Then look no further than the Traverse City area which boasts beautiful resorts, wineries, and bed and breakfasts-many that have gone green.

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Beware the entry deadline is fast approaching on August 31st, 2009 and judging will be completed by October 1st, 2009. The competition is sponsored by USGBC, The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), and The Hospitality Industry Network (NEWH).

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fashionable, infused with quality craftsmanship and it’s only after the fact that one realizes their environmental aspect.

While speaking with her initially, however, we found ourselves on the subject of Ojai and the Ojai Foundation which has been teaching the arts of permaculture and sustainability back when these were “fringe” paths pursued by the hippie-culture. Ojai is the small “art town,” set back in the hills off the 101, between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. These days The Ojai Foundation is focused on “Council” a program they have been taking out to area schools in the local and surrounding counties.  What is “Council?”

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These hoteliers have given it some considerable thought and arrived at their  modern philosophy that, even though you’re a traveler, even though you’re away from home, you needn’t sacrifice your sense of well being nor suffer a disruption in your wellness regime.

“The owners of the hotel have me here as a liaison to help people remember how to take care of themselves,” Amber McMahon, Casa Del Mar’s Wellness Director, informs me.  She adds that the Sea Spa fully integrates the mind, body, spirit approach to wellness and services catering to all of these wellness needs are offered in their spa menu.

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Planning a business trip on a tight carbon budget? Need an Earth Day gift for your employees?

Well, then you might be interested in a unique Earth Day marketing opportunity offered by  nextstop.com, a new travel community where users provide short recommendations of places they like, and can create guides with a theme. Nextstop has put together a contest called “Traveling Green”, and it’s open for entries until April 21 (the day before Earth Day).

The process is pretty simple and fun. Basically, it calls for creative minds to put together a guide with your favorite “green” travel destinations. The prize is a $50 VISA Gift Card for Earth Day.

Now can you possibly pass up the offer to get your creative juices flowing and line yourself up for an eco-friendly reward all at the same time?

Check out the contest rules at: http://bit.ly/3nuSix

Psi Bands (pronounced sigh bands) are acupressure bands that can help relieve nausea by putting pressure on the Nei-kuan pressure point on the wrist which will alleviate the symptoms of nausea-without drugs.

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A new Parisian company called Verture would like you to take a green turn away from your standard taxi service. If you’re tired of uncourteous service, an invasive musical environment, torn seats and an overwhelming sense of guilt for the 3.5 minutes you just stood still in bumper-to-bumper traffic, then Venture is for you.

Venture’s fleet of all black hybrid electric/gas Toyota Prius offer similar prices to regular taxi fare, without the regular hassles. Flat screens, TV’s, DVD players, IPod hook-ups, a laptop with Internet access, a baby seat and a universal battery for recharging your must-haves are just a few of the accoutrements that Venture has to offer. And how ’bout those carbon neutral journeys? The Toyota Prius emits 1/2 the carbon dioxide of a regular car, and Venture works with Climat Mundi to offset the miniscule amounts of carbon dioxide that do manage to slip out to fund international eco-projects. 

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Shown here is a winning green building design for Bird Island, a private and gated residential park in the center of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which peacefully shares the environment with many local and migratory birds.  The Bird Island Green Homes Competition had a challenge for eight of the world’s top architects to try and create eco-friendly living spaces. Global firm Graft Lab submitted plans for Bird Island rendered above. Inhabitat mentions that Bird Island will also be constructed with a fabulous “grey water recycling system that channels water from sinks and showers back to the plumbing”. This eco-resort design is admirably aiming for zero-waste.

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If you’ve been to Paris in the last year and a half and you didn’t spend your entire visit slugging back Côtes du Rhône and camembert, you might remember having seen a whole lot of bikes. Like, loads and loads of them. Huge, industrial looking, cumbersome, with standard metal baskets? These curious contraptions belong to a new form of transportation known as the Vélib. A combination of “vélo” (bike), and “liberté”, (freedom), the Vélib offers tourists and locals just that: bikes and freedom. 

The Green Way to see Paris

As long as you have a credit card or an ATM card (is anyone still using traveler’s checks these days?) you can rent a bike for a day, a week, even for a year! The way it works is this:  

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Seeking to respect the natural world surrounding the farm, Cueva labored to create an eco-friendly inn, one that would be as comfortable and charming as earth-friendly. Hacienda San Lucas is now an eight-room, idyllic inn nestled in the bucolic, emerald green hills of the Honduran countryside. In addition to being 80% solar powered, the inn has been involved in reforestation efforts and recycles and composts. At night, candles light the large rooms and pathways—all of which are constructed of locally-obtained, natural materials.

