Green travel ideas from two environmentally conscious travelers

Going to a theme park? A water theme park like SeaWorld? Nice family-friendly attraction, get to fool around with goofy dolphins and cute seals, kids love it and all that.

But just like you don’t want to see how the sausage gets made, so it is with the dolphins in theme parks around the world. You don’t wanna know how they get there.

You can’t hide from it anymore, though, because The Cove just went mainstream with an Oscar nomination for best documentary, and you’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more about it in the weeks to come.

It’s not hard to fathom why, because Director Louie Psihoyos - with his 18 years of National Geographic experience, has put together a masterful graphic expose of the dolphin industry in Taiji, Japan. 23,000 dolphins are rounded up for being shipped to water parks, or slaughtered for meat.

What makes it even more arresting is that the entire film was made while trying to stay one step ahead of the local authorities and the fishermen, who wanted to keep the whole thing under wraps.

Let’s just say that once you see The Cove, it’ll be a bit harder to enjoy the pleasures of SeaWorld and other water parks. Just to clarify, theme parks in the US do not import dolphins - there’s a law against it.

But it does happen in other countries, and it’s hard to get past the disconnect between the disturbing imagery in The Cove and the frolicking fun in the theme parks.

One thing that might help is to verify that the water park or aquarium you’re visiting does not have any properties outside the US which deal with imported dolphins. It’s no more of a hassle than selecting an eco-friendly hotel, and it will help you enjoy the theme park without any guilt.

Water conservation by itself doesn’t make for an eco-friendly golf course. Ever wonder how many golf balls must be soaking at the bottoms in the water hazards in golf courses?

Hint - it takes between 100 to 1000 years for a golf ball to decompose naturally, and around 300 million golf balls are lost each year in the US alone.

But now there’s a solution - EcoBioBall aka biodegradable golf balls. Not only do these balls dissolve when dunked into the water, but they’re also made of fish food. So every time you hit a ball into a water hazard, you have an excuse - you’re feeding the fish.

The concept behind Albus Golf’s EcoBioBall is neat and simple. Once it hits the water, the outer layer (made of recyclable plastic polymer) dissolves within 48 hours, releasing the fish-food inside.

Albert Buscato, CEO of Albus Golf, tells CNN that since it is a single-use ball, the cost will be considerably lower than the average golf ball and Buscato is confident this means the “goldfish-friendly” option will be a hit with buyers.

Of course, its going to be a while before something like this makes its way into championship golf. But it is good for practise, when you’re trying to get past the water hazards. It is also perfect for cruises, where you no longer need to be afraid of losing the ball or polluting the oceans.

More details here - www.albusgolf.com/

The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award Winners for 2009 were announced on Nov 11 at the World Travel Market.

Whale Watch Kaikoura, from New Zealand, was judged to be the overall winner.

Here’s the full list of winners:-

Overall winner - Whale Watch Kaikoura, New Zealand
Best tour operator for cultural engagement - Village Ways, India
Best large hotel / accommodation - YHA Wellington City, New Zealand
Best small hotel / accommodation - Rivertime Resort and Ecolodge, Laos
Best low carbon transport & technology - Alcatraz Cruises, US
Best in a mountain environment  - Upland Escapes, UK
Best in a marine environment - Whale Watch Kaikoura, New Zealand
Best cruise or ferry operator - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, US
Best for poverty reduction - Guludo Beach Lodge, Mozambique
Best for conservation of wildlife & habitats - Great Plains Conservation, South Africa
Best for conservation of cultural heritage - Selena Travel LLC, Mongolia
Best volunteering organisation - People and Places, UK
Best destination  - City of Cape Town, South Africa
Best personal contribution - Gavin Bate, Founder of Adventure Alternative and the Moving Mountains Trust

For more details, visit www.responsibletourismawards.com/; Photo courtesy Whale Watch Kaikoura

When the World Monuments Fund (WMF) announced its 2010 Watch list of endangered monuments, no one batted an eyelid. After all, monuments which are older than your great great grandpa are supposed to start cracking up.

But closer inspection reveals that 15 out of 93 monuments are actually from the 20th century.

