By Isabel Clift

Everyone loves a stolen weekend away, but your typical short-haul city break incurs a heavy carbon footprint. Here are five green travel tips to make your city break more eco-friendly:

Reykjavic, Iceland (Credit: Pocius)

1) Choose a green city

Urban areas generate tonnes of carbon emissions, but some cities are actively working to reduce this by creating more eco-friendly infrastructure. If you’re planning a city break, think about visiting places that make it easier for you to reduce your trip’s carbon footprint: Reykjavik, for example, runs entirely on geothermal and hydroelectric power, and has busses powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Other green cities include Stockholm, which has reduced emissions by 25% over 20 years and runs all trains and inner-city busses on renewable fuels, and Vancouver, where 90% of power is drawn from renewable resources.

(Credit: Christensen)

2) Get there without flying

Commercial flights use up huge amounts of fuel during take-off and landing. Avoid adding the tonnes to your carbon footprint by travelling by train or coach for short-haul journeys: watching the land and architecture slowly change as you cross borders makes the getting-there part of the magic. Also, you’re likely to arrive at the city’s central station, rather than at an outskirts airport – saving you time and reducing extra transport emissions incurred getting to the city centre.

(Credit: Curtis Perry)

3) Stretch your legs

Once you arrive, you’ll be raring to explore! Walking or cycling from sight to sight means you’ll be able to get far more of a ‘feel’ for your city destination, and it’s obviously a 100% green way to get about. Some cities do cycling better than others, though – Copenhagen has well-established cycling routes and Paris’s Velib’ scheme makes biking round the city easy. If you’re not cycling, using busses and metro systems is preferable to taxi rides – and your wallet will thank you later, as well as your eco-conscience.

(Credit: Gael Martin)

4) Stay at an eco hotel

Hotels are getting greener – do your research and you’ll be able to bag yourself an eco-friendly place to stay that won’t break the bank. Look out for hotels that take a responsible approach to every area of their operation, from providing refillable pumps for bathroom products (instead of producing mini plastic toiletry bottles), to employing local staff on a fair living wage. Other things eco hotels can do include recycling waste, introducing low-flow taps and grey water recycling systems, using energy-efficient lighting, going on a green energy tariff (a la City Lights City Centre Deluxe in New York) and powering water heaters with rooftop solar panels (like Mellow Eco Hostel Barcelona).

Saturday morning farmer's market in Pennington. (Credit: Nosha)

5) Support local businesses

Shop at farmers’ markets and independently-run stores, eat at restaurants that source produce from local suppliers and support the regional arts and heritage scene by attending concerts and exhibitions, as well as visiting galleries showing local artists. These all give a boost to the local economy and support the people and ways of life that make the city what it is.

Ready to travel greener? See the AnyTrip Blog for more eco travel tips.

Isabel Clift is a travel writer and blogger for AnyTrip.com, a travel company based in the UK. She lives in London, loves vintage fairs and organic food, and tries her best to balance a love for travel with an eco-conscience!

Hotel de la Porte Doree, Paris

By James Helliwell

With environmental concerns mounting on a daily basis, many citizens and businesses around the world are striving to become more eco-friendly. Becoming more “green” has turned into a concern in many parts of everyday life, and travel is no exception for the modern traveller.

At the same time, staying at an earthy lodge high up on the hillside with no broadband Wi-Fi can be a problem; in these instances, a mobile broadband signal often will not be available either. Now, eco-friendly and well-connected hotels are growing in number all around the world, and many of these establishments are located throughout Europe. Some of the top eco-friendly hotels can be found in Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

Zwei Eichen, Hamburg

Hamburg, Germany

The Zwei Eichen Bed and Breakfast in Hamburg, Germany, is located in the “health village.” The B&B is in a quiet area full of trees and beautiful scenery. Among its eco-friendly services, this quaint establishment offers towel and sheet programs, alternative energy, bulk soap and other amenities, energy and water conservation, recycling, environmental cleaning and organic food. The bed and breakfast takes part in composting and works hard to educate guests and staff members in ways they can be “green.”

