The global economy is tanking. The U.S. and the UK are in full-blown recession. Other countries are heading that way. We’re all going to have to tighten our belts, hold on hard and ride it out.

Grim economic news is never welcome and I sincerely hope the pain for you and your family is minimal. For the environment, the R-word is slightly more mixed news. On the one hand, people are sometimes less willing to pay extra for green supplies – sales of organic food are falling and farmers in the UK are lobbying for a relaxation in the rules for organic certification. On the other hand, decreased economic output is usually coupled with lower consumption and frugality measures such as growing your own food or conserving electricity also benefit the environment.

In the travel world, the good news is that people – when they can afford to take a holiday – are retaining their environmental principles. Despite fears that environmental commitments made in good times were merely pie crust promises, it seems greener travel is still a growing trend. People are even willing to support higher airfares for environmental reasons (though admittedly that last one is based on a survey taken in the good times).

Perhaps that’s why some of the big online travel sites are now trying to tap into the green travel market – though, as others have commented, from the looks of things they’re not trying very hard. Expedia has recently launched a travelers’ guide to going green – this was a rotating link from the bottom corner of the home page of the U.S. site (blink and you’ll miss it), more prominently linked to from the home page of the Canadian site, and as far as I could tell, not at all from the UK or Australian sites. There are only 288 properties worldwide on Expedia’s list of green hotels. Travelocity, another giant in the online travel world, also has recently introduced a green page, but it’s similarly tucked away with no apparent link from the home page. Hotwire has also recently introduced a modest green initiative – offering carbon offsetting at the point of purchase.

What are some of the other online companies doing? LastMinute has a link to a page on carbon offsetting under “useful links” on the home page of the site. Opodo has a ‘green stance’ link at the bottom of the site. Both pages are easily found – one hopes Expedia and Travelocity will follow suit.

It’s a step in the right direction but I’m inclined to agree with my fellow bloggers – this feels like a token effort and there should be a lot more promotion from the home pages of these sites. As Terracurve puts it: “It seems Expedia is, so far, less interested in doing the legwork and would rather pass the responsibility off solely to the traveler. If a traveler finds a green hotel or a hybrid car? Great. If not? Great.”

Meanwhile, if you are interested in sustainable travel, here are a few booking sites that do a better job of helping you find the perfect holiday to suit your conscience as well as your taste and budget:

Responsible Travel – UK-based site (but popular with U.S. users, too) with hundreds of handpicked holidays and an explanation of why each holiday makes a difference to the environment or local communities. It’s especially strong on activity or cultural holidays.

Rezhub – This site has a Green Travel Hub lets you book green hotels, low-emission or hybrid hire cars and green flights.

Whole Travel – Not a booking engine but a wonderful collection of links to sustainable holidays around the world (you book directly with the hotel and they make money from advertising).

Image: Christine Salek

Our relationship with the sun is a complicated one.

Take sun tans. Nobody’s sure how it happened, but sometime over the last century in America and Europe, being tanned became fashionable. Yet go halfway round the world today, and you’ll find pale skin most desirable. Go back two centuries, and the same is true in Europe – just read up on the long tradition of lead-paint cosmetics (and deadly consequences). But now we have sun-beds and artificial tanning lotions that turn you a lovely shade of orange…whilst in India, skin-lightening lotions are on the shelves. Confused? I don’t blame you.

Biologically, things are more straightforward. Our skin needs ultraviolet light to manufacture Vitamin D. We’ve known for a while that this organic compound is important in maintaining good bones, regulating mineral absorption and keeping our immune system fighting-fit. (Here’s a detailed breakdown of the benefits of sunlight.) However, a recent study from John Hopkins University suggests we’ve underestimated its importance – in particular the association with heart disease.

Cue the sound of a million tanning fanatics heading for the beach. Somebody should tell them a little about the flip-side: even if we neutralize the threat of melanoma (and the latest news is promising), it’s been claimed that a tan is worse than smoking for your skin.

Sunshine’s getting an about-face these days, but it’s no license to fry. Enjoy the sun by all means – and here’s another reason to do so – just protect your skin with non-toxic sunscreen and natural skincare products, and do it properly – here’s National Geographic Green Guide’s suggestions.

The need for some sunshine is instinctive for animals, plants, children, and I’d argue even us hypochondriac adults. Think of how lovely it feels soaking into your bones. Sure, the relationship is complicated – but we couldn’t live without it.

