A survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Cool Effect has found that while Americans care about safety while traveling, safety habits might harm the planet. The poll of 2000 Americans found that 71% of Americans cared about their safety while traveling.
Another thing the respondents cared about while traveling (57%) was sustainability. Although they cared about safety and sustainably, these two practices did not always align. About 58% of participants traveled during the pandemic. However, 70% were not concerned about their carbon footprint.
Americans who traveled admitted to using more cleaners (31%), hand sanitizers (51%), disposable gloves (58%), and disposable masks (68%), which were not good for the environment.
Pandemic has taught Americans to travel sustainably
About 70% of the participants said the pandemic had taught them about traveling sustainably, and two in three plan to implement their knowledge soon. Some of the things respondents learned include finding an eco-friendly website to book accommodation (31%), taking to areas that care about lowering their carbon footprint (50%) and using sustainable transportation (52%).
Employers care about sustainability
Companies also cared about reducing their carbon footprint as 36% of respondents stated their employers were trying to limit travel. For example, 75% said that their workplaces now required fewer people to travel.
About 54% of workplaces also traveled with particular airlines, while 71% had bought carbon offsets.
According to the Vice President and Director of Partnerships and Marketing, Jodi Manning, while traveling can leave a large carbon footprint, people can take steps such as choosing an airline that uses biofuel, direct flights, packing light, and reducing waste.
Manning adds that the pandemic has proven that virtual meetings can effectively replace in-person meetings. Despite this, traveling could sometimes be necessary. For this reason, people must be aware of their emissions and try to reduce them.
The researchers found that 78% of the participants believed they were environmentally friendly. Moreover, 75% claimed they thought about the environment daily. The number of people who know what it takes to prevent climate change has also shot to 68% from 63% in a similar study by OnePoll and Cool Effect.
However, respondents would not purchase or repurchase carbon offsets as they didn’t know what they were (25%), how they work (27%), and where the money goes (29%).
