What I learned from my first zero-waste vacation
I had worked on making my home and office premises low waste and now I thought of doing the same before our trip to Sweden. Zero waste travel aims to reduce the impact by reusing and recycling, and reducing the waste we generate along the way. Small steps can help, such as limiting the use of disposable plastics and relying on digital tickets.
This journey was about living in harmony with the earth. The Swedish law “The right of public access” or the right to roam, urges everyone to access public and private land for recreation, as long as they do not disturb or destroy. This is what I had decided to do: help my children reconnect with nature while consciously respecting it.
Conscious packing was a top priority: I took steel cutlery, reusable napkins, reusable flask and organic detergent. Although I had planned well, I was overwhelmed by the anxiety of managing everything on my own with two toddlers while keeping the sustainability of our trip in mind.
Everything felt like a dream until I saw my twin carriage arrive in pieces on the assembly line. I could not believe that I ended up generating waste even before I left the airport, because the trolley was now intended for a landfill! I had chosen a flight with a carbon dioxide compensation program, but there my plan was to become carbon neutral. I found myself dragging the kids along with the suitcases and finally decided to rent a taxi instead of taking the bus I had originally planned.
Our days were full. We took in idyllic views from bus windows and discovered neighborhoods that we would otherwise have missed. Some days we kayaked, other days we appreciated forests on foot. We ate traditional food such as sandwich cake (Swedish sandwich cake on smoked salmon, eggs and cream cheese) and chose small farms with environmentally friendly methods.