Ideas for Travelling Green

Before You Leave Home

1. turn off all appliances at the wall so that clocks and standby modes are deactivated
2. turn off hot water cylinders and other in-house heating systems
3. pack only what you need – each additional kilo of weight in your car or plane will take more fuel to transport
4. print only the information that you need – in most places you can pick up local maps or check the internet regularly when you arrive so you do not need to have all your research material with you

 

Whilst You are Travelling

1. use a reusable water bottle – a metal bottle or reusable plastic BPA-free bottle are the best options to avoid the transfer of chemicals into your water
2. turn lights, air-conditioning and appliances off when you leave a room
3. drink tap water in countries where it is safe – New Zealand has great quality tap water which you can get for free in most cafes and at your accommodation provider
4. reuse your towels – at Lupton Lodge we provide heated towel rails so that your used towels are always dry when you go to use them again – you are welcome to change your towels everyday but by using them for 2 days there is a significant reduction in wasted water and detergents entering the environment
5. rent fuel efficient cars – visit rightcar.govt.nz to compare makes and models for efficiency before you hire. Or better still, rent an electric car if your itinerary can be broken into 150km journeys between recharges. Lupton Lodge offer an overnight recharge service for $4.50 per overnight charge or free recharges when you stay for 2 nights or more. Electric cars can be rented from Whangarei airport with bluecars.co.nz.
6. support local producers – Huanui orchards, 2km from Lupton Lodge is an excellent place to pick up local produce, or you can visit the Whangarei Growers Market every Saturday morning for an excellent range of fresh local produce – buying New Zealand made products whilst you are on holiday supports our local economy and reduces fuel consumption in transporting goods to New Zealand from overseas
7. avoid using a clothes dryer – planning in advance so that you can have you washing dry in the sun is a great way to reduce energy consumption, and your clothes will come out smelling great too!
8. use reusable bags – plastic bags can be extremely harmful to the environment – pick up a reusable bag from any New Zealand supermarket to use for shopping during your holiday or ask to borrow one of ours whilst you are staying at Lupton Lodge
9. recycle – most parts of New Zealand now recycle plastic, paper, glass and metals – bring bottles, cans and plastic to your accommodation provider at the end of the day for recycling or pop into one of the Whangarei District free recycling centres.