L'Ayalga Ecological Inn, La Pandiella

La Pandiella, Spain

Visitors to Spain should take a look at the L’Ayalga Ecological Inn in La Pandiella. This inn is in a prime location between the cool mountains and the warm beach, and is in an area where there are few crowds. L’Ayalga is a farmhouse that was restored using lime and wood treated with only natural oils. Solar panels provide heat for the establishment, and insulation is supplied by hemp rather than synthetic substances. Classes in the ancient arts of tai chi and chi kung (also known as qigong) are available, as are massages, mountain hikes and canoe trips.

Aprile Bed and Breakfast, Torino

Torino, Italy

In Torino, Italy, travellers looking for eco-friendly accommodations should check out the Aprile Bed and Breakfast. The B&B is situated in a prime location in the city, and is close to the open air market. Using only natural paints, wall finishes and wood floors, this B&B was built to leave behind only a small carbon footprint. Laundry services employ natural products and the hotel uses bulk amenities and durable service items. Recycle bins are located in guest rooms and the entire establishment takes part in energy and water conservation efforts.

Paris, France

Even Paris, France, can be experienced during a stay at a “green” hotel. The Hotel de la Porte Doree is a family-owned establishment that has undergone renovations to be more environmentally friendly. There is no carpet to cut down on problems with allergies, and the hotel participates in towel and sheet programs, energy and water conservation, recycling and more.

Hello, I am Firespin Jay. I’m into Technology, Internet Marketing, Travel, Ecology and spinning fire poi and combinations of the above! Hope you enjoy my pieces and life is good.www.firespinjay.co.uk

A view of Jordan Pond in the Acadia National Park of Maine, USA

By Maria Rainier

In the spirit of giving this holiday season, don’t just consider minimizing your carbon footprint during an eco-tour.  Consider what more you can do to give back.  Many tours and travel experiences that encourage you to volunteer—voluntourism, as it were—are much more affordable than their lounging-on-the-beach varieties.  With a carefully planned eco-tour of your own or hopping on the bandwagon with like-minded do-gooders, you can face the new year with your wallet intact, a cleaner conscience, and a cleaner planet.

Cactus at Big Bend National Park in Texas

Stay Local to Mind Your Carbon Footprint

Not only do air fares skyrocket during the holiday season, we leave a hefty carbon footprint every time we step on a plane.  Instead, consider riding a train or even cycling to your eco-destination, depending on your location.  If you call North America home, consider the Big Bend National Park in Texas.  It’s got 800 acres of America’s biggest national park and it’s open year-round, although it may close on Christmas Day.  Rather than driving around and pitter-pattering carbon footprints across the park, get out and enjoy the outdoors and camp in one of the three campgrounds, $14.00 a night after a $10 seven-day pass per individual.

If you’re on the east coast, consider the Highland Lake Inn in Flat Rock, North Carolina, where you can bring the whole family (even the dog) and go hiking and fishing, and relax after a day spent outdoors at its gourmet restaurant with its own two acre organic garden.  During the summer and fall, guests can learn how to grow, harvest, and cook assorted veggies, herbs, and flowers you might find in such a garden.  A room costs $89.00 a night.  If you’re planning a holiday vacation here, consider the Christmas Day Buffet Celebration Weekend Package or the Christmas Eve 4-Course Dinner Weekend Package.

Meanwhile, up north awaits the Acadia National Park, from where you can see the Atlantic coastline and the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.  You can camp for between $14 and $20 a night depending on the site.

Raspberry bushes at a small WWOOF participant farm in Wattamolla Valley, near Berry, NSW, Australia

Give Back to Save Greens

If you’re feeling more industrious and a little bit like pinching pennies this holiday season or in the coming year, consider bartering your way through an eco-tour.  Sierra Club’s Outings program has countless trips ranging from $400 in the U.S. to over $5,000 trips to safaris in Botswana and boat tours in Antarctica.  Be prepared to volunteer your time and your muscle, however, as is the nature of true voluntourism.  Similar programs include Ecovolunteer, which allows you to participate in efforts to protect nature and its inhabitants through local conservation organizations.  Coral Cay Conservation is in the same vein and is also worth a look.

