RV lifestyle is often far from being considered as green. The RV itself needs a large engine to carry all the loads and operate electronic devices inside. The annual carbon footprint of RV lifestyle can be immensely high and you won’t contribute in making the Earth a cleaner place if you don’t make the right steps. If you want to have a green RV lifestyle, you should start by considering the fact that RV burns a lot of fuel at about one gallon for 10 miles. If you frequently move between places, you will release a lot of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. In reality, many full time RVers only have a few long distance trips each year and they don’t move continuously. Typically, they follow the sun, by going to south during winter and return north again during summer.
If you want to stay green, you should plan to stay in a location for longer period of time. You should choose the right location that’s ideal for any RV’er. As an example, there should be reliable supply of water, gas, electricity and others at the local RV park. By planning your trips, you will have a greener lifestyle. You will burn less fuel and can save money for other purposes. It would be a good thing if there is good public transportation system in the area, so you don’t need to use RV daily needs, such as buying grocery. The availability of external electricity supply will also mean that you don’t need to run the generator set, which burns fuel continuously. With ample supply of electricity, you can run multiple appliances at the same time.
Any RVer knows that water is precious and they need to be careful with water usage, such as for laundry or shower. If you want to maintain a green RV lifestyle it is important to use no more than 30 gallons of water each day. You should know how long you should take a shower and actually, it doesn’t take long to properly clean up your body. An average family could use more than 400 gallons of water each day for watering the lawn, washing cars, doing laundry and other tasks. You should know that although water is a renewable resource, the purification process requires a lot of energy. You should have a conscious decision in making sure that you don’t use more water than necessary.
Gas is another very important resource that we often use in our RV, We need to use it for cooking and barbecuing at outdoor situations. You should also use common sense when burning propane for different uses. Gas is a non renewable resource and it is another reason why you should use common sense. The gas storage container should be checked every six months for potential leakage. It will not only save gas, but also ensures the safety of your family. You need to use common sense when using resources for your RV and avoid doing things that are inappropriate.