Last week I went skiing in beautiful Lake Tahoe. And after reading a good chunk of global warming research last year, I took great joy (I mean, more than usual) in spending a week outside, surrounded by snow. It was just plain fun, totally rejuvenating.
It's great to see the National Ski Areas Association working toward making sure we can all continue shoop-shooping for years to come. Check out its Sustainable Slopes environmental charter. Tons of major ski areas have signed on, including one of my favorite little gems, Mt. Rose.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to indulge in a little après work cocktail...
Never was this more apparent than when I learned about the California Coaster. For those who don't know, the California Coaster is a train that runs between San Diego and Oceanside, CA. Back in my mid-20s, I lived in LA for a couple of years and used to drive down to San Diego quite often to visit my family. During that drive, I often saw quaint, cute little signs for "Coaster." For whatever reason, I never really paid attention to where I saw the signs, I just remember noticing them and thinking: "Huh. Weird name for a town."
It took many years, and many, many trips before it occurred to me that the "town" of Coaster , CA, seemed to span many, many miles between OC and SD. Thus, one day, I arrived in San Diego and asked my sister-in-law what the deal with Coaster was and why there were so many exits to get to it.
Needless to say, Krista laughed at me.
Next time I need to get up the coast from SD? I'm heading to Coaster, CA.
-Heather...off to revel in the fact that I am not traveling during the holidays for the first time in 17 years...
What's the D? I admit that it's a perhaps sad point of pride that I can pack a month's necessities in a day pack and tidy carry on while maintaining a certain element of luxury and comfort in transit. But the fact is that less stuff, better stuff is an important aspect of living a greener life, and it absolutely translates to travel gear, whether you consider yourself jet-set or not. Bring clothes and shoes that go everywhere, a few hair pins to wrangle errant locks of hair, and figure out how to access travel info you need online at your hotel.
You'll suddenly have room for all kinds of little items that will truly ease the stress of your journey - a 2-oz lavender-geranium beeswax travel candle, for example.
Have any personal travel essentials you want to share? Tell us in the blog - and safe holiday travels!
-Jenifer Morgan...off to avoid claiming my baggage in public...
As the video we included in today's Personally Speaking points out, offsetting alone isn't the end all be all solution to our global-warming problems, but it's a start, and it sure feels good.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to walk past people driving around in circles...
I thought it was kind of sad that there were no National Park Service sites of any kind in DE (no national cemetery, no national battlefield, no nothing). So I figured at the very least the state deserved its own blog entry, but I didn't know what to write about.
Well, guess what? One of our newest team members, Carleigh Bell (photos to come), was actually born in Delaware. (I know, I was like "What?!") And she's here to inform the world that Delaware does have parks - state parks - and some very nice ones at that, thank you very much. She recommends Cape Henlopen, where she spent many summers growing up.
Which brings me to my next point - even if you haven't got a national park near you, there are plenty of state and regional parks that are absolutely worth a visit. So go!
-Toshio...off to hum "Bohemian Rhapsody"...
The bathroom has taken shape as my own little spa, my own little sanctuary. A few candles, a few rubber duckies (when better company can't be found), and some bath salts set me right every time. My faves: Lush Ne Worry Pas bath bomb (leaves skin supersoft), Aveda Soothing Aqua Therapy (seriously relaxes muscles), and Baththerapy Natural Mineral Bath (which you can sometimes find in bulk at Whole Foods). If you can't make it to an eco-spa-create one of your own!
- Jenifer Morgan... off to test the waters...
None of us here at The Bite has ever done a true house swap (mainly because until recently, we didn't have houses where the landlord wouldn't go off his rocker over strangers in the place). Having rented other houses while traveling, however, I can attest to the fact that a vacation - particularly an international one - is just so much better in a home.
My personal favorite? Villa Marisa on the Amalfi Coast. It was on the western side of the Sorrento peninsula, with views of the Bay of Naples, Ischia, Capri and Vesuvius. We watched the sunset nightly on the rooftop, sipping wines from Campania. Sure, Pompeii was rockin'. Sure, Positano was filled with people too beautiful to describe. Sure, driving in Naples was like playing a video game, dodging dodgy pedestrians and mangy dogs... but the best part of that whole trip were the times at the house, living like a local, cooking and chatting and laughing.
