Ideal Bite

Earthwatch is another great way to contribute while you explore. http://www.earthwatch.org "The Earthwatch Institute engages people in scientific research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment". I've been a researcher who has had the pleasure of being in the field when an Earthwatch expedition was taking place and if you love to travel but don't like being a tourist this is a great way to go.

For Europe an amazing travel company is Un-Tours (www.untours.com). They give all profits to local people, have carbon offset options for the air travel, plus the most wonderful vacations I've evert taken. Reasonable prices too!

How funny. I just taught a lesson to my sixth grade students today on ecotourism. Aren't I timely?

As an alternative to eco-travel to far away places and for the more urban, my husband and I prefer trips to US cities where we can roam car-free. Last September we spent a week in Chicago and took a cab once to dinner. This fall we plan to stay in an historic hotel in downtown St. Louis and see the sites and the famous arch! and take in a Cardinals ball game in the downtown stadium...

Before I clicked on the link I thought to myself, "I wonder if it's Selva Bananito." And it totally was. I stayed there last summer after participating in a sea turtle conservation project further south. Selva Bananito was a beautiful break from the swampier area we had been in earlier and it was amazing how nice it could be and still be environmentally friendly. I'm looking forward to my next eco-tour. Thanks for the tips!

I'm really sorry you all had "EcoTour Directory" on your list - it's a newer website and not that creative. A much more comprehensive and fun directory can be found on http://www.Worldsurface.com, where travelers can submit photos, stories, find hundreds of sustainable tour operators, and rate the tours they go on. Check it out. In addition, see National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations website for a more strategic approach to travel - and additional resources: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable. Happy Trails!

I was curious as to whether anyone had advice for traveling with kids. I would love for my first family vacation to be an eco-friendly one. Any suggestions?

I visited the Amazon Rainforest on a field study and stayed at a great ecotourism lodge - Napo Wildlife Center (www.napowildlifecenter.com)in Anangu, Ecuador. NWC was started in partnership with Tropical Nature (www.tropicalnature.org). It is now 100% community owned and helps pay for conservation of 82 square miles of rainforest. Profits go to the Anangu community and are used mostly for education and health care. The facility, people and location are all incredible. Ali - www.dailytomorrow.com

What's the biggest challenge for anyone using alternative fuels? Obviously, where to fill it up! Here's a new service to help drivers who are going green, go the distance. Earthcomber, a wireless mobile information network, is launching today a free scanning service so travelers can spot alternative fuel at nearly 4,000 locations across the US. This means that anyone using a mobile phone, PDA, Blackberry, or iPhone can quickly determine at any point on their journey where the closest location is to get refueled. The list includes the following: * BioDiesel * E85 (Ethanol) * LPG (liquified petroleum gas) * CNG (compressed natural gas) * Hydrogen * Electric (hookups to recharge electric cars and hybrids) How to get it: go to http://mobile/earthcomer/com Earthcomber works with regular computers, BlackBerrys, web-enabled cell phones, iPhones, Palm and Windows Mobile devices. The alternative fuels are listed under the “Transport” menu. Earthcomber currently is popular with travelers for finding ATMs, restaurants, local events, churches, shopping, amusements and more. It also is a platform that users share to find special interest locations ranging from Frank Lloyd Wright buildings to movie locations to ghost towns. Because Earthcomber spots events and personal interests, it can be an easy navigation tool for eco-conscious individuals. It works with or without GPS, allowing people to set their location with an easy on-screen menu.

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