Wiener Werkbundsiedlung - Vienna, Austria (1920s–1930s)
Sanatorium Joseph Lemaire - Overijse, Belgium (1937–1987)
New Gourna - Kurna, Egypt (1945)
Las Pozas - Xilitla, Mexico (1944)
Corozal Cemetery - Panama City, Panama (1914)
Tecton Buildings - Dudley Zoological Gardens, UK (1937)
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library - Atlanta, US (1980)
Miami Marine Stadium - Miami, US (1963)
Cultural Landscape - Hadley, US (1959)
Phillis Wheatley School - New Orleans, US (1954)
Taliesin - Spring Green, US (1911)
Taliesin West - Scotssdale, US (1937)
Merritt Parkway Bridges - Connecticut, US (1940)
Parque del Este - Caracas, Venezuela (1958)
Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Central University of Venezuela - Caracas, Venezuela (1950s)

These places are too new to be on the WMF endangered monuments list. Also note that 11 out of the 15 belong to the Americas and 7 - almost half, are in the US.

Photos public domain - Source (1, 2)

Christmas is right around the corner (I know, I know, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet!). But it’s never too early to start preparing for an eco-friendly Christmas. That’s right, a truly green Christmas that’s fun and responsible - you can admire your Christmas lights guilt-free while sipping your eggnog. Here are some ideas for how you can implement some green strategies into your holiday celebrations this year. Some of them were inspired by an article by Jennifer on Tree Hugging Family.

1. Buy a Real Tree or Keep your Fake One

Real Christmas trees are generally more environmentally responsible than fake ones. Fake ones are often make of plastics that take a long time to biodegradable and which contain harmful chemicals and toxins. Real trees can be used and then recycled easily, and you get the lovely smell of fresh pine in your home as well. Or, if you have a fake tree already, just keep using it again and again instead of buying a new one every few years.

2. Buy Eco-Friendly Ornaments or Make Your Own

There are quite a few companies nowadays offering green ornaments - you can purchase them online and have them quickly shipped to your house. If you have trouble finding them, though, you can make your own, too!

Green Eyed Frog

Nigel’s Eco Store

Make Your Own

3. Buy Eco-Friendly Christmas Lights

When if comes to energy usage, less is definitely more. Luckily, you can now find environmentally-friendly LED Christmas lights in most stores.

4. Send Eco-Friendly Holiday Greeting Cards

Emailed Christmas cards might be the most environmentally friendly, but they probably come up a little short in the sentimentality department. Purchasing green holiday greeting cards is pretty easy these days though - look for them at your local card shop or online.

Photo: scottfeldstein

It’s almost ski season! If you’re a skier, you might have heard about the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition, a  group that creates an annual report on the environmental friendliness of ten different Western ski resorts in the U.S. Regardless, you’re hopefully interested to find out about the country’s most and least environmentally conscious ski resorts, right? Here’s a list, courtesy of the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition:

THE BEST:

#      Name                                                                          Grade

1     (A) Squaw Valley USA - California                           89.7%
2     (A) Aspen Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado             86.1%
3     (A) Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado     85.7%
4     (A) Sugar Bowl Ski Resort - California                    82.3%
5     (A) Sundance Resort - Utah                                     82.2%
6     (A) Alpine Meadows Ski Area - California              82.0%
7     (A) Park City Mountain Resort - Utah                    81.7%
8     (A) Bogus Basin Mountain Resort - Idaho              81.3%
9     (A) Aspen Highlands Ski Resort - Colorado            80.3%
10     (A) Powderhorn Resort - Colorado                        79.4%

THE WORST: 

#      Name                                                                           Grade
1     (D) Breckenridge Ski Resort - Colorado                   41.5%
2     (D) Copper Mountain Ski Resort - Colorado           45.0%
3     (D) White Pass Ski Area - Washington                    47.0%
4     (D) Sun Valley Resort - Idaho                                   47.4%
5     (D) Arizona Snowbowl - Arizona                               47.4%
6     (D) Brundage Mountain Resort - Idaho                   49.3%
7     (D) Crystal Mountain Ski Area - Washington          51.6%
8     (D) Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard - Nevada               53.9%
9     (D) Brian Head Resort - Utah                                    54.0%
10     (D) Silver Mountain Ski Resort - Idaho                 54.8%

These ratings weren’t just random - they were based on 16 different factors (they added a handful more factors this year). Check out this article for more detailed information, as well as this page from the SACC website.  Just something to keep in mind as you anticipate your ski season this year - there are ways to make hitting the white slopes are more green experience.

Photo: Joao Maximo

There are self-proclaimed green hotels. There are certified green hotels. There are LEED certified green hotels. And then there’s Napa Valley’s Bardessono, in a league of its own.

