Happy World Oceans Day!  How are you caring for world oceans?

Sailing on tall ships can be a greener way to cruise the Caribbean and Mediterranean.  Take the case of Star Clippers whose three tall ships follow eco-friendly practices including using wind propulsion as their major source of energy.

Says Captain Farhat Shamim, spokesperson, Star Clippers:

“At Star Clippers, we always try to maximize the amount of time we are under wind power. Not only so that our guests can experience a true tall ship sailing experience, but because this also reduces the amount of fuel we consume. A cruise under sail is much easier on the environment.”

In the Caribbean and Mediterranean, the company says the tall ships operate up to 70 per cent of the time under wind power.  Star Clippers also says its ships use a high quality, low-sulphur gas oil.

Other features of the Star Clippers’ environmental policy includes:

• Reducing the amount of waste created;
• Recycling as much as possible;
• Properly disposing of remaining waste;
• Using only eco-friendly, biodegradable products for cleaning on board;
• Employing a stringent treatment process of wastewater;
• Educating guests on marine conservation and
• Participating in beach cleanups and other volunteer projects.

For more info, visit Star Clippers site.

Images courtesy of Star Clippers

What is the world’s coolest  flower festival?  It may be the Wild Flower Festival near Bohinj in Slovenia’s Triglav National Park coming up May 22 to June 5, 2010.

In Slovenia’s alpine region, the festival will feature workshops, photography courses, art and embroidery exhibitions and English-language guided botanical tours on foot, bicycle and horseback.  Visitors will learn how to cook using wild flower ingredients from the area’s meadows.

UK  travel company Just Slovenia is offering special festival packages including flights, car rental, seven nights’ bed and breakfast or self-catering accommodation and the Edible Wild Flowers workshop.

For more info, check out JustSlovenia online.

Image courtesy of Just Slovenia

Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort has become Belize’s first Green Globe Certified beachfront property.

Operating in 80+ countries, Green Globe is the “worldwide sustainability certification based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses.”

The eco-resort began working towards its certification in September 2009 and achieved it in April 2010.

Says Dana Krauskopf, co-owner of Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort:

“In an effort to avoid the travel industry’s ‘green washing’ label, we felt passionately about being part of a program that was serious and reputable.  That passion ultimately translated into Hamanasi earning the coveted Green Globe Certification. Not only does our new achievement exemplify that Hamanasi puts the environment first; it also shows the staff, guests and public that Hamanasi is deeply committed to its green/sustainability initiatives.”

The resort’s environmental efforts range from hiring local staff to creating an 11-acre nature reserve; adopting eco-friendly interior design and keeping an organic garden. Future plans include implementing solar power in guest units and a grey water system.

A special resort Green Team will organize guest education programs on topics like being green and sustainable; wildlife and nature, Mayan history and Belizean cultures.

For more info, visit Hamanasi.com.

Images courtesy of Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort

Are you craving adventure, culture or education?  Then you might find the perfect adventure, culture or education retreat for you at Angela Ritchie’s Ace Camps.

traveling greener is a huge fan of learning vacations and retreats which promote personal development and wellness.  Whatever the destination, the Ace Camps are designed for inspiration, creativity and adventure.

Based in Canada, Ritchie, a traveler, blogger, arts administrator and hospitality professional, debuted her international retreats in fall 2009.

Says Angela Ritchie:

“Ace Camps are about taking risks and adventures to make your life better. Whatever age or stage you’re at, sometimes you just need to step out of everyday lives, and put yourself in the path of inspiration…I’m creating retreats for people looking to kick-start a change in their life and led by famed writers, photographers, artists and artisans.”

Here are upcoming Ace Camps:

• Make Your Life: A Special Workshop in Seattle, Washington with Sabrina Ward Harrison

• Waves + Water: Paint, Surf, Collaborate in Baja, Mexico with Chili Thom

• Travel Writing Workshop in Reykjavik, Iceland with Rolf Potts

• An Eclectic Handcrafted Workshop with a Vintage Vibe in Seattle, Washington with Dottie Angel (aka Tif Fussell)

• It’s What You See That Matters: Exploratory Painting in Grants Pass, Oregon with Lisa Congdon

• Write, Shoot + Surf in Baja, Mexico with Todos Santos

For more info, check out the Ace Camps site.

Image courtesy of Ace Camps

Fancy a greener culinary experience?  Then check out the 4th Annual Earth Day Food & Wine Festival on April 16-18, 2010  in California at the Santa Margarita Ranch.

The annual festival brings together growers, vintners, chefs and food purveyors and “earth-conscious consumers”.  It’s organized by the Central Coast Vineyard Team, a non-profit grower-group whose mission is to “promote sustainable wine growing through agricultural research, education and farm worker outreach”.

Some 50+ farmers, ranchers, chefs and restaurants will be offering an array of food like a bruschetta bar to barbecue, ahi tacos to osso buco, pesto pasta to risotto Milanese.

Sustainably-minded producers participating in the festival will include Olea Farms Olive Oil; Nature’s Touch Nursery & Harvest; Bob’s Red Mill and Artisana Nut Butters.

For more info, visit the festival site.

Image courtesy of the Earth Day Food & Wine Festival

Finding the right travel insurance is an important part of travel planning.  traveling greener loves WorldNomads.com travel insurance because the company makes a difference with The Footprints Network.

WorldNomads.com products and services include global travel insurance protecting residents from over 150 countries with medical and evacuation coverage, 24-hour emergency assistance and coverage for wide ranging adventure activities; language guides and travel blogs and travel safety information.

