Here at Green Wings, we understand how challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic have made all of us rethink our daily behaviors at the airport and onboard the aircraft. Safety is paramount in our work and that includes making sure we are all taking steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in our public workspace. As a result, we may feel less inclined to stick to our eco-friendly strategies of reusability in favor of single-use items in the hopes that it may be more sterile and sanitary for everyone aboard. 

However, this pivot to single-use plastic may not be what the doctor ordered. In a recently released statement more than 125 virologists, epidemiologists, and health experts from 18 different countries said it’s clear that reusables are safe to use during the pandemic. You just have to wash them. The statement goes on to say that single-use products present just the same issues as reusable items, like water bottles. What truly matters is the hygiene around those products being used.

An important concept to think about is that virus transmission relates to the number of people coming into contact with a given item, like a reusable water. If an item has more people coming into contact with it, it has a greater chance of transmitting a virus between the people that it comes into contact with. While the vast majority of all restaurants and stores are working very hard to guarantee the sanitation of their products that you buy, the simple fact is that there will be more contact with those products moving through their supply chains than your personal water bottle. The best part about bringing your own reusable items is that you can know exactly who has come into contact with them. Instead of relying on the best practices of others, you can rely on your own personal knowledge and best practices to limit your exposure to viruses while traveling for work. 

Of course this doesn’t mean we throw caution to the wind and start using our reusable products without a care. We all need to maintain basic hygiene practices. Just like gloves and face masks, these reusable items are only effective at keeping us protected if we use them properly. We need to be regularly wash our reusable items, and be conscious of where we put them. We should try to use contact-free water refill stations at the airport, and when we set our reusable items down in a plane or airport, we need to to sanitize it, like any other surface of the aircraft we come into contact with. 

As flight crew members, we have all been working hard to adapt to this constantly evolving new work environment. It has not been easy. With so much uncertainty in our very public jobs, it is easy to question or abandon our normal practices. But with this increased conscious thought towards our daily practices, we here at Green Wings see this as an incredible opportunity to build better habits that align with our values. We are committed towards an aviation industry that is environmentally sustainable, and safe for everyone involved. The great news is that sustainability and sanitation aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, they can go hand in hand if done properly. So let’s use this time of increased awareness to build practices that build a cleaner and greener future for our aviation industry!

Jordan Bjostad, Co-founder of Green Wings