Image: Zanastardust

It seems like yesterday that the SUV was a coveted status symbol and the sight of a compost bucket could elicit a raised eyebrow. As for drying clothes on the line in the backyard? Now that’s just…frugal.

That was then. This is now. With green issues at the fore (both economic and environmental), “going granny” isn’t such a bad idea. We can learn a lot from our older, wiser relatives. They had to make do when there was little to make of anything. Many of our elders – whether grandparents or parents – have lived through a Depression and at least one war. What can we learn from them? Here are 7 lessons.

Save and reuse containers. It’s a completely practical way to reduce waste and go green. Why buy brand new Tupperware when a yogurt container will serve just as well? How about washing out empty spaghetti sauce jars and using them to store anything from nuts and grains in the pantry to nails and screws in the shed? (An overnight soak in water will help the paper label peel off.) There’s no end to what you can save and repurpose. You don’t have to be a packrat, but it pays to be practical.

Line-dry laundry. No excuses! Line-drying is not just for summer. This is something you can do all year round. I’ve read stories of New York City women who would line-dry in the winter and bring stiff, frozen clothes inside for a final warm-up by the radiator. I’m not saying you have to be that extreme, but even a day outside to dry and then a final 15 minutes to fluff up in the dryer (which I do like for lint removal) can save a lot on your electric bill.

Grow a Victory Garden. During World War II, regular citizens were called to grow food on their urban and suburban lots in order to reduce pressure on the public food supply. Well, with a food crisis looming on our horizon, now’s as good a time as any to tear up your front lawn and plant something edible instead. It’s an empowering practice to be part of the process of feeding yourself. If you’re busy or not much of a green thumb, just start small: container gardens on rooftops or balconies, growing herbs in your sunny kitchen window, or just a small garden bed with a few essentials to begin with. Getting to know the process of life that is all around you helps you appreciate your home and your habitat so much more. Even if you’re not worried about a crisis, the act of eating your own organic, local food is both healthy and green.

Work with what you got. Surely you’ve heard the phrase: “Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do or Do Without.” This doesn’t have to be some kind of austere punishment, but rather a call to creativity. It’s the concept of “touski,” where you only have a few ingredients left in the fridge or a few clean items left in your closet and you put together the finest meal or outfit that you never would have thought of before. From now on, rather than assuming you need to buy something now, look around at what you have and see if you can figure out an innovative, even artistic, way to do what you need to do.

Staycation. For previous generations, hopping on an airplane or taking long road trips across the country weren’t such easy options. Take vacations closer to home; every region has a natural treasure worth visiting. Or spend time on the homefront with your family, playing games, catching up on lost time and relaxing right where you’re most comfortable.

Buy Used. Swap meets, thrift-stores, and Craig’s List are all great places to find what you need. There’s no stigma these days ““ it’s considered practical and green. It’s just a way of people cycling perfectly good objects back into the product stream where someone else who needs it more will find it. Last week I found a HEPA air filtration unit at my local Goodwill for $14.99, and it works perfectly. Got kids? At the rate your little ones stain and grow out of their clothes, it’d be crazy not to buy them used. Household appliances? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen sturdy glass-jar blenders at swap meets for a mere $10. Give it a chance; you’ll be surprised at what you find.

Toughen Up. We’re no longer in the day and age of cranking up the heater in the winter and wearing shorts around the house. Wear sweaters, socks and slippers to stay comfortable as you lower the thermostat. If you find yourself staying mostly in one or two rooms at certain times of the day, lower the thermostat even more and use efficient space heaters. Why heat the whole house when you’re not using it? This goes for summertime protocol as well: open windows, use window fans, and spritz yourself with cold water & peppermint oil to stay cool in the summer. A/C use on occasion is necessary, but try to limit it a bit.

We all might have to tighten our belts a bit over the coming days, but it’s really not a punishment; it’s an opportunity to tweak our lifestyles to a more sustainable model.

Image: mrhayata

T. Boone Pickens has been putting his fortune to good use, it seems – and he’s certainly putting himself in the limelight. Mr. Pickens supplied $7 million to victims of Katrina. Since then he’s made a huge splash in the green energy debate.

