Dawn Dishwashing Liquid is being used to clean wildlife trapped in the oil spill. Proctor & Gamble donated thousands of bottles for the resuce efforts

As the Gulf coast is reeling from the massive oil spill following the explosion at a British Petroleum platform on April 20, some 40,000 gallons of oil a day continue to spill into the sea. In addition, Reuters reported today that another offshore drilling rig overturned, but this time, inland near Morgan City in Louisiana.

The financial, economic and environmental impacts continue to rise, 10 days after the incident, and the state of Florida is holding its collective breath as it waits to see the impact the disaster will have on its tourism industry.
Florida beaches are a huge draw for tourists, but they won’t be if the oil slick makes its way into Florida waters. With the slick spreading to Louisiana, and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declaring a state of emergency, changes in wind or water currents could push the spill towards Florida’s beaches, including the Florida Keys.

While it’s still unclear whether Florida beaches will escape the fallout, Brevard County is on standby, since the slick drifted 90 miles south of Pensacola Bay on Thursday.  Florida Today interviewed Yonggang Liu, an oceanographer at the University of Florida who’s using numerical models and satellite imagery to forecast the slick’s trajectory. Said Liu, “”For Florida, it’s not good news. “Once it gets close to shore, it’s more driven by the winds.”

“We anticipate it going into the Loop Current in a few days, then it will be headed to the Florida Keys and the East Coast of Florida,” Mitchell Roffer of Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service in West Melbourne, told Florida Today.  ”Very scary. Very scary.”

The Langham Hotel, London

What’s EarthCheck, you may well ask?  Only the world’s largest certifier of sustainable travel and tourism operators. The company has just signed a deal with Langham Hotels that will see all Langham and Eaton properties upgraded so that they meet EarthCheck Certification standards.

In an effort to address major environmental challenges including climate change, waste reduction and non-renewable resource management, Langham will now upgrade all its properties with EarthCheck and aim for a minimum certification level of Silver. Back in 2008, The Langham, Auckland was the first hotel to receive Silver EarthCheck status, which it has maintained for two years running.
“Environmental advocates and stakeholders are calling on companies to demonstrate the role they must play in climate change mitigation and policy development,” said John Dick, Vice President – Eaton Hotels International and the group environmental champion for both Langham and Eaton hotels. “This is reflected in the number of companies that are reporting on their policies and engagement efforts in response to new regulations including the Green House Gas (GHG) Protocols.”

Initially developed by the world’s largest not-for-profit research centre into sustainable tourism – the Australian Government-funded Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, the EarthCheck program leverages some $260 million worth of academic research and contains more than a decade of industry benchmarking data. More than a thousand operators already use EarthCheck.

Some of the initiatives Langham Hotels has already undertaken include:

• The Langham, Auckland purchased a cardboard and plastic bag baler in addition to a Styrofoam extruder, which recycles used Styrofoam boxes into solid blocks.
• The Langham, London installed a state of the art Envac Food waste system, which separates organic material from inorganic, via a dewatering and vacuum suction system. Once processed, the final product is collected commercially and used as a source of bio fuel.
• The Langham, Langham Place and the Eaton Hotel in Hong Kong formed a partnership with the Foodlink Foundation. Through this partnership participating hotels collect leftover food from their F&B outlets and donate this to local shelters in the community.

W Hotel San Francisco

The W San Francisco made history in April when it earned the LEED certification of an existing building belonging to a major hotel brand. With its Silver LEED certification, W San Francisco is now the seventh hotel in the United States to receive the recognition for an existing building.

“For our guests, the green experience at W San Francisco is a seamless part of their overall W experience, which is extremely gratifying for us,” said Michael Pace, W San Francisco’s General Manager, and a sought-after speaker on green business practices. “W San Francisco is a leader in the area of sustainability and green practices for W Hotels Worldwide. Green has become part of modern living and is expected by our guests, who can feel our team’s true passion for green practices, which are infused in everything we do, everyday.”

Certified by the state of California as a green business, W San Francisco began its green program in 2007, and won a 2008 “Good Earthkeeping” award, recognizing environmental leadership, from the California Hotel & Lodging Association.

More than 70 percent of guestroom lighting and 90 percent of back-of-house lighting is energy efficient, using CFLs, LEDs, motion sensors, and other technologies; the hotel’s HVAC cooling towers were replaced with energy-efficient models, saving 300 kWh/year; motion sensors power off HVAC in unoccupied guestrooms; and ENERGY STAR power management features are activated on all PCs.

The hotel also added a green component to the W signature meeting experience, “Sensory Meetings,” where all food and beverage is organic, biodynamic, and local. The hotel also hosts “zero-waste,” carbon-neutral events through a partnership with “Live Neutral” carbon offsets.

Coastal area near Torrey Pines. Photo Credit: Courtesy SanDiegoNorth.com

Head to sunny California – specifically the sun and sand in San Diego North – San Diego’s resort region, where the year-round temperate climate and outdoor recreational activities make the perfect getaway to pamper your body and soul. The San Diego North region ha a plethora of health and wellness options that you can’t find just anywhere.

