How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint When you Visit the Southern Gulf Islands

Visiting the Southern Gulf Islands is a chance to experience a place of refuge, restoration, adventure and creativity. It should also serve as a reminder that our planet is beautiful, unique, and delicate. Reducing your carbon footprint doesn’t need to be at the expense of enjoying your trip. In fact, it can encourage you to try new activities, discover new places, sample different foods, and minimize waste. Making climate-friendly, regenerative choices as a visitor will help ensure future generations get to enjoy these islands just as much as we do today.

Rethink flying

Air travel and transportation make up the biggest part of tourism’s carbon footprint. A single flight can produce more emissions than some people produce in an entire year. That’s why it’s best to only fly when you’re coming from far away. In many cases, other modes of transportation have a much smaller carbon footprint and they may even offer a more comfortable experience. There are many opportunities to use sustainable modes of transportation to get to the islands, like public transport to ferry terminals, full passenger cars, and bicycles.  

When a plane is the only viable option, try to choose a non-stop flight which requires less fuel, especially since planes release the most carbon during take-off and landing. And since business and first-class seats take up significantly more space per person, you can also reduce your carbon footprint by choosing economy. Some airlines are even working to offer greener forms of air travel! Check out how Harbour Air Seaplanes are going from carbon-neutral to carbon-zero. 

Pack light

Did you know, the heavier your luggage, the more fuel it takes to transport it whether it’s by plane, bus, car, or ferry? Take care to pack your bags as lightly as possible to reduce fuel use. Choose a lightweight suitcase and be mindful about what you put into it. Bring clothing that you can wear multiple times and that is easy to wash while you’re visiting. Eliminate any unnecessary packaging, especially since our islands need to ship out all our waste. Carry  toiletries in small, reusable containers. If you’re coming for an active adventure, consider renting heavier items like kayaks, paddleboards, and bikes locally to support our island businesses. 

Slow down 

Visiting the islands is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, so embrace slowing down. Spend more time in one place instead of trying to see all the islands in a short time. Or consider taking one longer trip each year instead of many short trips, especially during off-peak times like cozy season, when crowds have less impact. This will let you more fully experience our island lifestyle, allowing time for workshops and events, so you can connect with the values that make our communities so unique. It will also reduce the amount of emissions you would generate from multiple visits.

Take active transportation 

How you move around during your visit can have a big impact on the carbon footprint of your trip. There are many options for exploring the islands sustainably. Take the bus on Salt Spring Island or participate in our culture of hitchhiking. Get active and explore on land by bike or e-bike and on the water by kayak, canoe, or sailboat. If you bring your car, be mindful of how much driving you’re doing, try to carpool and walk as much as possible. If you rent a car, opt for a hybrid, electric, or smaller car or e-scooter instead of an SUV, pickup truck, or van.

Be energy smart

When you’re here, be conscientious about your energy use, avoid needlessly wasting power and water. The more energy we use, the more carbon emissions we generate, not to mention that our water resources on the islands are already scarce. 

With a cool Mediterranean microclimate, the temperature here is typically comfortable year-round. When you leave your accommodations, turn off the air conditioning. You can also close the curtains to prevent the sun from beaming in all day. During cozy season, turn down the heat when your space is unoccupied and close the curtains at night to add some extra insulation. Be sure to make use of the woodstove if your accommodations have one, it’s part of the island charm.

Eat local 

Your food choices have a significant impact on the environment, both in terms of the type of food you eat and how far it travels to reach your plate. Take advantage of the opportunity to try all of the local food that you can’t get at home. Shop at farmer’s markets and farm stands and stock up at the local grocery stores, which often carry local products. Dine at restaurants that source their ingredients from local farmers, fishers, and food producers. Try to avoid imported foods which must be transported from far away and require more packaging and refrigeration to preserve for their journey. By eating local foods, you’ll reduce the shipping and transport emissions of your meals while also supporting the local economy. Plus, you’ll get to experience our unique taste of place.

Choose well

When choosing a place to stay or deciding on tour activities, opt for those that are dedicated to reducing their carbon footprint. There are many things that accommodators and operators can do to reduce their emissions. Look for energy efficient fixtures and appliances, the use of renewable energy, automatic temperature control, local products, or carbon offsets. Our island businesses are proud of their efforts to be climate friendly so you can usually find this information on their websites. Like Tour Salt Spring’s sustainability commitments, look for specific practices they have in place or information about the reductions they’ve achieved. If you can’t find information online, reach out directly, we’re a friendly bunch.

Pack reusable items

It’s easy to slip into a disposable mindset. Visitors often buy items such as plastic water bottles, shopping bags, coffee cups, and food containers only to throw them away when they leave. All of these items require natural materials, energy, and water to manufacture, not to mention their disposal adds to landfill and ocean pollution. This is made worse by the fact that our islands have to ship out all of the waste that’s produced here. Consider packing a few core items you can reuse throughout your trip, such as: refillable water bottles, reusable coffee cups, food storage containers, shopping bags, and reusable straws.

Offset your emissions

No matter how sustainable your habits are, some emissions are unavoidable. Purchasing carbon offsets lets you compensate for the emissions that you can’t reduce. When you buy carbon offsets, you contribute to projects that reduce emissions elsewhere, while supporting community development and protecting important habitats. Alternatively, support the islands’ vibrancy by choosing to donate to the good work of our local conservancies or marine research.