The Eco-friendly Vacation

Choose vegetables over meat as it takes around 5 kilograms of grain to produce a kilogram of meat. As such, the most eco-friendly diet is a vegetarian one, but if you enjoy meat and can't imagine a diet without it, consider replacing meat with soy protein, grains and legumes. It will be cheaper too.

Both the polysterene cup and plastic bottle are as likely to end up in a landfill where they are likely to languish for centuries. Hey, you're on a holiday, what's the rush? Go into the coffee shop and have a sit-down drink using a reusable ceramic cup!

Native plants have immunity to diseases in the area and are also more accustomed to local insects and thus need less pesticides and fertilisers. Native plants also attract native birds and help in ensuring a sustainable ecosystem. Exotic plants which are transplanted from another country or region may upset the existing ecosystem. Building a hotel in the midst of a tropical rainforst would have destroyed to some extent the natural habitat.

Bamboo is the 'wood of the future' - it is officially recognised as the world's fastest growing plant and has a tensile strength comparable to steel. While a sixty-foot tree cut for market takes 60 years to replace, a sixty-foot bamboo cut for market takes only 59 days to replace.

Skip the T-shirts (too many of these are made in China) or any other souvenirs if the label says the souvenir is made in any other country other than your vacation destination. Imported souvenirs are environmentally-costly, being transported into the country at a great consumption of fuel energy and with a lot of pollution added to the atmosphere. Support the local economy by buying locally-made handicrafts so that your tourist dollars benefit the natives endeavours.

Finally, refrain from buying any products made from any endangered species, including animal hides and body parts, tortoise-shell, ivory or coral - they may be illegal too.

Planes emit the most carbon dioxide per traveler by far, followed by cars, then trains and then, finally, coach buses. If your parents prefer to self-drive, ask them to consider renting a newer, more fuel-efficient vehicle for the trip, which will cost them a bit more but will reduce your carbon footprint even further.

It is best to order foods that are indigenous to the area. Japanese sushi may sound environmentally friendly as no fuel was used in cooking it, but if the sushi have been flown into Langkawi from Japan, the transport of these foods has resulted in a lot of extra emissions.

Cut down on fuel-dependent activities such as island-hopping which requires the use of motorboats to get from island to island. Powerful wakes also disturb aquatic life and erode vulnerable shorelines. Visitor demand and tourist expenditures at parks or nature reserves support existing protected areas and can lead to the protection of additional nature. However, remember to leave these areas as you found them and do not disturb the wildlife there.

The solvents used by most dry cleaners are damaging to the environment. In a washing machine, the vast majority of the energy (about 90% of it) goes into heating up the water and not running through the cycle. Washing clothes in hot water, even by hand, uses a lot of energy to heat up the water. Hence, the most environmentally friendly practice is to keep washing temperatures low and if a washing machine is used, always wash with a full load.

Stick to nearby destinations, choosing these over more far-flung vacation spots will help minimize your greenhouse gas emissions along the way. Cruise ships create tremendous amounts of waste. During a 3-day trip, a typical cruise ship produces 25 tons of garbage, 0.5 million gallons of graywater (wastewater from sinks, showers, galleys and laundry facilities), 100,000 gallons of sewage and 18,000 gallons of oil-contaminated water which are often illegally discharged into seawaters. A self-drive holiday to a nearby country, even though it involves driving, is a much better choice.

It is estimated that for every 1km a jet flies, 0.3kg of CO2 is added to the atmosphere. The amount of CO2 a tree absorbs depends on factors such as its type, location and age. On average, for a return flight from Singapore to Langkawi, it would take 1 tree 99 years to counter the effect of this trip. So before you make that trip, go plant that tree first!