How To Travel And Still Recycle

How To Travel And Still Recycle

There are so many ways that we can choose to stay environmentally contientious when we travel that there really is no excuse for not doing it.

Here are a few ideas for families that are traveling and still want to stay in their recycle-conscious state of mind.

Before you even leave your home there are ways that you can help save energy and waste. Turn your thermostadts down on your home and your hot water heater. Some heaters have a "Vacation" setting right on them that can be used to set the temperature when no one will be around to need the heat. Just keep in mind the plants that are left behind and as long as they will not be killed off due to the temperature change, you're set. Be sure to turn off your outside water source, in the event that there is a pipe break while you're away, this will minimize the damage. When you return home, turn the water back on slowly, where you will be able to be aware of any issues or leaks that may have occurred.

If you are going to be away from home for a few days, stop your newspaper delivery. That way the paper won't be left to end up in the trash receptical and waste your time when you return home, sorting through what is relavent mail and what is not. You may even want to check to see if your paper can be donated to a school or non-profit organization, where it will be used in your absence.

If you or someone else in your home sleeps on a waterbed, turn the temperature down on that while you're away, you can go as low as a ten degree difference and it will impact your energy useage. If you have a refridgerator with the ability to make ice cubes, be sure to turn that part off by lifting the wire, and you can lessen the risk of flooding should it break while you're away.
There are airlines that offer electronic ticketing and by using these services will cut back on the paper waste generated by the airline, on a daily basis. There are even some airlines that charge a fee if you have lost a paper ticket, so rid yourself of any of those problems by opting for the paper-less airline ticket options.

If you are heading out of town, before you leave, go around the house and unplug the items that you would normally leave plugged in, like the TV, the computer, cable converter boxes, appliances, VCRs, stereos, etc. If these items are left plugged in to the outlets they can still draw or "leak" energy, even up to 40 watts per hour, even if they have been turned off. I think this is one of the most important messages to get across before you leave for a vacation; even if your electronics are turned off, they can still cost you money if they remain plugged in. Do yourself a big favor and always be sure to check these items before walking out the door to your vacation.

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Ideas For Family Travel

Traveling with the family can be a joyous experience and there is no reason to leave your recycling attitudes at home; you can do your part even when you're far from the comforts of home.

When you're staying in a hotel or B&B, let the management of the hotel know that you will be reusing your towels and there is no need to have the bed linens changed daily. With a family, towels can get mixed up and there is an easy way to prevent that; from home, get a couple of safety pins and some beads. Put beads on the safety pins, one design for each family member and when you get to the hotel, simply pin each towel with a beaded safety pin to identify the different ones. Just reusing your towels for a few days will greatly impact the time and money that goes into running the laundry everyday.

Be sure to turn off all lights when you are leaving the hotel room, and any TVs or radios that may be plugged in and running. It's easy to be distracted in a space that is not your home and it would be just as easy to forget the ways you conserve energy at home when you're not there. If you find you leave the room with a light on, leave yourself a note right by the door, reminding yourself to check the lights before you walk out the door. There are some hotels that even do this for you, where they have a magnet that they leave on the door, at eye level, reminding you if you've turned off the lights.

Bring your own soap, shampoo and conditioner and leave the little bottles to be reused by guests who do not remember to bring their own. Soap travels really well in a plastic sandwich bag with a zip-lock and besides, wouldn't you want your own choice of soap smells?

Along the same lines as remembering to turn out the lights, remember to turn down the heat/AC that will be running when you're not in the room. And a further way to keep the room temperatures comfortable is to remember to close the drapes when you're out of the room, most hotels have heavy drapes that will keep a cool room cool longer, if they're closed.

Instead of leaving the light (and fan) on overnight, bring a little nightlight with you and you will save a lot by not running a rooms full light (and fan) on while you sleep. Have a permenant marker with you and assign one of the plastic cups to each person in your family when you arrive at the room. There is no reason to have dishwashing services when the plastic cups are sanitary and are perfectly capable of being reused. Avoid room service for the same reason, there is no need to have excess dishes to wash that would normally not be used. When you eat in the restaurant, they're already doing the dishes there.

Remember that you can still have all the home values you practice at home when you're on the road with your family. Keep recycling!

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Little India, Singapore

Singapore too has a Little India, which is the focal point of its Indian community. This place gives to you an overdose of inputs for your senses.

The trademark strong, heady scent of spices and beautiful smells of incense would capture your attention. Again, you could listen to blasting Hindi music around, shops there are a display of colours with colorful silk saris, sculptures, silverware, brass ware and wood carvings in abundance.

If you have garnered the habit of bargaining from your mom, this is the place to be. Mustafa cafe is one such place you can look for cheap bargains at and also it is open 24 X 7. Worth a visit on your shopping spree are Tekka Mall and Sim Lim Square.

Tuesday and Fridays are the Hindu holy days, gods are honoured with simple strands of flowers and on those days you will find plenty of small stalls selling flowers to be offered to the gods. Visit one of the many colourful Hindu temples, Mosques or Churches. Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple on Serangoon.

Abdul Gaffoor Mosque, founded in 1859, is an historic monument in Singapore. There is no lack of restaurants in Little India. Make sure to try the ’Teh Tarik’, a hand pulled cup of tea or some spicy Indian curry before you leave. For only a few dollars you could get a good meal in any of the restaurants.

During Deepawali (usually between October/November), the Indian festival of lights, Little India is transformed into a explosion of colourful lights and music and the streets are bustling with shoppers.

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Live Band at Hard Rock Cafe, Kuala Lumpur

“Telefon”, a seven-piece band, is one of Thailand’s hottest club bands and they will be performing at Hard Rock Café Kuala Lumpur starting from 1st June 2011 till 31st July 2011.

The band members are Somkuan Siralert (Bassist & Band Leader), Apichet Phanmanee (Vocalist), Santis Juengpicharnvanit (Guitarist), Wongsakon Kasamsri (Vocalist), Narongchai Sornsuwan (Drummer), Ekkalak Atthakasem (Keyboardist) and Rachata Tapasitanan (Vocalist). Telefon was formed in 1995.

Their music repertoire comprises of a variety of styles including Hip Hop, R&B, Rock, Dance to Pop. The band is well known to be the band that possesses singing skills in their very own unique style, incredible stage presence, enthusiasm and of course, capability to ROCK the house!!! Telefon has performed on many stages around the region, especially the Hard Rock Café chains covering Jakarta, Bali, Bangkok, Pattaya, Shenzhen, Kowloon Hong Kong, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.

Get in the mood for a fun night out, as Telefon brings you an experience that you are sure to enjoy! Their high energy stage performance makes them one of a kind as they bring only quality entertainment. So, come on down to Hard Rock Café in the month of June and July, Monday to Saturday at 11.00pm onwards, and party the Hard Rock style!

Hard Rock Café Kuala Lumpur is situated at Wisma Concorde, along Jalan Sultan Ismail, right in the hub of KL’s nightlife scene! For inquiries, please call 603- 2715 5555

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