-Heather... off to see how much vacation I have accrued...
Check it out, and if you have any eco-lodge recommendations, sound off in the comments.
- Toshio...off to plan my next vacation...
I'm the type of person who always has to check luggage, even if I'll only be gone for the weekend and it's summer (meaning no heavy, ungainly coats to stuff into my bags).
Have any of you seen the Martha Stewart episode where Martha packs her suitcase? The woman's got talent. Somehow, she's able to fit about a month's worth of clothes and toiletries into a regular-sized piece of luggage. Amazing.
I'm headed back to Orange County for a long weekend for my sister's graduation in a couple weeks, and I'd love to be able to carry on. To all the master luggage-packers out there: got any tips for me?
-Toshio...off to see how much stuff I can fit in my backpack...
A few years back, there was a commercial (I think it's for auto insurance or something) where George Hamilton-ish guy talked about how he was a celebrity and everyone treated him
specially because of it.
The point of the commercial was that EVERYONE gets treated the same way - celebrity or not - by that company. (Sad for the company that I can't remember what it was - not the best branding...)
Well, that guy is me when I stay at hotels.
I LOVE hotels. Even when traveling on business, I still get to my room and look through all the bath products, check out the minibar, explore the in-demand movie options... Once you've done a ton of business traveling, you realize it's the same - night in, night out. But I always show up, put on the big fluffy robe and traipse around as though I own the place (or at least my little box within the place). I eat my pillow-chocolates and order the four-hundred-thousand-dollar oatmeal for breakfast.
And yes, for the past few years, I've actually hung up my towels and requested that housekeeping doesn't change out my sheets. Just because I'm fabulously famous (in my mind) and HAVE a maid (for a few minutes each morning) doesn't mean that I need to act like I do...
-Heather... off to do some birthday yoga...
Lo and behold, a little research paid off, and fact is... it IS better to "go before you go."
Of course, don't be stupid - bladder infections... all pain and antibiotics - aren't so great for the environment either. So don't hold it unnecessarily. But on that DC to NYC or LA to SF run...
Spend your pennies before you fly.
-Heather... off to buy a plane ticket...
The only car service I can remember using is the limo we rented for high school prom, and I'm one year shy of being legal to rent a vehicle, but since moving to San Francisco one of my guiltiest pleasures has been taking taxis everywhere I go. This in spite of the fact that the city's got phenomenal public transportation, and you gotta pay almost three bucks just to step into a cab (that's where the meter starts). It's a total splurge expense, but whether I'm coming home with four too many pints of Anchor Steam in my stomach or exhausted post-yoga, since giving up my car in November, taxi rides are one of my deepest, darkest eco-inefficient secrets. Luckily, in town we've got quite a few Ford Escape hybrid taxis roaming around and more are being added to the local fleets all the time, so my guilty pleasure doesn't have to be so guilty.
-Toshio... off to hail a cab to dinner and a movie (Reno 911!: Miami)...
You want to know the best way to cut carbons where they count?
Take the MyFootprint.org quiz which will tell you how many planets we would need if the rest of the world's population lived as you do, then do the analysis to see where you racked up the most points (this cool tool lets you know how).
Share your score with other Biters, here. (Come on, I will tell you my score if you tell us yours! Mine is 4.6 Planets. I need to cut down on air travel for the biggest impact to my score. But I can't, so I will make sure to buy offsets for those flights instead.)
Off to talk to Billy at Native Energy about getting some offsets for all of us at the Bite - and even our subscribers, just for signing up... Jen
PS: we were interviewed on a TreeHugger radio spot for exactly this notion... some of our compadres have some interesting thoughts on cutting carbons and New Year's resolutions in general...