Perhaps the most rewarding and budget-friendly experience is World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), which welcomes travelers across America to participate in their daily goings-on.  The cost ranges between a $20 and $50 registration fee and transportation fees to the farm—that’s it.

WWOOF has counterparts in other countries; you can go to Tuscan wine country and pick grapes for weeks and not only enjoy some of the most beautiful countryside you’ll ever see in your life, but make good friends, eat good foods, and even pick up a little Italian, too.  In this way, you can make this season and 2012 a year of win-wins—for the planet and your wallet.

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education performing research surrounding online universities and their various program offerings. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

The Bird Island Nature Reserve in Lambert's Bay Western Cape, South Africa

By Louise Baker

Eco-Tourism is thriving and ever growing trend that has the benefits of a vacation combined with the experience of working with or studying the wonders of the world at the same time. Depending on a student’s course of study, certain locations may lend themselves better than others, and some destinations may not be suitable at all. Fortunately, there are some valuable resources like the International Eco-Tourism Society that make researching and choosing the right destination fairly easy. In addition to private tour providers, many colleges and universities sponsor or fund eco-tours as part of their curriculum; these programs are a great way to see some the most fascinating sights on the planet while also helping to preserve and protect them.

Africa

Africa is host to range of eco-destinations covering aspects including humanitarian aid like assisting local villagers with wells, irrigation, disease control, and more, to technological ventures and wildlife management strategies. There are current eco-tours that include counting populations of wildlife, re-introduction of species, and preserving endangered species that allow college students to obtain priceless knowledge firsthand while making a difference in the world at the same time.

Steam at Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park

Yellowstone and Yosemite both have a wide variety of biological and geological features that make them totally unique in terms of geological history and diversity. Many endangered and re-introduced species in these two parks are the direct result of conservation projects that are now open to students and even the public to participate in. Yosemite is a lure for studying the movement of glaciers, rock formation, and even climate and weather phenomena, while the super-volcano that is suspected to be lurking underneath Yellowstone has kept biologists, geologists, and chemists busy for decades with extreme conditions and extreme life forms living in them.

Galapagos Islands

Possibly the most famous eco destination in the world is the renowned Galapagos Islands; the majority of this fame in the eco-tourism arena comes from the sea turtle conservation programs that, over the years, have become increasingly popular. Aside from collecting and counting sea turtle eggs and releasing the young turtles, the Galapagos Islands are also home many other wildlife conservation efforts, and with many of the species native to this area only being found here, it is no wonder why.

Sunrise in Machu Picchu

South America

The South American continent is one of the most popular eco destinations in the world, second only to the famed Galapagos Islands. South America has been hosting tours and trips along the Inca Trail and through the ruins of Machu Picchu for many years, and this area of the world still holds fascinating secrets that waiting to be uncovered. Lush jungles and thick rainforest are home to most of the animal and plant species on the planet, and with threats like climate change and poaching progressing, many South American governments have stepped up efforts to promote eco-tourism and preserve eco destinations.

With so many eco-destinations available, it is now possible to actually travel to remote destinations and touch, see, and feel the actual subject matter with one’s own senses, use the knowledge you have to build more and preserve the planet and its inhabitants for future generations.

Louise Baker is a freelance writer and blogger who usually does car insurance comparisons over at CarinsuranceComparison.Org. She recently wrote about finding cheap car insurance quotes.

Siesta Key, Sarasota, FL

Love your beaches

On Monday, June 10, we celebrated World Ocean Day 2010.

On June 26, you can head to your local beach and join hands to oppose offshore drilling and endorse renewable energy. Look up Hands Across the Sand events near you or email everyone in your area and start one up in your community! And don’t worry if you’re not in the U.S. — the event is taking place across the globe!

Read more about the event here.

Be sure to travel green

Remember to do your part and be eco-friendly, whether at the beach or anywhere you travel.

Going on a road trip? Read this.

And if you’re planning to get married, remember that coastal weddings are a no-no!

Further, if you’re looking for lodging, make sure you choose an eco hotel. Learn about eco hotel certifications here.

