothes, furniture, books, etc. That's not so much the case here.

I am not sure about you, but when I travel, green thinking is not necessarily at the front of my mind because it is replaced with thoughts of my future destination or what outfits I am going to wear (yes, even I think about clothes sometimes). Regardless of whether you are a visitor to or a resident of St. John, everyone here travels at some point - how many of you think about greening your travel routine?

While on writing assignment this month, I was required to think about this question a little deeper. It turns out there are a few small things that can make a big impact when repeated en masse, such as not printing electronic tickets, reducing your energy consumption even while you're on vacation, and booking hotels, vacation rentals, and flights with companies that employ green business practices (istaygreen.org assigns a green rating to hotels, if you want to do some research). Below are some other fun tips to keep in mind, next time you're zipping up that suitcase.

Reuse mini shampoo/lotion bottles Next time you finish off some of those travel-size beauty products, rinse them out, tear off the labels and refill them with your bath products of choice (I am also guilty of taking the bath products from hotel rooms). Save those bottles! If I don't like the hotel-brand products, I'll just use them on the dog or throw the conditioner in my beach bag for my hair. (I put it in at least an hour before I get into the water - that way it soaks in nicely, doesn't run right into the water, and keeps the salt from wreaking havoc on my hair.)

Packing recyclables Is someone you know coming down for a visit? Ask them to take a bag of recyclables back home with them. Usually friends are always bringing supplies for us anyway; why not have them fill that extra room in the suitcase with clean recyclables that they can dispose of at home? Even if you're just down on vacation, see if you can't take home some of the plastic bottles you've used on the trip so they can be recycled. Every little bit helps.

Pack and reuse a plastic bag I always pack a grocery bag or two for wet bathing suits and dirty clothes so they are separated from my clean stuff. When I get back home, I just empty the bag into my hamper and put the bag back under my sink for future use.

Pack your water bottles and travel mugs When I am away at school, they actually require us to do this. It saves them money because they do not have to purchase disposable cups and mugs, and it reduces trash! Next time you travel you can do this, too. You will save money and feel more at home, using your own gear.

By incorporating just a few of these easy recommendations, your travel routine will be green in no time!

Jessica Hornbeck lives on St. John and is a park guide/interpretive ranger for the V.I. National Park. She is also active in the St. John recycling group, and the Recycling Association of the Virgin Islands.

March 2010