TreeHugger Radio 14: New Year’s Edition
As we step into double-0 seven, TreeHugger Radio has asked some of the brightest stars in the green blogosphere about their resolutions for the New Year. We queried Heather Stephenson and Jen Boulden, creators of Ideal Bite; consultant and brainy green hottie Summer Rayne Oakes; Ben Jervey, founder of The Big Green Apple; designer, architecture student, and Inhabitat creator Jill Fehrenbacher; green business guru Joel Makower; and TreeHugger writer Jacob Gordon. Resolutions range from reading more books to eating less meat, from pushing green design to watching Wal-Mart. ::TreeHugger Radio (listen)
You know, at the Bite we try to give you a fresh, sometimes funny perspective and dialog into what we call "light green living" (ie: keep it real, treehuggers - no one is perfect.)
And there are certainly enough enviro non profs that will give you sample letters to Senators and such, but the team really felt that this issue was such a no brainer, that stodgy big utility companies really needed a wakeup call, and maybe a letter coming from you - not generated by an automated email system, will start to get the message heard.
Here's to a powerful, green, prosperous, balanced and alt-energy filled 2007! - Jen
SAMPLE LETTER:
To Whom It May Concern,
I recently learned about green power through an Ideal Bite Daily Tip. Some energy providers offer options such as solar and wind power to their subscribers. My question to you is, do you have plans to make these kinds of options available locally?
You're probably aware that conventional power plants (such as coal) are responsible for more air pollution than any other source in the US. An EPA study released in 2004 concluded that 22,000 deaths could be prevented each year if more utilities took advantage of available new technologies in place of coal.
From a financial standpoint, it seems like it would make sense for utility companies as well - just consider that some of the nation's largest companies (like FedEx Kinko's, HSBC Bank and Kohl's) are already purchasing green power. More businesses (and residential customers like me) are sure to follow.
Please let me know if plans are in the works!
Eagerly awaiting your response,
[Your John Hancock]
A few years back, I was lucky enough to stay at Sun Dance, which I really believed had Robert Redford's touch on everything.
It just seemed like we were in some movie set where everything was at once rustic yet perfect in the same breath. I was with one my exes (this one I have been thinking about a lot lately as this time last year his girlfriend hacked into his computer and wrote to me, using his email and acting like it was him, telling me that we can't ever be in touch ever again.)
Anyway, I was with this ex, and he knew Robert Redford from some Sundance TV stuff he had worked on. So we got styled. Rode horses, made soap, and ate like Kings and Queens. It was there in that gorgeous cabin the sweetly straddled a creek that I discovered Natural Home & Garden, one of my favorite magazines.
As lovely as this all sounds, it was on this trip that I realized the ex was kind of a "woe-is-me" kind of person. He found things to complain about... there! And although the trip was amazing, it was maybe when things started to go downhill. Ew, bad pun.
This year I am excited to get to know the slopes that are literally 15 minutes from my front door, Bridger Bowl. I might even try to snowboard, as I am really into trying new things lately (you know when you go through stages for trying new things? I am in one so I need to optimize it.)
Off to get my season ski pass and my favorite hangover helper (holiday party last night where I had too much wine and not enough food!) : greasy egg sandwhich, coming up... Jen
Would love to pretend I just pulled that Napoleon Dynamite quote out of thin air, but in reality, I'm stealing it from a friend who used it recently to reference the new challenges in air travel.
And challenging, it is. Today's tip actually bumped an earlier scheduled tip on great eco-travel items to take on flights: essential oils (nope), luscious tubes of lotion (not on your life), SIGG water bottles (uh-uh), and eye drops (no way).
Of course, I understand completely the need for the new regs. We'd all rather be dehydrated than the alternative.
But really... how am I supposed to rehydrate myself after I drink all those little teeny bottles of wine during my flight to Italy next month?
-Heather... off to draw a picture of a Liger...
When I first entered business school, I intended to concentrate in eco-tourism. See, I had this business plan for an Eco-Ranch, and I concocted the whole notion while in Ireland running an equestrian center, feeling so good to be using my body again and getting my hands dirty, after 4 years in NYC startups / 70-hour-office-job-weeks.
Therefore, once in grad school in DC, I networked in with all the eco-tourism players that be, and before I knew it, I was off to an eco-lodge in Costa Rica to consult.
Now, did this place offer massage, water with cucumbers, or pedicures? Absolutely not. But did my body-mind-spirit feel amazing after returning? Absolutely.