SURF & YOGA

It sounds strange, but the Surf Diva Surf School does indeed offer a Surf & Yoga retreat where you can learn how to hit the waves, Hang 10 and then stretch out and relax those necessary surfing muscles with seaside yoga sessions. And just to make sure you gain the most from your workouts, the school also provides healthy meals, massages and facial treatments containing all natural ingredients. And if you already are a balancing board guru on the waves, you can take yoga/pilates fitness classes performed on a paddle board in the ocean.

HOLISTIC LIFESTYLE COACHING

If you are more of a layabout diva, rather than a boogie board diva, then you should head straight to the Grand Del Mar spa where the spa manager there doubles as a Holistic Lifestyle Coach. Here you can learn about nutrition and healthy alternatives, undertake spa treatments, and indulge in a variety of outdoor activities including a guided canyon-to-waterfall hike, kayaking, or horseback riding.  And if you’d rather hit the links, that’s available too. Perfect your golf skills with a customized golf fitness screening and stroke analysis. Discover your perfect swing, fine tune your game with a SAM-Putting Stroke Analysis used by top professionals to then head to the green and tee off to the envy of all your friends.

CIRCUS STYLE FITNESS

Granted, it’s not for everyone, but if you have no fear of heights and have dreams of running away to join the circus or Cirque de Soleil, then you can get healthy by taking circus-style fitness classes at Del Mar, including trapeze skills and aerial tricks, which focus on both mental and physical health.

AYURVEDIC HEALING

But if all that tumbling and hanging upside down sounds a little too hair raising, you can head straight to the Chopra Center for Wellbeing at La Costa Resort & Spa. Yes, the resort was founded by none other than Deepak Chopra M.D. (along with David Simon M.D.). Here you can learn ayurvedic techniques, and take meditation and yoga classes.

MEDITATION GARDENS

Finally, you can get away from it all and explore San Diego North’s plethora of serene gardens.
Visit the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple & Meditation Gardens in the heart of Encinitas, where you can relax overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Or head to the San Diego Botanic Garden and choose your ideal mediation setting at the 35-acre gardens from a variety of distinct microclimates including desert succulents, tropical rainforests, sub-tropical fruit gardens and the nation’s largest bamboo collection.

BACK TO NATURE

Full of wide-open spaces, San Diego North provides the perfect opportunity to recharge your batteries, especially with its unusual proximity to four distinct geographical regions (coastal, valley, mountain and desert). Visit tide pools, winding canyons and desert mud caves or head to the San Elijo Nature Center. This LEED-certified nature center features an array of “green” amenities and conservation exhibits in addition to providing guided nature walks along portions of the ecological reserve’s seven miles of hiking trails.

Find yourself at one with nature in the Torrey Pines State Reserve. Home to one of the nation’s rarest pine trees, the pinus torreyana, which can be found naturally in only one other location on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Santa Barbara, the reserve contains a variety of hiking trails leading to and from the beach and along the rocky, jagged cliffs that provide dramatic views overlooking the ocean. Visitors can also partake in a guided nature walk or interactive educational presentations at the reserve’s Visitor Center.

SUPERB SPAS

Finally, the area has so many spas it’s difficult to know where to go first. Head for the Rancho Bernardo Inn for organic facials. All treatments incorporate all-natural ingredients grown and hand picked from the resort’s onsite garden. Or make your way to Estancia. Partnering with the Scripps Center for Executive Health, Estancia provides visitors with the ultimate health and wellness experience with therapeutic spa treatments, customized healthy lifestyle plans and an in-depth personal health profile analysis.

SUSTAINABLE FOOD

San Diego is one of the top destinations for slow food containing the highest number of organic farms among all the counties in the nation. Take a self-guided farm hopping tour or visit the region’s many farmers markets for an organic, all-natural San Diego North experience. Then wash all that great food down with a healthy microbrew. Home to over 30 different breweries, including three of the world’s top 10 according to popular beer website Ratebeer.com, San Diego’s nationally recognized craft beers also contain added health benefits. When consumed in moderation, the silicon found in dark beers can actually strengthen bones by aiding in calcium absorption and is also a good source of important vitamins and minerals including potassium, magnesium and B vitamins. Visitors can experience award-winning brews at La Jolla’s Rock Bottom Brewery or even treat their four-legged friends to a pet-friendly Yappy Hour at La Jolla Brew House. So what are you waiting for? Head out to San Diego year-round for your health and wellness holiday.

If you consider yourself a Green, responsible traveler, then you’ll want to download the “Green Travel Choice,” the latest iPhone app that gives responsible travelers a simple and effective way to make informed travel choices. The app will help you reduce your carbon footprint, whether you’re taking a round the world trip or a short visit to the center of your hometown.

The Green Travel Choice app is designed by Pocketweb Ltd and is the brainchild of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and Cleaner Climate. Click on the Green Travel Choice app and the Green Travel Choice map will provide you nine possible travel options for your trip and the expected CO2 emissions for each choice.

