Posts Tagged ‘environment’

Walking Wine Country

February 9th, 2010

Kunde Sonma Valley 2 1024x819 Walking Wine Country

Fancy walking in California wine country?   Kunde Family Estate has recently announced 2010 Eco-Education hikes including dog hikes and taste tours of the 1,850-acre estate.

Recently, the estate received third-party certification from the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) for its ecologically sensitive winegrowing practices.   The family’s sustainable farming efforts have also earned awards including the 2nd Level Green Business Certification given by the San Francisco Bay Area Green Business Program in 2005 and 2009.

» Read more: Walking Wine Country

Cycling Cairo to Cape Town

January 26th, 2010

TourAfriqueSunGathering at the start

Fancy cycling across Africa?   Then you might want to check out small, socially responsible bike tour company Tour d’Afrique.

The Toronto-based, bike tour company is named for its annual flagship tour that crosses the African continent from Cairo to Cape Town (7,500 miles in 120 days).

» Read more: Cycling Cairo to Cape Town

Going Greener In France

January 25th, 2010

GoGreenAlsace179059 2 1024x477 Going Greener In France

If you’re planning a greener holiday in France, then you might want to explore Alsace in 2010.

The region has an increasing choice of green accommodation from hotels and lodges to farms.  For eco-holiday activities, Alsace boasts two nature parks, 21 nature reserves, wildlife parks, 1,300+ kms of marked cycle touring routes and locations ideal for walking, horse riding, canoeing and climbing.

» Read more: Going Greener In France

Into The Wild Photography

January 7th, 2010
Iceland - Bird cliffs, Snaefellsnes peninsula

Photo credit: Martin Sammtleben

Are you passionate about travel photography?  Then you may be intrigued by Wild Photography Holidays which specializes in small-group photography holidays and workshops in unique locations in Iceland, northern Spain and India.

The company has just announced its new summer 2010 departures to Iceland.  Its four new Icelandic itineraries are : Southern Contrasts – Glaciers, Volcanoes & Waterfalls; Flowers and Landscapes of the East; Trails of the Deserted Fjords and Highland Exposure.

Says Geraldine Westrupp, co-owner, Wild Photography Holidays:

“Iceland’s young, raw, dramatic landscapes and superb ambient light combine to produce an incredible array of photographic opportunities that are quite simply without equal. By venturing beyond the beaten track, each of our distinctly different and well-paced holidays makes the most of Iceland’s wide open spaces and stunning natural scenery, allowing guests to capture unique images of places that few other visitors have seen.”

» Read more: Into The Wild Photography

World Terra Madre Day!

December 10th, 2009

terramadredayLogo ENG 2 973x1024 World Terra Madre Day!

Happy Terra Madre Day!   Today is the first worldwide day to promote sustainable food and eating locally.

On the occasion of Slow Food International’s 20th birthday, Terra Madre Day is being marked by 100,000+ farmers, producers, cooks, students and consumers around the world.

Terra Madre Day celebrates “locally produced food that is good, clean and fair: food that tastes good and is produced without harming the environment and taking social justice issues into consideration.”  Across 150 countries, Slow Food’s 1,300 convivia (local chapters) and the Terra Madre network of 2,000 food communities will participate in this global occasion.

TerraMadreWorldSlowFood 2 1024x542 World Terra Madre Day!

Terra Madre Day celebrations will range from communal meals, themed film screenings and cultural events to excursions to producers, campaigns, meetings and discussions, food and taste education activities and local gatherings of producers, cooks or youth.

Check out the above world map here on the Terra Madre Day website to find events going on in a community nearest you.

What will you be doing this Terra Madre Day?  If you’re interested, join the local celebration in your community.  Or you can plan your own personal celebration wherever you are, from dining out at Venice restaurants, finding green NYC restaurants or buying local food at a Vancouver market.

Here are some of the Terra Madre Day activities around the world:

  • India’s Slow Food Information Day will focus on good, clean and fair food to farmers, local food producers, educators and students.
  • Romania’s Back to Traditions event will show school children how to make traditional bread.
  • Belarus students will learn how to dry and use herbs and berries  in cooking and traditional Belarusian teas.
  • In two Azerbaijan mountain villages, there will be a special Terra Madre school lesson and tasting of products from local beekeepers and producers of mazoni (fermented milk).
  • At Seattle’s Progressive Holiday Block Party, each house will prepare a meal course using locally grown, organic and ethnically diverse ingredients.

For more info, check out Terra Madre Day online.

