A Mexican resort is leading the way when it comes to green travel in Central America.

The Hacienda Tres Rios resort in Riviera Maya has just been awarded a Green Globe award for the second year running. The Green Globe certification scheme recognises tourism businesses which adhere to strict environmental and sustainable tourism practices.

The luxury resort was also crowned “Mexico & Central America’s Leading Green Hotel” at the 2009 World Travel Awards and has been nominated in no less than four categories this year including “Mexico & Central America’s Leading All-inclusive Hotel”.

“Luxury All Inclusive” and “Green Travel” are not words often heard together in the same sentence, so just what is Hacienda Tres Rios doing to win such high acclaim?

Opened in 2008, the resort was built with the principles of environmental responsibility in mind from day one. Situated on 326 acres of jungle, mangrove forest and coastal dunes, the resort stands on stilts which allow natural springs to circulate.

All systems have been designed to reduce energy consumption and to respect the natural environment. All products used are biodegradable to minimise impact on the aquatic environment and all solid waste is recycled.

Guests have exclusive access to the Hacienda Tres Rios Nature Park which encompasses rainforests, jungles, mangroves, coastal dunes, freshwater rivers that flow to the Caribbean Sea and a white sandy beach. The park itself is home to over 90 species of indigenous plants and animals and the park undertakes conservation activities including re-forestation schemes.

Speaking about the resort’s second Green Globe award, Hacienda Tres Rios president Romárico Arroyo said: “Tres Rios started out as an ecological park and we have been consistent in following our set guidelines and standards to protect the extraordinary beauty and diversity of the region. Our guests are able to reconnect with nature while they enjoy the Mexican hospitality and all the luxury we offer”.

Green Globe Certification CEO Guido Bauer added: “It is reassuring to see how a luxury beach resort can operate at such high standards of sustainable management. The Tres Rios sustainability team are experts in managing natural resources, including the care of 120 species of plants and 90 species of animals. This conservation management is further enhanced by their training programs for staff and the local community.”

And if you have any doubts as to the ability of an eco-resort to deliver true luxury, think again. Each of the 273 suites is furnished to the highest standard, most having a two-person jacuzzi and views of the Caribbean sea.

As well as being one of the least environmentally friendly ways in which to start a holiday, flying is fast becoming one of the most stressful.

Spanish air traffic controllers have just called off a strike which was due to ground planes for three days from August 18th. The walkout was planned to coincide with one of the busiest times of the year and would have caused misery for thousands of British holidaymakers caught up in the disruption.

But the threat has not been lifted completely. Until a deal is signed between the USCA union and management, there remains a possibility of further action if members decide to call for another walkout.

2010 has been a bad year for air travel in general. Back in April the eruption of the Icelandic volcano caused weeks of havoc as flights were grounded and passengers left stranded all over the world. Strikes by British Airways cabin crew caused further disruption throughout May and June and unlike the volcano, the BA dispute is still rumbling on, as well as the recent strike threats by BAA staff who run the majority of British airports.

Add to all this the environmental cost of travelling by plane and it is little wonder that so many Brits are thinking twice before booking a foreign holiday this year. But while UK family breaks can be a lot of fun, there’s often one thing lacking on a British beach holiday – sun.

Luckily there are alternatives to flying for green travellers who want to escape to the continent. Spain is the number one destination for British tourists and is easily accessible by land and sea as well as by air.

Travelling by train by Eurostar opens up a wealth of opportunities to travel around France by road, while better rail connections to European cities are becoming available as a result of heightened customer demand. A new ferry route is set to open in September, connecting Nantes with the port of Gijon in Northern Spain.

Brittany Ferries sail direct several times weekly from Portsmouth and Plymouth for the port of Santander in Cantabria. Several holiday destinations can easily be reached by road from Santander including the Spanish cities of Bilbao and San Sebastien, or Biarritz in south west France.

To cut your carbon footprint further still, ditch the hire car and use the train when you arrive. A regular service connects Santander with destinations across the coast of Cantabria and neighbouring Asturias, while coach company Alsa connects Santander with cities all across Spain including Barcelona and Madrid.

Holidaymakers are being urged to think of green travel when packing their suitcases this summer. Not only is carrying heavy luggage bad for backs, but it’s bad for the environment too.

Over-burdened suitcases are being blamed for increased carbon emissions as heavy loads cause aeroplanes to use more fuel.

Only 16 per cent of holidaymakers actually use and wear everything they’ve packed and over a third only use 25 per cent of the items in their case. The figures were revealed in a survey published by Thomson earlier this week.

The holiday firm is asking travellers to think twice when packing their bags and cut their carbon footprint. Thomson say that if a third of holidaymakers left that extra 25 per cent of unused luggage behind it would save 7,537 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually – the equivalent of taking 2,216 cars off the road.

