We’ve known all along that most RVers are environmentally responsible, but now it’s official. A new study was released that compared total carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) of a family of four taking an RV vacation to taking a traditional vacation – flying, driving and hotel stays. No surprise that the RV vacation had the smaller carbon footprint.
Consider this: An average-sized hotel generates as much as 30 pounds of waste per room per day. Plus, to wash one pound of room linen takes approximately two gallons of water. A typical occupied room uses 11.5 pounds of linens per day. A single large, fully occupied hotel with a typical stay of two nights can use more than 34,000 gallons of water just for laundering room linens, according to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune.
Good stats to spout off the next time someone raises their eyebrows when you tell them you travel in an RV. And here are a few ways to further impress environmentalists and reduce your carbon footprint:
Explore in your own backyard. You don’t need to drive from coast to coast to have a great vacation. Look for attractions and RV events nearby. Each month, Good Sam Events features RV tours and Samborees across the country.
Drive smarter. Keep your RV and towed vehicle well tuned, the tires inflated properly; avoid overloading your RV; use the cruise control as often as possible; and drive smoothly. Driving smarter means less fuel consumption.
Pick up litter. Set aside one day on each trip as Family Cleanup Day. Whether you’re traveling to the white beaches of Northern Florida or the Smoky Mountains, grab some garbage bags and clean up the local campground, park, beach or other public area.
Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle. Use reusable plates and cups instead of paper products. And before throwing anything out, consider whether it can be reused, repaired or recycled.
Consider alternative fuels. Hybrid RVs are on the horizon – albeit a distant one. But with more selection and greater availability of hybrid and alternative-fuel cars, the prices of eco-friendly automobiles are on the decline. So before you purchase your next dinghy or towed vehicle, research hybrid cars.
Take a green cruise. Even cruise lines, which have attracted much criticism from environmentalist watchdogs, are taking steps to go green. Holland America, the official cruise line of The Good Sam Club, is testing a new system that uses seawater to scrub smokestack emissions, which decreases air pollution. Its Vista-class fleets are powered by either diesel-electric or gas-turbine engines.
Going green isn’t a fad; it’s a lifestyle. Share some of your eco-friendly tips in the comments section.
Join the Good Sam Club for The Rally in Albuquerque, NM and put your green ideas to the test in The Rally’s first annual “Go Green” idea contest.
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Queen of the Road
I wrote an essay for the Huffington Post on this very subject.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doreen-orion/the-true-price-of-gas_b_104713.html
Charles Gee
We live in a Park Model RV with propane heating. The floor area is 300+ square feet not 3,000 + square feet, we have a 30 amp power supply so our usage is a fraction of the usual 200amp supply. Living as we do a fair way from town we have to run a vehicle and ours is a 3 cylinder diesel powered “Smart” car. We have a lot that is 35′ wide and 55′ long and it is solid crushed rock. Thus there is no lawn to mow, so no lawn mower. The Park has full recycle facilities just 2 minutes walk away. There is a communal laundromat so we do not own a washer/dryer. I suspect that I will rig up a solar cooker for the summer and see if that helps, maybe down the road there is solar hot water and perhaps even solar power. I think this Rv lifestyle makes a lot of sense andis certainly more environmental friendly than the huge houses, gas guzzling SUV’s and all the myriad toys beloved of the suburbanite lifestyle crowd.
Charles on Vancouver Island and just loving it!