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Kids Fly Free On Carbon Neutral Costa Rican Airline

June 26, 2009 at 10:17 AM | 0 Comments

If you thought Costa Rica was just for hippie backpackers and torturing Spiedi, you should know that tourism companies are now pushing the eco-friendly destination as a family-friendly trip.

To back this up, Costa Rica's domestic carrier NatureAir is offering a sweet deal for those with little ones: free flights for children. Now through the end of August, kids up to 11 years old can fly free on all NatureAir flights within Costa Rica. Unfortunately, the offer doesn't apply to Jon and Kate-sized families—you only get one free child's ticket for every two adult seats purchased. Still, free is free.

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When In Venice, Don't Forget To Drink The Water

June 19, 2009 at 11:27 AM | 0 Comments

Nowhere is the saying "In Vino Veritas"—or "there is truth in wine"—more fitting than in Venice. If you aren't sweating buckets while lugging a giant camera around the dank city in the summer heat, then you're left to pondering the murky canals and their plague-ridden history. Best to order wine at dinner then, right?

Wrong. If there's one thing Italians love just as much as wine, it's their Acqua Minerale and Naturale, and since they are one of the top consumers of water in the world (at 40 gallons per person annually), it makes sense to give their own tap a hearty rebranding.

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Air New Zealand Sends Its Biofuel Jumbo Jet to the Wreckers

June 8, 2009 at 9:17 AM | 0 Comments

Usually Air New Zealand is pretty eager to share its wacky promotions and latest news, but this time not so much. Remember when they were all proud about their biofuel test flight? Well, it must not have worked out that well, since they are preparing to send the plane used for it to the scrap yard.

The poor plane headed for an early retirement is a Boeing 747-400 named The Bay of Islands, and has been flying for almost twenty years. After the fancy fuel test last December, the bird sat unused and unloved while looking for a new buyer, but there were unfortunately no takers. In this economy, when it’s hard enough to fill up the average flight with passengers, it’s even harder to fill a jumbo jet.

This 747 started its life flying for Cathay Pacific after being leased from Air New Zealand, but now it will take one last flight towards its final destination. An official resting place hasn't been finalized, as a couple parties are still working out the details regarding who will disassemble it. The dismantling company will sell off all the good parts like the electronic components, and most of the body will be recycled. Too bad, we'll just have to stick to buying carbon offsets for now.

Related Stories:
·First 747-400 Heads For Wrecker [Stuff.co.nz]
·A New Paint Job for Air New Zealand...Body Paint [Jaunted]
·Airline News coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Another 747: Eduardo O.]

The City of Ghent is Becoming a Part-Time Vegetarian

May 26, 2009 at 10:23 AM | 1 Comment

Locales from Philly to Dubai are racing to attract the eco-conscious set by touting their environmentally-friendly eating, sleeping, shopping and transportation options, but Ghent, Belgium just took it to another level by becoming the first city go all-vegetarian once a week.

The picturesque Flemish town—best known for its medieval castles and cathedrals—has declared every Thursday a veggiedag (veggie day), when all residents and visitors are encouraged to go without meat in a nod to the overwhelming amount of greenhouse gasses emitted by livestock.

There won't be any bacon police roaming the streets (at least not yet), but government employees and politicians have agreed to abide by the meatless decree, and schoolchildren will be brought into the fold as well. The city is currently printing 90,000 "veggie street maps" to guide people towards vegetarian eateries.

Sounds like a great idea to us, and totally doable—as long as chocolate and beer are still allowed.

Related Stories:
· Belgian city plans 'veggie' days [BBC]
· Belgium travel coverage [Jaunted]
· World's Best Vegetarian Restaurants [Jaunted]

[Photo: jbgranick]

All Tesla Wants for Christmas is an Electric Supersonic Airplane

May 7, 2009 at 9:32 AM | 0 Comments

Picture this: you're flying along at 35,000 feet, somewhere above Greenland on a direct to Europe, when your airplane short circuits and everything goes dark. What happens then? We have no idea, since an electric commercial airplane has not yet been invented, but electric car company Tesla is thinking about changing that.

Elon Musk, the founder of both SpaceX and of the revolutionary Tesla company, which made owning a sports car you plug into your wall acceptable if not stylish, sat down with TechCrunch to muse on the future of sustainable travel options, which for him includes the extremely awesome idea of an "electric super sonic airplane." He even states that if someone could get around to whittling out the details, since he's already got too much on his mind, this electrojet could be charging up soon:

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Get A Free Car In France (With Purchase Of House)

May 6, 2009 at 4:12 PM | 0 Comments

Now here's a way to really dig it in that you are a have and not a have-not in today's shaky economy: Show off your brand-new house and your brand-new car! Then hope no one decides to egg either when you head home to your new domain in France.

An eco-friendly home builder has started to offer a free electric Tesla Roadster with purchase of a green home in a luxury development outside Paris. The name of the "Welcome to France" company suggests this offer will be attractive to foreigners who want to get the whole expat package in one go, complete with resentment among the French people who live near you or see you zipping around, and it is. They even threw in a golf course and helipad!

