5 Easy Eco-Friendly Tips for #SDCC

This is my 8th consecutive year attending SDCC and I've noticed a lot of things. One thing that has consistently gotten worse over the years is the large amounts of trash that litter the gaslamp district. Water Bottles, fliers and tote bags consistently  litter the ground. So here are 5 tips to help you be kinder to the Earth, the city of San Diego and even your wallet.

1. Share The Ride: Downtown San Diego has a lot of public transportation options so consider taking those vs driving. Especially because access to the convention center has been more restricted. Also take advantage of of the carpool features in ride share apps. It saves both riders money.

        2.  DUMP Plastic Water Bottles:  Water bottles are the biggest source of trash during the                      convention. Save yourself the trouble of overpriced water bottles and contributing to landfills

            with one of these:

These Brita water bottles with built in filters allow you to always have water with you, the filters guarantee you have great tasting water and you can fill them from water fountains, in panel rooms at the convention and even from your hotel sink.  One filter is good for over 200 uses.

3.  Portable Straws : California has been working on limiting straws. I'm not sure about San Diego but many restaurants are now giving straws only by request or not at all. Starbucks is even designing their cups so straws aren't needed. So it's better to get yourself a portable straw now to be prepared and also to do some good for the environment:

4.  Think Before You Swag: Swag is a fun part of SDCC .You can get amazing giveaways, bags, buttons etc. It can be a sort of fever and people get in the habit of taking what ever they can get. I've been in that situation many times but now I'm more discriminate about what I take. I don't take flyers shoved at me everyday, If I can't use or display a swag item I don't take it. 

5  Share, Use, Donate : Even if you are careful about what you take you may still find yourself with a lot of stuff you cant use or change your mind about. So make an effort to share your swag. I host blog giveaways, donate books and tote bags to friends and libraries and use as much of it as I can.

I hope you are inspired by these tips  and add one or all of these tips to you SDCC routine!