TV fashion expert Brix Smith-Start has been recruited to back Thomson’s Holidays Forever green packing campaign. She said this week: “Everyone wants to look fabulous when they are on holiday, yet too many of us don’t think about what outfits we’ll actually want to wear and so we end up with clothes that won’t see the light of day once we are away. I’m providing travellers with some top tips on how to make their luggage more green and advising how holiday makers can bring fewer items, but still look great.”

Brix’s top tips include:

• Check the weather before you leave
• Take a look at the weather forecast and plan accordingly. If the Met promise seven days of sunshine, you won’t be needing a heavy jumper and jeans!
• Cut down on shoes
• Shoes weigh a lot and take up loads of room in your case. Resist the temptation to pack footwear to go with every outfit – take some flat sandals, flip flops for the beach and plimsolls for walking.
• Pack statement pieces
• Bright kaftans and maxi-dresses are easy to dress up and down, making them ideal for day to night dressing. Pack a couple along with a few pieces of statement jewellery and you’ll have enough to see you through your holiday.
• Ditch the towels
• Bulky towels are heavy and take up a lot of room. Use towels provided by your hotel or buy a cheap one when you arrive.
• Cut down on toiletries
• Think about what you really need and what you’ll actually use. Take travel sized versions of your must-have products and co-ordinate with holiday buddies if you’re travelling as a group.

Billed as the world’s worst man-made ecological disaster, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill continues to cause enormous environmental and economical suffering. After an explosion occurred on BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig on the 20th April 2010, 4.9 million barrels of oil spewed into the sea over several months before BP finally managed to contain and then seal the leak. The oil rig explosion killed eleven workers, whose bodies were never found. Aside from a number of accident claims relating to the initial explosion, BP is faced with a massive clean-up bill (up to $20 billion) that includes compensation payouts to local communities whose businesses have been destroyed by the spill. Whilst the cost of the Deepwater Horizon disaster is ongoing, BP has been hit by a fresh wave of personal injury claims over the way in which it attempted to clear the oil spill.

Two Gulf Coast residents, Glynis Wright and Janille Turner, have claimed that Corexit 9500 – the chemical dispersant used by BP to clear oil from the sea – is “four times more toxic than sweet crude oil.” According to reports, BP sprayed up to 1.8 million gallons of Corexit into the sea but failed to disclose the exact chemical composition of the substance, which is produced by Nalco. A class action suit has now been filed in Alabama against BP and Nalco by Ms Wright and Ms Turner. Depending on the success of the lawsuit, many more injury claims may be filed against BP by workers and residents who have been affected by the contaminated sea water. The class action seeks compensation for “negligence and wanton misconduct, as well as nuisance, trespass, battery and medical monitoring.”

Although BP has managed to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil leak, it may be helpless to prevent further litigation, following reports that Corexit 9500 has probably entered the food chain Scientists from the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory recently conducted tests on crab larvae and concluded that the substance was more likely than not in the food chain. Nalco has further revealed that Corexit “may cause nausea and vomiting [and] can cause chemical pneumonia if aspirated into lungs.” Dr Susan Shaw of the Marine Environmental Research Institute commented: “We believe that Corexit dispersants, in combination with crude oil, pose grave health risks to marine life and human health and threaten to deplete critical niches in the Gulf food web that may never recover.”

Visitors to London have a new, green way to get around the city. Barclays Cycle Hire launched in the Capital last week, offering city dwellers and tourists a new, green way to get around.

To date, over 5,000 bikes have been made available for use as part of the new scheme, with journeys of under 30 minutes being free of charge. Organisers Transport for London are hoping more people will be encouraged to get on their bike instead of taking a taxi, bus or tube.

The new bikes provided for the TFL cycle scheme

Anyone wanting to use one of the bikes must first register with the scheme by telephone or online and pay a membership fee using a debit or credit card. A membership key costs £3 with access costs at £1 for a 24 hour membership, £5 for one week or £45 for a year’s access. Once registered, members can pick up a bike from one of over 300 docking stations dotted around Central London.

Initial signs are encouraging with over 21,000 members already registered with the scheme. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘Just three days into our cycle hire scheme we’re seeing Londoners embracing the freedom of pedal power and are signing up in their droves.

‘Our 21,000 pioneering members have already made more than 14,000 journeys since we launched on Friday. With every new day, these gleaming machines are transforming our streets and are putting us well on our way to becoming the best big cycling city in the world.’

Organisers are said to have been inspired by similar systems in cities such as Paris and Oslo which have had successful city bike hire schemes for several years.

Using one of the bikes costs nothing for the first thirty minutes, £1 for the next thirty minutes and then increases significantly for longer durations. This had led to concerns that tourists could be caught out, not realising that the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme is not suitable for days spent exploring the city on wheels.

Among future plans for the scheme are including increasing the number of cycles available to 6,000 and increasing the number of locations where members can pick up a bike. Boris Johnson has high hopes for the scheme, hoping that once established it will add to the appeal of a city that attracts millions of international visitors each year.