10 things you can do to help save the environment on your next Walt Disney World trip

The Walt Disney Company’s commitment to the planet dates all the way back to Walt Disney and his passion for nature that manifested itself in the “True-Life Adventures” documentaries. He used them to grow his life-action division while entertaining and informing the public about the world around them. Today the company continues to reflect green values and Environmentality(tm) at the parks.

Here are 10 ways you can help conserve and still have a fantastic vacation while at Walt Disney World:

1. Skip picking up a Map and Times Guide for the day. All that information is now on your phone courtesy the My Disney Experience app. Don’t have a smart phone? Pick up just one copy of the map and times guide for your group and share it. Be sure to recycle it at the end of the day.
2. Bring a refillable water bottle. Pack your favorite filtered refillable water bottle in your stowed luggage and then fill it up at water stations when in the parks. Don’t have a bottle, buy one water bottle on the first day of the trip and reuse it throughout your Disney adventure.
3. Only take as many paper napkins as you absolutely need. We know eating can sometimes get a little messy, and Disney already uses a lot of recycled materials in their napkins, but it’s still a good way to keep paper out of landfills. If you take too many bring them with you to use at your next dining location.
4. Ditch the car and take the shuttle and the bus. Skip the car rental and just use Disney’s Magical Express to get to and from the airport. The Walt Disney World transportation system is more than adequate when you’re at the parks and resort. If you’re on the monorail you get to be environmentally friendly and feel like you’re living in the future, double bonus.
5. Donate a dollar. When you make a purchase at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, donate a dollar to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. You’ll get a button and the feeling that you’re helping protect and preserve our most precious natural resources.
6. Eat at Sunshine Seasons or The Garden Grill. Some of the ingredients used in their cooking are grown right three in the Land Pavilion. Eating locally grown produce reduces fuel consumption.
7. Stay on property. Disney’s resorts have all be certified ‘Green’ under Florida’s Green Lodging program.
8. Reuse your towels and sheets. Instead of getting a freshly laundered set of sheets and towels on a daily basis, take advantage of Disney’s green program and get a second day out of them. Reducing the use of detergents is a critical part of protecting our clean water ways.
9. Watch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. EPCOT recently installed new environmentally friendly lasers. They have the benefit of being brighter and more precise, while using the energy equivalent of a hair dryer. This saves Disney approximately 64,000 watts of power with each show.
10. Meatless Monday. Even though you’re at Walt Disney World, you can show your commitment to better stewardship of our planet’s limited resources by going Vegetarian at least one day a week. Walt Disney World’s world class restaurants always have a vegetarian option on the menu and the Chef’s love to put their talents to use creating delicious and healthy options for vegetarian guests. Plus a vegan diet has been shown to be heart healthy.

Want to continue the effort to Go Green when you get home. Let Mickey Mouse show your family how to go green in Disney Go Green: A Family Guide to a Sustainable Lifestyle. The book has three main focal points; explaining sustainability in a simple and fun way, putting the concept into perspective for children and families and to show easy, and fun steps to take in the green direction. All through the book are tips and fun facts connected to sustainability and the reader will find that not all is lost and a few easy steps will take the family in a new direction.

How many of these tips do you follow already when vacationing with the Mouse?