TIES of Ecotourism

Everyone talks about eco-friendly travel or ecotrousim, but what exactly does it mean. What does it take for a holiday to be eco friendly or a resort/hotel to declare itself eco-friendly? Are there certain rules or expectations? Well let’s discover that today.

Frankly eco tourism is about sustainable travel and while there are many organizations today who exist to strive for environmental conservation in travel, one unit that stands out for being the largest and oldest serving is

Getting Home for the Holidays

On a recent trip to Boston to visit family, I found myself in the quintessential green conundrum; how to get there without a massive carbon footprint. To drive from my tiny Maryland college to Boston, Massachusetts takes about a day and up to three tanks of gas, while flying takes only about four hours on the road and in the air, not to mention I only need use about half a tank of gas. 
So what’s a girl to do? 
When traveling green there are always more considerations than just environmental impact, time being a major one. Flying allowed me more sleep and the chance to still catch my morning class. Ah, the luxuries of air travel! But what is the real green way to go here? 
Due to the distance and high altitude of plane flight, airplanes are known to release significantly higher amounts of greenhouse gasses than automobiles. Up to 2% of the total carbon emissions in the world annually come from air travel and the higher altitudes at which these gasses are emitted make them four times more damaging than if they were emitted at ground level. 

Green Festivals in the Spotlight

Festivals and conventions are a great way to spread the word about our planet and the drastic changes it is undergoing. That's where GreenFestival comes in. The cooperations Global Exchange and Co-op America are the main force behind this major traveling festival featuring a variety of authors, speakers, vendors and workshops all geared around environmental awareness and “going green.” 

Be It: The Girl Sustainable on Transportation Options, part 2

Yesterday we talked about the more traditional transportation options: planes, trains, and automobiles. Well, not quite. We didn't discuss planes at all. I assume that most of us are avoiding plane travel unless necessary. It costs too much and it's too much of a hassle for me to think of it as a great option. Maybe I'm wrong. Let me know if you think otherwise.
Besides planes, though, we discussed cars, carpooling, public transportation, and train rides. Today let's get a little less fuel-dependent in our options.

Bike. If you don't own a bike you can ride, check into getting a good used one

Be It: The Girl Sustainable on Transportation Options, Part 1

Habit is powerful and can be extremely useful, but habits can also keep us in the same old rut (no pun intended...okay, small pun intended) year after year. We tend to just perform the same actions in the same way without stopping to think about a better way, or to question if the action is really needed at all.

You can change that old rut by taking the time to think through your options instead of going with the first idea that comes to mind. The first idea is usually the most obvious one according to your lifestyle; that is, it is likely based on the habits of how you performed certain actions in the past. In this case, how you get from here to there.

For me, the silver steed parked in my driveway is the first thought I have when it comes to going places. I'm used to driving. It's my best option, sometimes; it's my only option, sometimes. But it's not always my best option or my only option. Take a look at yours.

Green Conundrums

There is a whole slew of advice articles on WiseBread about driving smarter to get better gas mileage. Of course getting better gas mileage has two lovely advantages: less money poured into the gas tank, and fewer emissions poured into the atmosphere.
But this driving smart advice has created a few questions. Driving green and frugal isn't as simple as it sounds. For example,

• Is it better to accelerate once, hard (higher emissions!), so I can coast (lower emissions!) down that slightly sloped stretch of road between my house and the coffee shop, or should I use the traditional go slow method of gas conservation and produce the same, level amount of emissions the whole distance?

Be It: The Girl Sustainable Is Loving Local Vacations

I wrote an article recently about rethinking summer vacation; as in, hopping off the "have to go somewhere far away to have fun" bus and taking a shorter ride to the local destinations we never have time to stop and enjoy. That article got me analyzing my own local attractions.
I live outside of St. Louis. In my little town, there isn't just a whole slew of amazing things to see and do. There's a grocery store, a city park, a few caves from the quarry days, and a history museum. Hmm, that will take, oh, one afternoon.
But, within an hour's drive in all directions there are lots of things I haven't seen. St. Louis City itself is packed with great restaurants, parks, museums, clubs, and shops. We have nature reserves, bluffs, rivers, campgrounds, and miles of hiking trails and bike paths. Our architecture is awesome, there are at least ten great restaurants I've been wanting to try, and there are always bands playing somewhere.
I bet your city isn't that different. I don't even live

In the News: Eco-Tourism Isn't So Eco-Friendly

I listen to NPR kind of obsessively during my days at home. It's nice to have an adult voice speaking in complete sentences over Mara gesticulating in half-words and Robbie just kind of smiling toothlessly and waving his chubby arms around.
So a couple of days ago (as it turns out, it was more like a month ago, which just tells you a lot about my grasp on time) I heard a