12 Asian Nations pledge to save tigers

From the New York Times: A dozen Asian nations and Russia vowed Friday to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, crack down on poaching that has devastated the big cats and prohibit the building of roads and bridges that could harm their habitats.

However, the historic declaration adopted by the 13 countries that have wild tigers includes no new money to finance the conservation efforts. The agreement only includes plans to approach international institutions like the World Bank for money and to develop schemes to tap money from ecotourism, carbon financing and infrastructure projects to pay for tiger programs.

”This is a historic meeting. Before this, not many people paid attention to tigers,” Thailand‘s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti said after the three-day meeting in Hua Hin. ”Stopping the depletion of tigers is a very important issue for all of us.”

The declaration will now be considered for approval by heads of state of the 13 countries in September at a meeting in Vladivostok, Russia.

Tiger numbers in recent decades have plummeted because of human encroachment — with the loss of more than nine-tenths of their habitat — and poaching to supply a vibrant trade in tiger parts. From an estimated 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century, the number of tigers today is less than 3,500.

Along with a target for doubling tiger populations, countries agreed to protect core tiger habitats as well as buffer zones and corridors that connect key sanctuaries and national parks. Governments also committed to reduce poaching through beefed-up law enforcement and to minimize human-tiger conflicts through job creation programs and other efforts.

The only setback, delegates said, was a successful effort by China to take out language in the draft declaration that called for maintaining a permanent ban on the tiger trade. China’s concern is the impact the language would have on its domestic tiger trade, which has been banned since 1993 but which they have lobbied to reopen at some point.

Conservationists said the declaration included all the components for ensuring the tigers’ steady recovery, though they warned much work had to be done to ensure all the promises were implemented.

”This is excellent news for tiger conservation,” said Michael Baltzer, who heads the WWF Tiger Initiative and attended the meeting.

”Simply, there never has been a high-level government commitment to take forward tiger conservation,” Baltzer said. ”The fact the governments committed to doubling the numbers of tigers shows they have high ambition. They are setting the bar at a high level.”

The World Bank’s Keshav Varma, program director for the Global Tiger Initiative, said the declaration represents a new way of thinking among governments and donors.

”There is a new trend in society to save biodiversity, to be more conscious of climate change, to look at sustainability, to look at green development,” Varma said. ”It is a huge change and this is a manifestation of this change.”

Varma and Baltzer downplayed the absence of financial commitments in the document, saying they expected pledges to be forthcoming in Russia as donors get a clearer idea of conservation plans that come out of this declaration and the cost of implementing them.

”Now that we have commitment from governments, the next step is bringing donor partners on board,” Baltzer said. ”Even here the donors came together and started talking about how they could be partners in this whole process.”

The meeting was organized by Thailand and the Global Tiger Initiative, a coalition formed in 2008 by the World Bank, the Smithsonian Institute and nearly 40 conservation groups.

The 13 countries attending the meeting were Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Crime in Trinidad and Tobago

You often read in the press of incidents happening in places where you think you would be free of such. You go with your family and friends to a beach promoted to be the most beautiful and enjoy the ambiance it offers. The thought that predators actually lurk there is furthest from your mind.

That freedom that I grew up with, that I expressed to others, that I felt was part of the blessings of my land ceased to exist when on December 31, 2009, Old Year’s Day, I was assaulted with intent to rape along the Pigeon Point stretch known as The Swallows.

zI had left my family and camera crew at the hotel and gone down to the beach to shoot additional footage for an upcoming eco-tourism/conservation series on television.

They were all accustomed over the years to me disappearing with my camera during the early morning when everyone was still asleep. You do get the best nature shots during the early morning and late afternoon.

That morning, I sat in my vehicle, windows up and doors locked, watching as joggers passed, security personnel passed, and two or three other vehicles passed. At 6.30 a.m. as I picked up my camera from the front seat and opened the door to alight, this man jumped inside my door and stuck the most menacing blade I had ever seen to my throat. The sheer length and thickness of that blade made me go weak at once. I think that my heart stopped beating for a few seconds.

