Earth, Wind & Power Blogazine

Farm-to-Table Getaways in Colorado

Locally-driven lifestyles are sweeping the nation and today, people want to know where their food comes from and that it’s sustainable. This summer, why not delve into fresh agricultural offerings with an experiential vacation? Across Colorado, travelers to get their hands dirty and enjoy the fruits of their labor on farm and ranch stays. Travelers can take part in organic cooking and butchery classes; cultivate crops; herd cattle or bison; and actually take part in the development of a farm or ranch.

The authentic experiences not only open the eyes of the everyday urban warrior, but fill the stomach! What better way to escape?

Fresh and Wyld Farmhouse (Paonia, Colo.)
Known for its commitment to locally- grown food, Fresh and Wyld maintains its own veggie gardens, chickens, goats, berry patch and heirloom apple trees to feed its guests. The Inn serves communal-style home-cooked meals and also offers organic cooking classes, butchery classes, farm school classes and heritage farm art workshops.

Mesa Winds Farm (Hotchkiss, Colo.)
A 36-acre farm, Mesa Winds produces USDA Certified Organic peaches, apples, grapes, raspberries, asparagus, vegetables and honey. Visitors sleep in rehabbed "picker cabins" and are welcomed to lend a hand with the farm work and dine on organic food fresh from the farm. Orchard camping opportunities are also available.

Smith Fork Ranch (North Fork Valley, Colo.)
A private luxury ranch Smith Fork Ranch offers fly fishing, horseback riding, hiking and a unique farm-to-table experience. The ranch has a garden farmstead that provides the majority of the vegetables and herbs for the ranch meals; they also raise free-range chickens that provide farm fresh eggs. The ranch also offers guided and unguided local farm and winery tours. 

Zapata Ranch (Sun Luis Valley, Colo.)
A 103,000-acre authentic working cattle and bison guest ranch, Zapata borders the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Owned by the Nature Preserve, vacations at the Zapata Ranch revolve around learning through experience, about real ranch life and the great outdoors. Zapata prepares meals with their grass-fed bison and beef and locally grown produce.     

(Source: Colorado Tourism Office)

Caribbean Cool Destinations for the Eco Chic

 Luxe-loving travelers need not sacrifice the finer things when going green. Instead, they can hit up one of these eco-friendly destinations, tucked in the Caribbean sands, for a bit of R&R—and a whole lot of mindfulness. 

Galley Bay Resort, Antigua (pictured left)
An exotic, all-inclusive hideaway that’s known for its state-of-the-art reverse osmosis water plant, this resort recycles salt water from the sea, purifying it for fresh water uses. Future plans will allow the hotel to bottle the fresh water into reusable glass containers. How cool is that? 

The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica
Green-Globe certified for its sustainable operations and conservation efforts, the Ritz is one resort that does more than just talk about greening up. From reusing linens to providing environmental education for its guests and community, the leader in luxury is committed to protecting Jamaica’s natural resources.

Barcelo Punta Cana, Punta Cana
With energy-saving upgrades to guest room air-conditioning units, as well as the installation of an ultraviolet purifier in its water treatment plant, this beachy resort is taking the necessary steps to green up. The company's corporate social responsibility program also launched, assisting schools and students.

For more earth-friendly travel tips, visit Earth Tones.

(You can see more Green Globe certified properties here, or book vacations at any of the above resorts via Cheap Caribbean.) 

Back Issues Available of EWP & RTM

 

Did you know that our partner Road & Travel Magazine has been publishing since 1989? Among the hundreds of issues and thousands of articles published many have been dedicated strictly to environmental topics. There, in RTM's back issue section, articles have been archived back as far as 2001. Please feel free to search our back issue archives to find additional resources and articles on earth-friendly topics.

Did you know that Road & Travel Magazine was the first publication to give an award for the most environmental friendly car of the year? In 1997, RTM produced and hosted an auto awards show in Detroit which honored the GM - EV1 as the vehicle that was 'Most Likely to Change the World.'

