Tracey Martin is a Sustainable Lifestyle Leader and author and has been a certified Transformational Life Coach as well as health, life and wellness advisor for more than 25 years. Tracey’s mission is simple, to protect our natural resources, planet, and our most precious resource: humankind. She is sharing her knowledge with us in this monthly column and this month Tracey talks about mindful summer travel and how you can avoid waste.
If you haven’t hit the road or the skies on your summer adventure yet, you might be going soon. I want to challenge you to become more mindful as you travel and more purposeful with your packing.
I am not sure if you are like me, but I used to pack way too much. Then once I got to my destination, I never wore half of what I brought. Organizing your outfits to be inter-styled is a must these days. Unless you have a lot of events planned, focus more on basics. They can be layered and styled so many ways. It is not necessary to purchase new clothes for your vacation. I would guess that where you are going, no one has ever seen your outfit before!
Traveling more mindfully when it comes to your “waste.” What exactly does that mean? It means to bring reusable bags and containers to store snacks in. Reusable straws for those meals out. YES! bring your own straws and tell the waiter “no thanks” to the plastic straw. Thoughtfully disposing of waste.
Factoid – Almost 500 million straws are used daily in the US alone. Most can’t be recycled. They end up in landfills, oceans and sadly as a hazard to marine life.
U-Konserve is one of my favorite companies for providing solutions for traveling more sustainably and daily living solutions. Stainless steel straws, containers and more. Great for take along snacks for you and your companions.
If you are bringing snacks with you. Most of the time they won’t all be eaten at one time. Then what? You grab a plastic ziplock and once you are finished, it gets tossed. Try these fun little solutions from Food Huggers.
Are you traveling with your furry friends? So many of us do now a days. We need solutions for them as well. Being a responsible dog owners means picking up after them. So lets take it a step further and be responsible to the planet as well. When you toss the poop, make sure everything is biodegradable including the bag. I love Chewy’s for these simple solutions.
Just a few tips for making a difference. Yes, everything counts no matter how small they are. Imagine if everyone implemented just one of these practices every time they went on a vacation.
Sustainably Yours,
Tracey xo
If you have comments or questions you would like to see addressed in this column, please send them to info@fabulousarizona.com.
For a private one on one with Tracey text 602.568.4124.