He said, ’Don’t move, don’t move,’ in a threatening tone as I came out of my initial shock. He then ordered me out of the vehicle, ’Come out, come out!’

I started to beg him not to kill me, to just take anything, everything. My camera, phone, purse were all within sight and reach but he only concentrated on me.

He further pressed the knife against my throat and ordered me out, ’Ah say come out now!’ in that unmistakable Tobagonian twang. My whole life flashed before me as I slowly got out of the vehicle. My children did not even know where I was and how would they take this if the man killed me and my body turned up days later. This could not be happening to me. No, not in this beautiful sunlit place where so many people had just passed by. But it was happening.

The man then stuck the blade into my back and ordered me to walk away from the vehicle and down the road. He gripped my left arm with his left hand while he kept the knife in the small of my back with his right. I managed to look back at my vehicle expecting to maybe see other men ransacking it, but there was no one else. I had a good look at the man then as he walked with me. The sight of his bare face and that blade is now emblazoned on my memory forever.

He forced me to walk a couple hundred feet down the road. I tried to keep to the middle of the road for fear that he would force me into the sea on my right or into the bushes on my left. My fear was not unfounded.

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Palawan selected as one of the top 10 destinations for China travelers

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Palawan, the country’s renowned ecotourism site, is once again hailed as among the top 10 best destinations for elite travelers in China. Initiated by Ctrip.com, China’s leading and trusted online travel agency, and popular high-end travel glossy Elite Traveller, the polling for top overseas destinations of 2009 gathered a total of 4,340,122 valid votes through http://www.ctrip.com, emails, fax, and snail mail.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano noted, “Receiving this recognition for one of our carefully protected eco-tourism sites is indeed a great milestone ushering for more positive news in tourism at the onset of the year.”

Reaffirming the distinction of being a most sought-after destination for the Chinese market, the country continues to pride itself with natural wonders and eco-tourism sites. The Palawan Underground River has also been continually in the top list of the New7Wonders of Nature online poll, and is now officially the country’s bet for the final stage which will be held in 2011.

“More than promoting our destinations to travelers, we aim to raise awareness on the preservation and protection of our natural wonders through responsible travel,” said Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions Eduardo Jarque Jr.

The list of 10 Top destinations include the Pyramids of Egypt; the Gold Coast of Australia; Masai Mara in Kenya; Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand, the cosmopolitan city of Paris, France; Jungfrau in Switzerland; beach destination Maldives; Disney World in Orlando World, USA, and Bali Island in Indonesia.

Representatives and travel agencies from more than 30 countries and regions were present at the grand awarding ceremonies held in the Radisson Plaza Xing Guo Hotel in Shanghai, China.

Accepting the award was Gerry Panga, Tourism Attaché for DOT Shanghai. “We are pressed to maintain the Philippines’ position as one of the most sought-after travel destinations in the world, through our intensified our marketing programs to promote our country’s treasures to the nature-loving Chinese travelers.”

China remains as the country’s third largest source market for tourists.

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Cave Diving in the Yucatan

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Millions of years ago, the Yucatan peninsula was below sea level and formed the bed of a shallow ocean. Fish shellfish and coral thrived in this environment, and when they died their bones and shells fell to the sea floor. The calcium from these formed a calcium carbonate (CaCO3) sludge. As the depth of this layer of sludge thickened, the increasing pressure solidified the calcium carbonate into a porous limestone rock.

During subsequent ice ages the sea level fell and the peninsula was exposed, forming dry land covered in heavy vegetation. Rain falling on the land would percolate through the decaying vegetation and the porous limestone, and then flow horizontally to the sea.

The rainwater dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and produced by decaying vegetation, forming carbonic acid (H2CO3). This carbonic acid solution dissolved the limestone, sometimes creating vertical shafts from the surface, and sometimes creating horizontal passages towards the ocean. Most of the horizontal cave development is believed to have happened close to the water level.

