Photo credit: JoshuaDavisPhotography.COM

How can you be an eco-friendly traveller? Well, considering the immense amount of carbon emissions generated by air travel (hundreds of pounds of fuel per passenger), the term “eco-friendly traveller” may be a bit of an oxymoron. Still, when on vacation or on business abroad, the search for greener alternatives is not totally hopeless. 

Before You Leave

• Packaging, Packaging, Packaging:

Unfortunately, all those cute, miniature-sized toothpastes, shampoos and conditioners create much more waste than regular or refill-sized packages. Instead, opt for products with less packaging, or bottles and boxes that can be re-used.

The Soap Works (http://puresoapworks.com/index.htm) has been making biodegradable, natural bar soaps with absolutely no packaging for 25 years. Their Shampoo & Conditioner bar is perfect for hair washing while travelling, the Carbolic bar repels mosquitoes and other pests, and the Tea Tree bar’s antiseptic properties make it perfect to clean minor cuts and scrapes.

Wysi Wipes (http://www.canawipe.com/home.html) are a great green alternative to pre-moistened cloths, for washing dishes while camping, removing make-up, or cleaning up spills. Rather than using one-time-use facial cleansing wipes that remain in a landfill forever, Wysi Wipes can be washed, re-used, and are eventually biodegradable. They start as tiny tablets that take up no room in a suitcase, but expand many times their original size after adding water.

• Natural Remedies:

Products without synthetic ingredients, preservatives, artificial colours and harsh chemicals and pesticides are easier on the environment, and safer for everyone.

Swimming and snorkelling while wearing sunscreens with harsh chemicals are not only dangerous to you, but can harm the fish, coral, and natural environment around you. Sunscreens should be PABA and paraben free. Badger (http://www.badgerbalm.com/default.aspx) or Soleo (http://www.soleousa.com/) are some of the cleanest brands you can find.

Essential oils can be used as natural bug repellents. Citronella, lavender and tea tree are at the top of the list. If you get bitten, tea tree oil works well to soothe the itch. They can also be purchased in ready-made spray forms at your local health food store.

Other natural remedies include: ginger for nausea and motion sickness, probiotics to prevent travellers’ sickness and digestive upsets, and grapefruit seed extract to purify drinking and bathing water.

While You’re There

• Reuse:

Everything possible on vacation should be re-used. Pack some cloth bags in your suitcase for shopping and bring your trusty reusable water bottles along as well. Tip: double walled stainless steel canteens keep water cold hours longer in tropical heat than single walled stainless steel, aluminum or plastic (plus, they’re better for you).           

• Respect the Local Ecosystem:

Choose hotels, tours and day trips that use environmentally friendly practices. Eat local whenever possible (this is usually much more fun than eating local at home). When in nature, remember the golden rule—take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints.

• Save Electricity, Water, and Gas:

Just like at home, don’t leave lights, TVs or electric appliances on. Don’t leave the water running or take long showers. If you’re staying in a full-service hotel, refrain from requesting laundry or cleaning services unless absolutely necessary. Or, if you’re doing some sightseeing, take the bus or walk instead of renting a car. You’ll experience more of the culture that way in the process.

On Your Way Home

• Recycle:

Believe it or not, a lot of resorts and vacation destinations don’t have the same recycling facilities that we’re used to. So—take it home! Empty packages aren’t heavy, so bringing them home to be recycled isn’t too hard.

• Souvenir Shopping:

Although the most environmentally-friendly option is to avoid buying any souvenirs, most people like taking a little something back to remember their trip. If you’re buying souvenirs for yourself or for others, ensure that they’re environmentally responsible choices. For example, make sure they’re actually made in the location you travel to, but don’t damage the local ecosystem (no crocodile skin wallets!). As always, don’t buy anything you don’t need or won’t want in a few years.

Good luck and bon voyage!

It is definitely time to get the sunscreen out, but with so many chemical and not-so-natural versions on the market it can be very difficult to choose one that is safe.  In the past natural sunscreen product manufacturers used zinc oxide to provide UV protection.  And though it is safe and effective, it leaves behind that ghostly white skin we all wish to avoid.  So the next scientific breakthrough was the use of nanotechnology, the creation of incredibly small particles — measured in nanometers (nm), or one-billionth of a meter. This took care of the white film, but recent evidence shows that these nanoparticles may pose risks to the environment.  Not a great trade-off.

Not to despair, there are some terrific sunscreen products on the market that are safe, effective, free from nanos and leave your skin, well – skin colored.  Vivesana is a new product line that presents major breakthroughs in organic sun care.  The products are free from harmful synthetic ingredients, nanoparticles and even water, providing a stronger sun product.

Vivesana (which means “live healthy” in Italian) products are at least 40 SPF, hypoallergenic, packaged in BPA-free containers and boast the highest organic content of any sun care products on the market.  Those at Vivesana take your health and sun protection very seriously.

The line includes three sun care products:

• Solar to Polar Ultra – Chock full of hydrating botanicals (jojoba and apricot) and powerful antioxidants (green tea and raspberry seed) this sunscreen provides 40 SPF and really stays put.  $29
• Solar to Polar Baby – SPF 42 to protect the most delicate skin Solar to Polar Baby is gentle and safe enough for little ones, but provides the strongest protection.  $32
• Dopo Elements – Dopo (meaning “after”) is for, you guessed it, after your day in the sun, water and dry air.  Jojoba, olive and avocado oils help to re-hydrate and nourish parched skin, while green tea extract gives it a healthy boost of antioxidants.  Coming soon.

Want to try Vivesana sun care products?  Use code orgbeauty&vive25 at www.vivesana.com and receive a 25% discount.

Image credit:  Vivesana

Sunscreen has been touted over the past few decades as an essential component in keeping our skin healthy and cancer-free.  It is, of course, widely known now that prolonged exposure to the sun’s UV rays could be a common cause of skin cancer.  Not to mention the other benefits of sunscreen, like its role in preventing the signs of premature aging.  But scientists are now looking at sunscreen, rather some of its ingredients, as a potential threat to the environment.

Zinc oxide is a common and popular ingredient used in sunscreens to absorb or deflect damaging ultra violet (UV) rays.  The complaint by users in the past has been the ghostly white appearance it leaves behind.  The solution; make zinc oxide clear by shrinking it into tiny particles between one and 100 nanometers (a nanometer is roughly half the size of a strand of DNA).  No more chalky white skin, but at what price? 

Scientific America reported Tuesday that the use of these nanoparticles may pose risks to the environment by damaging beneficial microbes

A study by University of Toledo researchers discovered that nano-titanium dioxide used in personal care products reduced biological roles of bacteria after less than an hour of exposure. The findings suggest that these particles, which end up at municipal sewage treatment plants after being washed off in showers, could eliminate microbes that play vital roles in ecosystems and help treat wastewater.

These tiny microbes have big jobs; remove ammonia from wastewater, clean up toxic waste and reduce phosphorus in lakes.

The European Union has also been researching nanoparticles and the role they play in the disruption of the environment.  On Wednesday a majority of the the EU Parliament voted for new EU-wide rules regarding nanocosmetics that will take effect in 2012.  Clear labeling on products that contain nanoparticles is part of the new regulation, as well as special safety testing before a product’s release.

Nanotechnology has been noted as potentially beneficial in creating drugs that could cure cancer and radiation poisoning, exciting possibilities to be sure.

At this point, rather than discourage the use of nanoparticles all together, scientists see more research that needs to be done to recognize their true potential.