http://www.greenlivingonline.com/EcoTravel/earth-day-tips-for-vacations/
(Apr 20, 2007)
Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you have to stop being green! Vacation with these suggestions from our Green Tips guide.
Four-stroke for everyone
Boating season may feel too short, but it doesn't take long for the environmental impact to add up. If the engine on your motorboat is more than a few years old, chances are it's a two-stroke. Two-stroke engines are gas-guzzlers; they also discharge oil and gas into the water - plus hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide into the air - as they run. For a long time they were the only choice for outboard engines (and snowmobiles and lawnmowers), but in the last decade, the technology has improved dramatically. Welcome the four-stroke. Four-stroke engines re-circulate oil through a filter, so it is constantly being reused. You don't add oil when you fill up, your engine hardly emits any when it is operating. Four-strokes are 90% cleaner than two-strokes, they run more quietly and use half the fuel. Make your next engine a four-stroke. The higher price tag will pay for itself in fuel-cost savings within two or three seasons. And your grandchildren will thank you when they inherit the cottage - and the wildlife that comes with it.
Dirty water sports
Okay, we know it's a hoot. If you don't mind aching triceps and the odd noseful of boat wake, water-skiing and tubing are fun summer activities. Thing is, dragging humans behind power boats puts a heavy tax on the water system. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. estimates that nearly one billion litres of unburned oil and gas are discharged into North American waters every year-that’s 15 times the Exxon Valdez spill. You don't have to give up the habit altogether, but think about what a dirty pleasure it is the next time you're planning a sunny day activity. How's this for a compromise? Give the skiing or tubing trip a purpose. Do it when you're going somewhere, to get from A to B, when you'd be running that engine anyway. Try to imagine the view from below the surface the next time you're thinking of whizzing off behind a fast engine. Share the lake with the creatures who got there first.
Protect your shores
If your country property is situated on a lake or river, you should know that your point of contact with the water is one of the key places where you can help preserve the natural beauty of your surroundings. Vegetation along the shore holds the soil in place. Consider your dock as a bridge over this important section of the water, and do most of your swimming in deeper areas, perhaps out to a raft. Natural, untreated wood makes the safest and smartest choice for docks or any other structure that comes into contact with the water. Pressure-treated wood leaches into the water and most are actually banned from waterfronts. Cedar, fir, western hemlock and tamarack are all ideal.
by Gillian Deacon
Tips for a green vacation
Image: istockphoto.com/Loke Yek Mang
Four-stroke for everyone
Boating season may feel too short, but it doesn't take long for the environmental impact to add up. If the engine on your motorboat is more than a few years old, chances are it's a two-stroke. Two-stroke engines are gas-guzzlers; they also discharge oil and gas into the water - plus hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide into the air - as they run. For a long time they were the only choice for outboard engines (and snowmobiles and lawnmowers), but in the last decade, the technology has improved dramatically. Welcome the four-stroke. Four-stroke engines re-circulate oil through a filter, so it is constantly being reused. You don't add oil when you fill up, your engine hardly emits any when it is operating. Four-strokes are 90% cleaner than two-strokes, they run more quietly and use half the fuel. Make your next engine a four-stroke. The higher price tag will pay for itself in fuel-cost savings within two or three seasons. And your grandchildren will thank you when they inherit the cottage - and the wildlife that comes with it.
Dirty water sports
Okay, we know it's a hoot. If you don't mind aching triceps and the odd noseful of boat wake, water-skiing and tubing are fun summer activities. Thing is, dragging humans behind power boats puts a heavy tax on the water system. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. estimates that nearly one billion litres of unburned oil and gas are discharged into North American waters every year-that’s 15 times the Exxon Valdez spill. You don't have to give up the habit altogether, but think about what a dirty pleasure it is the next time you're planning a sunny day activity. How's this for a compromise? Give the skiing or tubing trip a purpose. Do it when you're going somewhere, to get from A to B, when you'd be running that engine anyway. Try to imagine the view from below the surface the next time you're thinking of whizzing off behind a fast engine. Share the lake with the creatures who got there first.
Protect your shores
If your country property is situated on a lake or river, you should know that your point of contact with the water is one of the key places where you can help preserve the natural beauty of your surroundings. Vegetation along the shore holds the soil in place. Consider your dock as a bridge over this important section of the water, and do most of your swimming in deeper areas, perhaps out to a raft. Natural, untreated wood makes the safest and smartest choice for docks or any other structure that comes into contact with the water. Pressure-treated wood leaches into the water and most are actually banned from waterfronts. Cedar, fir, western hemlock and tamarack are all ideal.
by Gillian Deacon
No comments yet.
Add your comment
Facebook
Digg It
del.icio.us
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Care2
RSS
.gif)
rss