Environmentally friendly travel

terracurve, the "sustainable travel network" is a great online resource for those looking for environmentally friendly travel destinations and options. You can read about eco news, culture, technology, and more - Asheville even gets recognized on the site as a eco-friendly city.

Most noteable though, is the section for Green Travel Tips. The most popular articles include:

-A New York Times interview with 'ecoprenuer' Dana Ghermine Mayer about green travel trends, where Mayer says eco-friendly travel is better for the world and less stressful for the individual.
-How to pack light enough to bring everything as a carry on, and avoid baggage fees when flying
-Responsible travel guidelines, including packing light, researching your destination, considering carbon offsets, walking or using public transit, support the local and regional economy, and so on.
-A great, brief explanation of Fair Trade (Fair Trade centers around both sustainable development and self-sufficient producers, recognizing hard-working farmers and workers in developing countries as well as the value of the product, establishing both environmental and labor standards.)
-Facts on green travel, and ways to achieve greener travel

These are just some of the many, but I hope they provide a starting point by hitting areas of interest to different people. For example, I was most interested in the Fair Trade article and the article about responsible travel. Someone else, however, might find the green travel ideas most interesting. Regardless, I hope there is something here for everyone- I really enjoyed stumbling across this site.

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Did you know? Carolina Mornings offers an eco-friendly certification program for our properties. These properties participate in the program, but many others also have green features.
In the office, we do our part by recycling everything (sometimes it looks like an aluminum can factory in the kitchen, when no one gets around to doing a recycle center trip), using a paperless Internet fax program, and taking part in Adopt-A-Highway for trash pickup. We're always looking for new ways to reduce our footprint.

Green Home Information Tour - Saturday, Aug 23

ECO (Environmental & Conservation Organization) of Western North Carolina has 5 homes to display during the 2008 Green Home Tour. This tour requires guests to drive themselves, but encourages carpooling by offering discounted tickets to those who will drive in a group of 3 or more.

You will view the homes and have the opportunity to meet owners and local eco builders. You will learn about green technology and how it saves energy and water (and as a bonus, saves you money!) and works with the natural environment.

The 5 homes include: garden watering with rain barrel technology, edible landscaping, salvaged wood for building materials, passive solar heating, radiant floor heating, a newly constructed home with the distinction as a Gold Certified Healthy Built home, energy efficient renovation, computerized energy consumption measurement, and more.

Details
Saturday, August 23
10 am - 4 pm
$15 per person, $13 if traveling in a group of 3 or more