Nov 16th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Holiday shopping is easy if the people on your list like to eat and/or imbibe. If they're into travel--be it armchair or the real deal--the options are endless This year, think beyond the predictable bottle of wine or pricey "artisan" cookies and give reusable, portable, eco-friendly gifts or small-batch edibles that are the taste equivalent of a trip abroad.
As for where to get these items, ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
carbonfootprint posts
Holiday gifts for food (and drink)-loving travelers
Nov 16th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Holiday shopping is easy if the people on your list like to eat and/or imbibe. If they're into travel--be it armchair or the real deal--the options are endless This year, think beyond the predictable bottle of wine or pricey "artisan" cookies and give reusable, portable, eco-friendly gifts or small-batch edibles that are the taste equivalent of a trip abroad.
As for where to get these items, ...Green your summer travel
Jul 10th, 2011 at 7:00AM: Environmentalists have had some good news lately. Organizations like Brighter Planet are finding new ways to focus attention on our carbon footprints, the amount of CO2 and other damaging greenhouse gases we emit into the atmosphere. It has all become much more personal, bringing the issue home to us in many ways. With the summer travel season in full swing, whether you are traveling by train, ...Ten iconic foods of summer, and where to find them
May 20th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Aah, summer. A time for the beach, pool parties, lazy days...and sheep cheese? While many foods are undeniably the essence of summer--watermelon, peaches, and anything grilled come to mind--there are plenty of edibles not identified as seasonal foods.
Most of my favorite things to eat just happen to peak in summer, so I decided to compile a list of both the obvious and not-so. Even the most ...Mastercard to measure carbon footprints
May 14th, 2011 at 12:00PM:
MasterCard has teamed up with environmental group Brighter Planet to offer corporate customers carbon footprint reports. By capturing and analyzing travel-related carbon emissions based on card transactions, the program hopes to help companies go green.
"Travel is a huge driver of costs and carbon emissions," Brighter Planet CEO, Patti Prairie told Forbes. "As much as 30 or 40 percent of ...Five easy ways be a philanthropic traveler
Jan 12th, 2011 at 10:30AM: Voluntourism is the newest warm fuzzy of the travel industry. Under ideal circumstances, it's a sustainable, experiential way to see the world and give back at the same time. Whether you're helping to build a new school or clearing a trail, a working holiday is, for some, the best possible expenditure of disposable income.
But there's the rub. Along with multitudinous other factors that make ...Top ten simple ways to lower your travel carbon footprint in 2011
Dec 24th, 2010 at 11:30AM: It's almost a new decade, and the earth ain't getting any younger, cooler, or less crowded. As travel enthusiasts (even if it's via an armchair), there are plenty of small changes we can make that cumulatively have a significant positive impact upon the planet. When you consider the amount of fossil fuels required to fly or even take a weekend roadtrip, it makes even more sense to try and offset ...10 travel resolutions for 2010
Dec 30th, 2009 at 9:30AM:
As 2009 draws to a close and we look back on the last 365 days of travel, it's time to make some resolutions for the coming year. Here are ten travel resolutions that will help you be a happier, more fulfilled traveler in 2010.
Pack lighter
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/10_Travel_Resolutions_for_2010'; Nearly every domestic carrier now charges for the first checked bag. The ...Choosing the right company for your carbon offsets
Oct 15th, 2009 at 3:30PM:
According to Carbonfund, with the amount of flying I do annually, I "produce" about 21,000 pounds of CO2 per year. If I want to make up for the environmental damage I've done, I can pay $125 to offset my carbon contribution.
But what does that really mean? How can paying $125 make the air cleaner or the ozone layer stronger? Where does that $125 go? Am I just paying to make myself feel ...San Francisco airport wants to sell you carbon offset credits
Sep 18th, 2009 at 12:30PM: As of yesterday, passengers departing from San Francisco international airport can purchase carbon offset credits before taking their flight. The credits are called "Climate Passport", and they can be bought from electronic kiosks located throughout the airport. Each ton of carbon offsets costs $13.50, and a typical transcontinental flight spits out about 1.9 tons. Offsetting that will cost you ...Antarctic tourism to get safer, more environmentally friendly
Jul 22nd, 2009 at 11:00AM: The 20th Annual Meeting of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) was held last month, with marine safety and the impact of travel on the Antarctic environment being the main topics of discussion. Attending members adopted measures that will hopefully ensure that travel to the region becomes safer, while also forming a working group to study ways to reduce the carbon ...And the happiest place on Earth is ...
Jul 6th, 2009 at 4:00PM: ... not Disney World!
Despite the theme park's claim, Costa Rica actually takes the top spot, according to the New Economics Foundation. This Britain-based independent research firm uses the "Happy Planet Index" to determine and rank the countries with the happiest people. The organization's goal is to build a new economy that focuses on people and the environment.
This year's survey covered ...Ecoventura vows to eliminate fossil fuels
Jun 8th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Environmental tour company Ecoventura has promised to stop using fossil fuels on its vessels by 2015. Ecoventura runs environmentally conscious boat tours to the Galapagos Islands, a unique ecosystem that is under threat by climate change and tourism. "The Galapagos Islands rank right up there with the Amazon and the Serengeti as one of the richest and best known, yet fragile and threatened, ...The hard truth of green luxury travel
Jun 3rd, 2009 at 3:00PM: "Green" has become yet another upscale offer for hotels and resorts around the world. The concept allows a premium to be charged – and justifiably so, given the increased expenses that come with minimizing environmental impact. Guests get to feel good when they indulge, and the hotel makes a few extra bucks. Everyone wins, right?
Well, it isn't that simple. Any environmentally friendly ...Five tips for green travel
Apr 11th, 2009 at 3:00PM: 1. Green your flight Offset the carbon footprint created by your share of air travel, buy some carbon credits. Several websites can yelp you calculate your carbon footprint (such as TerraPass.com and ClimateCare.org), allowing you to take action. The offsets you buy will ensure that energy from renewable sources will be sent to the grid.
2. Book an environmentally friendly tour Intrepid Travel has ...All electric vehicles on a large scale may be in Hawaii's future
Dec 6th, 2008 at 11:30AM: Yesterday, Brenda posted about Hawaii's bicycle sharing system that should be in place by this coming summer. Bicycle sharing is just one way that Hawaii may be on the cutting edge of an alternative transportation system.
There is a plan underway to create a network of several stations where cars totally powered by batteries could be recharged. Batteries could also be "swapped" out at recharging ...Ways to live green every day, by Continental
Apr 22nd, 2008 at 9:00AM: Paging through the Continental in-flight magazine last night, I stumbled upon a few "green living" tips. For example, did you know that:
If Americans used one less package of non-recycled paper napkins, it would save one million trees?
Ninety percent of the energy used by your washing machine goes to hear the water? Using the cold cycle is much better.
Producing and disposing of all the ...Around the world in 65 days on green sea-monster
Dec 4th, 2007 at 3:00PM: "Holy crap!" was my first reaction when I saw this sensational picture of Earthrace, the world's first 100% bio-diesel power boat that will circumnavigate the world early next year. Built at a cost of $3 million by New-Zealand skipper Pete Bethune, if it manages this undertaking in under 75 days (the previous record held by a British boat called Cable and Wireless in 1998), it will be the first ...