Evenings are as charm-filled as mornings are mellow. Dinners at the inn are magical (think candlelight, a cricket serenade and twinkling stars). Set on a patio and illuminated by the warm glow of candles, the Mayan-inspired, multi-course meals offer a chance to chat up other guests or to simply savor the balmy night air.

The antithesis of bland chain hotels, San Lucas seems to have popped off the pages of a book by Isabell Allende or Graham Greene. With its wide verandas slung with hammocks, rock-hewn walls and tranquil, otherworldly air, the inn is an ideal spot to get off the grid—literally and figuratively.

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I like giant music festivals- what’s not to like? Well, the mud, the cold, and the total lack of privacy for starters. And what about all that waste? Glass bottles, plastic containers, and empty potato chip bags (that’s “crisps” for you Brits!) can lead to a major case of eco-guilt for festival attendees.

Thankfully, 2009 brings good news for eco-concious festival goers. Not only have major music festivals like Glastonbury and Bestival gone green, but the clever folks behind MyHab have come up with a better way for you to recuperate in style. 

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My optimism for truly environmental lodging shifted when I read about BIO-hotels. Their admirable slogan is taste the natural life. This is an association of independent hotels that base their offerings around natural products. Choose between a wide selection of lodges in many different regions, primarily Austria, Germany and Italy.

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You probably never envisioned white sandy beaches, deep blue oceans, or a gleaming beacon of 5-star luxury beckoning you to paradise.  Sure, there are still plenty of adventure tours and gritty excursions worthy of beef jerky and a walking stick, but you don’t have to be the Crocodile Hunter to enjoy a green vacation. The sustainable tourism movement has expanded traveling horizons, making an eco-friendly trip idyllic for jet setters and nature wanderers alike.

Sustainable tourism is an industry committed to making a low impact on the natural environment and local culture, while helping to generate income and employment for locals.  So, by taking a sustainable vacation, your rest and relaxtion leads to the economic health and social development of cultures around the world, while helping the environment to thrive in the process.  Explore the many ways that you can travel ‘green’ and start planning for a journey that brings peace to you, your destination, and the earth.

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Gaia’s green features include:

• Skylights: Solatube tubular skylights are used in conference rooms, lobby and the hallways.
• Landscaping: Chemical free landscaping with native and climate-adaptive plants for limited water use for irrigating.
• Education: The resort promotes awareness of sustainability with “GreenTouchscreen® kiosks show guests and visitors how much we are saving in water, electricity and how much CO2 we are emitting.”
• Water: Facilitied include DDLow flush toilets, low flow showerheads, and koi pond uses recycled water from the site, that’s filtered and cleaned prior to entering the pond.

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One thing I was really impressed with was the awesome reviews of the local craftspeople that have made a beautiful, creative, natural livelihood out of their work. As an artist I admire the special artist features, as well as the galleries and community guides. But they’ve gone a step further by marking sustainable businesses as well highlighting ways you can contribute on your trip…

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I’m not sure if I’m surprised or not with the results of a recent survey by Responsible Travel. If you’re not familiar with this website and you’re planning a vacation, here’s a little bit about them from their site.

Since 2001, we’ve been handpicking inspiring holidays from all over the globe to give you a fantastic experience and make a real difference to local people and the environment. We were the first people to link up travelers and responsible operators and places to stay in this way, and still offer the largest selection of responsible holidays anywhere on the web!

A recent survey they conducted found that women were more likely than men to book an eco vacation.

The study revealed over two thirds (67%) of people who booked one of Responsible Travel’s ethical holidays online were women.

Not to be too hasty, the folks at responsible travel are quick to mention that:

… this doesn’t necessarily mean that women are necessarily more environmentally-savvy than men when it comes to travel, it may be just because they’re normally the ones who organize vacations.

This squares with travel industry statistics that show that 70% of all travel decisions are made by women.

So what does this mean for the ecopreneurial travel company?

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The Orchard Garden Inn claims to be San Francisco’s “Purely Green Hotel,” and as a one of the only LEED certified hotels in the country, I would say it’s off to a good start. Wanting to support such eco-minded entrepreneurs, I checked out the boutique hotel this weekend.

The hotel staff were lovely and although our room wasn’t ready when we arrived, they made accommodations for our bags while we took a day trip to Napa to visit vineyards, such as Domaine Carneros, a gem for delicious California Bruts made from organic grapes - more on that later. When we returned and checked into our Terrace Suite, the staff were just as welcoming and amiable as they had been earlier that day, a true plus for the service industry.

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