Images courtesy of Slow Food International

Why We Love Copenhagen

December 4th, 2009
VisitDenmark.comKarriere215324 1024x707 Why We Love Copenhagen

Image courtesy of VisitDenmark.com

The world will be watching Copenhagen as host city of the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009, next week December 7-18.   You can check out and interact with COP15  on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google. There are many informative sites dedicated to COP15 and world media covering the event.

traveling greener has always loved traveling in Copenhagen with its charming city life, people, shopping, culture, design, cafes and cycling chic.  Now there are simply more reasons to love Copenhagen with the climate change conference, environmental commitment and green events.

» Read more: Why We Love Copenhagen

Into Australia’s Ecotourism

December 4th, 2009
AustraliaRemarkableRocks135202 2 Into Australias Ecotourism

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.

» Read more: Into Australia’s Ecotourism

Novotel Goes Greener In Asia Pacific

November 5th, 2009

novotelgreen224925 Novotel Goes Greener In Asia Pacific

Novotel now offers travelers 32 hotels and resorts throughout Asia Pacific which have achieved Green Globe Sustainable Tourism Certification.  An additional 40 hotels have reached benchmarking status towards certification.

Says Evan Lewis, spokesperson, Accor Asia Pacific:

“Having 32 hotels certified and a further 40 in Asia Pacific region well on their way towards certification, is a notable achievement. Certification is achieved hotel by hotel, requiring each hotel to be individually committed to the program and able to demonstrate environmental out performance… Travelers are increasingly seeking hotels that are able to demonstrate a commitment to the environment and Green Globe Certification provides visibility and the assurance of this commitment. Accor is committed to having the Asia Pacific network of Novotel hotels and resorts committed to the program by the end of 2009.”

Novotel is a mid-scale hotel brand within the Accor group portfolio, with Novotel 400 hotels and resorts in 60 countries.  The brand is committed to sustainable development and all Novotel hotels participate in the Green Globe worldwide environmental certification programme.

International organization Green Globe provides certification for Sustainable Tourism, originally established in 1992 by the World Tourism and Travel Council and based on Agenda 21 (priorities of the 21st century for the planet).

The latest hotels to achieve certification are three Hong Kong locations : Novotel Hong Kong Century, Novotel Hong Kong Nathan Road and Novotel Hong Kong Citigate.

For more info on Novotel’s commitment to Green Globe , visit youandusforearth.com.

Image courtesy of Accor Asia Pacific

What Is Snowcarbon?

November 4th, 2009

Snowcarbon2gview What Is Snowcarbon?

New, independent website snowcarbon wants to encourage European train travel to ski resorts.  The site explains how travelers can book rail journeys, get the best fares and which resorts are easiest to reach by train.

snowcarbon was founded by ski writer Daniel Elkan and travel journalist Mark Hodson, founder of www.101holidays.co.uk.  It includes 30 resorts across Europe, from Andorra to Austria, including France, Italy and Switzerland, all of which can be conveniently reached by train.

Among the site’s features are:

  • independent resort reviews by leading ski journalists.
  • a Resort Finder.
  • email alerts on the day that lowest fares are available for their journey.
  • information on how to change trains in Paris.
  • pre-booking of private taxis that meet you on the platform.
  • a guide on how to get the lowest fares (from £99 return).
  • details about on-board restaurant dining.
  • a guide to UK tour operators that feature rail-inclusive packages and give non-flight discounts.
  • information for booking accommodation independently.

Says snowcarbon:

“The site aims to encourage skiers and snowboarders to abandon increasingly expensive and stressful journeys by air in favor of far more enjoyable, low-carbon journeys by train. The environmental benefits are huge: the carbon footprint of a trip by plane to a ski resort is typically 8-10 times greater than the equivalent rail journey.

Traveling by train from the UK to European ski resorts is comfortable and stress-free. Couples, groups and families love the space and freedom on board, and children under four travel free. With lakes and mountains, the scenery is spectacular and by traveling overnight in couchette accommodation, skiers can get two extra days on the slopes.”

Many European ski resorts have mainline railway stations like  St Moritz in Switzerland, St Anton in Austria and Chamonix in France, says snowcarbon.  Others resorts can be reached directly via train from London including Tignes, Meribel and Courchevel.

For more info, visit snowcarbon online.

Image courtesy of snowcarbon

Greening Up Your Cruise Vacation

November 2nd, 2009

EcoventuraGirl with hat bird

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

For more information, check out Ecoventura online.

Image courtesy of Ecoventura