7 Tips on How to Make Your RV Traveling Eco-Friendly

RVing has been popular for years for people of various lifestyles and ages because it makes it possible to save money on hotels and spend every night in a new place, sometimes even in the wild.

Moreover, seeking a connection with nature inspires you to go on a road trip with a minimum amount of stuff. Implementing eco-friendly alternatives will allow you to lower your carbon footprint, and preserve natural resources as well as nature itself.

Although choosing an RV is already a greener decision compared to planes, there are still many things that can badly affect the environment when camping.

For example, not knowing how to make a campfire the right way may lead to a harmful impact, so it is essential to introduce some basic rules and eco-awareness into your RV camping!

The great news is that the core fundamentals of a sustainable and conscious lifestyle – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – can be applied to any part of life! And contrary to popular belief, you don't have to spend a fortune on greener alternatives. With DIY cleaners and recycled washcloths, adopting a new lifestyle is affordable for everyone.

So let's see how you can go green when going on a camping trip:

Dishes

It is impossible to be alive and not impact the planet at all, so the point is not in implementing severe restrictions but to develop your self-awareness and be mindful of your surroundings.

It is essential to ask yourself the right questions and understand what consequences your everyday actions can entail.

For that reason, blogs like Self Development Secrets gained their popularity, providing you with tools and knowledge necessary to personal growth.

Paper plates or plastic dishes and cutlery seem like an obvious choice when packing on a trip because they are lightweight and unbreakable, but are the additional free minutes saved because you don’t have to wash them worth it?

Just imagine (or better – count) how much waste you will produce using disposals throughout your trip when it takes at least thrice a day for you to eat, and every time with a new plastic set! And then multiply this by the number of people who are traveling with you.

There are two things you can do: either take regular tableware to your motorhome and wash it, or find biodegradable dishes for single use only, but remember to recycle them later correctly.

You can also find reusable dish sets from recycled materials that can be a lighter alternative to those you have at home.

Cleaners

At this point, you can choose environmentally friendly cleaning products or go further and make your own cleaners!

First of all, it will be much cheaper than the store-bought ones, and second of all – they are more gentle for both nature and you than products with tones of chemical scents.

Another additional plus is that they are so easy to make that if you run out of something while being on the road, you will be able to make some more right away!

The core ingredients here are baking soda and white vinegar – you can make washing powder and multipurpose detergents based on them. Lemon juice will help clean metal surfaces, and castile soap is another multipurpose savior!

Cloth Towels

Paper towels can be very money-consuming on the road and tend to end at the worst possible moment, so pack several cloth ones with you!

You can find cotton or linen cloth towels and napkins for general use, or those made of recycled materials for cleaning purposes, or follow rule number two, reuse some of your old t-shirts and use them as washcloths.

Faucets

It is common for many RV owners to replace the default faucet with a modern one to make it more durable and long-lasting, but there is more you can do to make it eco-friendly!

Install a low-flow faucet model that will lower your water consumption, so you will use less water without noticing it. Such a fixture will help conserve water and monitor its waste.

You can also install a water filter or use a separate one to avoid having to buy bottled water. It is a nearly zero-waste method to provide yourself with drinking water without producing extra plastic garbage in the long run.

Solar Panels

Choosing an RV with LED lighting is a popular option that minimizes the need to use air conditioning to keep things cooler and save energy.

The next logical step is investing in a solar system. It will provide you with clean, eco-friendly energy, is much quieter than a running generator, and isn't harmful to battery life.

Installing solar panels on your RV will allow you to plan your trips without being dependent on campgrounds' abilities to provide your motorhome with all the necessary hookups and park anywhere you would like to.

Fuel Consumption

Several factors impact fuel use, so make sure you checked it before travel begins.

Sometimes packing grabs our entire attention, and we forget about more important things, like getting your vehicle fully-inspected in the first place. For example, your fuel efficiency can be improved just by inflating the tires properly up to 20%.

Driving slowly and trying not to accelerate when driving down the hills will help, but you may also consider switching to one of the biofuel types to lower greenhouse gas production.

Make Longer Stops

Making frequent stops is the best way to reduce harmful emissions and lower your impact on the environment.

Plan your travel in ways that will allow you to find the connection with nature, choose some places where you want to stay longer than one night only, and explore the whereabouts!

Make sure you allocated enough time for getting a proper rest because traveling is never about rushing but being present.

Switching to the greener options may seem expensive, but investing in brand-new eco-products and fixtures is a common mistake, not a necessary feature.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel: you can make your RVing eco-friendly by following general principles of environmentally conscious ways of living: reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Take a closer look at what you already have and think about how to repurpose or improve it! Making washcloths of your old clothes instead of using paper towels is just an example, and there are plenty of them: reusing glass bottles and jars, using your metal cutlery instead of buying a new bamboo set.

Remember to focus on what you have and make the most out of it until you can – no, not throw it away – recycle it!

If changes like refusing the disposable dishes seem too tiny for you, there is a thing you need to realize: it is not a big one-time contribution that matters, but people who make small steps consistently.

This article was written by Lisa Hunchenko

Having Kerouac as a favorite author in her teenage years, Lisa developed an inexhaustible urge for road tripping and exploring her own country first. She tries to introduce concepts of sustainable and conscious living to every part of her life, where RVing occupies a colossal place. In her field of interest, you can also find nutrition, mindfulness, and writing.