While traveling, there are many things we can do to practice green living. These tips from Green Key Global are a great place to start:

Sustainable practices are becoming more and more common in our homes. We recycle, compost and constantly look for ways to conserve the water and energy we use daily. Traveling, whether for leisure or business, doesn’t mean we have to leave these practices at home. If you stop to think of your hotel room as an extension of your home, it’s easy to make a positive impact no matter where you are. Here are just a few things you can do that will help make a difference.

In the Guest Room

• Lighting: If you’re in the room during the day, open to the curtains to take advantage of natural light instead of turning on multiple light sources.
• Air conditioning and heating: Make sure the windows/balcony doors are closed if the air/heating system is on. Or alternatively, shut off the air or heat if you prefer to have the windows open.
• Towel & Linen Reuse Programs: Many hotels provide guests with the option to reuse their towels and linens during their stay rather than having them changed daily. By taking advantage of these programs you help reduce the number of loads of laundry a hotel generates daily which contributes to both water and energy savings.
• Towel reuse: A sign is hung in the bathroom telling guests to hang their towels on the towel rack or shower rod if they would like to reuse them. Should fresh towels be required, guests are asked to place their used towels in the bathtub
• Sheet reuse: A card placed on the bedside table or pillow tells guests to place the card on the pillow if they do not require fresh linens. Housekeeping staff will then simply remake the bed. Or, the card informs guests that linens will only be replaced once every two or three days (or upon check-out) unless guests request fresh sheets by placing the card on the pillow.
• Recycling: More and more hotels are placing recycling bins in their guest rooms and meeting rooms. Make full use of it by placing items such as newspapers, paper, plastics, cans and glass in it rather than in the garbage bin. If the hotel does not have a recycling bin in the room, inquire with housekeeping or management about their recycling policies. In some cases hotels that don’t have bins in the rooms still separate the recyclables from the trash in the back-of-house area.
• Water Conservation: When brushing your teeth or washing/shaving your face shut the tap off or fill the sink to avoid leaving the water running. Keeping your showers short not only saves water but also saves energy (used to heat the water). A 10-minute shower can use up to 20 gallons/75 litres of water (low flow showerheads will use less).

Leaving the Guest Room

• Make sure you turn off all lights and electronics when you leave the room
• Turn the air conditioning/heating down or off and close the windows
• During the hot summer months, close the drapes during the day to help keep the room cool
• Make sure you’ve taken advantage of the linen/towel reuse program
• Check that sink and tub faucets are tightly shut off to avoid water loss from dripping taps

Sustainable Transportation

While away on business or holidays, explore options other than cabs or car rentals for getting around the area. Inquire about:

• Local Transit: Consider the option of using the local transit system for getting to and from meetings or exploring the area.
• Bike Rentals: A bicycle can be a fun, fit and eco-friendly way to see the local sights.
• Shuttle Services: Some hotels offer a shuttle service to help their guests get to and from major points within the city/region.
• Carpooling: If you do need to rent a car or take a cab, try carpooling especially if travelling with coworkers.

At the End of Your Stay

Always make an effort to provide feedback to the lodging facility you’re staying with. Feedback cards are generally available in the rooms, from the front desk or through online forms on the hotel’s website. Sharing your thoughts and ideas with respect to their sustainable practices will help them to know what works, what doesn’t and what they may want to consider for future initiatives.

                                                                                                                                            Copyright © Green Key Global 

Easy to assemble, fully recyclable and conveniently portable, cardboard furniture and accessories are now a chic design statement as well.
Portable, durable and 100 percent recyclable, cardboard decor is an inexpensive way to up your home's ecofriendly factor — and update your look, too. With design styles going beyond the typical box form, there are many design options to pick from these days. And when you're ready for a seasonal decor swap-out, the furniture below can be folded flat stored away. While you have the option of decking out your entire home in cardboard, you certainly don't have to. Ease into cardboard with a few key pieces that update a room without overwhelming it. 

Last week in Healthy Detox: Part I, we discussed the importance of eating clean and including enough protein, fiber, and antioxidants to lead a detox lifestyle. We talked about the overwhelming amount of chemicals that are now in our modern world that are constantly entering our blood stream. It can be difficult to understand the connection between toxins and why we are getting fatter, but let's take a look at a few facts.

A few years ago researchers at the Environmental Working Group did a study to exam the cord blood of infants and chemical exposure.  The results were shocking! The EWG found that the infants' cord blood contained 287 chemicals and that 180 chemicals were known to cause cancer in either animals or humans.   As adults, that number is compounded and what does our body do to protect us?  It stores chemicals it cannot eliminate in our fat cells. Suzanne Somers says it best in her book How to Fight Fat After Forty, "The more toxins you take in, the more fat is required to store them."

Not only are our fat cells affected, but our liver must work even harder to deal with the burden and metabolize hormones and fat as well.  Every cell in the body can become affected by toxins because chemicals damage our mitochondria, energy powerhouses in every cell.  As a result, fats and sugars are not burned up; we gain weight and lose energy.  And we wonder why we all feel so tired and need caffeine and energy drinks to keep us going!

Top Five Tips For Lowering Your Toxic Burden:

Lower The Amount Of Products With Fragrance You Use Daily -What?? Most ladies will say to me, "But, it smells so good!" Consider this - there are a total of 3100 chemicals that perfume manufacturers use to create fragrances and many of these are petroleum based chemicals that mess with our endocrine system (hormones!) Fragrance is in everything. Eliminating this can be challenging. Everything from candles to Glade plug- ins to shampoo to cologne has fragrance.  Luckily there are all natural alternatives like Aura Shampoo and Seventh Generation household products. Save your perfumes for special occasions and try to avoid using them daily.

Beware Of Chlorine - Did you know that one shower is like absorbing 64 ounces of chlorinated water straight into your body? Chlorine is a necessary disinfectant for our water but kills off good bacteria in our own intestines and is a known carcinogen.  Chlorine is also a direct inhibitor of the function of your thyroid which does not help metabolism!  For my shower I use a filter called the Turbo Shower Copper-Zinc Filter and I always drink non-chlorinated water such as My Fit Foods Water.  Avoiding drinking chlorine and bathing in it are sure fire ways to lower the chemical burden and protect your fat burning ability.   

Use Only Safe Plastics - Safe plastics are #2, #4, and #5.  My Fit Foods uses #5 for our containers and they are recyclable.  Avoid re-using #1 (water bottles) and avoid completely #7 which contains BPA (Bisphenol A) which is a known hormone disruptor.  Also, avoid using plastic wrap in the microwave.

Improve Your pH - Eating enough fruits and veggies and drinking alkaline water are all crucial to having a healthy pH.  Remember that your blood's pH range is 7.35 to 7.45 and those with a more alkaline pH will have 60% more oxygen available for use.  All enzymes are also pH dependent as well.  This has a direct effect on every organ, especially liver function.  Avoid sodas and excessive coffee, which are very acidic. 

Exercise To Improve Lymphatic Circulation - Your lymph system is very much like your circulatory system (heart, veins, and arteries) but it doesn't have a pump.  It's a very important part of the body's "garbage collection" helping the liver as well as your immune system.  Some nutrition experts believe that having sluggish circulation in our lymphatic system is what causes cellulite and stubborn weight gain.  Daily exercise is the best way to keep this system humming!  An old school mini-trampoline is a proven way to improve the lymphatic system in just five to ten minutes of jumping.

To Your Health,
Meg McCall  
B.S., M.S. Candidate in Human Nutrition
Corporate Nutritionist
My Fit Foods