Southernmost on the Beach, a luxury resort in Key West, Florida, embraces the latest in green technology, setting an example I’d like to see other hotels follow.

When we checked in, the front desk clerk explained one of the green features of our room — the keycard-activated electricity.  Right next to the door is the keycard slot pictured here.  In order to adjust your thermostat, you have to insert your key.  When you leave the room, remove your key, and the thermostat goes into “efficiency mode.”  It’s ridiculous for an air conditioner to work at full blast all day when most hotel guests aren’t in their rooms at all — this simple innovation is a major energy saver, and you get the added bonus of not losing your key somewhere in the room — it’s always right by the door for you.

I found several more green touches in the bathroom.  The complimentary toiletries are from the BeeKind line by Gilchrist & Soames — organic products packaged in eco-friendly paper bottles that reduce waste by up to 92% compared to hotel toiletries packaged in standard plastic bottles.

Southernmost on the Beach conserves water with dual-flush toilets in the guest rooms.  Most of the time, all you need is a light, low-water flush.  These commodes let you use only the water you need.  And of course, the towels are only replaced if you ask.

When a hotel embraces green policies and technology, that’s great for the environment, but it’s also great for the bottom line.  Saving energy and water means lower utility bills for the hotel — savings that they can pass on to guests with lower room rates.  Southernmost on the Beach is constantly updating its guest rooms and facilities to include more green innovations.  It’s a beautiful resort, and true friend of the environment.

Before I moved to Portland, I was wary of living in a big city, afraid it might be dirty and ugly.  Not Portland!  The city’s commitment to the environment is incredible, making Portland a beautiful place to live.  For example, Portland’s extensive public transit system is powered by biofuels, and the city is consistently ranked among the greenest cities in America.  Treehuggers like me can be proud to call Portland home.  Now, the City of Roses is about to get a little bit greener.

As part of a $135 million remodeling project, the 35-year old Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building in downtown Portland is getting some major updates, including a 250-foot vertical garden, or green wall, on the building’s west wall.  The goal of the remodeling is to create a “landmark high-performance building,” according to The U.S. General Services Administration.  The 18-story garden, in addition to being a unique attraction, would function to keep the building cool by shading the building from the sun’s most direct rays.

Architects and gardeners are still working out the details — what to plant and how to water, weed, and prune the garden — but while this might be the largest green wall project so far, it’s not the first time it’s ever been done.  Architects suggest that gardeners could care for the green wall the same way window washers clean the windows of the building, hoisted and lowered on platforms.

Other green updates to the building include elevators that generate electricity on their way down, smart lighting systems that adjust to daylight, solar fixtures on the roof, and a rainwater collection system to water the plants and flush toilets in the building.

The remodeling project is estimated to take about three years to complete.  When it’s done, this Portland federal building will have transformed from an aesthetically boring high rise to a Portland landmark and it will be yet another way Americans and American cities can look to Portland as an environmental leader.

When I’m home, I’ll be sure to document the progress of the renovations — I’m excited to see the finished product!

A new product from Simmons could help ease hotel visitors’ minds – if hotels actually buy them. So far, the EverNU zip-off mattress top has made it into a few hotels, like the Harrah’s hotel-casino chain, but more and more hotels are showing interest. At about 14% more expensive than standard issue hotel mattresses, the EverNU product is a major investment for a hotel to consider, and it’s not like these hotels have a lot of extra money to throw around while the economy sucks and no one’s traveling. But in the long run, these mattresses can easily pay for themselves and then some. How?

If the top of a bed is damaged or destroyed (try not to think about how), the hotel can simply zip the mattress top off and replace it with a new one, instead of replacing the whole bed – or heaven forbid, keeping the damaged bed in service. You don’t need a whole maintenance crew for that kind of switch, and the room won’t have to be out of service while waiting for the new bed to be installed. By replacing only the mattress tops, the hotels save money and reduce waste. The EverNU mattress is not billed as a green product, but anything that reduces waste is a step in the green direction. As hotels and consumers grow more eco-conscious, this is the kind of update that could score a hotel more customers.

