Coming Up for "Green" Air- The Sustainable Traveler

Many who have overindulged this holiday season and have vacation time coming may be shopping around for one of the latest trends in luxury travel - the "eco" vacation- as a means to do good not only for oneself, but for the planet and of course the environment, as well as communities and social enterprises that could use some help. If you want to do your part without committing to a group or social cause, this might mean simply checking in at the nearest "green" hotel. Today's New York Times (see link above) highlights several northern and southern California hotels where guests are treated to ecofriendly bathroom products (preferably out of a dispenser and not the ocean clogging plastic tubes), sustainable design elements, in-room recycling, and in some cases, such as with the new Gaia Napa Valley, displays of energy usage in the lobby. How do you know if a hotel is really green? "The best starting point is the so-called LEED certification program (for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) of the United States Green Building Council, a program that evaluates everything from materials to energy use to recycling in the construction and operation of a building. A LEED certificate displayed in the lobby means the establishment is serious about being green. Although only five hotels in the United States have this certification, many in the planning stages are incorporating materials and systems intended to gain it," the article states.

For the more adventurous traveler wanting to commit to a socially responsible trip, there are several organizations offering meaningful opportunities to contribute:
*Earthwatch Institute: join a scientific expedition in any number of countries around the world.
*Sierra Club Outings: One-week outings in the U.S. and Canada let you explore the outdoors, by clearing trails in national parks or examining ruins in New Mexico.
*Cross-Cultural Solutions: You might teach English in a low-income community, or care for children in an orphanage. Travel choices include Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, or Latin America.
*Cruise West: The line offers several cruises each year that include volunteer opportunities.

Also, the Rainforest Alliance has an online listing of ecofriendly travel destinations, as well as handy tips for sustainable travel, such as what questions to ask a hotel or lodge before your trip, their policies for reducing energy and water consumption, if they have won any "eco" awards, etc.

So Bon "eco" Voyage, and please post a comment if you've recently returned from a great sustainable trip!

Seeing the Light

Many of us wonder what practical, every day things we can do to help the environment, particularly when going green can sometimes seem overwhelming at times. Switching your light bulbs to CFLs is something you can do right way that will make a significant different down the line. The New York Times reported yesterday that according to the new energy bill signed this week, by 2012 stores can no longer sell the cheap, incandescent light bulbs most of us are used to buying and using in our homes. Though compact fluorescents cost 6 times as much as incandescents, they last 6 times longer and use far less energy. Use of the compact fluorescents, however, is nothing new. The EPA's Energy Star program has been pushing compact fluorescents for 9 years, and other new technologies are on the way, including LED's, which are extremely energy efficient but have not yet been incorporated in the home due to the expense and other factors. A few interesting facts:
*CFLs typically have a life span of between 6,000 and 15,000 hours, whereas incandescent lamps are usually manufactured to have a life span of 750 hours or 1000 hours.
*A CFL can save over US$30 in electricity costs over the lamp’s lifetime compared to an incandescent lamp and save 2000 times their own weight in greenhouse gases.
That's equivalent to the emissions of over 800,000 cars.
*Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste.
Make the switch, and feel good about taking that first step in greening your home...

An Eco Time Was Had By All

On Saturday we attended the Eo Gift festival in Santa Monica, and it was truly a great day, with 150 fantastic exhibitors, folk music, organic munchies, and more. It was good to see so many eco startups, as well as companies that have been around for over ten years, selling everything from hemp clothing, to soy candles, elephant "dung" stationary, bamboo yoga clothes, jewelry made from materials in the Amazon, organic soaps and lotions, and t-shirts galore. It was truly "eco" heaven. The event, the first large scale holiday gift show for the eco-conscious, was founded by Tommy Rosen, a marketing and strategic partnership expert with extensive experience as a film and live event producer. Tommy launched Eco Gift Expo to address the "inconveniences, difficult emotions and incredible waste" associated with the holidays and holiday shopping. In 2005, Tommy co-produced the California Tomorrow Festival as part of The United Nations’ World Environment Day in San Francisco. The festival featured 50 renewable energy companies on display in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza and was attended by tens of thousands of people. This experience was pivotal in Tommy’s decision to commit to helping people make positive, healthful and sustainable lifestyle decisions. Tommy will continue to grow Eco Gift Expo and EcoGift.com to create new avenues for eco-conscious businesses to succeed.

Key Sponsors: Whole Foods, Los Angeles Times

Watch future blog entries for some of our favorite discoveries from the show!

Green, but "Not So Innocent?"

Feature articles in today's issues of both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times highlight a disturbing current trend in the new greening of America. What is it? That green, apparently in many cases, is not what it appears to be. In "Green Projects Generate Splits in Activist Groups," by GREG HITT, the writer points out that some new sustainable projects relying on wind and solar power are being met with opposition by groups such as the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club because of potential damage they can do the environment. "In Southern California," he writes, "a project to expand solar-power is imperiled because activists don't trust San Diego Gas and Electric Co., the local utility, which has proposed building a 150-mile transmission line...Micah Mitrosky, a Sierra Club community organizer, complains the line would run through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. She also isn't comfortable with the idea that it would be used to transmit power generated by fossil fuels, and questions whether the line will ever be used to carry alternative energy. Local Sierra Club officials enlisted opponents at concerts, farmer's markets and street fairs and in late October escorted a delegation of community leaders to Sacramento." Other wind powered projects, such as those planned in Maine and elsewhere, can potentially pose a threat to birds and other wildlife.

In "A World Consumed by Guilt," NT Times writer Paula Schwartz, points out that many consumer goods such as clothing and jewelry that are touted as being sustainable, may not be upon closer review. “Most brands endeavor to tell an honest story,” said Savania Davies-Keiller, a designer for the fashion label DDCLAB, which sells clothes made from corn fiber. “But the brand is reliant on the mill and on the manufacturer of the raw goods. You, as the end consumer, are reliant on the honesty of your brand.” The best way to be green with regard to clothing, the writer states, is to reuse what you currently have. "Perfect doesn’t exist and we’re probably never going to get there,” said Leslie Hoffman, the executive director of Earth Pledge, a nonprofit group that promotes sustainable development and technologies. “We all make compromises every day. Making them with your eyes open instead of arbitrarily is the best piece of advice I could give.”