But you may not know that his wife, Madelaine, is passionately involved in conservation efforts. After Katrina, she helped to rescue 800 animals, dogs and cats, and had them flown to Colorado and California for adoptions.

More recently, the wild mustang population has had need for someone’s full attention and Madeleine has once again come up with a plan.

Wild horses have roamed freely in the Southwest since the times of the Spanish conquistadors. Today, the land the wild horses call home is under the supervision of the Bureau of Land Management and is shared with domestic cattle. It’s becoming a bit of a squeeze, as the BLM tries to keep the number of horses in the wild to 27,000 in order to ensure enough food for all the creatures. The rest of the horses are then herded, gathered and sold at auction or adopted.

This year there are 33,000 additional mustangs being held in holding pens at a cost of $1500 a year to feed.  Without people to buy or adopt them, they will be put to sleep.

Why are there so many horses in the wild? Madeleine explains, “They have no natural predators. Their only predator is mankind when we do the wrong thing.”

And, inviting us into her vision, she says, “If all the cattlemen have access to all this BLM land, what if I buy a ranch and I can get access to the BLM land and then we share it. This way, I could create a sanctuary. This way nobody will ever be turned away.”

She’s currently negotiating to buy approximately a million acres. Hey,  Rhode Island  doesn’t even have a million acres!

The ink isn’t dry yet, however. The sanctuary, if all goes well, will open in a year. And to share the glorious sight of the  horses galloping  together with streaming manes and tails, Madeleine is already planning that “there will be Hopi log cabins and little hotels, children will sit outside and we’ll have bonfires. They’ll be educated about the West, about our heritage.”  

You may want to set your vacations plans for a Southwest adventure.

“I can’t wait for the day the first horse is turned loose and you’ll see him kick his heels up and gallop away with this herd together,” says Madelaine. “It’s going to be so beautiful.”

Way to go, Madeleine!  Let them ponies run! 

Source: Washington Post

Legend has it there was a time when you could move through the fashion boutiques, Murano shops and cafes of San Marcos Square without battling monstrous crowds. Friends of mine even speak of walking right into the Duomo, right on in. No sweating a one-hour line.

But these days, the main island of the famous Grand Canal is as packed as Disneyland in July, heaving with tour groups fresh off cruise ships and trains, eager to look, but not to buy.

While the spastic market hasn’t exactly curbed travel to Venice, it has greatly affected spending. Cutting back is how we mend our broken economy and certainly in line with efforts to create a more sustainable green planet. But it spells disaster to vendors entirely dependent upon the tourist trade. And boy, are they steamed.

In one charming negozio I visited off the square, a weathered bleach-blonde Italian woman was holding her head in agony and sighing as visitors examined her delicate blown glass perfume bottles and animals.

“Is it all right to touch these?” I inquired, meekly, pawing an adorable mini glass fish bowl with itty-bitty glass goldfish.

“Please do, madam,” she replied. “Please, go ahead and break something. It’s the only way I’ll make some money today.”

I burst out laughing at her remark but the bizarre attitude I encountered in a fashion boutique called Pignaton wasn’t so funny. A brunette saleswoman in her late 20s shadowed me at a furious pace, refolding Missoni sweaters and scarves I had touched, muttering naughty Italian words under her breath, words I hadn’t learned in my San Francisco summer class.

“Look, I have to touch when I shop,” I explained to my shadow,  thinking an Italian, of all people, would get that shopping is a highly tactile experience.

After all, I had done plenty of heavy petting in the Furla stores of Rome and Florence before parting with euros for purple leather wallets, zipper-front gloves, patent clutch bags and ruffled scarves. In fact, I thought my mother and I had made quite a dent in Italy’s suffering economy with our hands-on approach to shopping.

“Sure, that’s what you Americans always say, but in Italy we don’t have to touch, we don’t have to touch, we aren’t like that,” she barked at me, red-faced.

Speaking of touched! I feared if I didn’t leave the shop immediately the hostile merchant might attack me with a Versace borsa. Guess she sized me up as one of those tourists who unfold but don’t buy. (Boy was she wrong. I even refold if you give me a minuto.)

Yet I have to sympathize with these merchants. They’re bombarded daily with internationals asking what items cost and seeking directions (the square is a virtual maze of alleys and crannies).

A darling woman named Liliana I met at a Murano glass factory told me she moved to Lido Island to escape the hordes and their incessant questions. Before that she had escaped Romania by coming to Venice to make money and be with all of the nice people.

