Non Toxic Vision

Solar Powered Airports

Great information found in the "Marketing & Tourism Trends" eNewsletter by Ferri and Partners:

Jet contrails may be adding to global warming but on the ground, many airports are getting very green says USA Today.

In 2007, San Francisco International Airport installed more than 2,800 solar panels on the rooftop of Terminal 3. Visible from the AirTrain that travels between terminals, the solar panels generate a small percentage of the airport's overall electrical needs, but enough to power all the daytime lighting needs in Terminal 3. Pleased with the success of this first foray into solar power, airport officials plan to integrate solar, and possibly wind, power into Terminal 2, which is currently being remodeled.

In 2008, a highly visible "solar forest" sprouted up just outside the south baggage claim area at California's Long Beach Airport. The six solar "trees" are actually steel poles topped with photovoltaic (PV) arrays that measure about 9 feet by 9 feet each and shift and tilt throughout the day to track the sun.

While the forest is a test project that generates less than 10% of the airport's overall energy needs, airport spokesperson Sharon Diggs-Jackson says there are plenty of educational rewards being harvested. "We have information panels out there that explain the project and tell people about things they can do to save energy at home."

Next year, when the airport breaks ground for a new parking structure, Diggs-Jackson says solar technology will be an integral part of the project.

First zero-energy hotel in Austria

The Hotel Stadthalle is a charming Viennese Hotel, an unexpected jewel close to the city center. A beautifully tended garden in an inconspicuous building, 130 m² solar panels on the roof, each room is individually designed, rain water is used to water plants and flowers. This new hotel strives to become Vienna's first zero-energy hotel and was already awarded with the Austrian Eco Label and is the 1st Viennese hotel awarded with the European Eco Label. 

GAP Adventures

a responsible travel company that offers an authentic experience, with a plan to become impact neutral by minimizing negative environmental and cultural impacts. I found this company at the GoGreenExpo in NYC a few weeks ago and was quite surprised at their reasonable prices. They also offer volonteer vacations among others. If you are planning a trip - check out www.gapadventures.com

airport boom

This is just absolutely crazy .....

Dubai: will build another airport in Jebel Ali, a port town 20 miles away from the current airport, that will be able to handle 120 million passengers once it is opened in 2017.

China: is planning to add 87 airports by 2020 to the already existing 142 to handle more 390 million visitors.

At the same time fossil fuel prices are going up up up... Who will be able to afford the ridiculously high prices of airfare? Will travel become a luxury again?

 

The greener Marriott

In April Marriott (yes the hotel chain) and the Brazilian state of Amazonas signed an agreement to protect 1,4 million acres of endangered Amazon rainforest in the Juma Sustainable Development Reserve. Marriott will contribute 2 million US$ for an environmental management plan, which will be administered by the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation and therefore will support employment, education and health care the approx. 500 people that live in the Juma reserve.

Galapagos Island - Tourism

Just the fact that one of the UNESCO world heritage has been added to the "in danger list" really sends some chills down my spine. How dare we? How obsessed are we with hard to travel to sites, that we actually overwhelm them and eventually ruin them? What exactly is unsustainable tourism and what are we doing to reverse it? Unsustainable tourism is simply a phenomenon, where we think we really really need to see a place before my neighbor gets to see it and therefore travel to it because we must be there before everybody else. Which means we do not give the government of Ecuador any chance of constructively prepare for large amounts of tourists. Locals are not prepared and therefore are not able to accommodate you and are not able to make a living from visitors. Only an estimated USD 63 million of the USD 418 million generated by tourism enters the local economy. And only about 40 % of the 80 tourism boats allowed on the Galapagos islands are owned locally. On the other hand - why is Ecuador surprised it gets cheap tourists if the standards are set so low? I personally always liked the idea of having to pay in order to ensure the upkeep of local business, traditions and ensuring everybody gets a fair share of the cake.

A Green hotel in Greensboro

The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC, which opened on November 1, is the second hotel in the US receiving the LEED building certificate. Congratulations.

The hotel uses 100 rooftop solar panels, recycled 75 % of its construction waste, captures rainwater for the gardens, grows vegetables on the rooftop etc.  http://www.proximityhotel.com/green.htm

Driving Green with Ethanol

What is ethanol? This question was answered in an article I found in AAA Car & Travel, October 2007 writen by Peter Bohr.

"It is renewable fuel created from organic matter, which is used as gasoline additive as well as the primary fuel (E85 = 85 % ethanol and 15 % gasoline). Cars that burn ethanol create fewer global-warming emissions, but ethanol also reduces a car's fuel economy. In addition, methods for producing ethanol, which use corn as raw material, may create enough greenhouse gases to offset any reductions at the tailpipe. Significant work is being done on cellulosic ethanol production, which uses agricultural waste or switchgrass instead of corn and releases fewer greenhouse gases. Until today only Honda makes natural gas-fueled cars for the general public: the Civic GX, which also due to its internal-combustion engine is the greenest on earth. 

Low-impact Travel

You are planning your next vacation? Try those companies:

• Seacology: excursions to project sites in Tanzania, Fuji, Vanuatu and Indonesia www.seacology.com
• Nature Conservancy: a pioneer in encouraging ecotourism www.nature.org has also encouraged
• Mountain Travel Sobek: offers rafting trips on the Yangtze and Upper Mekong River, that benefit the Conservancy's Great Rivers Project www.mtsobek.com
• Volunteer at Blue Ventures for 3 to 6-week expeditions to its marine field station in Andavadoaka, Madagascar www.blueventures.org
• Earthwatch: study elephants in Kenya, track rare butterflies on Mount Fuji, or work with a conservation team to explore Brazil's cerrado ecosystem www.earthwatch.org

Organic Austria

An article published in the Financial Times notes that....."Austria with 11 % of farmland under organic till, is the continent's leader. It maintains a ban on all genetically modified food." So food is Austria is not only very tasty but also healthy. And that makes me pretty proud.