It is predicated that by 2050 the amount of rubbish in the ocean will outweigh fish. This global issue of waste management is so big that already through the islands of West Indonesia hardly any fish can be caught. Instead of ignoring this issue, lets band together and save the world by using these 5 super easy tips!
As digital nomads, we spend a lot of time in foreign countries, eating out and spending long days in front our laptops. We get to have so much freedom in choosing where, when and how we want to work. Showing how grateful you are for this incredible lifestyle doesn’t require much brain power! The tips below are actually super easy to incorporate and have such a huge impact on the community that is welcoming you in.
Tip 1. Buy and bring your own takeaway container
You may not be able to use your takeaway container all the time, but if you can organise and know in advance when you are going to buy takeaway, like on your way home from the gym or coworking space, then remembering to bring along your own reusable takeaway container is so much easier to incorporate into your lifestyle.
This can reduce your waste usage by more than 50%! Can you imagine if all of that plastic you’re usually throwing away after just one use, simply disappeared because you’ve made this tiny change? #winner!
Tip 2. Have a cloth bag on you at all times
I mostly use my cloth bag to carry my reusable takeaway containers. If you do your own grocery shopping though, get into a routine of using some cloth bags! If you can find ones that are eco consciously sourced, that’s even better! These can usually be found in local health cafe’s, supermarkets, or yoga/health centres.
If you don’t want to a buy cloth bag, I’m pretty sure all those plastic bags under the kitchen sink (thats where ours live!) from previous excursions are totally reusable 😉 If you’re like me and you make your day up as you go and just duck into the grocery store when you remember something, maybe you could just keep a spare plastic or cloth bag on you for those moments! Or if your hands are free and you’re not going far, say “No” to getting a plastic bag for your purchase and use those opposable thumbs of yours!
Tip 3. COFFEE!
If you look into any rubbish bin you will find so many takeaway coffee cups its ridiculous. Well, maybe not so ridiculous with the coffee addiction epidemic and its delicious-ness 😉
The cool thing about buying your own reusable coffee cup is that firstly, they are so pretty…. Secondly, the coffee tastes so much better! And thirdly, I’ve been surprised how many places will actually give you a little discount if you bring your own takeaway coffee cup in.
For my own choice in reusable coffee cup, I’ve chosen one that doubles up as my water bottle and is made from recycled bamboo, so I know it’s not going to break down and do any internal health havoc. My filmmaker husband uses an awesome camera lens mug pictured below 😉
Tip 4. Water bottles
So for my fellow Asian travellers, we know full well how many plastic water bottles we go through, am I right?! This. Is. Huge. And I have really struggled with this issue whilst travelling in Asia, but this is also a world wide issue as well. Here are some tips to help minimise your plastic bottle consumption:
⁃ Obvious first one – The Refill Method. Bring your own water bottle and refill it in cafe’s or any other water refill stations you come across. Sometimes, like in the digital nomad capitol of the world, Chiang Mai, Thailand, there are heaps of water refill stations all over the city that look like Water ATM’s. This is also a super cheap alternative to restocking your plastic bottle collection. Have a google to see if there are any water refill stations near you, or ask a local and other digital nomads in your area!
⁃ The Big Mama Method. If theres no refill alternatives or you forgot your water bottle, try and buy big mama water bottles (e.g. 6L) to refill your smaller water bottle so you don’t have to buy ginormous amounts of small plastic water bottles every day.
Tip 5. What to do with all your environmentally friendly bits and bobs when you leave
Sometimes us digital nomads will choose to set down roots overseas for a few months. If you can’t take your reusable containers and other items you’ve had to purchase for these longer stints, try and find a way that these items can still be reused, or recycled appropriately. Some donation places to keep in mind are:
⁃ New friends local or nomadic
⁃ Charities near you
⁃ Coworking spaces
⁃ Health conscious cafe’s
⁃ Social media channels connecting other digital nomads together in the area
⁃ Facebook marketplace
⁃ Appropriate recycling facilities
Simply keep in mind when you face a choice of using a plastic bag or a straw when you could do just as well with out it. Let’s save the world one choice at a time and become more conscious travellers!
At Laptop Friendly we would love to know what your favourite cafe’s for working at are! Do you know of any health conscious cafe’s near you? Let us know in the comments below, or by sending us a message!
Laptop Friendly favourite health conscious cafes in Chiang Mai so far are: Healthy B Cafe, Food4Thought