The Earth-Friendly Award continued for several years but sadly there were so few competitors back then that we discontinued the award until more automakers joined the party. By 2009, most car companies had introduced various forms of eco-friendly vehicles from hybrid to diesel to now electric. As a result of their progress, we launched the Earth, Wind & Power Awards, which are dedicated to clean car technology. Stay tuned as we continue to expand the EWP Awards down the road.

Also visit the RTM Blog!

Please feel free to share EWP and RTM content with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We welcome and appreciate your support.

Enjoy a Fuel Free Getaway

Want a truly eco-friendly vacation? Or are you just looking for the experience of a lifetime? Well leave the car keys at home and reduce your carbon footprint by riding to work on a horse at the Lazy E-L Ranch.

• The Lazy E-L Ranch, 70 miles southwest of Billings, Montana, is a cattle ranch.
• This is a working vacation that may reorganize your priorities: your to-do list includes riding the fences, doctoring calves, and herding cattle.
• The ranch disputes the notion that ranchers and conservationists can't get along goats are used instead of pesticide to eliminate weeds.
• There are rooms in the lodge, but for the truly pre-industrial experience, ask for the riverfront cabin. There's no electricity or running water, only an outhouse, some cooking supplies, and a wood-burning stove to keep you company.

Visit Earth Tones for more on sustainable travel.

Stay Eco-Friendly at the Hotel Indigo Chicago-Vernon Hills

Since its opening, the Hotel Indigo Chicago-Vernon Hills has had a full green agenda. Aside from being 100 percent smoke-free, the hotel features some of the area’s few hybrid parking places in order to increase consumer awareness and encourage guests to save gas and use lower emission transportation.

In addition to giving benefits tow hybrid owners, Hotel Indigo Chicago-Vernon Hills is helping set eco-standards in the hospitality industry by instituting creative and aggressive programs to save water, energy and reduce waste. To help conserve on water the hotel has installed low flow systems for faucets, toilets and showers, and like many eco-friendly hotels, guests are asked to use linens and towels more than once to save water, detergent and energy. The program saves the hotel 7,200 gallons of water and 51 gallons of detergent per month. In addition, any chemicals used are eco-friendly.

The Hotel Indigo Chicago-Vernon Hills is a hip hot spot with all the modern design and technologies guests crave, while providing an eco-conscious guilt-free stay.

(Source: Hotel Indigo)

Hotel Terra Jackson Hole: Luxurious and Sustainable

Hotel Terra Jackson Hole, is just as luxurious as it is sustainable. Located in Teton Village, WY the green hotel is LEED-certified with 72 rooms and the full service Chill Spa.

Hotel Terra also is home to the Italian restaurant, Osteria, one of the hottest tables in Jackson Hole, as well as Terra Café, which is dedicated to using organic ingredients to create scrumptious crepes, lattes and other light fare.

Besides rooms that feature all-natural and organic materials, here are some of the major ways Hotel Terra Jackson Hole is making eco-friendly strides.

·   100% recycled "EcoShake" shingles.

• More than 90% of the hotel interiors capture natural daylight and have access to outdoor views.
• Heating and cooling system also controlled by hi tech building management system that allows rooms to be powered down when not in use and calibrated for specific occupancy expectations.
• Radiant heating in the flooring of the parking garage, which runs along the entire ground level of the hotel, reducing direct heat loss and minimizing energy use.
• Energy Star approved, extremely efficient windows, with Low E, a highly reflective coating that protects interiors from infrared light. This keeps heat inside during the winter and outside during the summer, reducing the need for energy used for supplemental heat or cooling.
• Water conservation systems: dual flush toilets, low flow water fixtures, waterless urinals in Men’s public restrooms, and native landscaping requiring no irrigation -accounts for a 34% reduction in water use.
  
  (Hotel Terra)

For more eco-friendly travel articles, visit Earth Tones.

North America's Best Eco Lodges

Sustainability is hot in the travelsphere right now. To get a taste of the green life, why not try one of these stellar eco-lodges, located right in America's back yard?

Post Ranch Inn, California
Lying among the ridges of the Ventana Mountains at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, the tiny community of Big Suris home to the Post Ranch Inn. Offering stunning views of the ocean and surrounding mountains, Big Sur pampers guests with wood-burning fireplaces, king-sized beds, indoor spa tubs and more. What travelers won’t find, however, are TVs or alarm clocks.

