Even on the road, there are things mobile warriors can do to help Green the world and save the planet’s resources.
Don’t leave it on
Many of us leave our laptops on so they can receive e-mail. However, that burns electricity. Simply powering down if you’re going to be away for more than 30 minutes will represent significant energy savings.
And even before you leave on a trip, a simple check that the home will be using as little power and heat as possible can go a long, long way over time.
Unplug it
“Phantom Draw” is the power pulled by appliances that aren’t, actually, doing anything for you. And your cell phone charger is one of the biggest offenders.
How big? Up to 90% of ALL the electricity sucked in by that charger happens when your phone isn’t even plugged into it! Just pulling it from the outlet can be a major change in terms of energy consumption.
Don’t Print It
Sure, we need to print boarding passes and the like. But thinking twice before printing the rest would be a great boon to the planet.
There are other ways to be paper-free: downloading podcasts instead of grabbing brochures (like iToors), emailing meeting agendas, and sending itinerary information to a PDA or SmartPhone. I noticed that once I started paying attention, I was coming home with about 40 fewer sheets of print-outs than I had before.
Rent Green
Like many other mobile warriors, I used to get bumped to some very comfortable cars over the years. Ones that burned a lot more gas than what I drove at home, but I didn’t think twice about it.
Now that I do think about it, and so do car rental companies. Three of the major ones are now offering very Green cars for rent. Enterprise, Hertz and Avis all have a Green Collection of hybrids available.
Get Your Power For Free
I never knew that a universal 75-watt car adapter, which plugs into a cigarette lighter, actually draws from the car’s alternator. That makes is “free power” since it pulls from the extra available while driving! Now I carry the adapter instead of all those specially-made car chargers when I travel and help save the planet.
Replace your battery
If you find yourself charging more and more often, it may be time to replace your battery. You can also buy extenders that will help your current battery work longer.
A more efficient battery can make for major power savings - and besides helping the planet, can be a real time-saver on the road.
The knack of saving the planet while traveling comes simply from having the intention to do so. At the end of the day, every little bit does help, and we can each be part of the solution.