Ah, the never-ending battle of saving money. That is my life as a college student. It seems that as quickly as I save it, it is spent again. Books, bills (...speaking of, rent is due tomorrow!), and those necessary vacation trips that will create memories for a lifetime. Okay, so maybe vacations aren't really necessary, but if I can't have fun now as a college student, when will I find the time later on in life?
I have a confession to make! I have bought a plane ticket to Hawaii. Yes, I can hear you. All those tons of carbon spewing into the atmosphere for one Spring Break trip. In my quest for sustainability, did I consider how my desire to travel would effect my impact on the world? Honestly? Not at first.
I didn't even think about my "green ideals" when I decided to go with roommates to Hawaii for a week in March. But when I reached the end of my purchasing process, it asked me if I wanted offset the carbon I would produce by purchasing a little luggage tag that had the word "ECO" on it. While I don't exactly know how effective such a purchase could be, I decided to do it anyway. It was only an extra $7! I wonder now, though, if this is an example of green-washing or legitimate attempt at going green. Either way, I would have gone on this trip. Now I can feel a little bit better about it. As far as I can tell after some research, it's legit!
If you checked it out and it's truly legit, then it is not greenwash. They say the money goes to projects in the U.S. and China -- I wonder who monitors how the money is spent, especially in China and how much of your $7 goes to pay employees' salaries and administration of the website versus the actual projects. But, if it works, I'm all for it.
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