The mattress tops can also be interchanged to suit the guests’ firmness preferences. It would be nice to have that kind of option on the road! When I get home from a hotel stay, it’s usually a few days before my back is happy again. If I could customize my hotel bed, this wouldn’t be such a problem. But most of all I like the idea that the EverNU beds would be cleaner than the beds in hotels now. One can hope that if it’s so much easier to change out a mattress, that hotels would do it more often – right?

So what do you think – will EverNU mattresses be a selling point for hotels?

Updates to the interior of the green plane will lighten the aircraft by up to 5 pounds per seat, increasing fuel efficiency and reducing waste.  The updates include:

• new InterfaceFLOR carpeting — a 100% recyclable carpet that can be installed in sections, reducing labor and materials required to replace carpet.  In most planes right now, there is just a single piece of carpet, which means a lot of time and effort to replace.  The new carpet can be easily replaced whenever necessary, and returned to the manufacturer for recycling when removed.
• two new kinds of seat covers — Southwest is testing e-Leather in its seats on one side of the aisle, and IZIT leather on the other side.  e-Leather is a man-made material composed of recycled materials that have been discarded by the leather industry, while IZIT leather is a premium leather-alternative.  Both are lightweight, eco-friendly materials that will reduce the weight of each seat by about 2 pounds.  My vote, as a vegetarian, is for the IZIT leather.
• canvas life vest pouch — Southwest replaced its metal life vest pouches with canvas ones on the green plane, resulting in a weight savings of one pound per seat, as well as significant space savings, allowing more room for carry-on luggage underneath each seat.
• foam fill — a lighter weight fill for the back of seats that will reduce seat weight while improving passenger comfort.
• aluminum passenger seat rub strips — I don’t know what a rub strip is, but the green plane has aluminum ones instead of plastic, which makes them more durable and recyclable, whatever they are.

The green plane officially became part of the Southwest fleet on October 21, 2009.  If you get to fly on it, you’ll be asked to fill out a survey to help the airline determine how the green improvements are working out.  I have a couple of Southwest flights coming up next month — maybe I’ll get to ride on the green plane!

Hopefully this environmental initiative will be a success, and we’ll all be flying on greener planes soon.

Watch the green plane makeover in action:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBlD4Q8edZk&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

I’ve always done my part to conserve soap by reusing my original bar while stashing all the new ones the housekeepers provide in my luggage, and then using them until they run out at home.  That’s one way to travel a little greener (and it will save you hundreds of cents on your annual soap budget).  Derreck Kayongo, a former refugee from Uganda, thinks there’s a better way to curb hotel waste.

Kayongo spearheaded The Global Soap Project in Atlanta, Georgia.  The project collects all those barely-used bars of soap from hotels, sterilizes and reshapes them, and then redistributes them to refugee camps in Africa.

Right now there are 40 Atlanta hotels participating in the project, including the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.  Both Kayongo and Ritz-Carlton manager Olivia Brown hope the project will grow.  Do your part by encouraging hotels you visit to participate in the initiative.

I have lots of friends headed to Atlanta this weekend for the Virginia Tech – Georgia Tech football showdown (LET’S GO HOKIES!), and I’m asking them to talk to their hotels about the Global Soap Project.  It cuts down on waste, it helps out people in need, and it’s great for PR — there’s no reason this project should only exist in Atlanta.  Hotels listen to their customers.  Start making some noise about this great project.

The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua

Hawaiians have an incredible reverence for nature that is absolutely contagious.  Many of the employees at Kapalua Resort, which includes the Kapalua Villas, Kapalua Luxury Homes, Ritz-Carlton Kapalua hotel, and the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences are Hawaiian born and raised.  These hosts are very enthusiastic about their history, and eager to share their knowledge with guests of all ages.

Touring the burial ground with Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Cultural Advisor Clifford Nae'ole; Photo by Julie Wolfson

It’s not just the locals who have this enthusiasm.  When the Ritz-Carlton first built at Kapalua, the company consulted with local cultural advisors.  When these advisors told Ritz-Carlton executives about the ancient Hawaiian burial ground on their planned property, building plans were modified to preserve this sacred ground.  Inside the hotel, the architecture and the decorations are as Hawaiian as they are posh.  The food in each of the hotel’s restaurants is distinctly Hawaiian, and most of the fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices are grown either right on the Ritz-Carlton property, or on nearby Kapalua Farms.  All of these things plus the Ritz-Carlton’s tremendous commitment to the Hawaiian culture and environment make this a luxury destination you can feel great about.

Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Pool

In fact, when you visit the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, environmental education will be part of your vacation when you participate in their Ambassadors of the Environment program.  Ambassadors of the Environment turns regular Hawaiian vacation activities like hiking, snorkeling, and whale watching into educational experiences that are fun and fascinating for all ages.  While I was there, I was lucky enough to take part in two of the Ambassadors programs.  First, I went on the Maunalei Magic Arboretum hike with naturalist Jaclyn.  This is an easy 2.5-mile hike into the Hawaiian rain forest, and Jaclyn was a very knowledgeable guide.  She showed us how a banyan tree’s roots create a natural trampoline (fun!), and she knew the history and traditional Hawaiian uses for every plant in the rain forest.  The views from the summit were incredible, and it’s impossible to leave a place like that without wanting to do more to preserve it and help the rain forest prosper — and that’s the point of these expeditions.  They take you out and let nature court you.  Jaclyn said that many of the kids that come to Maui have never played in the woods before.  They leave with a newfound love and respect for nature, and they then become ambassadors of the environment.

Here I am with fellow writers Annie Scott and Johnny Jet enjoying the banyan tree trampoline

The second program our group did was my favorite part of the Maui experience — Cities Under the Sea Underwater Photography.  I had never snorkeled before, and I didn’t know what to expect.  When I first tried on my snorkel mask, it was really uncomfortable and unnatural, and I didn’t think I’d be able to handle it, but as soon as my face was in the water, I was captivated, and I didn’t even have to think about the snorkel anymore.  I figured we’d get in the ocean and swim out somewhere far off shore where all the fish and other cool marine animals hang out, but in reality, you don’t have to go anywhere.  It’s all right beneath you as soon as you get in the water!  In just one hour of snorkeling, I saw a giant green sea turtle, more kinds of fish than I ever knew existed, a white tip shark (just a little guy, not dangerous), eels — literally, a city under the sea.  This time our naturalist guide was Linda.  She prepared us before we got in the water by telling us all the necessary safety information, but also told us great stories about the different things we’d be seeing so we knew what to look for.  My favorite were the butterfly fish — Linda said they mate for life, and if one gets caught, the other one will starve itself to death.  The cleaning stations were also very cool — little fish called doctor fish swim around the bigger fish literally cleaning them up.  The big fish will actually line up like they’re in a waiting room, waiting for the doctor fish to come around and fix them up.  It was so cool to see all of this in action!

This green sea turtle was one of the first things we saw on our snorkeling adventure.

One of the best parts of the Ambassadors of the Environment program is that the naturalists take photos for you — I took my own, but I’m not exactly a pro — and give you a CD at the end of your stay.  On the snorkeling trip, I brought back a lot of blurry pictures with fish swimming out of frame, but Linda got some amazing closeups of everything we saw that day.

A doctor fish doing his thing on a larger fish at a Kapalua Bay cleaning station

I didn't really think I was afraid of eels until I was face to face with this guy.

When you stay at a place like the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, and you see the beauty of Hawaii everywhere you go and in everything you do, that respect for culture and nature simply becomes a part of you.  You leave feeling relaxed, fulfilled, and wanting to make the world a better place.  What an incredible takeaway from a vacation.

The day we left Reno was scheduled to be our shortest drive of the trip — just over 3 hours to get to San Francisco.  At least, that was the plan.  There’s quite a bit of road construction on that stretch of I-80, so it ended up taking us a bit longer than we’d hoped.  Finding parking in San Francisco is a pretty stressful way to finish up a drive, too.  The city has great public transit — if you can get there without a car, do it.  Parking is super expensive anywhere you go, and the streets there are pretty hectic.  We paid $30 to park overnight, and I swore to myself it would be the last time I ever drove in that city.

I hope your brakes are in good shape.

