Eco Tips For Traveling

When travellig around Thailand, you will notice that in some locations, they are not quite at the same level of eco-friendliness compared to Western countries. On Koh Tao, the local community does its best to make this small island a leading light in the area of eco-tourism and sustainability for this tropical paradise.

Here are some eco tips when travellig to help make your journey through Koh Tao and Thailand more eco-friendly preserve our oceans and a more sustainable world.

Say ‘No’ To Plastic

All shops in Thailand, from local to big-chain convenience stores, are ever too eager to throw whatever you want to buy into a plastic bag. If you are only picking up small items, ask yourself, “Do I really need a bag for my chocolate bar?” By saying ‘no,’ you can reduce the number of bags being used, as they are extremely difficult to dispose of and can take up to 1000 years to decompose. They are also extremely dangerous to marine life, and unfortunately, sea turtles mistake them for food, ingest them, and can suffocate. Buying your own biodegradable bags before you travel will mean that you can say no to plastic bags completely.

Drink Responsibly

I’m not talking about watching how much you drink, as that is up to you, but you should be thinking about how you drink it. Many bars will automatically place a plastic straw into your drink, whether it’s a can of coke or your fancy cocktail. Plastic straws come under the same category as plastic bags and are in the top 10 marine debris items, with plastic constituting over 90% of the trash floating in the world’s oceans. So, by asking the bartender not to place a straw in your drink, you are helping. You could also buy your water container back home or here in Thailand to reduce the number of plastic bottles you need. Thailand is a very hot country, and you will have to stay hydrated during your travels, meaning your water bottle consumption is going to be high. Here at Crystal, we offer a cheaper and more sustainable solution with a water fountain in the office, which customers can use, and if they purchase a water container from us, it is completely free to use.

Recycle

As we have already mentioned, unless you purchase a water container, you will be using many plastic bottles to keep yourself hydrated. But before you decide to throw the bottle away, look for somewhere to recycle it, as there are numerous recycling bins for plastic bottles and aluminium cans. Here at Crystal Dive, we have three recycling stations alone. More and more resorts around Thailand are taking these measures to help the local environment. If you are unsure of where to find this service, you should ask your hotel’s reception for help on finding somewhere to recycle.

Use Bins

However careful you may be, it is inevitable you are going to create some trash, so make sure you dispose of it responsibly. A very common form of lazy trash found around tourist areas in Thailand is disregarded beer bottles. Quite often, people are having too much of a good time to remember to clean up after themselves and leave the empty bottles where they have finished drinking them. If left on the beach and the tide changes, this garbage gets washed into the ocean and becomes dangerous for marine life. By taking 5 minutes extra to find a bin, it could be saving a great amount of harm. For those who like to smoke, ensure you dispose of your cigarette butts properly. Nothing is worse than finding the perfect spot on the beach to a lie down and relax, only to find upon closer inspection it has been used as an ashtray.

Buy Local

Buying locally crafted gifts can enable you to pass on unique presents to your friends and family when you return home from your travels. Buying from local artisans contributes to the local economy and handicraft traditions, keeping craftsmen in business. This will reduce the effects of pollution and greenhouse gases, as mass-produced souvenirs are shipped around the world from industrial countries that are just bland compared to items made by skilled craftsmen. Also, buying locally produced fruits or shakes instead of chocolate and canned drinks reduces the amount of carbon needed to move these products around, and it’s also better for your health.

Educate Yourself

When you arrive on Koh Tao, most people are looking to get their and become scuba divers, as Koh Tao is recognized as an island paradise both above and below the water. But after becoming certified, you can take courses to educate yourself even more on the effects the human race is having on marine life and how we can make a difference. The Coral Tribe offers a variety of courses aimed at creating better awareness and education on how to be more eco-minded underwater and to spread the word far and wide. Their mission is to empower people to believe that change can happen and that they can make a difference in the act of marine conservation. Their Eco-diver course will educate you on the ecological role of each animal and organism and how they fit into the local ecosystem.

© Crystal Dive Koh Tao