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Resort in Dubai named region’s leading eco-tourism site

Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa yesterday has been named the region’s leading sustainable eco-tourism development by a collective of environmentalists, academics and government officials who met for an environmental conference this week.

Organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, the Sustainable Eco-Tourism in Desert Ecosystems conference in Dubai was arranged to discuss sustainable development, conservation of natural resources and tourism growth.

A benchmark in discussions was the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR); the first and largest protected wildlife conservation area in the UAE, formally recognised as a Protected Area by UNEP and also home to Emirates Hotels and Resorts’ Al Maha property.

In 2003, the Government of Dubai took the decision to create the conservation area and charged Emirates with its management and protection.

Since then, Emirates has invested over AED 10 million (US $2.7 million) in support of wildlife conservation programmes, scientific research and protection of this 225km² area.

Dubai makes steps towards being eco-friendly

Leading environmentalists, academics, government officials and eco-tourism experts visited Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa yesterday, after a three-day conference identified the award-winning property as the region’s leading sustainable eco-tourism development.

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Organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, the Sustainable Eco-Tourism in Desert Ecosystems conference in Dubai was arranged to discuss sustainable development, conservation of natural resources and tourism growth.

A benchmark in the conference discussions was the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR); the first and largest protected wildlife conservation area in the UAE, formally recognised as a Protected Area by UNEP, and also home to Emirates’ exclusive Al Maha property.

In 2003, the Government of Dubai decided to create a nationally significant conservation area and charged Emirates with its management and protection. Since then Emirates has invested over Dhs10m in support of wildlife conservation programmes, scientific research, and protection of this 225 square kilometre area.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, and also the Chairman of the Dubai Conservation Board, commented, “We are honoured that Al Maha and the DDCR have been held up internationally as a foremost example of sustainable tourism development at this prestigious conference. We are determined to preserve a balance between conservation and Dubai’s rapid urban expansion. Emirates and Al Maha have contributed enormously to ensure the management of conservation, research and tourism within the DDCR is at the highest international standards.”

Sheikh Ahmed added, “Much of the region’s natural resources, habitats and wildlife are under pressure; however, sustainable developments such as Al Maha offer the biggest opportunities to develop the tourism economy, while also protecting natural and historic heritage into the future.”

Since the opening of Al Maha in 1999, the successful re-introduction of the Arabian Oryx, Arabian Gazelle, Sand Gazelle and large-scale indigenous flora re-seeding programmes are just some of the major projects that have been delicately carried out in the DDCR. It is the only location within the UAE where visitors are able to experience completely free-roaming wildlife within their natural desert and dune surroundings.

The reserve is the most actively researched and carefully managed conservation area in the region. It is registered with the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), audited by UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and is a member of the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN). The DDCR has joined some of the world’s most treasured conservation areas, including such reserves as Yellowstone National Park in the USA and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Confirmed by scientific research, the environment and habitat within the DDCR has greatly improved from what it was ten years ago. Quite apart from the wildlife which has been reintroduced, many species that had disappeared from the area are now returning on their own accord.

The DDCR is segregated into four utilisation zones. In some areas, only researchers are allowed to enter on foot. In another zone a select number of safari operators – who worked closely with the reserve management to create a foremost example of sustainable desert tourism in the region – can conduct safaris for visitors, providing an experience of the desert and dunes, and its unique fauna and flora, and gaining a better understanding of Dubai’s conservation efforts.

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Gastro-tourism in Peru?

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There are already quite a number of theme tours in the category of cultural tourism; eco-tourism is a popular example.

The Peruvians, however, have come up with an unusual variation: gastronomical tourism. Gastronomical tourism will boost the country’s tourism sector, which is well-known for its archaeological and historical interest.

“The gastronomical tourism will be consolidated this year,” Peru’s Tourism Minister Martin Perez declared. “We could magnify it by linking archaeological (tourism) and historical tourism to gastronomy.”