While the euro to dollar exchange rate has improved to 1.35 (it was 1.60 last spring), the falling dollar has really hurt the Italian economy (see my earlier post on the Italian recession). The most visible bruises are in Venice where everything depends upon filling those gondolas tethered in the lagoon.

Before my recent  trip, I swore I would limit purchases to souvenirs for my kids because Italian prices are so darn high.  But I couldn’t resist the stunning accessories calling to me from store windows. When I returned home I found the items at Furla cost more here than in Italy and wished I had bought more. But clearly, I was one of the few toting shopping bags around the square.

A news report in PINR  warned the dramatic drop in consumer spending in Italy would add insult to the injury in other key fields where the country has lagged behind. These include scientific research, high-tech innovation and labor productivity.

According to the report, another disappointment is “the lack of strategy to reduce the country’s alarming energy dependence.”

All of it adds up to a crisis that could have retailers hanging permanent chiuso signs on their doors. While heavy hitters Gucci, Pucci and Armani might be able to withstand the drought (despite their outrageous, museum-like prices on goods), small vendors like Pignaton seem to be dying of thirst with no bottle of Brunello in sight.

I grew up in Cyprus, which meant I spent the best part of 5 years wearing flip-flops. The air was too hot for shoes, the ground was too hot to go bare-foot: there was no alternative. But when I think back, what springs to mind are the little annoyances. The way the thong plastic stretched, edging my toes over the front so the ground nipped at them when I walked. The strange dull ache in my ankles. The criss-cross sunburn.

In fact it’s easy to argue for and against flip-flops. On the one hand, they’re light, they allow air between the toes, they’re fun and of course they’re very cheap. And on the other? In today’s world, "cheap" equates to "disposable" – and flip-flops are usually made of eco-unfriendly plastics. And that ache in my ankles? It wasn’t in my head. A recent study by Auburn University (via Moms Speak Up)  concluded that wearing toe-thonged footwear permanently altered the way you walk, putting unnatural strain on feet and ankles and resulting in the "flip-flop shuffle".

So what’s the answer? The first is easy: don’t wear them for long-distance walking. Treat them like beach slippers. If you’re going further afield, wear some light, well-supported shoes – or invest in a pair of the new molded sports sandals that hug the length of the foot. (Teva’s Kayenta seems a good choice). Your best bet is a beach walking shoe that adjusts to fit you, not the other way round. And finally? Beach footwear rests against sensitive skin – so don’t sacrifice safety to save a few dollars. What’s good for the environment is usually good for you, too. Worth the price, in my opinion.

Image: JAIRO BD

Located amongst towering pines just 55-kilometres from the hen-and stag-filled hustle and bustle of Prague, Chateau Mcely is the perfect venue for weddings, corporate events or for couples looking to get away from it all.

Comprising 25 well-appointed suites and rooms, all of which are decked out to the highest standard, the old-world-style hotel has more than enough room for its well-heeled guests to enjoy the all-important privacy they crave. Aside from accommodation, Chateau Mcely is renowned for its Alchymist Club, where the expert bartender considers drink-making something of science and serves the best international wines and malt whiskies this side of the globe. When guests are a little wobbly on their feet, they can move to the adjoining Piano Nobile restaurant, where exquisite gourmet food awaits courtesy of chef Libor Krusinsky. When not eating, drinking or indulging in general merriment, guests can unwind in the on-site spa, where a sauna, Jacuzzi and a number of treatments will ease away the stresses and strains of the daily grind.

Set amongst natural surroundings, and using natural resources wherever possible inside, Chateau Mcely truly sets the standard for hotels everywhere. A standard that is by no means, er, standard.

Images: Chateau Mcely.

Intrigued by this eco five-star hotel? This is a guest post by Gunpowder Magazine. Go on over and take a peek for more fine living finds.

Yoga is all about finding an oasis of calm within yourself, but your surroundings certainly help, the more remote the better. Hence the appeal of yoga retreats.

If you’re going to retreat, you might as well do it properly. How about Guatemala, which is currently turning into a yoga and eco-tourism hotspot? The country is enjoying a stable economy (as of 1996) and is an ecological feast for the senses. Lake Atitlan is the obvious destination (shown above) – it’s already home to a community of yoga enthusiasts. And who can blame them, with that view to lower blood pressure and foster inner tranquility.