Here, emphasis is placed on the beauty of nature and fragile ecosystem that acts as an amenity within itself. Begin the day with yoga and end with a lesson in astronomy; opportunities are as endless as the area’s shockingly starry sky.

The Lodge & Beach Village, Hawaii
Whether you prefer the convenience of a spacious lodge or the thrill of lodging beach-side in a personal bungalow, The Lodge & Beach Village in Molokai has something to soothe your heart’s greenest desires. Dubbed the “last Hawaiian Island,” Molokai lies between Oahu and Maui, forty percent of which is owned by the Molokia property.

Known for its unique and eco-friendly activities, Molokai offers guests the opportunity to whale watch, dive, surf, mountain bike, or even ride a mule down the 1,500 foot cliffs to the famed Kalaupapa should you want to do so.

View the complete list of North America's Best Eco Lodges

Fontainebleau Creates First 'Paperless' Hotel Room

Fontainebleau  is using Apple technology to create the first ‘paperless’ hotels room in its Miami resort. Well, maybe not completely paperless, the room will still include toilet paper. This new technology will allow Fontainebleau’s guests to experience a new hotel standard.

More specifically, these new innovations will allow simple and intuitive options for booking and pre-planning at Fontainebleau.com, as well as interactive programming available throughout the resort. The highlight, however, is a personal iMac in every guest room assisting guests in customizing their vacation; inspiring them to share memories; encouraging personal expression and creating immediate guest feedback. The result, the potential to cut back on more than half a million newspapers each year, totaling more than one million pounds of saved newspapers alone!

Green Fun: Theme Parks With Environmental Initiatives

Disneyland Resort, California: This wonderful resort has won the 2009 Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA), California's highest and most prestigious environmental honor. By "recycling" large amounts of water rather than draining it into the ocean, powering steam trains with kitchen grease, and opening a bakery that's complete eco-paradise, Disneyland Resort is furthering Walt Disney's environmental legacy.

Nickelodeon Family Suites, Florida: This family-friendly hotel in Orlando was recognized with a Green Lodging Certification. Nick achieved its green lodging status by using reusable dining items, encouraging the reuse of bath towels and linens, establishing a volunteer green committee, reimbursing employees for public bus passes and installing energy-efficient lighting throughout the property.

Six Flags, North America: If the world's largest regional themepark is realizing they need to take aggressive steps to preserve and protect the environment for future generations, the "fun" industry must be changing face. Resulting from a partnership with Coca-Cola's Recycling branch, 3,000 recycling bins have been placed in each of the 20 Six Flags theme parks. At four parks, all vehicles and trains that operate on diesel fuel will instead be powered by used vegetable oil generated in Six Flags kitchens.

(Sources: Disneyland Resort, Nick Hotel, Six Flags)

For more eco-friendly travel advice, visit RTM's Earth Tones section.

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Five Things Hotels Can and Should Do to Go Green

If you haven't noticed, green hotels are springing up all over the place and even mainstream chains are refining their practices. Here's what they're doing and what to look for in a responsible stay.

1. Redecorating or building with more sustainable materials: Bamboo flooring, straw bale walls, and solar panel roofing? We like.

2. Making partnerships with green programs: Hotels can partner with green tourism companies like Save Your World to become greener with guidance.

3. Using high-tech thermostats: You’re on vacation; do you really want to sit in the hotel room the entire time? While travelers are out and about, some hotels use climate control sensors to lower usage of A/C or heating.

4. Partaking in the Global Soap Project: Hotels replace every bar of soap in every room, every day, no matter if it’s even been touched. Some hotels (about 40) aren’t throwing theirs away, but donating them to non-profit group The Global Soap Project. Bars of soap are collected, sterilized, reshaped, and redistributed to Ugandan refugee camps.

5. Stocking organic wines: Pesticide-free anything is on the right track to more sustainable consumption. Keep the luxury, lose the chemicals.

For more information about green hotels, visit RTM's Earth Tones section.

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