Tips for Making Your Vacation Eco-Friendly

Julie Starr • May 30, 2022



When you’re on vacation, it’s easy to let your eco-friendly habits slip. You might not think about recycling when you’re on a beach in the Caribbean or turning off the light when you leave your hotel room for the day. But there are plenty of ways to enjoy your vacation while still being environmentally responsible. This blog post will give you tips for making your holiday more sustainable. We’ll cover everything from transportation to accommodations to food and drink. So read on, and start planning your next green getaway!

Overtourism:

Overtourism is a massive problem in many popular tourist destinations. If you’re planning to visit a place known to be crowded, do your research ahead of time and look for ways to avoid the worst of the crowds. This might mean visiting during the shoulder season or staying in a less-crowded area.

Use Efficient Modes Of Transportation:

One of the best ways to make your vacation more sustainable is to use efficient modes of transportation. If you’re flying, try to offset your carbon emissions by planting trees or investing in renewable energy. You can also offset your emissions by taking direct flights whenever possible and packing light to avoid weight penalties. Plan your route ahead of time to avoid wasting gas and carpool whenever possible if you’re driving. And if you’re taking public transportation, be sure to recycle any materials you can.

Stay In Green Accommodations:

Your accommodations can also have a significant impact on the environment. For example, if you’re staying in a hotel, look for a certified green one . This means that the hotel has reduced its environmental impact by using energy-efficient lighting and appliances, recycling, and composting. You can also look for sustainable practices in hotels, such as solar power or green roofs. If you’re staying in a rental home or apartment, ask about the property’s sustainability policies. You can also take steps to be more sustainable in your accommodations, such as turning off the lights when you leave the room and recycling any materials. 

Support Local Businesses:

One of the best ways to reduce your environmental impact on vacation is to support local businesses. This means eating at locally-owned restaurants, shopping at local stores, and using local services. When you support local businesses, you’re helping reduce transportation emissions and supporting the local economy. You can also look for certified green businesses that use sustainable practices. You can l earn more about sustainable local business here.

Packing light:

One way to be more sustainable when you travel is to pack light. This will help you avoid overweight baggage fees, and it will also reduce your carbon footprint. In addition, when you pack light, you’ll use less energy and resources to transport your belongings, generating less waste. So next time you’re packing for vacation, leave some space in your suitcase for souvenirs and travel light!

Stay and Explore:

When planning your vacation, try to choose a destination that you can explore over a more extended period. This will help you avoid the environmental impact of flying, and it will also allow you to experience the place you’re visiting. If you can, take a road trip or take the train instead of flying. And once you’re at your destination, take some time to explore the area. For example, rent a bicycle or walk instead of taking taxis or buses everywhere. By staying and exploring, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the culture of your destination and avoid some of the environmental impacts of tourism.

Eat Sustainable, Local Foods:

When you’re on vacation, it’s easy to eat out. But did you know that the food you eat can also be eco-friendly? To make your holiday more sustainable, try to eat locally sourced foods . This means eating foods that are grown or produced near your vacation destination. Local food is fresher and tastier, but it also has a smaller carbon footprint than food that’s been shipped from far away. You can find local restaurants by doing a quick Google search or asking your hotel staff for recommendations.

Drink Responsibly:

You can also make your vacation more sustainable by drinking responsibly. This means avoiding single-use plastic straws and cups and opting for reusable ones instead. It also means being aware of the water you’re consuming. If you’re in a country with limited access to clean water, drink only bottled water that’s been certified safe. And if you’re staying in a place with unlimited access to clean water, try to avoid bottled water altogether. You can also reduce your impact by drinking local beers and wines with a smaller carbon footprint than imported ones.

In conclusion, there are many ways to make your vacation more sustainable. By offsetting your carbon emissions, staying in green accommodations, and eating locally sourced foods, you can help reduce your environmental impact. And by packing light and drinking responsibly, you can further reduce your impact on the planet. So next time you travel, remember to consider the environment in all that you do!

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.