What makes the Bardessono Inn and Spa in Yountville, CA so special? That would be because of the:-

• 14,000 sq. ft of 200 kilowatt solar photo voltaic systems on rooftops
• Eighty two 300 foot wells beneath the Bardessono as part of a geothermal system for heating & cooling rooms and preheating of domestic hot water
• Automated external venetian blinds on windows and occupancy sensors to turn off lights
• LED and fluorescent light fixtures
• Low water use fixtures, dual flush toilets, drip irrigation, drought resistant plants
• The Town of Yountville recycles grey and black waters and sells it for irrigation use.
• Recycled wood furnishings with eco-friendly fabrics
• Redwood ceilings from old wine tanks
• Glues, adhesives, paints, and wall coverings with low VOC
• Concrete with a high potash (recycled product) content
• Glass Tiles with a high recycled content
• Steel with a high recycled content
• Organic linens and terry
• Organic cleaning products
• Spa & Restaurant food use organic and local
• Recycled Uniforms
• Drinking water, filtered on site
• Vegetable waste composted for use in the gardens
• Laundry done with limited hot water and non-detergent cleaners
• Recycling throughout the hotel
• Recycled paper products
• Electric and bio-diesel vehicles for hotel use

Photos courtesy Studio 707

To learn more about the 62-room Bardessono Inn, spa and restaurant, visit www.bardessono.com/  

Don’t let any mental pictures of LA’s summer smog cloud your thinking about the city’s commitment to environmentally friendly hotel options. In fact, LA is making many good green choices, and the eco-friendly Hotel Palomar is only one example. The Palomar has a program in place called EarthCare which puts to use over 40 eco-friendly practices in and around the hotel. For example, their website lists:

*  In-room recycling bins
* Energy efficient lighting
* Water efficient fixtures
* Toiletries made from natural ingredients by earth-friendly manufacturers
* Organic food and beverage options in our mini bars
* The restaurant adjacent to our hotel follows the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch’s sustainable seafood guidelines
* We are a 100% non-smoking hotel

I found it particularly interesting that this hotel works with an environmentally friendly restaurant - overfishing our oceans is a large problem, and it’s inspiring to see a hotel and a restaurant working together on this front.

These efforts resulted in the hotel being awarded the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership award by the California Environmental Protection Agency.

The hotel itself is beautiful and classy - don’t neglect to check out the artwork before you leave; it provides an interesting reflection on the area’s Hollywood scene.

Photo: Todd Jones Photography

The best place to look up a destination is often the official tourism website. This is especially true for green travel planning.

The problem is that most travelers are simply not aware of these sites. To help these sites gain some visibility, we’re listing here the official green travel sites of  major destinations in California.

Green SF - The green movement is transforming San Francisco from grass roots to rooftop.

Green LA - LA Inc - It’s easy to mix an eco-friendly experience with your next visit to Los Angeles.

Green OC - Everything that’s green about Anaheim and Orange County.

Sustainable Santa Monica - Santa Monica has been active in the sustainable movement since well before “sustainable” became a household word.

Green San Diego - Primer for enjoying a green vacation in San Diego.

Green Santa Barbara - Helps visitors learn more about the greener side of Santa Barbara.

Unofficial/non-travel green sites for Sacramento, Palm Springs & South Lake Tahoe, since they don’t seem to have official green travel websites.

You might also be interested in checking out these CA state websites:-

California Green Lodging Program - Encourages state travelers to seek out and give preference to certified green hotels.

VisitCalifornia - Eco-Awareness section of the official California tourism website.

As re-reported by Bnet.com, Oklahoma has unveiled a series - seven, to be exact - of sustainable travel programs designed to meet the growing needs of consumers interested in sustainable and eco-friendly lodging and travel options. I found this article to be interesting on a number of fronts, including this statistic:

“…U.S. Travel Association research shows that 51 percent of consumers would continue to patronize sustainable travel service suppliers regardless of an economic downturn, and 48 percent said continued support of sustainable travel is a necessity.”

51% is an astonishingly high number to me, and it’s encouraging.

The article highlights the potential partnership between Oklahoma’s Colcord Hotel and Clean the World,   non-profit which provides third-world countries with “gently used” hygiene products like soap and shampoo from hotels around the world.

It appears as though a major push to increase recycling will be the first component of these sustainable travel programs. This is a good first step, and it will be interesting to see what the next steps will be. We’ll have to wait for feedback from the programs to determine how these efforts are being received and what new efforts will be made in the future.

Photo: Serge Melki