My butt was massaged with the amazing horse back ride, my 
arms were massaged with white water rapids, my legs by climbing trees on a pulley, my spirit soured through the trees on a zip line, my soul melted with the squirrel that had breakfast on my shoulder each morning, and my mind was calmed with the crazy hospitality of our host.
If you want to visit Selva Bananito, let me know, and I will ask the owner to get you all set up. (Here are the full set of photos.)
Off to dream of foreign lands and warm weather.. Jen
But I do like my cities. And I should hope so - I've lived in enough of them. In the past 10 years, I've lived in 5 different cities, so here's my own little rundown of my big 5:
Washington, DC (91-96) - OK, so it was college and grad school. I don't remember worrying about whether or not I had easy access to recycling. I do remember being shocked at how green and waxy the city was, though.
San Francisco (96-98) - This is the only one that can rival New York for me. On my 30th birthday (singing karaoke in NYC), a friend sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" to me, and it's true. I love that town. The fact that it ranks high on every possible green scale doesn't hurt a bit.
Los Angeles (98-2000) - While the city - with its complete dependency on cars and concrete slabs everywhere - isn't the best in the green department, I can say this: when I looked out at the apartment recycling area, homeless people would be sorting it all and taking it in.
London (2000-2002) - A true, true gem of a city - the entire town seems to be a dripping green park and windows with flowerboxes. Of course, if you want to continue to feel like you are in the cleanest city on earth, you should never blow your nose after a day of riding the Tube. Can anyone tell me what that black gunk is?
New York (2002-2006) - The City that Never Sleeps also seems to have a hard time with trash collection, but I can forgive them that, since I never have to drive a car, and I can get organic anything at my corner deli.
Does your town support your own green lifestyle?
-Heather... off to get organic milk for my fair trade coffee...
By the end of the afternoon, a few people in our group all decided we were going to do a longer run - the hardest of the day. It didn't occur to me that doing the hardest run at the end of the day was a dumb idea. I was apprehensive, but enthusiastic, and lifted up to the top of the mountain with excitement tempered by a little trepidation.
About halfway down the second really challenging face, I bit it. Wiped out spectacularly. Got up. Went a few more turns. Blew out again. By the time I got up again, my quads were pumping up and down like a sewing machine needle and I couldn't get my legs to move in the right direction. Up, turn, phew!, turn, wipeout. Up, turn, wipeout. All in all, at some point, after at least ten more tumbles, I found myself in the middle of the mountain, skis off, heels dug into the snow to keep me from sliding the rest of the way down the face, waiting for the St. Bernard sled dog from the cartoons to make his way to rescue me, hot whiskey in a little barrel on his throat.
God bless No Name instructor, waiting at the bottom of that particular part of the run, patiently waiting for me to make my way down the hill. By the time I got to the bottom (um, about 45 minutes later) - I had a complete Stockholm Sydrome-esque crush on him. It was his fault that I was beyond terrified, but I wouldn't leave his side, since I was certain he was the only person who would ever be able to save me from that beast of a mountain.
Severe attachment to No Name Boy aside, the decadence of the week overwhelmed me a bit. I've been lucky - in my later-age adoption of skiing - to have skied in some truly incredible places. But the energy use, product waste and unnecessary decadence of it all strikes me to this day as silly. So - seriously: check out green slopes, steer clear of chemical Thermacare heating pads (which burn the slope faces with their caustic innards) by using natural ones, and make sure you help up the stranded girls with their heels dug in the snow (like the nice guy from Brooklyn who eventually stopped easily, picked me up and helped me get my skis back on).
And if you can find a hot little ski instructor to take you hostage, all the better.
-Heather... off to bemoan the fact that I have no ski trips planned this year...
Coming back from grabbing an early morning cappuccino in the bracing Brooklyn wind, I just dropped my iPod in spectacular fashion.
So far, so good, as it seems to work still.
But in the mad panic that ensued while I was unsure about whether or not it survived its tumble, something became quite clear to me: I am an iPod addict.
I mean, I am fairly certain that most normal people can handle a 5-minute walk down the street without needing a soundtrack to be playing in the background. But not me. I feel weird when I head to the subway WITH someone and thus have to forego my iPod. While we sit or stand on the train, talking, I have a little bitterness that I can't put my buds in my ears - that there is no music providing the backdrop to the rocking of the train.