Options abound. The hotel, restaurant and retreat center Villa Sumaya offers…well, it’s quicker if you go here and look; the list is impressively extensive. There’s just 16 rooms, all – to this writer’s eyes – absurdly good value. (However, if you’re there to be part of a specific retreat, the price rises.) Less expensive is the Lake Atitlan Hotel, an eco-tourism project offering rooms as cheap as $35 a night – here is Responsible Travel’s write-up on Lake Atitlan.

A brief web-search unearthed umpteen yoga retreat packages for the area, all-inclusive and usually in excess of $1500 / week. However, if you’re feeling adventurous, design your own: find some suitable accomodation, find a yoga venue, ask around…be flexible (which is what yoga’s all about). 

Image: Villa Sumaya

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Our National Parks are a precious sanctuary from modern life. Places where you can view an infinite number of stars, or enjoy a hike that is completely silent – save for the calls of birds and the rustling of grasses. Places where you might see wildlife like coyotes and bears, or interesting flora like the incredibly strange Joshua Tree. Visiting wilderness areas and spending a few days away from our internet connections can remind us of our connection to nature and the universe.

I recently spent some time in Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. Being there reminded me how precious our parks are. But they are also fragile ecosystems under threat from global warming. Imagine Joshua Tree National Park devoid of its namesake trees. Or Glacier National Park without the glaciers. Sadly, these things may come to pass if we don’t continue to work together to combat global warming.

Joshua Trees are unique to the Mojave Desert and are particularly sensitive to environmental pressure. They need the cooler temperatures and winter freezes in the high desert to flower and produce seed. They grow at an incredibly slow rate of one-half inch per year, and the moisture they hold is what allows many creatures to survive the dry summers.

According to a 2006 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council Global Warming threatens our parks in various ways:

Frequent Fires: Earlier snow melt in the mountains makes for longer fire seasons with more potential for damage. The Sawtooth Fire in 2006 consumed 37,000 acres and countless Joshua Trees.

Rising Sea Levels: Parks like Pt. Reyes National Seashore are at risk of disappearing due to rising sea levels.

Species Extinction: Higher temperatures and drought threaten the survival of important plants and animals and invite invasive species that cause other problems (such as quick-burning, non-native grasses in the high desert).

Intolerable Heat: As desert parks get hotter (Death Valley has summer highs that average in the hundreds) they will be intolerable to visitors, plants, and animals alike.

Flood Damage: Rapid snow melt and more heavy rain in place of snow cause erosion and damage to plants.

Pollution: Warming temperatures increase ozone levels, which cause unhealthy levels of air pollution in many parks, including Joshua Tree.

I wish I had a recommendation for action to save our parks but I don’t. Do visit and appreciate them. And, of course, leave a light footprint. Appreciating our amazing parks reminds me of the importance of small things…like voting for environmental leaders, driving less, conserving more, and all the things we talk about every day here at EcoSalon.

Image: velo4it

In the days of old and eco-oblivion, you could travel the world, sleep anywhere with 5 stars and be assured of a restful, luxurious, guilt-free experience. In the 90s, smaller “boutique” hotels began to crop up – but pampering, not green, was still the priority.

If you’re a frequent traveler who happens to have acquired an eco-consciousness, 5 star and boutique are not where your concerns lie. You want environmentally-sound sleepovers – and avoiding the miniature toiletries or stopping by Terra Pass seems woefully inadequate.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (of W Hotels fame) recently announced its newest brand – ELEMENT hotels, the first major hotel brand to commit to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification.*

Green to the core, they won’t leave travelers in the eco-chic lobby, either. Guest room basics include energy- and water-efficient appliances, bins for recycling paper, plastic and glass, filtered water and shampoo shower dispensers. The hotels will use low-VOC paints and 100% recycled and anti-microbial carpet pads to improve air quality and minimize exposure to toxins and pollutants. Oversized windows will create an abundance of natural lighting and an indoor-outdoor “natural” experience.

Pack your eco-attitude and visit the first ELEMENT hotel expected to open this August in Lexington, MA, followed by Irving, TX, Las Vegas and Baltimore, MD.

*According to the USGBC website, LEED is “…the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. [It] gives owners and operators the tools they need…[and] promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability…”

Images: ELEMENT hotels