What sets this tool apart from others of a similar ilk, is that Green Travel Choice lets you track and monitor your emissions while you are moving. The app includes a Travel Logbook that stores information for each trip and summarizes your carbon footprint over time.

“TIES team is excited to support and be part of this joint initiative to raise awareness of the climate impact of individual travelers,” said Ayako Ezaki, TIES director of communications.

And as a special bonus, when you download the app and you’ll receive a US$15 voucher to join The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) as a Traveler member.

Photo Credit: HikingArtist.com

If you’re trying to reduce your carbon footprint and ensure that you also take eco-friendly vacations, you may be searching for the perfect sustainable getaway in far off lands. However, have you stopped to think about the best way to get there? Cheaptickets.com has come up with a list of the top five eco-friendly airlines, so that you don’t have to feel guilty about hopping a jet plane, so you don’t feel like you have to repent after every flight. The aviation industry is also doing its part to lower its carbon wingprint, including producing new aircraft that are significantly quieter and 70 percent more fuel efficient than 40 years ago, and 20 percent better than 10 years ago. Did you know that aviation produces only 2 percent of the world’s human-made emissions of carbon dioxide, or that air transport accounts for only 3 percent of CO2 emissions in the European Union, compared with almost 40 percent for the energy industries? In addition, estimates are that more than 95 percent of a plane can be recycled, either for spare parts or melting down and repurposing the metal. As the aviation industry conditions to seek out new ways to fly Green skies, both Boeing and Airbus are creating a new generation of planes that have fuel consumptions of three liters per 100 passenger kilometers, which is more efficient than a compact car. So what are cheaptickets.com top 5 Green Airlines?

1. Continental Airlines: Aircraft efficiency has improved by 80 percent between the 1960s and 1990s.

1. British Airways: With its latest deal with the Solena Group, the airline will produce 16 million gallons of eco-friendly bio fuel derived from waste products by 2014.

1. Southwest Airlines: Has invested $175 million towards Required Navigational Performance, the next generation of avionics technology that allows planes to reduce fuel usage by optimizing flight paths.

1. Virgin Atlantic: Richard Branson’s airline is one of the few carriers to commit to recycling on board waste, and Branson has pledged more than £2 billion to fight global warming over the next decade.

1. Qatar Airways: The airline ran the first commercial passenger powered by natural gas derived fuel.

Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort

Looking for a wonderful, eco-friendly vacation that is both good and good for you? Then look no further than Costa Rica’s Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort. The resort is launching its latest programs committed to promoting an Ayurvedic lifestyle. The programs, which last a minimum of seven days, combine diet, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and spirituality.

“Ayurveda is an intricate system of healing and living that originated in India thousands of years ago,” says Managing Director Uwe Wagner. “For guests wishing to explore or adopt the benefits of an Ayurvedic lifestyle, we offer a full immersion. Our comprehensive approach ensures that our guests’ health is primary. Management of weight gain or weight loss, spiritual harmony, stress reduction, and healthful eating are taught by our nutritionist in conjunction with therapies administered by the Grand Spa’s trained staff.”

In May 2009, Tabacon was certified as a 100% carbon neutral resort, and was the first hotel in the world to receive the Seven Stars and Stripes “green” certificate.  The 114-room resort is also at the forefront of Costa Rica’s sustainability efforts, with its rainforest-set spa and views of the “live” Arenal volcano. The resort is also the recipient of a three-leaf designation for Sustainable Tourism.

Tabacon Grand Spa Facial

Tabacon boasts 12 natural hot spring pools, natural waterfalls, lagoons, thermal river pools and exotic gardens.  There are 11 outdoor treatment bungalows, a Yoga studio, and a host of indigenous treatments.  Choose from one of seven, 10, 14, 21 or 30-day programs, all of which are under the supervision of a licensed nutritionist.

Your program will follow a customized daily regimen focusing on nutritional intake and fitness, personal training, and relaxation with treatments such as an Ayurvedic Shirodhara massage designed to open the chakras with hot oil poured on the sixth chakra and hot stones massaged into hands and feet. Other thermal and water treatments harmonious with the Ayurvedic way-of-life include volcanic mud wraps as well as Watsu and Temazca, which offer thermal, stress-relief benefits and tap into the resort’s unique location near the Arenal Volcano and the volcano’s ambient energy.
Tabacon has been listed as one of the “Best Hotel Spas” in Travel + Leisure’s World Travel Awards; one of the “best spas” by Luxist, Spa Magazine and Luxury SpaFinder; and one of the top eco-spas in the World by Concierge.com.

For more information, visit www.tabacón.com or call ++506-2519-1999 or toll free 1-877-277-8291.

The iPad will now be allowed into Israel. Photo Credit: philcampbell

Two weeks after causing a major international uproar by not allowing iPads into the country, Israel has now lifted the ban as of today. Initially arguing that the American standard Wi-Fi operation would interfere with Israeli Wi Fi operations, Israel’s Communications Ministry reversed its decision on Saturday.