A Jumbo Recycling Effort

A plane. Yesterday.

How Ethical’s post on Worn Again designers recycled bags posed the question of what exactly we should be doing with old and disused aeroplanes; a concern which became even more poignant with the recent collapse of the holiday company XL, following swiftly in Zoom’s vapour trail.

A swift bit of research has revealed that rather than sending all old aeroplanes off to aviation graveyards, entrepreneurs are becoming more imaginative and disused jumbo jets are being given all sorts of new roles.

The Western Grill Airplane Restaurant

We were intrigued to learn that out in Dhaka, an abandoned F-28 aircraft has been converted into a Western-style grill and diner and is apparently doing a roaring trade. Our friends at Treehugger have also revealed a jet plane which has been converted into a hostel, opening in Stockholm this December. This would certainly make a more worthy conversation piece than your average budget airport hotel!

But does catching some kip in a recycled residence make your stay more ethical? It’s hard to say, because although the idea behind this particular hostel is admirable, it strikes me as essentially a novelty rather than actually a space or energy saving exercise.

However, if you do like to think of yourself as a conscientious holiday-maker, there are plenty of ways with

Aircraft Graveyard by aja_joy

Ethicalsuperstore.com provides us with ‘The Ethical Travel Guide’, covering all sorts of tips and ideas to help you minimise the impact you have on the people and places that you visit – it makes a great read for the environmentally aware traveller. Although Autumn is well and truly upon us now and most people’s summer holidays have been reluctantly consigned to the memory bank, there’s no need to stop dreaming about warmer climates!

Images via Flickr: aja joy and phinalanji.