I'm pretty sure this is not healthy. In fact, maybe I need to go on one of those intervention reality shows to wean myself off my addiction. I can see it now: crying friends, explaining to me how they felt unloved while I "tuned" out, neighbors articulating how I have destroyed our relationships - strutting down the street, completely missing their pleasant greetings, family members waxing nostaligic about the "Old Technophobe Heather" who couldn't even figure out how to make her Walkman work correctly...
Oh, that wily Steve Jobs. He's my pusher.
-Heather... off to back up all my digital music in case the blasted thing really broke...
HI, I'm Jen Nash. Jen Boulden's NYC doppelganger, and yes at parties we alway introduce each other by saying: "Hi, I'm Jen and this is my other friend Jen." People immediately know just how dorky were are...but it still makes me laugh. (Newhart reference for those who missed it.)
Anyway, a bundle of years ago I met an investment banker who biked all over Manhattan. Suit. Tie. $500 shoes. He didn't care. He love the exercise. The speed. The ecofriendlyness. And I guess he liked showing up sweaty for meetings too. Anyway, I was so inspired by him I bought a $50.00 bike. Then I bought a $60.00 lock / chain combo, and to please my mom a bright yellow helmet. (See I told you I was dorky.) From that day on, I was a total addict. I'd bike to first dates. I'd bike to work. I'd bike to meetings. I'd bike for fun. For errands. And above all, because it sure beat walking. Don't get me wrong, if it was a 5 mile ride and I was wearing a long white skirt, I'd cheat by biking to the nearest subway and hopping that. But generally speaking, I was very committed to bike as often as I could. But still, some sacrifices were made. I did end up with grease marks on the long white skirt. I missed out on countless 'back of the cab' make-out sessions cause I had to bike home at the endof a date. I flipped over the handle bars at four am, and the bike had to be carried a few blocks till aburly trash guy twisted the handle bars back into place. And of course there's the time I was on my way to a job interview in Tribecca. I had biked over to the West Side Highway, cause that's usually a very peaceful, casual bikeride, when I decided to make a quick phone call. I was only on my cell a minute or two when out of nowhere came a huge Hasidic family. I squeezed the breaks with one hand (yes, yes shame on me for not wearing a headset) but that was ineffective as I was riding a $50 bike that was about 20 years old. So instead of taking out the three year old in the pack, I flung myself to the ground.
Now my knee was bleeding. My favorite jeans were ripped and I'm about to be late. So of course I finish the 3 miles down to Varick Street, stapled my jeans together-for that uber cool downtown chic look and worked the interview like a pro. (Yes, despite the blood stain, I got the gig.) Needless to say to this day I have a scar the size of two quarters on my knee that reads: DO NOT BIKE AND TALK ON THE PHONE. So yeah, I totally love eco-friendly, public transportation.
- Jen Nash
I have always had a passion for what is now known as ecotourism -- the whole Disney World thing is not my type of vacation just because it would stress me out having to find parking, wait in lines, wonder if the 3 lbs of funnel cake would come back up while on some Lost Mountain ride.
I prefer going some where to connect with nature. That is the only way I fully decompress.
Anyway, I put up some photos of my trip to a Costa Rican ecolodge with little explanations of each shot. http://www.jenniferboulden.com/journal2.asp
Honestly, ecotourism is more than a buzz word... it is a way to come back from vacation with more than a hangover and 5 extra pounds.
Pura Vida, Jen
You know that commercial (I think it's for auto insurance or something) where the guy talks about how he's a celebrity and everyone treats him specially because of it? The point of the commercial is that EVERYONE gets treated the same way - celebrity or not - by that company. (Sad for the company that I can't remember what it was -not the best branding, eh?)
Well, that guy is me when I stay at hotels.
I LOVE hotels. Even when I'm traveling a ton on business, I still get that silly thrill at checking into a hotel. I get to my room and look through all the bath products, check out the minibar, explore the in-demand movie options...
