June Green Tips for Summer Fun!

Summer is nearly here, and it’s time for fun and adventure! Road trips could be a fun idea, or maybe more of a staycation! Whether you have a destination or are going nowhere in particular, you can make sure that your trip is environmentally responsible if you follow some of these great tips.

Plan a Staycation

Who needs to spend a bunch of money to have a good time? Planning a staycation can be fun and adventurous, cost significantly less, and is the most environmentally friendly way to travel! Try exploring parks, museums, shopping districts, restaurants, festivals, etc., that you’ve never visited in your city or a neighboring city. If you want to get out of town, look for a destination closer and do an overnighter, sharing a vacation rental with your friends. Look for local concerts, street festivals, art openings, and theaters to maximize your staycation. You’ll have a blast discovering the wonders of your community and those around you without draining the bank account or the gas tank!

Bring Reusable Bags & Pack Snacks on the Road

This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how often the smallest things get forgotten at home. Bringing along reusable water bottles eliminates the need to constantly buy single-use water bottles at gas stations and grocery stores. Plus, it’s healthier for you! Plastic water bottles left in warm cars can leach dangerous chemicals into the water. To have the greenest road trip possible, make sure that reusable bottles are at the top of your do-not-forget list! When you’re on a road trip, you can be in stores to pick up supplies, eat at diners and restaurants, and likely do fun souvenir shopping occasionally. All those plastic bags and to-go containers add up, so make sure to bring your reusable bags along on your road trip. That goes for food and storage containers, too — less to-go Styrofoam® or take-out containers in landfills!

Efficient Road Trip Tips

Road trip planning websites are a great and easy way to know exactly where to stop and plan the most environmentally friendly route! Route planning can assist in finding gas stations, saving gas in the long run, and ultimately helping reduce stress. Instead of worrying about idling on the road and worrying about whether you will have enough gas to stop, you can know exactly where you’re going and where the best and most efficient stops are for you.

Make Sure Your Tires are Inflated to the Manufacturer’s Specifications

This tip is going to be the simplest prep tip for your vehicle! Tires are what put the power of your engine onto the road. The level of inflation can significantly affect your fuel mileage. The lower your tire pressure is, the more rolling resistance the tire has, thus resulting in the engine needing to work harder to make the vehicle move. Each vehicle has manufacturer specifications for a multitude of items. However, we are specifically talking tire pressure here, and every vehicle has a plaque on the driver’s side door frame. Here you will see the specified tire pressure for the front and rear tires.

Offset Your Road Trip

The tips above are great, simple ways to reduce your emissions during the trip, but if you genuinely want to go the extra mile and make your trip as sustainable as possible, you can pay to offset the emissions produced by your vehicle. Websites like Terrapass, MyClimate, and Mossy Earth have tools to help you calculate your emissions from a trip and then pay a fee to offset those emissions through restoration and conservation projects like planting native trees and investing in renewable energy initiatives. Offset costs are also often very reasonable, so it’s easy to factor them into a trip budget!