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Stay Green While You Travel

These days, we try to do it all: excel at school or jobs, workout, spend time with friends and family, all while trying to stay healthy. A great way to de-stress and escape from our hectic lives is to take a vacation. So, pick a destination where you can take your recreation out doors and get some relaxation in too. While you're at it, why not find accommodations that match up with the green ideals that you live by at home? Happily, there are an increasing number of resources available to help you stay green wherever you travel.

What makes a green hotel? A good green hotel will mix many green methods. In the bathroom, for example, they can use amenities like low-flow showerheads, give you the option to not wash your towel every day, offer eco-friendly shampoos and soaps, and clean it with green cleaners every day. They can serve local and organic food in the restaurant downstairs, use furniture that doesn't contain PBDEs and other icky chemicals, and put motion sensors on the lights so the lights don't get left on all day when they don't have to be.

Want to find a green hotel? Check out the following resources:

Green Hotels Association
Green Hotel Reviews
Environmentally Friendly Hotels

Source: Planet Green, viewed May 11, 2008

California High Speed Rail

We are all very lucky to live in the beautiful Bay Area, but sometimes we all like to get away to recreate elsewhere in California. The question is which mode of transporation do we take to get away? Airplane? Car? Hopefully soon, the California High Speed Rail will be an eco-friendly travel option that will reduce air pollution and improve the quality of air you breathe when you take your workout outside.

For more than a decade, California officials have worked on a plan for a high speed rail line connecting California’s cities. The high speed rail line would cut the number of cars on the road by millions, dramatically reducing air pollution and allow Californians to travel from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in two and a half hours, without the hassle of the airport. High speed rail is predicted to take up to 92 million drivers off the road annually and attract 18 million travelers who would otherwise fly. In doing so, high speed rail would eliminate the need for construction of 2,970 additional highway miles and 91 airport gates.

Find out more and take action here.

Source: Calpirg, viewed March 12, 2008

Car Sharing: A Green Alternative

Here in Berkeley, it's pretty easy to get around without a car. And that's really the greenest form of transport. But maybe you're planning to test your RSF-honed fitness at a triathlon or road race unreachable by public transport. For that, you'll need a car. Try one of the many car-share businesses, such as CarShare or Zip.

You'll also be doing a good thing for the environment. Car-sharing helps reduce the total number of cars on the roads. And that means less traffic, less pollution, and less dependence on oil for all of us. It also means fewer parking lots and more potential green space for the Bay Area to enjoy.

http://www.citycarshare.org
http://www.zipcar.com

Ecotourism

Weeks of running on the RSF treadmill during rainy weather may cause you to dream about your next vacation spot. Why not make your next destination eco friendly? Here are a few things to think about and a little info on ecotourism.

Do they support the local economy in sustainable ways, providing jobs and livelihoods for the community and protection for the environment? A movement began in the late 80's to foster ecological tourism, or ecotourism, to educate travelers about the environmental impact they have and the green choices they can make.

Ecotourism embraces six principles: to minimize impact; to build environmental and cultural awareness and respect; to provide a positive experience for visitors and hosts alike; to provide direct financial benefits for conservation; to provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people, and to raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental and social climate.

Plan your own eco-friendly trip here.

Source: The Daily Green, viewed on January 24, 2008

Public Transportation

Public Transportation, while maybe not as enjoyable as commuting in your own personal vehicle, does ease congestion, reduce emissions, and give you plenty of quality time to people watch, as well as get to know your “neighbors.”

FACTS:

-40: percentage of US reliance on foreign oil would decrease if one in ten Americans used public transportation daily.

-79: the number of times safer that riding a bus is over riding in your own automobile.

-855: the millions of gallons saved (equal to 45 million barrels of oil) from people taking public transportation each year. (This is roughly the energy needed to power ¼ of all American homes annually.)

Source: Treehugger, viewed on January 24, 2008

Travel wisely

The next time you decide to venture outside of Berkeley to take a break from school or work, think about how you'll get there.

How you get there is probably the biggest environmental decision you have to make. For most of us, no other choice will have as much impact on the planet as our mode of travel. If at all possible, avoid the plane. Think global, play local. Look for exotic, exciting places nearby. Be creative. Of course if the breaks are local, there are many racks available for toting your board by bicycle. But if you desperately have go by car, there remain plenty of options. Carpool with friends (have fun, save both fuel and CO2 emissions), rent a hybrid, or fill the tank with a biofuel blend.

Use public transportation for your next trip by planning it at 511org.

Source: Treehugger, viewed January 22, 2008