On occasion of World Environment Day, which is celebrated on June 5 every year, we present to you four ways to be more sustainable and protect the environment.
According to a YouGov report published by Airbnb earlier this year, an overwhelming 94 percent of Indians prefer sustainable and responsible travel if they get the chance in 2021.
Here are four ways recommended by Airbnb to make your existing spaces more sustainable and environmentally conscious, which they too have implemented at their homes.
Source locally
Shop local and use local. While designing and getting his quaint farmstay ready, Airbnb host Honey, who hosts The Owl’s Nest in Dharamshala, made a special effort to use as much local material as possible, with very few exceptions. The minimized need for transportation helped keep the environmental impact to a bare minimum without compromising on the aesthetics or the modern comforts which people have grown used to.
Similarly, Airbnb host Sanjay swears by local products. While designing his farm stay, Meena Bagh Ratnari in the gorgeous locales of Himachal Pradesh, he decided to use local products as much as possible. A lot of the furniture has been designed using locally sourced “waste” wood. This discarded wood was picked up from wood-mills and is also known as reclaimed wood. While adding to the rustic look and feel of the home, reclaimed wood adds a certain warmth to the ambiance.
Go sustainable from the ground up if possible
When talking about the need for adopting a sustainable lifestyle, Honey said, “For me, the transformation into a sustainable being, living a sustainable lifestyle had to be more than refusing plastic straws at fancy vegan eateries or refusing plastic bags at overpriced organic produce stores. It had to be ‘real’ with visible positive impact and ‘local’ enough to bring about a change, however small and however slow, in my community.”
Airbnb host Rupam, who hosts La Belle Vie Naukuchiatal in Nainital has used stone from the surroundings to build walls of the home, which adds to its natural aesthetics.
Water harvesting and solar energy can also be included during the time of planning, which is another way to contribute to nature. Joe, who hosts Striking Penthouse With Private Plunge Pool in Goa, recommends adopting upcycling practices during construction as well to create very little wastage.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Both Joe and Sanjay believe in garbage segregation as a small yet crucial step towards sustainable living. Sanjay encourages composting as well and has specially dedicated composting bays where guests are educated on the benefits and ease of composting. Meanwhile, Rupam encourages guests to reduce waste, save electricity and water as much as possible.
One can even choose to be sustainable while doing the interiors of their home. Honey has reused and upcycled a majority of the furniture, fixtures, doors and windows at his beautiful home.
Choose sustainable travel
According to a YouGov report published by Airbnb earlier this year, an overwhelming 94 percent of Indians prefer sustainable and responsible travel if they get the chance in 2021. This not only provides a boost to the communities and their members – thus redistributing the economic impact of travel – but is also sometimes more affordable. This is also a model of travel that Airbnb has supported – travel as a way of fostering meaningful connections and regenerating communities.