Peru, whose cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world, is to invite tourists to taste the various Peruvian dishes apart from visiting the museums.

Though the Peruvian cuisine is acclaimed as being on a par with the French, Chinese and Indian cuisines, foreign visitors normally do not come to Peru to sample its cuisine.

The minister said that gourmet tourists increased by 25 percent in the past year despite the global economic crisis and the swine flu. In the past year, most foreign gourmets came from Chile, Ecuador and Colombia.

So the country is working out new strategies to benefit from this increased interest in food tourism.

Thanks to its pre-Inca and Inca heritages and its Spanish, African, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French and British immigrants, Peru’s cuisine combines the flavors of four continents.

The country now boasts more than 2,000 types of soups and more than 250 traditional desserts, apart from thousands of dishes.

Typical Peruvian dishes of anticuchos, ceviche, humitas and pachamanca are sure to eventually top taste lists of foreign gourmets.

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Australia’s Great South Coast Penguins to be conserved

A PROPOSAL to allow guided tours to the the penguin colony at London Bridge, between Peterborough and Port Campbell, has alarmed local wildlife conservationists.

They claim the beach is too dangerous and further interference with the birds could harm their sustainability.

Parks Victoria will outline the plan to invited stakeholders at a meeting in Colac on January 12.

The meeting was called to discuss environmental risks associated with the coastal area.

Peterborough wildlife carer Annie Fraser has snubbed the invitation and will boycott the meeting that she descibed as offensive and insulting.

“It is dishonest and unfair that other people of the local area are not given an opportunity to speak up,” the long-time wildlife shelter volunteer said in a letter to Parks Victoria .

“I want no part of your so-called workshop which has obviously been conjured up to appease a few locals at a venue completely unrelated and at a time completely impossible for most persons to attend.

“The fact that this is an area of ‘special protection’ points to the complete disregard of Parks Victoria for anything we may hold dear as Victorians.”

According to the meeting agenda the main aims are to identify environmental hazards, priority risks for management and incorporate the views of stakeholders.

Another local conservationist said the proposed beach tours were not necessary because the evening penguin procession could be seen adequately from a clifftop viewing platform about 50 metres from the colony of fairy penguins at London Bridge.

The idea for guided tours down the steep steps was put forward about five years ago by Bridgewater eco-tours operator Joe Austin.

Mr Austin told The Standard yesterday he had not been invited to the meeting and expected that if Parks Victoria approved the concept it would be put out to public tender.

“This has been dragging on and on,” he said.

“We had a meeting on the beach with Parks Victoria two or three years ago and we met department chiefs in Melbourne in late 2008.”

Mr Austin said his proposal was to have the steps upgraded and have a lockable trapdoor built for access to the beach.

“A qualified guide would accompany a small group of people down to the beach, who would sit quietly on the beach to watch the penguins waddle past back to their burrows at night,” he said.

“Availability would be seasonal, depending on the ocean conditions,” he told The Standard.

“Guided penguin tours would encourage more tourists to stay overnight in the area.”

Mr Austin said it used to be quite common several decades ago for local residents and tourists to climb down to the beach and watch the evening penguin procession.

“The only reason why they stopped it was because of foxes and silly idiots who used to poke sticks down the burrows,” he said.

Mr Austin holds qualifications in eco-tourism and has been running his Seals by the Sea tour business at Cape Bridgewater for 12 years.

Mrs Fraser said the London Bridge beach was dangerous and had unpredictable tides.

“Where is the public consultation,” Mrs Fraser asked yesterday.

“Why is there not a public meeting?”

Ecotourism in Korea’s DMZ?

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The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea�once described by Bill Clinton as �the scariest place on earth��is being promoted as an ecotourism destination.

Located an hour north of Seoul, the 249-kilometer (155-mile) long, 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) wide DMZ is known more for its armed soldiers, land mines and barbed wire than for being an oasis for rare flora and fauna. However, that is about to change.

