Tip Sheet: 10 ways to be a greener traveler, even if you must fly

You want to be green. You recycle. You turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth. But you're not going to forgo a flight to a tropical paradise and top-notch accommodations, even though planes emit greenhouse gases and routine hotel practices, like washing linens every day, hurt the environment. After all, you love to travel — and well.

There's still hope. Here are 10 small ways to travel a little more responsibly, even when taking that trip to Hawaii.

1. Offset your flight. Flying (especially on short flights) is among the least sustainable ways to travel, according to groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund. Some airlines allow you to try to compensate for the carbon footprint you create when flying, however, by buying carbon offsets, which are various ways to reduce greenhouse gases. Passengers on airlines like Delta and United can calculate their carbon footprint on the airline websites, which equate the size of a trip's carbon footprint with a dollar figure. Fliers can then donate money or miles to a carbon-reduction project such as forest conservation or renewable energy. Airlines are not the only ones offering offsets. Amtrak, for instance, has a rail calculator and allows you to offset your train trip through Carbonfund.org.

Some environmental organizations have said that offset programs are problematic. And some groups have suggested that the carbon calculators on airline sites are imprecise because they do not consider factors such as whether you're flying first class (which results in a larger carbon footprint because you're taking up space that could otherwise have been used to transport more people). Still, contributing to such programs is better than flying and doing nothing. For a more precise calculator, check out carbonfootprint.com.

2. Tour cities on foot. If you can't walk, bike. If you can't bike, take a subway, bus or train. If you rent a car, request a hybrid. If you hire a driver, try to carpool. Services such as Lyft and Uber offer carpooling, though the notion that they are environmentally friendly is being studied; researchers at NRDC Urban Solutions and the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, are analyzing whether such services are good for the environment or if they are merely congesting roads, competing with public transportation and encouraging people to be driven instead of walking. Bottom line: If you have the option, walk.

3. Have a green hotel stay. The greenest vacation is one in which you don't travel far, impossible for those who wish to see the world. Airbnb has argued that home sharing is a greener option than hotels, though its study published in 2014 — which said that using Airbnb results in a significant reduction in energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste, and relied mainly on guest and host survey responses — was not scientific. But if home sharing isn't for you, you can still make any hotel stay greener by opting to re-use your sheets and towels, taking short showers, turning off the air conditioner (or using a fan), turning down the thermostat and using less electricity by forgoing the hair dryer and switching off the lights when you're not in the room. You can also stay in hotels that have sustainable practices like harvesting rainwater and not heating or air-conditioning unoccupied rooms or spaces. To find them, check out a site like the Green Hotels Association. Expedia.com also has some tips for green travel. Not sure your desired hotel is green? The Nature Conservancy has 10 questions you can ask to find out.

4. Take a reusable water bottle. Millions of barrels of oil are needed to produce the plastic water bottles consumed by Americans alone, according to the Pacific Institute, a sustainable water think tank. In 2007 the group said that the amount of oil used in the production of plastic water bottles was enough energy to fuel more than 1 million cars and light trucks for a year. You can do your part to curb emissions by traveling with a reusable bottle. And coffee and tea drinkers can help save paper by carrying reusable travel mugs instead of to-go cups.

5. Pack light. The heavier your luggage, the more fuel is needed to transport it. Even something as light as a cellphone multiplied across the number of passengers affects the weight of a plane. Besides, it's easier and more fun to travel when you're not loaded down with bags.

6. Opt for e-tickets instead of paper. By now we know not to print documents when we don't have to, and recycle whatever paper we do use. Paper production and pulpwood harvesting contribute to climate change and "threaten some of the last remaining natural forests and the people and wildlife that depend on them," according to the WWF. E-tickets, meanwhile, have come a long way from their wonky early days. Having your smartphone scanned at airports and train stations is often seamless.

7. Go local. Eat locally sourced food and buy locally made souvenirs — and carry them back to your hotel in a reusable bag instead of plastic. In addition to supporting local economies, shopping locally generally means there's less packaging. And items don't need to be flown or shipped in, cutting down on waste and greenhouse gas emissions. As the Michigan State University Extension has pointed out, buying locally grown food can help maintain farmland and green space. To cut emissions even more significantly, reduce or eliminate red meat; its production is carbon-intensive.

8. Put your laptop to sleep. Allow your computer and other devices to sleep when you're not using them. It's an energy saver that's good for their battery life and for the Earth, too.

9. Choose tours that don't harm the environment. Many environmentally minded groups, including the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club and the WWF, offer eco-trips and outings that strive not to harm natural resources, wildlife or people. Backroads and REI Adventures also offer tours that aim to be environmentally low-impact.

10. Spread the word. Pass your green travel habits on to others. You'll multiply their effect — something you'll need to do given all the trips you hope to take.