The Footprints Network aggregates thousands of consumer micro donations made while conducting online transactions to help fund community development projects that fight poverty worldwide.  Organized in 2004 by WorldNomads.com, through the network, 302,278 people have helped raise more than $785,383 for 53 projects around the world.

These contributions, which range from $1 to $5, help to alleviate poverty and the health, social and environmental problems that affect over two billion of the world’s population that live on less than $2 a day.   Types of projects include sight restoration, farming, education, clean water, sanitation and others.

Says Chris Nobel, general manager of WorldNomads.com and producer of the ‘Positive Footprints’ documentary series:

“Alleviating the extreme cycle of poverty and the ills that accompany it is everyone’s moral responsibility. Yet the extent of world poverty can seem so overwhelming that many of us are left feeling helpless and that the problems are just too big for any one person to make a difference….We’re looking for more online e-commerce business partners to integrate the Footprints mechanism into their shopping carts and transaction by transaction, help make a difference.”

For each project, The Footprints Network uses the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals as guide and compass which include:

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

• Achieve universal primary education

• Promote gender equality and empowering women

• Reduce child mortality

• Improve maternal health

• Combat HIV / AIDS, malaria and other diseases

• Ensure environmental sustainability

• Develop a global partnership for development

Travelers can also donate to other community development projects when purchasing travel insurance through the company’s Footprints Charity program.

WorldNomads.com supports all the program’s administrative costs so 100 percent of donations go directly to the projects. The Footprints Network is an alliance of e-commerce companies and their customers plus project partners. Business partners include WorldNomads.com, Travel Insurance Direct, JetAbroad.com, SurfStitch.com and REMO General Store. Charity partners include Oxfam, the Fred Hollows Foundation, Save the Children, Water Aid and more.

For more info on travel services, charitable contributions, visit WorldNomads.com.   Or you can get a quick travel insurance quote here on traveling greener.

Image courtesy of WorldNomads.com

Image courtesy of the Ski Club of Great Britain

Are you an eco-traveler who lives or travels in the mountains?  Then you’ll want to know about mountain safety and avalanche awareness.

In the UK, The Ski Club of Great Britain and Henry’s Avalanche Talk (HAT) are teaming up to run their  first,  live online avalanche ‘webinar’  on Wednesday 18th November at 7pm.

The webinar will be with  Henry Schniewind from HAT who will also take any questions about the talk and avalanche awareness in general.  Topics covered will be  how to prepare for off piste skiing or boarding and where and when to go to avoid avalanche danger.

Says Betony Garner of the Ski Club of Great Britain:

“The live online avalanche talk is an exciting new venture which complements our current UK  off piste and avalanche awareness tour. It means that skiers and snowboarders can learn about the basics of mountain safety without leaving home.”

The live online talk costs £7 per person. To register for the online talk log on to Henry’s Avalanche Talk website. Registered participants will also be able to see a recording of the talk for seven days after the event.

Henry’s Avalanche Talk (HAT) is a team of professionals who share their passions and insights on how to have fun and be safe while riding off-piste.  The Ski Club of Great Britain is a not-for-profit organization aimed at making snow sports cheaper and more accessible and is open to all skiers and snowboarders.

For more info on avalanche awareness, forecasts and mountain safety, visit the Ski Club’s website and Henry’s Avalanche Talk website.

Photo credit: Vancouver Aquarium/Daisy Gilardini

The Vancouver Aquarium has opened a new, interactive, permanent exhibit  - Canada’s Arctic – In the Grip of Change.

This new exhibit aims to engage visitors to show how climate change is impacting Canada’s Arctic and create connections between the people, land and animals of the North.

Says John Nightingale, president, Vancouver Aquarium:

“When you explore the stories of Canada’s Arctic, you’ll see how our own actions and decisions – no matter where we live – can affect this amazing region. In a few short months the eyes of the world will be on Vancouver and we hope that this new exhibit will help to shed some light and focus on Canada’s Arctic.”

Photo credit: Vancouver Aquarium/Jaclyn McPhadden

Among the questions the exhibit raises is how global warming will affect the Arctic cod, a vital element of the Arctic ecosystem.  A key species in the Arctic, the cod is a critical link between marine animals zoo plankton that it feeds on and other Arctic fishes, seabirds, seals and whales which eat the cod.

A non-profit association, the Aquarium is  dedicated to effecting the conservation of aquatic life through display and interpretation, conservation practices, education, research and direct action.

Canada’s Arctic – In the Grip of Change features fully- interactive multi-media displays.  In conjunction with Ideum, the Aquarium has developed new applications for two Ideum MT2 tables (MT2 : Multi-Touch, Multi-User) which allow them to be manipulated like a giant iPhone or iPod Touch.

For more info, visit the Aquarium website. 

Looking for sustainable fashion for your travel wardrobe?

Then you might find it in New Zealand from fashion label  Untouched World.  The sustainable clothing company creates men’s and women’s organic fashion clothing using mainly natural fibers and ethical processes.

Right now, Untouched World is teaming up with New Zealand Luxury for “Fashioning a New Future”, a luxury travel purchase reward deal for visitors to New Zealand.

New Zealand Luxury represents world famous luxury lodges, five star hotels and exclusive private villas.  The company also offers elite travel services from personal chauffeurs to helicopter tours, private jets and private charter vessels.

Here’s how the reward deal works:  Every consumer purchase of NZ$1000 or more made direct with participating New Zealand Luxury members (or via their group website) will qualify for a gift of organic fashion from Untouched World. A special donation will also be made to the Untouched World Charitable Trust which funds sustainable development and education projects.

For more info on the rewards, donations and conditions, visit New Zealand Luxury online.

Image courtesy of Untouched World