Relatively untouched since 1953, when the two Koreas reached an armistice to halt the Korean War, the heavily fortified area is home to thousands of plant and animal species. As reported by The Guardian, environmentalists estimate there are at least 2,900 plant species, 70 mammals and 320 types of bird thriving in the area. There have also been unconfirmed sightings of rare tigers and leopards.

�The ecosystem in the DMZ is unique because it has been able to evolve over 56 years without human disturbance,� Kim Kwi Gon, professor of environmental planning and design at Seoul National University, told the Earth Times.

Kim is planning to undertake an ecological survey into the DMZ and hopes that the results will encourage the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to designate the zone as an official nature reserve by 2012.

Government authorities are also eager to rebrand the DMZ and promote it as a nature haven. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is collaborating with the Korea Tourism Organization to develop part of the buffer into a �Peace and Life Zone� (PLZ). The aim is to encourage peace and preserve the ecology, history and culture of the area while promoting tourist activities such as hiking. Because of high security and limited civilian access to the DMZ, independent tourists and tour groups will require permission from the Ministry of Defense.

Hall Healy, president of The DMZ Forum, a US-based non-governmental organization, argues that the untouched wetlands and ecosystems of the DMZ are a veritable gold mine. According to the Korea Society, he believes that if developed responsibly, the DMZ could provide Koreans with clean drinking water and trillions of won in revenue, as well as creating jobs in ecotourism, sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services.

While governments on both sides of the DMZ plan to develop designated border areas into a center for inter-Korean cooperation, international peace and ecological protection, it remains unknown how the project will affect tense relations between North and South Korea.

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Seven New Year’s Resolutions to help you go Green

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With the start of a new year comes hope and change and most importantly, opportunity. In reaction to such inspiring settings, most of us turn to the old pad and pen to set up our course for the next year. So, what is on your list?

As you start to compile your outline for the next 365 days, let us throw in our two, green cents. But this year, let’s do it a little differently. We are tackling the most common New Year’s resolutions and applying a little environmental know-how. You still get what you need while keeping Mother Nature in the mix.

Get the ball rolling (or dropping) and start by actually making your list:

1. Keep it real- Set the bar at an attainable height. You want the goals to stick, not just have the list stick to the fridge till 2011.
2. Be specific – Add details so you know what to expect and have a jump start on how to accomplish it.
3. Think tiny – Big goals are made up of a bunch of small ones, so start little and build up.

Resolution#1: More Family Time

According to About.com, “Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken and others shows that more than 50 percent of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year.”

Sounds good to us! But what to do with all that time…

The kids – Explore the great outdoors
To inspire an appreciation of nature, give your kids a chance to really explore it. Do some quick research to find out more about the environmental treasures in your own backyard.

Your significant other – Get up, get out and do something
Getting involved in your local community can be a fast, easy way to get connected. A simple trip to the farmers market can help sustain local growers, hook up with your neighbors and find some fresh, organic grub. Also, a Saturday of volunteering at your community garden can help you better understand the use for your own compost or those old tires you were storing in your backyard.

Parents – Food, glorious (organic) food
Mom and Dad probably prepared, literally, thousands of meals for you as a child. Repay them with a delicious family feast made from sustainably sourced ingredients. Sustainable Table has some great suggestions, or you can also whip up your mom’s favorite recipes using environmentally conscious ingredients like free-range eggs, locally raised bacon and organic fruit.
Resolution #2: Resurrect the Workout

Weight and overall health often take the top spot on the list of resolutions. In fact, diet and health awareness is growing now more than ever, and not just among adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006:

* 18 percent of adolescents age 12-19 years were overweight.
* 15 percent of children age 6-11 years were overweight.
* 11 percent of children age 2-5 years were overweight.

While motivation may be your biggest hurdle, starting with simple steps is both healthy and green. Though gym memberships can be convenient and provide an opportunity to meet people, adding up membership fees and the amount of energy it takes to power a 24-hour gym may be cause to reconsider your routine. Get back to the basics and try taking your activities outdoors:

* Take a jog around the neighborhood instead of on a treadmill.
* Swim laps in a community pool instead of using an elliptical machine.
* Lift yard waste in your garden instead of free weights in the gym.

