Aerial view, Hill Inlet, Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays, Australia.
What is the world’s most eco-friendly beach? According to Mother Nature Network, it is Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays, Australia.
Whitehaven Beach was the only Australian beach honored. Tourism Whitsundays submitted Whitehaven Beach for consideration in this ranking.
Are you traveling to Chicago? If you’re looking for greener Chicago dining experiences, think about Helen and Michael Cameron’s Uncommon Ground restaurants.
The eco-friendly eateries, which are members of Slow Food Chicago, serve only seasonal and locally produced food. Uncommon Ground restaurants have also been designed to minimize ecological footprints.
Working For Green shares their profile of Uncommon Ground in the above video.
The Working For Green community focuses on “inspiring and connecting others by sharing your ideas, videos and success stories about everyday Americans who are motivating others without relying solely on government or corporate assistance.”
Are you a traveler who goes on yoga holidays?
Then you might fancy a yoga and voluntouring vacation in Mexico offered by Destination: PEACE. The company recently contacted traveling greener to spread the word about their holidays in Mexico.
Says Katherine Fisher, director:
“Yoga is the underlying theme for each vacation. Enjoy daily classes with certified instructors. By creating balance with ourselves we can unite the mind, body and spirit…Destination:PEACE was born out of an idea to couple volunteer opportunities with the amazing landscape that the Bay of Banderas offers as a vacation destination.”
PEACE Mexico is a non-profit organization currently operating in Punta de Mita, Mexico. During the vacation, Destination: PEACE says guests will experience yoga and volunteer with the organization’s projects which benefit children, women, families, animals and the environment.
For more info, visit Destination: PEACE online.
Image courtesy of Destination: PEACE
Fancy green travel inspiration for travel planning (and dreaming)?
Then you might like The Guardian Green Travel List 2010, a “list of 75 companies worldwide that have shown evidence of commitment to community, place and the environment.” The guide is published in association with greentraveller.co.uk and supported by Forum for the Future.
Some 200+ travel and tourism companies answered an online questionnaire about their actions “to reduce carbon impact and promote water conservation, biodiversity conservation and waste management.” A panel of travel and tourism experts studied the results and chose the final green list.
Image courtesy of The Guardian Green Travel List 2010 & ZEALANDIA
Image courtesy of South Australia Tourism Commission
Fancy voluntouring in South Australia? No worries, there are lots of available voluntourism projects from contributing to field research on endangered species to taking part in flora surveys on camel back.
Here are several organizations offering voluntourism experiences:
Earthwatch Australia is an organization that involves the public in scientific field research. Volunteers collect data under scientists’ direction and work as expedition members, sharing the costs of the research among them. On a two-day expedition on Kangaroo Island, they learn about Australia’s most unusual animals and help conserve their ecosystem. Staying at the solar powered Pelican Lagoon Research and Wildlife Centre, they participate with researchers in searching for, radio-tracking, observing and recording the daily activities of the island’s echidnas and goannas.
Are you planning a cruise vacation and looking for greener options? Cruise company Ecoventura is a greener cruising leader recognized for its commitment to sustainable tourism in the Galapagos.
Ecoventura is a family-owned company based in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with sales offices in Quito and Miami.
This Galapagos cruise company transports 4,000+ passengers annually aboard a fleet of three expedition vessels, 20-passenger motor yachts with 10 double cabins, and a 16-passenger dedicated divelive-aboard. Ecoventura says all its vessels have been retrofitted to meet high environmental standards.
In September, the company was named the winner of a Condé Nast Traveler 15th Annual World Savers Award in the category of Cruise Lines.
Recently, Travel + Leisure’s Global Vision Awards named Ecoventura the winner of the 2009 award for Green Cruising, featured online and in the magazine’s November issue. The annual Global Vision Awards “recognize the latest and best efforts at cultural preservation, environmental conservation, and community building through tourism.”
Says Santiago Dunn, Ecoventura president:
“It’s gratifying that today’s opinion makers are seeking out companies like ours that understand it takes an unwavering commitment to sustainable change and purpose instead of blind profit..Ironically, booming tourism in the Galapagos has added to the challenges and problems faced by those looking to restore and protect the island’s native species and ecological balance.”
Image courtesy of Ecoventura