And finally –

The top 10 U.S. beaches

For the past 20 years, a coastal scholar known as Dr. Beach has compiled a list of the best beaches in the country. Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman is the director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University.

He uses 50 criteria to evaluate the nation’s beaches, including water and sand quality, beach width and environmental management, according to CNN.

Cape Florida Lighthouse at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida.

Here’s the list:

1. Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York

2. Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida

3. Coronado Beach in San Diego, California

4. Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina

5. Main Beach in East Hampton, New York

6. Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

7. Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

8. Beachwalker Park in Kiawah Island, South Carolina

9. Hamoa Beach in Maui, Hawaii

10. Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Florida

By the way, I have been to Siesta Beach (#2) and I can attest that it is amazing! It’s got sand like flour and warm, luscious waters. Hopefully it will remain unscathed by the oil spill currently taking over the Gulf of Mexico…

If spring is coming up for you (and you’re not near the Gulf) enjoy the beach!

An eco lodge in the Peruvian Amazon

Many companies tout their hotels as eco, but – as one might, unfortunately, expect – many companies also lie.

So how do you know if the place you’re thinking of staying at during your next vacation is really an eco hotel?

A great resource is EcoHotelology, a blog written by Holly Worton, who has 11 years of experience in the eco hotel industry. Although her blog’s main purpose is to help hoteliers learn how they can green their business (and home and office), Worton’s posts are helpful for anyone interested in expanding her or his knowledge about eco hotels and greening one’s lifestyle.

13 tell-tale signs that you’re dealing with an eco hotel:

• The rooms have a door-key-card-controlled electricity system that allows guests to turn off the electricity to their room by removing their card when they exit it
• Having green options offered to you, such as foregoing daily housekeeping
• Recycling services
• Low flow or dual flush toilets and low flow showerheads in the bathrooms
• Vegetarian meal options (and I don’t just mean spaghetti and salad. Give me something I can use!)
• The food is grown or produced locally, perhaps grown in an organic garden located on the premises
• Mindful ecotours/safaris – this means hummers are not used to drive guests around, nor ATVs; people are not allowed to speak or photograph in the presence of wildlife, and so on. Otherwise, it’s just a regular, nature-unfriendly tour/safari, and nature has enough hostility to deal with from us as it is.
• Only pasture-raised animal products are offered in its restaurants
• Only native plants are used in the landscaping
• Organic massage oils and all-natural products are used in the spa
• Wall dispensers provide shampoo, etc., instead of individual bottles and individually wrapped soaps
• The eco hotel uses renewable energy (solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, etc.)
• Hybrid cars are used to transport guests and you can rent bicycles to get around the area

If you can rent bikes to get around, you may be in good hands.

5 signs that your eco hotel isn’t:

• The hotel contains a golf course
• The hotel endorses fishing, dolphin swims, visits to zoos, the use of jet skis and other personal water crafts, bonfires, hunting, etc.
• You see foie gras on the menu
• Food or drinks are brought to you in disposable containers and/or you get aluminum foil, plastic wrap, Styrofoam coffee cups or plastic utensils with your order
• You get mineral water in plastic bottles

Make sure to speak up and let the manager, etc., know you aren’t happy with their false advertising or any unsustainable aspects of the so-called eco hotel. And if the place is truly an eco hotel, feel free to inform them how glad you are about their eco-friendly services!

And always remember to do your part to travel green. We are all responsible for taking care of our planet!

View from the MAYAB Holistic Center and Educational Retreat

MAYAB Holistic Center and Educational Retreat, opening this month, educates its guests “about critical environmental issues facing the coastal ecosystems of the Sian Ka’an [Biosphere Reserve] and surrounding area.”

Eco education

This is crucial, and something I wish all eco hotels did. Think about it: what if someone wants to help the environment and so chooses to vacation at an eco hotel, but then wears regular sunscreen while checking out coral reefs? What if a couple celebrates their wedding on the coast of Quintana Roo, where so many severely endangered sea turtles go to nest? Or if people with good intentions visit bird sanctuaries and fail to keep their mouths shut? Noooooooo!

Disaster!

