Impacts of Business Travel on Lighten Up

OK, so this will probably be a pretty obvious post, but it struck me - as I started to recover from the recent Singapore trip - how much the trip really impacted my Lighten Up initiatives.

From an environmental/carbon footprint perspective, jet travel is a bad thing. Lots of petroleum, lots of energy, not great for the environment. But there were a number of more subtle impacts of my trip that I have just been realizing.

Let's just take a look where that happened:

Lost luggage

• Had to use hotel shampoo and conditioner instead of my baking soda and ACV (waste AND chemicals)
  
• Had to buy hair product that I already owned and had plenty of at home (just waste, since I will consume these chemicals until I quit my office)
  
• Unnecessary new shoes, clothes and luggage (Extra, extra, extra is not light, light, light!)
  

Trip prep and Jet Lag

• Bought convenience foods (both for while I was gone and for my return) so I wouldn't have to cook. (Extra packaging, extra chemicals, extra calories. Not at all en-Light-ened.)
• Didn't take my bags to do the grocery shopping on my return. (PLASTIC BAGS GALORE! How do they teach these cashiers to pack groceries anyway?)
• Haven't shopped at the local farmer's markets 3 weekends in a row now! (Non-local produce means more petroleum per pound!)
  

It's weird how all of the little things add up. And I'm sure that there are more impacts that I just haven't realized yet. So, just one more reason why that green count down box up there is so important to me. Part time or quit should mean no more business travel! Whoo-hoo!