Travelers make more eco-friendly decisions according to new survey

Whether it's sharing rides to and from the airport or printing only essential pages of their itineraries, travelers are casting a critical eye on earth-friendlier habits, a new survey by GO Group shows.

The GO Group polled 400 travelers and found that:

• More than 80 percent intend to take shared rides to and from the airport, reducing both fuel consumption and emissions
• A further 80 percent of travelers taking part in the survey said they print only essential pages of travel confirmation details, saving paper and ink
• More than 70 percent cited use of the bathroom in the airport in order to reduce the need for fuel to power the flush on the plane
• And 57 percent of respondents plan to refill security-mandated 3-ounce containers with their own toiletries in a bid to recycle

Survey respondents also offered their own earth-friendly travel tips, such as bringing fewer pieces of luggage (check out eyeflare.com's packing articles) and using the minimum amount of hotel towels. In one instance, a traveler suggested paying a carbon-offset fee after every trip.

While the figures are interesting, I've a hard time believing that travelers actually are this eco-friendly. And as for not using the airplane bathroom, well, I'm chosing to take that with a big heap of salt.

GO Group provides door-to-door airport shuttle services to and from more than 100 airports in North America and Europe. Each year, its members transport nearly 29 million passengers to 110 airports around the world using a fleet of nearly 4,000 vehicles. Travelers can easily book ground transportation to and from both departure and destination airports through GO's web site.

- By Jack on 31 October, 2008 in Eco travel.