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Traveling can be terribly hectic. Our satchels may get packed in a clothes-gathering torrent. We might race to the cab, our hair unkempt, our stomachs empty and our pants unpressed. If you'd started your planning earlier, you might have been better off dishevelmentwise. Let me awkwardly extend the idea of a person who didn?t plan ahead and being disheveled by it into a metaphor about the environment. If you do plan ahead for trips, you can help the environment from becoming all metaphorically unkempt. Here are some suggestions.
Unplug Everything
You may remember to turn off all your lights. And you've checked the oven like a billion times, cause you've got OCD or something. Did you remember to pull the plugs out of all the outlets? Phantom power accounts for about 10% of your home's energy use. Do you want to pay an unneeded 10% in electricity bills when you get home from your vacation?
Eat Your Food
By planning ahead, you can make sure to eat all of your perishables before you go. And if you're a good enough planner, you can eat all of the food in your fridge before you go. Then you can unplug the fridge. It's doubtful that will happen, but somebody out there is capable of this. Wasting food indirectly wastes energy. Think of all the energy that went into getting that food to you. If you don't use the food for what's intended for, than you've just wasted all that energy.
Fill Your Fridge
You are probably not going to be able to eat all the food in your fridge. You'll have condiments and stuff in deep freeze. But if you do eat your perishables before you go, you'll have an empty fridge. The fridge has to work harder to keep cold when it's empty. Fill a few jugs or jars full of water and put them in the fridge. This will reduce your fridge's energy output.
Have the Post Office Hold your Mail
Instead of having a friend drive to your house to pick up the mail, have the post office hold it. They will hold your mail for up to 30 days.
Deterring Burglars with a Light
A lot of people attempt to deter burglaries by leaving a light on during their vacation. According to police, this is an effective crime deterrent. However, it wastes energy. The smarter and better way is to use motion detectors or put a couple of lights on a timer. This will reduce them amount of energy needed to deter crime.
More on Eco-Friendly Travel:
5 Tips For Hitchhiking Safely and Effectively
Tips For a Green Taxi Ride
7 Local Vacation (Staycation) Destinations
How To Green Your Travel Abroad Routine
5 Amazing Eco-Tourism Destinations
9 Questions You Must Ask Before Booking a "Green" Hotel
