Upcoming Green Earth Guides from
North Atlantic Books
France is first! May 5th 2009
Green Earth Guide:
Traveling Naturally in France
PRE-ORDER at Amazon.com for only $10.17
Green Earth Guides to Traveling Naturally
It is possible to travel in an environmentally conscious and
economical way, making choices many of us make at home - eating organic and local (and even gluten-free) food from natural food stores and
local farms, opting for public transportation and lots of walking,
keeping the necessary stash of tote bags in day packs for shopping
bags, and hunting down second-hand stores and markets, which abound
throughout Europe. Alternative health options from practitioners to remedies are plentiful in Europe.
From the Whole View section:
It is important to offset the carbon footprints from air travel. The concept behind carbon offset programs is to make reparations for emissions that we generate daily, and also those we cannot reduce – like the impact of air travel. This usually involves paying, in the form of a donation or purchase, for offsets that a particular organization offers. Recently there has been an explosion of organizations and businesses that offer programs to offset carbon emissions.
Some of these organizations invest in renewable and energy efficiency programs, some in reforestation initiatives. Whether or not you contribute to these efforts while at home, it can be beneficial to do so when you are traveling by plane since calculations show that one transatlantic round trip flight generates over one to four tons of carbon dioxide per person.
Organizations that offer carbon offset programs include:
• Can Do Scotland works with the National Trust of Scotland to offset carbon emissions by focusing on native peat restoration projects where they conserve, restore and expand peat moorlands, a primary “sink” for carbon. Information at www.Cndoscotland.com/offset
• Carbon Fund puts donations towards efficiency and renewable energy, as well as reforestation programs. Carbon Fund estimates that an individual generates about 23 tons a year of carbon, which they calculate at an annual donation for their offset programs of $99 for an individual or $326 for a family. Information at www.Carbonfund.org.
• Sustainable Travel International offers information for travelers about eco-traveling tours and their carbon-offset program, “Green Class” which promotes renewable and energy efficient technologies in developing countries. They calculate one round trip flight from Boston to Zurich at 2.28 tons of carbon generated per person with an offset donation cost of $34.77. Information at www.sustainabletravelinternational.org
• Conservation International works around the world conserving biodiversity through rainforest preservation, conservation and reforestation programs. Their carbon calculator finds that an average individual generates 24 tons of carbon a year and their donation suggestion to offset that quantity is $240 a year. For an average American driver they suggest $50 a year to offset the emission effects. Information at www.conservation.org.
• NativeEnergy is focused on developing and supporting renewable energy projects particularly on Native American land, which includes the first large scale, Native owned and operated wind farm in South Dakota, as well as three wind projects in Alaskan native villages where NativeEnergy is working to decrease the reliance on diesel powered electricity. Information at www.nativeenergy.com
Global Warming Information & Resources:
Personal carbon calculators can be found at Earth Future – www.earthfuture.com/climate/calculators - a list of organizations and their websites from around the world that provide calculation services
http://www.lickglobalwarming.org/learn.cfm - Ben & Jerry’s, SaveOurEnvironment, and Dave Matthews Band
http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience - Background info on the movie: An Inconvenient Truth
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/default.asp - Global warming information from NRDC
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org - StopGlobalWarming.org
From Traveling Naturally in France
Eco-Transportation in Paris
Paris and Lyon have bike rental services. In Paris there are 750 “Velib” stations where bikes can be easily picked up or dropped off with 230 miles of bike lanes in the city. A day pass costs 1 Euro while a full year is 29 Euros and a 7-day pass is 5 euros – these prices are assuming you have any one bike for no more than 30 minutes. Additional charges apply per every extra 30 minutes you have the bike. For a one-year pass, apply online at www.velib.paris.fr (Choice of French, English and Spanish in upper right corner) for list of bike stations and one year pass. If you want a 1- or 7-day pass, have your credit card ready for one of the automatic ticket machines at the Velib stations. (All passes are subject to 150-euro refundable deposit.) Renters need to be 14 years or older and at least 5 feet tall. You need to have your own helmet.
If you want the same bike for an extended stay it may be less expensive to use the Velo-Rent-a-Bike with English website at : www.paris-velo-rent-a-bike.fr/index-gb.php