Resolution #3: Kick the Nic

Maybe you tried last year, and the year before that…but if it didn’t stick, just try again.

For more motivation, let’s start with your wallet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S., cigarette smoking costs more than $193 billion annually. And smoking doesn’t just wreak havoc on you, secondhand smoke costs more than $10 billion in health care expenditures.

But what do cigarettes cost the planet? According to TreeHugger, “Each year, nearly 600 million trees are destroyed to provide fuel to dry tobacco. Put in another way, one tree is destroyed for every 300 cigarettes. Globally, tobacco curing requires 11.4 million tons of solid wood annually.”

But once the crop is stable, it takes quite a bit to keep it going. “Tobacco is a sensitive plant prone to many diseases. It therefore requires huge chemical inputs: up to 16 applications of pesticide are recommended during one three-month growing period.”

But the planetary harm of cigarettes doesn’t stop at production. One of the most environmental damaging results of the cigarette industry lies in the trash. During the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers collected 1,362,741 cigarette butts along U.S. coastlines.

Ready? Check out SmokeFee.gov for some helpful info.
Resolution #4: Balance Your Budget

Debt is on everyone’s mind nowadays, but where does the average consumer stand? According to Money-Zine. com:

* Consumer debt in 2009 now stands at $2.5 trillion.
* The average household in 2009 carried nearly $5,100 in credit card debt.

Many believe that balancing a budget and going green don’t exactly fit together, but the truth is, the two go hand-in- hand. Though many eco-luxuries may still be out of reach for most, many daily green activities can actually save you money. Check out our 8 Ways to Go Green and Save Hundreds and in just one year, you could save a minimum of $762.30! And this doesn’t even factor in the long-term savings.
Resolution #5: Up Your Volunteering Efforts

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, “About 61.8 million people, or 26.4 percent of the population, volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2007 and September 2008.” As those millions can tell you, volunteering is an excellent way to meet new people while benefiting your local community. Check out our 8 Ways to Get Involved as well as HelpOthers.org to find ways to get out there and get involved.

Already have a volunteering gig? Whether it is for an organization with an environmental focus or not, volunteering in general can be an eco-friendly experience. Here are a few things you can do to green the act of helping:

* Carpool with others from the same organization.
* Bring a stainless steel water bottle instead of a disposable plastic one.
* Set up a recycling system at the organization if one doesn’t already exist.
* If a recycling system cannot be put into place, collect papers, plastic bottles and cans and recycle them at home.

Resolution #6: Take a Load Off!

The American Psychological Association (APA) makes it crystal clear: Americans are too stressed. In fact, in a 2007 APA press release stated that “One-third of Americans are living with extreme stress, and nearly half of Americans (48 percent) believe that their stress has increased over the past five years.”

Although there are many ways to add relaxation to your list – yoga, mediation, organization – a good ol’ fashion vacation can often do the trick. While planning and saving for your next trip, keep in mind the keys to green traveling.

Eco-tourism is about respect for the environment. If you’re traveling by car, remember to reduce your potential waste by using reusable storage containers for travel snacks and other take-along items. And, for optimal gas mileage, ensure your vehicle is in tip-top shape before hitting the road, therefore reducing its environmental impact.

And for eco-centric locales, check out our list of top eco-destinations.
Resolution #7: Train Your Brain

Keeping the brain active and in shape is a daily need that can be accomplished in a ton of ways. If you’re looking to start off with a great read, William McDonough and Michael Braungart’s Cradle to Cradle is the ultimate in-depth look at the science and research behind some of the most innovative ideas in the sustainable scene. If you’re into the DIY movement, Lori Bongiorno’s Green, Greener, Greenest is chock full of tips for going green on any budget, schedule or lifestyle.

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