We became eco-conscious greenies a little while after transitioning to a minimalist lifestyle. With retail therapy out the window, recycling, composting and shopping more mindfully (i.e. not for fun) were the next obvious step.

Even without a car, our new way of living wasn?t that much of a challenge. We did have our own apartment though, which made things a whole lot easier. Things got tricky when we made the move to full-time house-sitting.

Suddenly we had to figure out what to do with our kitchen waste, where to drop off our recycling, how to avoid additional packaging, etc. It hasn?t always been easy, but it?s shown us that living lightly is always an option.

Whether you live a nomadic lifestyle like we do, or simply want to travel more sustainably, there are plenty of ways you can go about reducing your carbon footprint while on the road.

CARRY YOUR OWN EATING UTENSILS

Carrying your own eating utensils sounds pretty lame, right? Surely there must be a more epic way to earn your eco-warrior cape. Say, making a movie about global warming or starting your own environmental foundation.

Those things are awesome, but when you consider how long it takes trash to decompose you?ll realize that the simple act of carrying your own water bottle or coffee cup is heroic. Stop using plastic straws and you?re looking at Chuck Norris superpowers.

When you add up the number of meals and drinks you enjoy out, using your own travel utensils can have a huge impact on the environment. At a minimum, you should carry your own water bottle, reusable coffee cup and eco-friendly cutlery set.

A couple of snack and food containers?won’t go amiss either, as you can use them when you order take-out or to store leftovers in when you dine out. Finally, having a couple of reusable straws on hand is always a good idea.

RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING ON THE MOVE

If you have a vehicle it isn?t nearly as difficult as you might think to save your kitchen waste and recycling. Let?s start with recycling, because that?s the easiest. We simply store all our recycling in a reusable shopping bag and empty it out whenever it gets full.

Nowadays, a lot of shopping malls have recycling bins where you can offload glass, paper and plastic. Sometimes you?ll get lucky and find a depot that accepts bags of unsorted recycling. Winning. A quick search in Google will help you pinpoint your nearest available drop-off point.

For kitchen waste all you need is a small bucket and some food waste recycling bran to speed up decomposition and more importantly, eliminate unpleasant odors. When the bucket is full you just need to find somewhere to offload it.

A lot of places have community gardens that will be all too happy to take your kitchen waste. You could also check with city services to see if they have something in place. The city of Nanaimo, Canada, for example, collects residents? kitchen waste once a week.

If you can?t find anything, another option is to look on community notice boards, ask at the local farmer?s market or do a search on Gumtree or Craigslist. There?s almost always an eco-conscious hippie out there who?d be happy to help.

ECO-FRIENDLY GROUND TRAVEL

We recently decided to hire a car for a few months so that we?d be able to take advantage of house-sitting opportunities further afield, where public transport isn?t as user-friendly (or safe).

It?s definitely not something we plan to do long-term (gas and parking are way too expensive), but for now it serves us to have our own transport. We?re offsetting the increase in carbon emissions by donating trees to Greenpop.

If your plan is to actually live on the road, then there are some things you need to consider before embarking on your nomadic lifestyle. For example, will you opt for a travel trailer, RV or van?

They each come with their own set of eco-conscious pros and cons, so you’ll need to give that some thought. And once you?ve acquired your new home, there?s also the business of ?greening? it to make it more sustainable.

ECO-FRIENDLY AIR TRAVEL

But what if your travels take you abroad? Is it even possible to fly sustainably? According to Lauren Singer from Trash is for Tossers, there are plenty of steps you can take to travel lightly.

She says opting to fly direct as far as possible, choosing a?fuel-efficient?airline and taking advantage of carbon offset programs are some of the things you can do to minimize the impact of your wanderlust.

At the end of the day, it doesn?t really matter whether you?re at home, on the road or in the tent in the middle of nowhere. If you strive to live as lightly as possible, you?ll make a difference.

Photo Credit: Thinkstock

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

More here: 

How to Live Sustainably When You’re an Eco-Conscious Nomad (Or Travel a Lot)