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Eco-conscious travelers face something of a dilemma. Just about all human activities leave some kind of mark on the environment, and travel can be one of the worst offenders when it comes to environmental damage. In 2022 aviation accounted for 2% of global energy-related CO2 emission*, and flying into London can generate more emissions than your family car would produce in an entire year, depending on where you come from.
Even if you don’t fly into the city, travel can come at a high environmental cost. It’s easy when you’re on vacation to feel like the normal rules don’t apply and that since you’re trying to relax, you don’t need to think too much about the effect you’re having on the environment.
Luckily, London also offers plenty of options when it comes to making your travel more sustainable. While it may be a big and bustling city, London has some great ways to reduce your carbon footprint and waste and ensure that your vacation doesn’t have to cost the planet we all share.
Leave your bags behind at a convenient Bounce luggage storage and check out some of these ways to keep your trip to the UK capital as low-impact as possible.
Getting to London
Flying is possibly the most environmentally unfriendly way you can travel. That’s why, if you can reach London any other way, you should definitely think about it.
If you live in the UK, it’s relatively easy. As the capital city, London is the central hub of most of the UK’s train lines, and traveling by train is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Alternatively, you could get to London by traveling via coach or long-distance bus. Although coaches still produce emissions, sharing the vehicle with more people will greatly reduce the carbon emissions produced per person.
Thanks to the high-speed Eurostar train, London is also reachable by train from mainland Europe, with easy connections from Paris, Brussels, Lille, and Amsterdam.
You can also take a ferry from many European countries, including France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway, then take a train to London from your port of arrival. Although this can take longer than flying, the journey is, in many ways, part of the experience, and it also provides a much more eco-friendly way to get to the city.
Finally, if you’re visiting from further away, including from North America or Asia, flying may be the only realistic way to get to London. Most airlines allow you to purchase carbon offsets that can help reduce the ecological cost of taking a plane.
Where to Stay
You have plenty of choices when it comes to hotels in London - although bargains can be hard to find. Often, you’ll pay a little more for a hotel with a commitment to eco-friendly practices, but it’s worth it to help make your trip more sustainable.
If you’re really serious about lowering your environmental footprint, consider staying at room2 in Chiswick. Easily reachable by Tube from the center of the city, this is the world’s first completely net-zero carbon-emission hotel. From the geothermal heating and cooling system to the low-flow shower heads, the rooftop solar panels and garden, and the locally handcrafted furniture, everything about this hotel is designed to lower environmental impact of travel.
Where to EAT
Several restaurants in London have adopted eco-friendly practices, sourcing food as locally as possible and avoiding factory farming practices and long supply chains. For example, Spring creates incredible meals using only local produce and, in 2019, became the first restaurant in London to completely eliminate single-use plastics. Check their latest menu here.