Once we found parking, it was all uphill from there — quite literally, actually.  I’d heard about how hilly the city is, but until I saw it for myself, I never imagined just how steep these roads get.  Seriously, don’t drive here.  (Walking uphill is good for your butt anyway.  Everyone in this town has a great tush.)  But I digress — really, aside from the driving and parking, Jess and I both loved San Francisco.  Our first stop was the Green Tortoise Hostel, where we were spending the evening.

Before we even checked in, we were in love with the place.  A look at the hostel’s bulletin board packed with city info and activities in and out of the hostel told us this was our kind of place.  The place was packed with young people from all over the world.  The common room is a great place to make new friends and get new travel ideas.  At the hostel’s free dinner that evening, we talked with some other travelers who were passing through San Francisco from different directions and swapped stories and ideas for the cities on our various routes.  After dinner, the common room becomes party central — once a week they hold the Beer Olympics, other nights there’s live music and dancing, and other nights it’s just a place to chill out and bond with other travelers.

We loved everything about the Green Tortoise Hostel.  The rooms were clean and cozy, the bathrooms offered plenty of privacy, and the whole environment was really rad.  There’s a recycling bin in every room, and a compost bin in the kitchen — like the name implies, this place really is green.  The staff was super friendly and helpful, too.  We told the girl at the front desk, “We’re in San Francisco for ONE DAY.  What do we do?”  She helped us narrow it down and then showed us what public transit to use and how long we could expect everything to take.  Thanks to her assistance, we were able to squeeze in lots of sightseeing and souvenir shopping in our way too brief time in the bay area.

Fisherman’s Wharf is just about a 20-minute walk from the hostel, so we spent our afternoon there, among zillions of other tourists.  There’s store after store of cheap souvenirs, as well as some finer shopping, dining, and kids’ activities.  You could spend all day here, but if you just have an hour or two, be sure to poke your head into Chocolate Heaven.  Yum!

Before we left town the next day, we headed to the Castro.  It’s a fun neighborhood, and we wish we’d had more time to explore, but we did find a spectacular Indian restaurant — I heartily recommend Bombay Indian to anyone passing through.

We didn’t have time for much else in the city, and we were bummed we were going to have to leave without first seeing the Golden Gate Bridge up close.  We wanted more time at the Green Tortoise Hostel, too, and we both decided we’d come back within the year if at all possible.  Sad to leave, we did get one final treat on the way out of town.  Our gps took us out a different way than we’d come in, and this was our final glimpse of San Francisco:

I’ve already started to notice gas prices creeping their way back up from their sub-$2/gallon lows, and it makes me wonder just how much I’ll be paying to fill my tank this summer.  (In about three weeks, I’ll be setting off on a cross-country drive covering over 3,000 miles.  This has never been a more frightening question.)  Will airline fuel surcharges leap again?  I’m flying a lot this summer, too…

Average gas prices are up 10% over the past two weeks.  If this trend continues, it could be another painful summer at the pump, but experts say it won’t be like last year.  The main evidence for this theory is that oil demand is at its lowest since 1995, while supply is at its highest point in nearly 20 years — last year’s high prices forced many drivers to make permanent changes to their habits to save money.  While the demand continues to drop, prices should not rise as sharply as we saw last year.

Still, prices historically shoot up around Memorial Day, and remain somewhat inflated throughout the summer travel season, so travelers should brace themselves for some higher prices.  Gas probably won’t rise to $4 per gallon any time soon, but we can certainly expect it to remain above the $2 mark throughout summer.

If you’re renting a car during your travels this summer, ask about hybrids.  More rental agencies are offering these fuel-efficient vehicles, and if you can get one the next time you rent a car, I definitely recommend it.  I rented a Toyota Prius last week and was pleased to learn that this car really lives up to all its hype.  Not only did we average nearly 50 miles to the gallon (mostly freeway — it does even better in city driving), but this car was fun to drive, and has a surprising amount of trunk space, too.

