Traveling Sustainably

Jambo from Kenya!

In the beginning of January, I embarked on a journey to this amazing continent. Destinations were as follows: Rwanda, Kenya, Egypt, and Turkey. Starting out in Kigali, Rwanda, I went on a Global Field Intensive trip with my graduate school program, NYU's Center for Global Affairs, to study Justice and Reconciliation after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis.

After ten days, a group of us made our way to Nairobi, Kenya. Currently, I am writing to you from an unpaved road in Masai Mara in between the zebras, giraffes, lions, and other magnificent wildlife. This is by far the cleanest air I have inhaled to date. We will next travel to Mombasa for a lively beach getaway and then make our way up to Cairo! After Cairo, a small pitstop in Istanbul will complete our five week journey.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Water isn't the best out of the tap in most of these areas, so how aren't you using plastic? Here, the only safe water to drink is out of plastic. A more sustainable way to go about drinking safe water is to use the gallons of water instead of bottles. It uses less plastic and lasts way longer. In Beijing when I traveled there in 2014 for an undergrad travel course, I did the same. It also saves you money (so pack your reusable, friends!) The big gallon will last as I said before and in most countries is able to be recycled.

As far as beauty products go, this is where one can control almost everything you use. Personally, I use a shampoo bar in my steel tin along with my face and body bar. In addition to this, I always have reusable bags on me- mostly from Baggu (holds up to 50 lbs!) They are so affordable and fashionable. In Rwanda, plastic bags are banned which was a refreshing fact I learned while packing for the trip. If you bring them from your original country, they will be thrown out. I love this policy and I love how it enforced many of my classmates to rethink their habitual plastic habits.

According to NEMA, the National Environment Management Authority, plastic bags are also banned here in Kenya. Other simple tips include walking when it is feasible and safe- it will save you money as well as get you some exercise and reduce your carbon footprint! Another sustainable tip I have while I travel is to journal on your laptop/ tablet/

phone. Notebooks can easily get messy and it's always good to remember your travel experiences while it's fresh in your mind. For journaling, I usually use either the Notes on my iphone or a google doc. I like google docs better because no matter where I go, I can access it and write. Lastly, I have a solar charger to charge any small devices. This charger was gifted a few Christmases ago and I will always cherish it! (Check amazon- they have good deals if you're interested!)

Realistically, when you travel, there are some things you simply cannot control. Living sustainably, to me, during this trip and trips in general means living realistically and not wasting unnecessarily. Tap water in many places of the world is not safe to drink-it contains parasites bacteria and other critters that can cause mayhem in the body. Choosing sustainable options with what we can control is a lesson that I've learned early on in my travels, but with a greater magnitude during this five week journey.

Xoxo,

The Savvy Environmentalist