WHAT YOU SHOULD DO 

Share and Care: Rather than buying stuff that you'll use sparingly — Tents, beach kits, voltage converters, mosquito nets, heaters/burners etc—borrow them from friends. And offer your gear to friends for their vacations. At trip's end, give maps and guidebooks to other travelers, or leave them at the hotel for future guests. It is very unlikely that you will visit the same place again. Even if you visit next year, the local information might have changed.

Repair plumbing lines: At least a week before leaving, check all plumbing lines are intact and ask your dad to arrange repair of water leaks, if any.

Halt Magazines Sub!==!--script--==ion: Remind your parents to inform Newspaper and Magazine vendors to halt the sub!==!--script--==ion temporarily when you plan to be away on vacation. This will avoid wasteful collection of newspapers at your doorsteps.

Switch off Night Lamps: If you use night lamps with sensors to light up when it turns dark, remember to check they are switched off individually especially if you are leaving during the day time, because you will not realize they are on, due to the sensor cutting off the electrical supply during daylight.

Switch off Equipments in stand-by: This is relevant for everyday but specially during holidays. Switch off or unplug TVs, DVDs, Computers, microwave ovens, I-pods, cell-phone chargers etc. Do you know they still consume a small amount of electricity in standby mode? If you do not know which are all the equipments that need attention, remember where all you use a remote control. All equipments with a remote control will usually be in standby mode with a small red indicator either blinking or not. For such equipments, switching off with remote control alone will not help. They have to be unplugged with adult help. There may be more equipments like computers that might go into ?Sleep? mode but still wasting precious electricity.

Switch off lamps in external areas: Take care of lights in staircases and some external areas which may have a 2 way switch so you will not know if the switch is on or off by looking at the switch. Taking a round to see them physically will be a good exercise.

Keep the maid servant informed: If you leave your home in the care of a person to water indoor or outdoor plants, take care of pets etc, give a restricted access so that he/she does not leave lights on. Remember that the maidservant may return after probably a week again by which time a good wastage of electricity could have been wasted. Using automatic cut-off switches in such cases will help. Do not know what this means? In many buildings, you might have seen the lamps in staircases and corridors switch off automatically after a few minutes of lighting up. They may have a sensor or time based switch off mechanism.

Take ONLY Useful Gifts: Do you want to carry gifts to your near and dear? For a change take healthy fruits, reduced fat toffees and chips etc instead of hunting around cheap shops which sell so many things that do not last a month even. No one gets any benefit by using poor quality things coming as gifts. They end up in garbage bins faster than most of us think.

Stay at Hotels: Will you stay at a hotel? If so, then treat your hotel as your own home. Turn the lights and air-conditioning off when you leave. It may mean 10 minutes of being uncomfortable upon your return, but you'll survive. The fact that you're not paying the hotel's utility bills should not become a reason to waste resources.

Save on washing linen: Like you don't wash your towels and sheets every day at home, you don't need them changed daily when traveling, either. Tell the hotel that you're fine using linens a few days in a row. In many hotels, it's understood that if you fold your towel and hang it neatly, housekeeping won't replace it.  Ask your parents to speak to housekeeping and replace them only when necessary. By doing this you can save water and minimize the harmful effect of washing chemicals on Mother Earth.

Walk or Use Public Transport: Walking, riding a cycle or taking public transportation are all better than riding in a car. With the money saved foregoing taxis and rental cars, book a nice hotel near to easy access of public transportation facilities.

Use rechargeable gadgets: They have less environmental impact than ones requiring disposable batteries. Batteries contain toxic materials, so you should recycle them instead of throwing them with normal trash. Choose a digital camera.  You'll print only the photos you actually want. By doing this you can save paper and use of harmful chemicals in photo films and printing ink.

While you Eat Out: When you travel around, minimize purchasing take-out meals with wasteful packaging and plastic utensils. Instead, choose sit-down restaurants, eat and proceed. Also take care to avoid excessive ordering and wasting of food. Think about where the food on the menu actually comes from. Ask your waiter what's local and choose something produced nearby instead of things which have to be brought from far incurring waste of precious fuel.  This will also help you to try different local tasteful food rather than filling the tummy with pizzas and burgers. Reduce Food Waste. Do you know one third of the food produced in the world ends in landfills making them rot and produce methane gas adding to global warming?

Feedback: Hotels, resorts, airlines, and tour companies actually do read comments left by customers. So take a moment to scribble your thoughts on how to improve their Recycling programme or to reduce waste. Or appreciate them for their good care.

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT DO

Avoid Disposable Plastics: When you go on a picnic, there are so many Use and Throw stuff you can buy and use. Avoid these as far as possible. Remember NOT TO buy plastic cups, plastic carry bags, plastic water bottles etc. Try to buy recyclable items only. Make sure to dispose garbage in the right bins only. When you travel, minimize on use of diapers for kids. Also DO NOT ever throw diapers in the open. They are ugly, cause infections and never decay naturally.

Avoid Polluting Water: Will you be going on a boat ride? – Remember NOT TO throw plastic cups, plastic bags, chips wrappers, soft drink bottles and cans into the water. Think for a moment on the plight of the marine friends. Don?t make them suffocate to death.

Avoid Polluting Beaches: After relaxing on the beaches and enjoying your snacks and drinks, DO NOT litter them on the beautiful beach sand. Walk a few steps and dispose them in the right disposal bins. These days most places have separate trash bins for plastics, paper and cardboards, cans etc. Moreover the litter on the sand will get carried into the water due to wind and water tides and harm the aquatic animals and plants.

While you are at the Parks: If you relax in a park, DO NOT pluck the flowers, DO NOT trample the small plants underneath your shoes. DO NOT cycle over the grass and plants. Dispose garbage in the right bins only.

Avoid Unwanted Shopping: If you go on a shopping to bring things back home, do not buy unwanted stuff. If you still want to buy, try to look for items made from waste. DO NOT buy items that cannot be recycled when you dispose them later. And remember that souvenirs you buy often end up in a landfill in 2 or 3 years or even earlier.

Avoid Too many Credit Cards: Request your dad not to carry too many plastics. Tell him you meant the Plastic credit cards. More than the harm from the plastic content, you will avoid wasteful expense with the credit cards and struggling then to pay the bills upon return from vacation. Promise him that you will not ask him unnecessary things and you will listen to your parents! Take this pledge right away.

Avoid Vainful Boasting: Upon return from vacation DO NOT boast to your friends about your lavish visit and your returning with bags of unwanted stuff. If you do this, you will only show how reckless you have been to my Mother. Yes Mother Earth is not only yours, she is mine as well, she is Mother to All of Us. Together we have to Act, And Together We Can Save Mother Earth with our actions.

DO THE FOLLOWING IN THE FINAL MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING HOME

Switch Off Air-Conditioners and Exhaust Fans: Make sure the Air conditioners and all exhaust fans are switched off at least 5 minutes before leaving.

Close Taps: Make sure the taps are closed off before you leave. Remind your dad to close the main control valve.

Switch off electrical mains, if possible

 YOU CAN DO THIS ANYTIME 

Spread awareness of these steps to your friends. You may also add more points to this list