In honor of Earth Day on Thursday, April 22, all of my posts this week are going to focus on some aspect of traveling green. If you know of something I should write about, send me an email! RoadWarriorette@gmail.com

Two great news stories so far this week for green traveling! I love it.

First: Big news in the Star Tribune. Six airlines have promised the US government that they will NOT charge for carry-on luggage. This was a concern for many in Congress, because once one airline does it, the whole industry often follows (remember checked baggage fees? no free food on flights? charging for pillows and blankets? etc.). Thank you to Delta, American, Sun Country, JetBlue, United, and US Air for nipping this in the bud. (Not on the list? Continental and Air Tran to name a few.) How is this green travel news, you ask? Well, as green travelers it is always our goal to bring only what we need. If all travelers did that, less fuel would be used for starters. However, if you have to pay to bring your bag on regardless, people will start bringing more stuff and weighing planes down because they will just go ahead and check. This is good news on the financial front, too.

In USA Today’s Airport Check In, there is an article about Sea-Tac implementing a new program to get airlines to recycle more. Since not too many airlines recycle at all, this is a huge step. Not only are they encouraging recycling, they are saving money! A great concept, and one I hope takes off in other locations as well.