Summer holidays are ideal for resting and relaxing with friends or family. The schedule is planned: picnics, outdoor activities, sunbathing on the beach, exploring the horizons… Many hobbies that can impact our planet if we are not careful.
Enjoy sunny days while respecting the environment, it's possible! Whether you are going on vacation or staying at home, Naéco has concocted a simple guide to good practices to adopt for an eco-responsible summer.
Before the journey
Choose trips close to home, there is no need to go to the other side of the world to have a good vacation. Sometimes you can find little corners of paradise just 2/3 hours from your home. For example, Brittany is full of surprises and little corners of paradise!
In recent years, the increase in low-cost flights has encouraged many people to travel further afield, but this trivialization of the plane has led to an explosion in the carbon footprint, which is very harmful for nature.
Eco-responsible accommodation, addresses of reasoned restaurants, immersions and discoveries of a territory with the inhabitants, protected national parks… Sustainable tourism offers are flourishing everywhere and encouraging us to change our bad habits.
Eco-friendly luggage
Prepare your luggage carefully, the lighter it is, the less energy it will consume for your means of transport. Use this argument to leave unnecessary items at home. Our tip is to take reusable accessories with you to reduce disposable waste.
For example, plan an insulated water bottle, reusable containers such as Naéco beewraps for food and drinks. You can wear your clothes for 2 or 3 days to avoid too many changes. If you plan to go shopping, plan tote bags or other fabric bags to carry your belongings to the beach.
To go
We recommend that you take the train, which represents only 30% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to the car which represents 80%. A more ecological transport but also more practical because it generates much less stress on boarding and you do not have to wait for your luggage.
For the more courageous, our offer for walkers and cyclists allows you to benefit from advantages within our hostels in Audierne, Le Pouldu and Erdeven.
during the trip
Remember to take sunscreen, but not just any, respectful sunscreen. Every year, according to figures from the UFC Que Choisir, 25,000 tonnes of cream end up in the oceans and some of them have toxic effects on marine flora and fish.
The first things to look at when choosing your sunscreen is its UV filter. Indeed, it is less harmful to the environment if it contains mineral UV filters. Then necessarily look if it is organic, because indeed, organic sunscreens are certified by the Cosmebio label from Ecocert and must contain 95% ingredients of natural origin.
During your stay, choose seasonal products, especially since summer is full of delicious fruits and vegetables that make it easy to prepare salads. You can also eat fresh and local, France is a country with a lot of different cultures depending on the region, there are several local products to discover, so take advantage of them.
Another advice to take into account, avoid air conditioning, despite the fact that it cools the interiors, it is harmful to the environment and increases the outdoor temperature in cities by 1.5°C. There are alternatives such as a fan or airing in the evening when the temperature is lower.
Last bit of advice, take cocktails without disposable plastic straws. Since 2020, France has banned the marketing of disposable straw, because each year more than 9 million straws are thrown away in nature, on beaches or in the oceans.
To replace disposable straws, restaurants and bars are full of good ideas! Metal straws, bamboo or even edible pasta straws.
An ecological summer
By choosing to stay at Naéco, you are choosing accommodation that respects nature. Naéco hostels are labeled Clef Verte thanks to several actions such as rational water and energy consumption, waste management, responsible and local purchases, etc.
It is with the association Naéco#Responsables that we have created this charter used and respected in our establishments for an eco-responsible stay in Brittany.