REDWOOD NEEDLES Presented by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter Newsletter, The REDWOOD NEEDLES Return to Article Menu Traveling light-Traveling green All of us feel the urgency to take care of our own garbage at home. But what happens when we travel? It's fun to read local newspapers, eat fast food, or grab a soda from a vending machine. The question is now that you have purchased a recyclable item, how do you recycle it in a strange town? I'll offer a few suggestions and put a call out to readers asking for their travel solutions. The cleverest idea will receive a cloth shopping bag. Car Travel When traveling in your car on a short trip, consider backhauling the recyclables that you pick up along the way. Aluminum cans, travel brochures, flyers, and newspapers can be added to hometown recycling. If you are on an extended car trip, save up your recyclables and look in the yellow pages for a recycling center that may accept the items. You'll be pleased to find recycling centers in almost every city. California cities have beverage container buy-back centers located in most grocery store parking lots. Many California Interstate rest areas have aluminum recycling bins. Fast Food The next time you give into the urge to eat fast food remember to look at the trash that you purchased with your meal. I carry a plastic tumbler/glass for use at restaurants that have self-service drink counters. Consider bringing your own drink in a reusable container. Take only the napkins, utensils, packets of condiments that you need; refuse straws and lids. Refuse that paper bag if your purchase is a single item and drink. I carry reusable utensils, tumblers, plates and cloth napkins in my car. Spontaneous picnics of bread, cheese and fruit from a local market are a snap and create much less waste. Air Travel For many years, my husband and I have flown with our own lightweight mugs and utensils. When I recently spoke to a friend who is a TWA flight attendant, she said that other passengers are also carrying their own mugs. She loves it and thanks them for helping avoid airline waste. She encourages passengers to save their cups for refills. She gives her pilots a reusable mug. This small gesture saves at least 10 disposable cups per pilot per flight. Over the past 10 years, my husband and I have refused over 350 disposable cups/glasses while flying. Hotel-Motel According to Erin Ainsworth, commercial recycling manager for Vallejo Garbage Service, most Vallejo hotels and motels have started basic commercial recycling programs. They can easily recycle office paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and acceptable plastic containers. On a recent trip to Reno, I stayed at the Hampton Inn at Harrah's. I was delighted with their environmental messages asking occupants to use towels and sheets an extra day to help save energy and water. Unfortunately, their continental breakfast was served on styrofoam plates, styrofoam bowls, styrofoam cups, plastic glasses, plastic utensils and paper napkins. When you purchase a newspaper or soda at a hotel, ask the clerk if they have a recycling bin that you can toss them in when you are finished. If the hotel does not recycle, encourage them to. Most of us remember when No Smoking rooms were a rarity, now they are common. Someday, we'll see more hotels like the Boston Park Plaza which has special "Environmentally Friendly" rooms. These rooms have low-consumption shower heads and toilets, high-tech fluorescent lights, recycling baskets and shampoo/lotion dispensers instead of individual disposable bottles. Don't forget to tuck a cloth shopping bag into your luggage before your leave. When you travel, remember to follow the backpacker's motto: pack it in, pack it out. When feasible, be responsible for all your reusable and recyclable trash while traveling. E-mail your travel light hints to jabogner@juno.com or leave a message (after June 2) at 707 644-9183. Jane Bogner Solano Group Return to Article Menu Last updated on 3/02/99 Comments or suggestions? Drop us a line at heyneedles@aol.com