I have no idea why I'm so in love with staying in hotels. Once you've done a ton of business traveling, you realize it's the same - night in, night out. But I always show up, put on the big fluffy robe and traipse around as though I owned the place (or at least my little box within the place). I eat my pillow-chocolates and order the four-hundred-thousand-dollar oatmeal for breakfast.
And yes, for the past few years, I've actually hung up my towels and requested that housekeeping doesn't change out my sheets. Just because I'm fabulously famous (in my mind) and HAVE a maid (for a few minutes each morning) doesn't mean that I need to act like I do...
-Heather... off to plan fantastic travels that I won't be taking for a while...
My dad is a pilot. While growing up, and still considered a dependent (as if I am not one now, but that is a different story), I was known for jetting off everywhere at moment's notice. And why wouldn't I? It was free. For example, I flew to Hawaii for three days on college fall break in pursuit of winning the affection of my cooler-than-school surfer boyfriend. And now� well now, I live in Montana. I moved here to help ME become more 'sustainable' - as the energy of the city combined with my natural energy really just whipped my adrenalin levels into a frenzy. Although that was fun, it couldn't last, and neither could my health in the long term. So now I sit writing on top of a mountain in the town of McAllister, only known as a town due to the presence of the 'Bear Claw' bar and post office that closes for lunch.
Although it's a dreamy existence, it does get lonely. You can only talk to cows, horses, and The Cricket (my pup) for so long and not be hurting for more a meaningful response than a whinny or some bad gas. So, I am a sucker for cheap flights back East to see my friends and family, and to attend all the open-bar gala weddings where I change out of my Carharts for a full-length dress. Plus, I consult for businesses all over the United States to help make them become more sustainable (environmentally, socially, and economically), so plane travel is just a fact of life.
However, when working with a client that provides a mechanism to offset air travel emissions (myclimate), I realized that I was this huge hypocrite environmentalist. Turns out that each time you fly, your portion of the flight contributes an average of nearly a ton of carbon dioxide pollution. (Carbon dioxide is a prime component of climate change.) So, unless we are all planning for beachfront property in Iowa, this is probably not a good thing.
To get the full scoop on just how hypocritical I was being (or maybe to find out that all my other, greener ways would balance out my environmental indiscretions), I took this quiz, called My FootPrint, which tells you just how many planets we would need if everyone on the planet lived like you do. I was excited to see my results -- I guess getting a little high on my green horse. I don't eat meat; I recycle; I drive a 33 mpg Dodge Neon only when horseback won't get me there; I don't even have to chose between paper or plastic because I bring my own (hemp!) bag to the supermarket. I welcomed the opportunity to assess my ecological footprint (bring it on!).
The results are displayed like this: "if everyone lived like you, we would need __ planets." My score, in large thanks to air travel, is 3.9 planets! I found a shallow 'victory' for at least coming in below the average ecological footprint in the US: 6 planets.
Beyond this pointing to the fact that we can't smooth out the world's inequalities by making the poor much richer (because if everybody lived like the average American it really would take 6 planets to meet all our needs), it told me that we all have to find a big bang for the buck way to travel in class� green class. So, now I am committed to offsetting my air travel emissions (what? You thought I would miss your open bar gala-esque wedding? Ha!). Emission offsetting means that you purchase a corresponding number of trees or clean energy credits to neutralize your carbon contribution from your flight. Below are some good resources to do this.
Some Green Air Travel Tips:
Purchase wind certificates. Organizations such as Native Energy, allow customers to both calculate and purchase certificates (sometimes known as green tags) to offset emissions caused by automobile or air travel. (I personally like this one because it helps Native American tribes as well.)
The Better World Club, an eco-oriented auto club, offers free carbon offsets on two domestic and one international flight each year to members who book plane tickets through its in-house travel agency. Nonmembers worldwide can purchase offsets-$11 for a domestic flight and $22 for an international flight.
Plant trees. The United Kingdom-based Future Forests, plants trees in more than 80 forests throughout the world. A global flight calculator determines how many trees you need to plant to offset a flight - two trees, for example, for a New York-to-London round trip, or $30�as a part of the CarbonNeutral flight program.
Well, I'm off to ponder the climate change effect of bovine flatulence.
Cheers, Jen
PHOTO ALBUMS