Violating the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

However, Mayab was built just north of Tulum in the Yucatán Peninsula within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, a 1.3 million-acre nature reserve that also hosts Mayan ruins. I know what you’re thinking: this does not sound ecologically auspicious, sustainable and green as Mayab may tout itself to be. I absolutely agree.

Building a hotel – eco or otherwise – within a natural reserve is egregiously intrusive and atrocious.

(I’m not even going to go into the accommodations set up by the Sian Ka’an reserve itself!)

Photo by Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

Sure, founder Delainia Haug means well, but placing her premises within a UNESCO World Heritage Site sounds like more of a marketing move than an environmentally magnanimous one.

As the eco hotel’s website says, “Approximately 36,000 tourists entered the reserve in the year 2000, and those numbers are expected to increase significantly each year.” And don’t forget “The increase in tourism and overdevelopment are threatening this fragile habitat.”

Oh, and “In the summer three species of endangered sea turtles come ashore to build their nests here.” I don’t think tourists should be trusted to respect nesting sites, no matter how ostensibly ecologically mindful they may be. Staying at a hotel placed right by these sites – not to mention being responsible for it – is decidedly irresponsible, to say the least.

How, then, could building a hotel within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere be ecologically responsible?

The good stuff

Apart from educating its guests, Mayab filters its grey and black water, turning the latter into organic matter. It is also developing a solar generated power system, composts, and recycles.

Also, retreats and programs are held to increase awareness about environmental issues.

What do you think?

Is its presence within a reserve ecologically laudable or destructive?

Leave a comment here and contact Delainia to voice your thoughts!

Peter and Amanda are WWOOF hosts in the UK

Do you enjoy organic farming and other activities that further sustainability?

There are organic farms all over the globe that you can volunteer at in exchange for free lodging and free meals, plus learning about organic farming and related lifestyles. Some farms have just a couple of hosts while others have entire families or small communities you would stay and hang out with.

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) was founded in 1971 in the UK. The organizations involved with this project connect people who wish to volunteer, aka “WWOOFers” (awesome), with those who wish to receive help and impart their knowledge and skills to others. You can usually even do it if you don’t speak the local language! These hosts are cool folk, apparently.

WWOOFing in Australia with alpacas

Volunteers: What you need to know

On the WWOOF website you can find lists of organic farms, smallholdings, and gardeners. Some of them only request/accept help during certain months or seasons, while others are open all year long. Additionally, tasks vary per farm and, of course, geographical location.

You can visit the list of farms/hosts, choose the ones you’d like to visit, and contact them directly to make arrangements. WWOOFers usually live as part of the family, so the environment tends to be cozy and friendly (I assume, as I’ve never volunteered for WWOOF).

If you volunteer, you will not have to pay (and you won’t get paid) except for a “small fee” to WWOOF, which hosts must pay also. The fee helps maintain and grow the project.

The hosts

All hosts grow their food organically, are in conversion, or use environmentally friendly techniques on their farms and so on. Volunteers get hands-on experience growing organic crops and, where possible, by performing other tasks, such as feeding cattle.

There are WWOOF farms you can volunteer at in all five continents. The countries include the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, the European Union, Turkey, Israel, Cameroon, Uganda, South Africa, Australia, India, Japan, and others (keep checking the website).

Conclusion, so to speak

This sounds like a totally sweet deal for the adventurous, outdoorsy types who also want to make our world a better place (corny but true, huh? That’s okay.). Also, those of you free enough to get around, of course (the especially lucky among us!).

If you have experience with WWOOF, please share your thoughts and impressions! It sounds great, but there are always two sides to every story (at least).

One of the 7 cabins at San Miguel Del Bala's eco lodge

The indigenous Tacanas of the Amazon are betting on ecotourism to protect their territory, increase their income, and improve their quality of life.

This population of 235 inhabitants has built an eco lodge in the village of San Miguel del Bala on the banks of the Beni River in northwestern Bolivia with the help of NGOs.

The eco lodge’s 7 cabins are scattered throughout the rainforest and were constructed with local dry palm leaves and wood. It recycles waste and uses a wastewater treatment system.

San Miguel del Bala

To get an idea of the remoteness of San Miguel del Bala, let’s just say you must take a 40-minute boat ride to get there, all the way from the town of Rurrenbaque.

