27 Jun EcoTip #11 – Keeping It Up – Conservation When You Travel

Maybe you are doing your part day by day to recycle, save energy, water and other natural resources. But what about when you travel? You might be surprised at all the things you can do to keep up the good conservation when you travel.

• Start your travel planning by saving paper with electronic-tickets purchased on-line for airline travel whenever possible.

• Before you leave home, save energy while you are away by turning down the thermostat on your hot water heater and adjusting the air conditioning  to use less energy.

• Turn water off at the outside connection to prevent flooding should a pipe break while you're gone. When you return, turn on the water slowly and check for problems.

• Appliances, such as TVs and cable converter boxes, should be unplugged because they can draw or "leak" as much as 40 watts per hour even when they're turned off. Turn the icemaker off by lifting the wire over the ice basket to prevent flooding should it break while you're away.

•  Stop delivery of your newspaper.

• When you arrive at your destination, walk wherever you can. Use the hotel van, the bus or local transit system, or share taxis instead of renting a car. Less fuel is used and less pollution is created when you use public transportation or share a taxi.You can relax, sit back and enjoy the ride and save money too.