Before I even became a conscious person I never watched how my habits had a negative impact in our world. If you guys remember I recently took a last minute flight to Puerto Rico to say my final goodbyes to my grandfather. On my flights I couldn’t help but notice how much trash was going out on each flight. I didn’t see anyone being conscious about their habits. They all were living life just like I was several years ago. They were living blind to their actions’ consequences. I have decided to come up with a quick guide on how you can fly eco-friendly and reduce your carbon footprint on our planet Earth.
I am going to be honest. This being a last minute trip and me not even being home at the time we got the bad news, we just planned and left without thinking twice about any of our actions. All I had on my mind was going home to see my grandpa one last time. I left my waterbottle, minimize my luggage to only one backpack for my clothes, shoes, and toiletries, and left. At the moment I couldn’t care less about anything else besides getting to Puerto Rico as soon as possible.
Once I got on the flight I saw what I could of done. I kept telling myself that it was all last minute and it wasn’t my fault but I could of been more conscious about my actions. I was already sitting in my seat over 20 thousand feet up in the sky. There was nothing much I could do besides make the best of the circumstances I had in front of me. I decided to reuse the cup they gave me, not use a straw (sadly I did use a coffee stirrer), and limit my waste as much as I possibly could. Not the most sustainable scenerio but at least a better alternative then what the rest of the passengers were doing.
One of the things I noticed was how many cups each person used. If they wanted something to drink they would throw away the cup they were using and get a new cup. Worse of all, each drink comes either in a bottle or in a can. This is something we can easily recycle. Sadly it’s much easier for the flight attendant to take all the trash in one bag and get it over with. Understandable because they are on a time crunch with a lot of people to tend to but not very conscious to say the least. We however can make a difference and here is how…
BRING YOUR OWN REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE
You are probably thinking… “But what about security?” No need to bring it full, as long as you bring a reusable water bottle you can go to a restaurant and pay for a drink and ask if you can fill it up in your water bottle instead. Some places may allow you to do this. Many will even let you get water for free. On the plane you can ask for beverages and just keep the cans or bottles and recycle them at the airport. Some airports have recycle bins. If I’m not mistaken, I’m sure I saw some in Atlanta, unless those were just very fancy trashcans. Two of my favorite brands is Healthy Human and Hydroflask.
BRING YOUR OWN REUSABLE CUP/COFFEE MUG
Instead of bringing a water bottle on the plane you can bring a tumbler instead and use it for water, coffee, soda, juice, or even a little wine. No one will judge you. The good thing about tumblers is that it keeps your drink either cold or warm for the entire flight and they are reusable. Just rinse it out and use again.
BRING YOUR OWN SNACKS
I didn’t realize how many snacks they would give you on the plane. I flew with Delta and I got offered snacks like every 20 minutes. Don’t get me wrong. I can eat those delicious granola bars all day long. Sadly each item is wrapped in plastic wrapper and most places consider this trash versus something you can recycle. To avoid falling in this planet loving guilt trip you can pack your own snacks instead. Take a reusable container with different compartments and fill them with different snacks such as nuts, granola, M&M’s, you name it. You can even bring a trail mix if it makes snacking easier for you.
BRING YOUR OWN UTENSILS
Depending on how long your flight is and the time of day, depends if your flight will have a meal or not. I usually never get a meal cause my flights are short going to Puerto Rico. The last time I had a meal on a plane was when I was either flying out of Hawaii or in to Hawaii. Those flights were usually 10+ hours long. I remember being given plastic single use utensils. Don’t those words make you cringe. Single use plastic! This is why it’s best for you to bring along your own utensils. No need for that single use stuff that is harming our world right?! You can purchase your own bamboo or metal reusable utensils that you can carry along with you on any trip. You can even get this one which also includes a straw and a carrying case.
BRING YOUR OWN STRAW
I guess this could go with utensils as well but I feel that this is something that is really affecting our planet more than other plastics. Don’t believe me? Read this post here to learn more about the damage that single use straws are causing to our oceans and lands. Reusable straws come in various options such as bamboo, metal, and even glass. There is even this nifty foldable metal straw with a cute case.
Did you know that humans use over 500 million straws a day. 500 MILLION!! Yes! That’s insane guys! By buying a straw that you can reuse you are avoiding using over hundreds of single use straws in its (the reusable straw’s) lifetime. Straws are easily mistaken by animals as food and many of them ingest these straws causing health issues. I am sure we all have seen this video of the poor turtle getting a straw pulled out of his poor nose. We can easily avoid this by switching to a reusable straw. Take the #stopsucking pledge here and make the change our planet needs.
Well these are a few of the things I will be taking with me on my next flight for sure. Anything to limit my footprint in this beautiful world we live in. I would really love to hear what you all do to fly consciously?
Disclaimer:
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4 Responses
It does feel good when you decide to stand for something. The decision to pay attention to what you use and how you use them can be a tough road to follow.
I agree. It is a tough road to follow but it feels good that the outcome is good. Not only am I practicing a more conscious lifestyle but I am also teaching my girls how to be conscious about their actions as well. Thank you for reading.
Fortunately I don’t like hot drinks or soda so I never need all these single use stirrers or straws. But I think it’s unacceptable these days for airports not to offer water stations next to the departure gates. I carry a flask around with me when I travel and it’s so frustrating not to be able to fill it up with water before I get on the plane. Airports and airlines should be taking a much more proactive role in reducing plastic waste and supporting those who are trying to minimize their footprint.
Mel, I completely agree. The only thing I could do was go to a restaurant and pay to fill a flask. It’s water. That should be available to everyone to drink. I love my coffee so after being with no sleep I need my cupsss of coffee but I reused the same cup I had. No need to throw it away to get a new cup. I agree. I feel that airlines and airports should all be doing better in reducing their carbon footprint and making it easier for those who travel to reduce theirs as well.