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Somewhere Out There, A Solar Airplane is Gliding Silently Across Europe

April 28, 2009 at 11:13 AM | 0 Comments

Don't worry, this plane's photo op won't freak you out!

We've got solar-powered golf carts. We've got solar-powered buses. We've even got solar-powered vacation lodges.

And now we're going to have solar-powered airplanes. From Wired.com

[Eric] Raymond’s eight-country tour of the continent in Sunseeker II... would be the first trans-European flight in a manned solar plane.The environmentally friendly aircraft developed by Solar Flight will highlight the potential for electric aircraft to shape air travel, and may even point to design efficiencies that could benefit fossil-fueled planes.

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Virgin America Will Reveal How Greenhouse Gassy They Are

April 22, 2009 at 9:56 AM | 0 Comments

Is it possible for an airline to go green? Maybe not yet completely, but airlines can adopt green-friendly practices to help them take a step toward a future of eco-aviation. Not surprisingly, it's California-based Virgin America who is leading the pack by being the first airline to join The Climate Registry, which requires all members to track, report on and then improve their greenhouse gas emissions.

Fans of VA will know that they've been environmentally-aware from the get-go, first by choosing to fly newer Airbus A320s, making their fleet 25% more fuel efficient than older fleets, and then by instituting a whole gaggle of energy-saving practices which are unnoticeable to passengers, but make a difference to the bottom line. It's 2008 partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) only served to up their rigorous eco-standards.

Joining the Climate Registry will make VA's carbon emissions public, and luckily we won't have to wait a while to dork out over the numbers; reports are annual, but "later this spring, the carrier will publish a comprehensive 2008 emissions report for all six internationally-recognized GHGs." Happy Earth Day, indeed!

Related Stories:
· Virgin America Becomes First US Airline to Report Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions [Treehugger]
· Virgin America First U.S. Airline to Join Climate Registry [Virgin America]
· Green Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Virgin America]

When the US Goes Green Tomorrow, Where Will You Be?

April 21, 2009 at 4:25 PM | 0 Comments

Have you fished out your bicycle from underneath the swim noodles in your garage and aired out that old T-shirt with the recycling logo yet? Get a move on, buster, as tomorrow is Earth Day 2009, with green awareness events planned in every major city in the United States. Urbanites are especially encouraged to get out and say "hey" to Mother Nature, and thanks to Treehugger's list of the "10 Best US Cities to be in for Earth Day, they can, without too much thought beyond shouldering a reusable tote bag and heading out.

While the list is full of some surprises (Los Angeles, really?), we mainly think it's a godsend in terms of exhaustive event listings for the big eco players like their top five cities: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Washington DC, and number one New York City. From tours of water treatment plants to green tea parties, there's an eco-event to suit everyone's tastes, so long as that taste leans to the green.

Check out the full "10 Best Cities for Earth Day" list here.

Related Stories:
· The 10 Best US Cities to be in for Earth Day [Treehugger]
· The Zoos Will Be Partying on Earth Day [Jaunted]
· Green Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Image: Pollution Issues]

Thanks To TerraPass Even The Worst Rental Car Can Be Green

April 14, 2009 at 10:31 AM | 0 Comments

Some rental car companies are feeling all warm and fuzzy inside lately. A year after starting a carbon offset program through the help of their green buddy TerraPass, they’re reporting that over 175,000 customers have chipped in a couple extra bucks per rental to save the earth. We can’t remember ever being offered this service in any of our rental car adventures over the last year, but we also just may have told the person at the counter that we weren’t interested in any more fees.

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Every Day Is Earth Day For Celebs Who Drive Hybrids

April 2, 2009 at 10:32 AM | 0 Comments

Mother Earth loves these celebrity hybrid drivers for saving energy and (mostly) for looking cool while doing it.

While some of us only get the chance to ride in hybrids when we are on vacation (that is if we can snag a hybrid from the rental car shop), every day is a Green Travel day for celebs on the road.

Check out some of the biggest hybrid boosters in our gallery below.

Related Stories:
· Enterprise Adding 5000 Hybrids, But Would You Rent? [Jaunted]
· Fairmont Hotels Will Only Drive a Hybrid Lexus From Now On [HC]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hellochris]

Annals of Travel Booties: Biodegradable Booties for Earth Day

March 31, 2009 at 4:13 PM | 0 Comments

We admit it. We've gone through the airport security in bare feet. Several times. We can't help it if our cute but comfy plane outfit requires the look of cute but comfy flats sans socks. And frat boys who live in their Rainbow flip-flops, you know what we're talking about.

Yes, we've thought about the bacteria lurking around the x-ray machines but really, it's just about a minute, right? We wait until the last possible minute to take off our shoes and then scurry though that metal detector.

But as grossed out as we've been about being naked from the ankles down, we've never really contemplated putting on those booties to protect your bare feet when you go through airport security. Have you?

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