Of course no one knows what gas prices will do this summer, but the good news is that it doesn’t look like they will climb to outrageous heights.  Still, it’s always a good idea to try to cut back on your fuel consumption no matter what the prices may be.  If you’ve adopted good, green habits into your regular routine, you should be able to apply them to your travel plans as well so that gas prices won’t cause any problems for you when you’re on the road.  Take advantage of mass transit whenever possible, and keep in mind that walking wherever you can is as good for your body as it is for the planet.

David de Rothschild with the Plastiki

De Rothschild, an avid environmentalist, has spent millions of dollars working on the Plastiki, a boat made almost entirely of plastic bottles and other recycled waste, and will soon set sail from San Francisco on a trip to raise awareness about the dangers of pollution and alternative uses for waste materials like plastic.  The boat has been three years in the making, and de Rothschild hopes to get started on his trip across the Pacific to Sydney, Australia, within the next couple of weeks.

Along his journey, de Rothschild will collect water samples and post blogs, photos, and videos from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a large patch of ocean northwest of Hawaii that is littered with tons of plastic caught in the region’s circulating water currents.  The pollution has been devastating to fish and seabirds in the area, and de Rothschild wants to call more global attention to this disgusting, disturbing problem.  Don’t be fooled by the term “patch” — this “plastic soup,” as the researcher who discovered it describes it, spans an area larger than the state of Texas.

De Rothschild says he is not trying to protest the use of plastic, but rather it’s non-reuse.  “I want the Plastiki to make a statement that it’s our lack of reuse, uses and disposal that it is at fault, not the material itself,” he explained.  He hopes that his journey not only raises awareness about pollution, but inspires people to recycle and reuse their waste materials.

The Plastiki itself will be a showcase of recycled and environmentally friendly materials.  Only about 10% of the boat will be made from new materials, while the majority of the Plastiki is comprised of thousands of plastic bottles and recycled PET, a woven plastic fabric.

Artist Rendering of the Plastiki -- www.adventureecology.com

A crew of six will join de Rothschild on the maiden voyage of the Plastiki, and the trip is estimated to take about 100 days from San Francisco, California to Sydney, Australia, with stops at Hawaii, Midway Island, Bikini Atoll, and Vanuatu along the way.

For more information about the Plastiki, and to follow along with its journey once it sets sail, check out de Rothschild’s website, Adventure Ecology.  Here’s a sneak peek video from de Rothschild:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDWzb-iKZE8[/youtube]

One of my favorite things about Portland, and specifically about my own place in the southeast quadrant, is how walkable everything is.  I don’t have a car here and I don’t miss it, either.  Everything I really need is within a fifteen minute walk or so, including so many great restaurants that I could eat a different kind of meal every day for a year and still not try everything.  So I was not at all surprised when my address scored a 91 out of 100 for its Walk Score.  (My old address got a pathetic 2.)

The Walk Score website is a great tool if you’re thinking about moving (or if you’re just curious and like to look at statistics like I do).  It can help you determine how walkable your new neighborhood is, and what kinds of conveniences are within walking distance.  Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in America’s 40 largest cities, but you can type in any address to get a Walk Score.  Anything with a Walk Score of 90 or higher is considered a “Walker’s Paradise,” with 138 neighborhoods making the list.  Unsurprisingly, many are in New York City, where having a car is more of a hassle than a convenience, but you don’t have to live in the Big Apple to walk wherever you go.  Other pedestrian-friendly cities include San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Chicago, Kansas City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Boston, Sacramento, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Denver, Atlanta, and of course my beloved Rose City.

Walking and walkability aren’t just good for your health, they’re good for the community.  Of course it’s good for the environment to limit your driving, but walkable neighborhoods are great for local businesses, too.  A diverse local economy is fun for residents, as well.  There are so many little shops in my Portland neighborhood that would never succeed if people had to drive to get there, but for those of us who walk by every day, it’s great to duck inside and check out whatever they have to offer.  Hey, I’m saving money on gas, right?  I think that justifies a little time in the boutiques!  Plus, getting out and walking encourages more social interaction between you and your neighbors.  If you prefer to be anti-social, just wear some headphones.

The Walk Score website is a very fun tool, full of useful information.  Get your own walk score, use it to find better places to live, and browse the website for ideas to help make your neighborhood more pedestrian-friendly.

Would you walk more if it were more convenient?