Sustainable Travel
You’ve probably heard a lot about sustainable travel in the past few years…but what does it actually mean, and how can we all take part in improving this epic planet? At Stoke Beach House, we’re pretty damn passionate about sustainable travel and always strive to put our best green foot forward.
Here are some tips on how you legends can improve your travel choices…
TRAVELLING WITH SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS
A great way to start is to practise using some handy sustainable products when travelling. If you need a cup of coffee to get you through the day, instead of getting a takeaway cup every day, get yourself a reusable keep cup. A keep cup is an awesome way of reducing your garbage waste from all those takeaway coffee cups, and some cafes in Sydney often discount your coffee for bringing your own keep cup!
Did you know that “Australians throw out 2.7 million single-use or disposable coffee cups every single day. This adds up to 1 billion coffee cups thrown out every year.” Don’t become one of those statistics!
An even more important one is always having a reusable water bottle with you. Australia is pretty lucky, and our tap water is perfectly healthy and clean to drink, so our plastic bottled water is sort of unnecessary. So instead of dishing out $5 bucks on a bottle of water every day, invest in a reusable water bottle and keep refilling it as you go. There are refilling stations all over Manly!
Some other tips that are becoming easier to get our hands on are shampoo, conditioner and soap bars. These can be found in heaps of health and organic shops, that are eco-friendly, work incredibly well and don’t skimp on smelling fresh!
Did you know that Australia has now banned single-use plastic!? No more plastic drinking straws, plastic plates or cutlery can be sold. While it’s only a small step forward, it’s definitely a move in the right direction.
PROPERLY RECYCLING
Did you know in Australia, we recycle!? You might have seen some weird-looking coloured bins floating around and are not sure how they work. It’s pretty simple once you know which is which… Red is for general waste, so you’re food scraps, food wrappings, makeup remover wipes etc and general garbage. Yellow is for recycling all things hard plastic, glass and tins, things like soft drink bottles, cans and glass jars. Lastly, Blue is for paper that is cardboard, printer paper, cardboard cartons and newspapers. Not your dirty pizza boxes. And if you’re still confused, you can always take a cheeky peek inside to see for yourself.
Still, have no idea what should go in which bin? There is an epic free app called Recycle Mate that scans the product and tells you which bin it should go in. So don’t be lazy; get recycling and save our planet one item at a time.
BUY LOCAL
While this might not be the most obvious one, it’s definitely worth being aware of the pros of supporting a local economy. Transport leaves a huge carbon footprint. This is a huge part of the impact on our food chain. If you are in Manly, make sure to check out the local farmer’s markets every weekend, there’s everything from handmade soaps, candles, freshly grown fruit, handmade jewellery, and so much more. Farmers’ markets are often cheaper than the local supermarket!
This can also be as simple as choosing a local cafe rather than a big chain like Starbucks, which has a much larger impact on the environment.
ALWAYS DO BETTER
While there’s still so much to do at a higher level, there’s always something anyone can do today to make even a small impact. We recommend carrying a compostable bag with you so you can pick up any litter you find and dispose of it responsibly when you return. We’re located so close to the ocean, so let’s all make an effort to avoid any rubbish ending up in our beautiful oceans and potentially harming our wildlife.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US
While you may think this is all just big talk and it may be easy for us to dish out suggestions. Here at Stoke Beach House; we walk our talk and lead by example. We like to make environmentally conscious choices wherever we can. From stocking reusable plates, mugs and dishes in the kitchen for you to use (so please wash up after yourself, we ain’t your mumma). From the toilet paper you steal from our lush bathrooms (yes, we know you are stealing it), ‘who gives a crap toilet paper made from 100% recycled paper. Our solar power panels powering up your lights and hot water, and we have all the coloured recycling bins mentioned above for you to use, ensuring that these are disposable of correctly. If you see our team or a housemate not recycling correctly, give them a kind reminder of what goes in which bin.
It’s time to start thinking about travel a little differently than before… and that’s okay. By doing some little eco-friendly acts when travelling can make more of a difference than you realise. We at Stoke Beach House will always support the preservation of our planet and the gorgeous environment we live in and love so much.
Any other ways we can help reduce our footprint? Send us a love note and share your thoughts and suggestions.