Green RVing - an oxymoron?
Posted by Jaimie and Alice at 11/11/2007 12:25 AM and is filed under boondocking; green RVing; recycling; solar power 
Today my five year old great-niece took the last cookie out of a plastic container and asked, "Where do the recyclables go?" I was impressed! In the greater Los Angeles area, recycling is a way of life and Frannie is growing up sorting trash. Her parents do their best to lessen their environmental impact and pass this on as well.
When you think of RVing, it may be difficult to think of this lifestyle as a way of living "green." Yet an RV can make much less of an impact on the environment than the typical house and vehicle combination. It may be more difficult to find places to recycle trash, but some RVers do sort and save, at least when they are staying in an area that does have recycling available or dropoff locations. Boondocking, or camping without hookups, is another way. (Photo- boondocking in Quartzsite, AZ)
Tom and Nancy Vineski, who are perhaps the most environmentally conscious RVers I know, regularly do the following:
When you think of RVing, it may be difficult to think of this lifestyle as a way of living "green." Yet an RV can make much less of an impact on the environment than the typical house and vehicle combination. It may be more difficult to find places to recycle trash, but some RVers do sort and save, at least when they are staying in an area that does have recycling available or dropoff locations. Boondocking, or camping without hookups, is another way. (Photo- boondocking in Quartzsite, AZ)
Tom and Nancy Vineski, who are perhaps the most environmentally conscious RVers I know, regularly do the following:
- boondock most of the time. Even in an RV park, they rely on solar power.
- put their food scraps in their worm farm which travels in one of the bins, adding the compost to plants as they convert scraps into compost.
- use a solar shower
- solar water heaters (below right)
- use a solar oven (below left)
- flush by pouring a plastic container of water in the toilet. They can use dish water this way.
- buy and sell used books, find magazines in the give away boxes at libraries
- use their solar panels to produce nearly all their electrical needs. Tom sells panels and can figure out what an RV needs and reduce the silent loads.
Other ideas include staying in one location longer thus traveling fewer miles, use biodiesel fuel when possible, take a Navy shower and conserve water in general, use fluorescent lights, purchase fewer items, and have fewer possessions or "stuff," in general.
Tom and Nancy just returned from Europe where they rented a van and traveled for a couple of months. Europe is definitely more "green" than the U.S. You can read more about that and their trip at their blog.
Do you have other ways you minimize your environmental impact while RVing? Let's hear them! Jaimie Hall - Bruzenak Photos By George
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Good article! You might also be interested in an article I wrote awhile back for my "Travels with Andy" website... it's call "Saving the Earth at 8 mpg."
<http://www.andybaird.com/travels/saving-the-earth.htm>
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