The village consists of 44 families mainly made up of fishers and farmers. It is not surprising, then, that they lack electricity and health care, although they do have potable water and a school for the local children, according to the community leader, Biter Supa.

Guests can take excursions with native guides to learn of ancient hunting methods and medicinal plants and visit natural pools, waterfalls, and a salitral cave. They can even visit some Tacana families’ homes, which are built of palm leaves and bamboo.

Madidi National Park, San Miguel del Bala

The Madidi National Park – 4.5 million acres of land of rich biodiversity – hosts 1,000 species of fauna and 6,000 of flora. You might want to get a malaria shot, by the way.

Peru’s government has designated sections of the park, areas called Tierras Comunitarias de Origen (TCOs), reservations for the indigenous populations. This is fantastic; we’ve already had an obscene excess of what one of my college professors called the “white men with guns” phenomenon, where, well, white men with guns come and kill/enslave/brutalize indigenous communities to rape the land (and the people).

This way the native population will be able to benefit from the nascent ecotourism industry. In fact, the community members manage their collectively owned territory and promote the participation and representation of members of all ages and sexes.

Hell yeah.

Also, if you’re staying for at least 10 days, you can join their Volunteer Program and stay at the eco lodge for a special rate by working just 4 hours daily. Super sweet.

Closed off "Turtle nesting site" in the ruins of Tulum

This is a double post! (Are you excited? Woooo, you should be!)

Sometimes it’s the little things that matter. This is one of those times. Whether you consider yourself an eco expert or a newbie, skim this list in case there’s something new in there for you! And please feel free to add to it in the comments section.

• Stick to the rules that ask you to refrain from tresspassing into spots such as sea turtle nesting areas. The ruins in Tulum, for example, display a few signs with this message.
• Go ahead and pick up some trash and toss it in the garbage bin when other people have been inconsiderate. Help undo the harm with your kindness and compassion for life and the environment.
• Bring your own aluminum bottle to refill rather than wasting money and resource to buy and toss glass and plastic drinking bottles and cans (even if you can afterward recycle them, it’s better to reduce your use of resources to begin with :)). Why aluminum? Because plastic is toxic – and its carcinogenic, or cancer-causing, chemicals leech into water and food and enter your body (here is a plastic buying guide). Stay safe by recycling your water and nalgene bottles and switching to aluminum. Be sure to check whether the tap water in your area is safe to drink! The water in Tulum, for example, is not.
• Rent and ride a bike/walk/rollerblade/etc rather than drive when possible.
• Remain quiet in biodiversity areas – even the beach! And especially at night, when many animals venture out to nest, spawn, feed, and so on. Even whispering and small amounts of light have been found to disrupt the mating and normal behavior of wild birds and other animals.
• Do not feed birds, reptiles, and other wild animals.
• Be kind to the stray dogs that dot the areas where you’re spending your time – they’ve done nothing wrong. Consider buying them some food, at least giving them your leftovers, and setting out a bowl with water for them, particularly in hot weather. We all just want love and have the same basic needs, including food and water.
• Do not remove coral, rock, etc. when diving, snorkeling, and so on. Any removals can upset ecosystem balance – no matter how much you want that object as a souvenir!
• Support eco establishments and products!
• And speaking of eco products… remember that all toiletries and cleaners can be toxic (and usually are). For example, sodium laureth sulfate, which is in everything, has been found to cause cancer. Look it up here. Try switching to mindful brands for your body and the planet. Yes – they can be expensive. Cheap alternatives include using baking soda as shampoo and toothpaste, baking soda or cornstarch as deodorant, coconut oil to style your hair and as personal lubricant,honey or organic cold-pressed oils to cleanse your skin (this is excellent even for acne-prone skin), and so on. Find a deodorant recipe here plus more ideas here and here.

This planet is yours, mine, and everyone else’s – this includes non-human animals. It is not anyone’s to tras. It is our home. Let’s humbly bow and thank our Mother Earth for sustaining us, and offer our efforts to be sustainable in return. Join in the cycle of life, not destruction.