Eco-Travel

Online Retailers: Help Your Customers Offset Their Carbon Emissions

jplatt — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Studies have shown that shopping online is, on average, greener than driving around and shopping at a bunch of retail stores. But even shopping online creates carbon emissions, and many people feel guitly about buying anything that needs to be shipped.

GreenWorld's ShopGreen can help alleviate that buyer's remorse.

ShopGree is a free program that online retailers can download and install. It integrates with your shopping experience, and gives your customers the opportunity to make a voluntary additional contribution -- up to 1% of their total purchase -- to offset the carbon emissions created by the shopping exerpience.

In addition to paying a little bit extra, ShopGreen gives your online customers a very powerful user experience, allowing them to see how much carbon their shopping creates, and what is being done to offset it:

Customers receive tracking ID numbers that can be used to view records of their carbon offset investments at any time
They can also see statistics that show the cumulative ShopGreen™ impact for your site therefore and increase the likelihood of future transactions

How does it work? GreenWorld is working with EcoSecurities, "a company in the business of sourcing, developing and trading carbon offsets from greenhouse gas emission reduction projects throughout the world, to offer both Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) and Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) from a range of domestic and international projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, forestry and methane capture."

So if you've got an online business, and want to do a little bit of good for the environment every time you sell something, give GreenShop a try. It might add a lot to your customer experience, and earn you some customer loyalty in return.

Which Is Greener: Shopping Local or Shopping Online?

jplatt — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Shopping locally uses less energy, right?

Not necessarily, according to a study by Carnegie Mellon's Green Design Institute. The study looked specifically at Buy.com's e-commerce model, and found that shopping online through that site "reduces environmental impact with 35 percent less energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions than what is produced in the traditional retail shopping model."

Obviously, this isn't going to work for every online retailer, or compare to every brick-and-morter store in your area, but still, these results are surprising.

The study found that "approximately 65 percent of total emissions generated by the traditional retail model stemmed from customer transport to and from retail stores." This could change if you drive a hybrid or ride a bike (or god forbid, walk to the store!), but it does illustrate the effect of short drives on our environment.

Buy.com also has a unique element that reduces its carbon footprint. If you order something from their site, it doesn't ship from Buy.com, but from the company that made the product in the first place. By comparison, Amazon.com maintains huge warehouses; products must first ship there, after which they get shipped to customers. Buy.com's model cuts out a step, and saves emissions.

So, while this study shouldn't necessarily cause you to change your buying habits, it does give us some ideas to think about when shopping. Every time a product moves from one place to another, it inspires the release of greenhouse gases. The fewer times it moves, the better. So if you can buy a product that hasn't moved very far or very often, you'll be doing yourself -- and the environment -- a favor.

Drive Smarter, Greener with ecoRoute from Garmin

jplatt — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

If you own a Garmin GPS unit, and you're looking to make your driving just a little bit greener, then the company has something just for you.

Their new ecoRoute program -- announced recently at the Consumer Electronics Show -- helps you to calculate the most eco-friendly driving routes available to you. ecoRoute users have the option of choosing the route that will use “less fuel” compared to other routes. Garmin says the program "will determine if more fuel efficient routes exist based upon road speed data and vehicle acceleration data for a given route."

ecoRoute also keeps track of your mileage and your fuel economy over time, both of which are great data points to have to help you improve your driving.

ecoRoute is available online as a free download. It's compatible with Garmin's nüvi 205 and 705-series products.

The Man Burns Green

Marcus — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:15:03 -0400

Last week, I had the privilege of making my second excursion into the Nevada desert for Burning Man 2008. Situated two hours east of Reno, Burning Man is a weeklong arts, music, and cultural festival, and takes place in a temporary community known as Black Rock City that’s erected exclusively for the week of the “Burn.” The desert is peppered with dozens and dozens of dazzling art installations from some of the world’s most incredible designers, and custom designed “mutant vehicles” cruise through the desert night, lights flashing and music playing, to create a truly unique and dazzling landscape. The 2008 theme was “The American Dream,” which made for some very thought-provoking—and critical—pieces that dealt with a variety of aspects of our nation. In a word, it was awesome.

This year marked the largest turnout ever for the event, which was started by a handful of San Franciscans some fifteen or so years ago, and has blossomed into a desert pilgrimage that over 50,000 people embark on each year. It’s also the world’s largest Leave No Trace event, a staggering accomplishment when you consider the scope of how large Burning Man actually is.

As someone who’s attended Burning Man, it’s quite easy to understand the commitment the festival makes to maintain the natural environment that serves as the event’s venue. The Playa, as the desert is affectionately referred to by Burners, is treated with reverence and care. First off, there are no garbage receptacles at Burning Man. Burners are expected to take out whatever trash they bring in, and leaving MOOP (Matter Out Of Place) on the Playa is considered a serious faux pas. Second, each person is required to bring in all their own food and water, and take it all with them when they pack up and leave when the week is over. Finally, each camp is required to have containers to collect “gray water”—that is, any water that’s been used for cooking, teeth brushing, washing, etc—to avoid dumping any tainted water directly onto the desert surface. While there are port-a-potties that are fairly well maintained, showers are out of the question (unless you bring your own—and some people certainly do), so most Burners settle into a shower-less, sand-encrusted existence, where considering yourself “clean” is only a baby-wipe to the armpits away. Comforts are relative in the Black Rock Desert.

Surprisingly, though, once you settle into the Burning Man lifestyle, it’s relatively easy to adjust, and the lack of dependence on modern societal comforts is actually quite refreshing. It’s exhilarating to be completely off-the-grid, and it’s something I would recommend everyone try, if even for a short while.

On top of the environmental challenges campers face, Burning Man’s parent company, Black Rock City LLC, is also committed to ensuring that the Burn has the lowest environmental impact possible. In 2006, they issued an environmental mission statement outlining their ongoing commitment to the earth, and in 2007 the theme of the Burn was “The Green Man” to further highlight the importance of successfully carrying out an environmentally responsible Burning Man. Black Rock City LLC also plants trees and purchases carbon credits to help offset the emissions generated by the thousands of cars and RVs that journey to the desert each summer.

Having attended Burning Man for two years now, I think the thing that most impresses me about the event’s commitment to the environment is how genuine it is. People actually care about the space they’re inhabiting, from the campers, to the artists, to the event organizers themselves. It’s an incredibly refreshing feeling to be a part of such a positive community, and it’s something that I’d highly recommend. Hope to see you there.

Classes Are About to Start -- Online!

jplatt — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:13:42 -0400

Millions of kids are about to go back to school next week -- right alongside millions of adults looking to take their careers to the next level.

This year, more and more of college students adults will be attending school online. Online education programs offer the same benefits of in-person learning, but they save energy not only for the students but also for the schools.

For one thing, you don't need to drive to online classes. Schools are rarely in your own neighborhood, so driving to a class several miles away uses a lot of gas and creates a cloud of greenhouse emissions. With online classes, your car stays in the driveway, and you stay comfortable next to your own computer.

Meanwhile, with no students on site, schools don't need to worry about lighting, heating, cooling, or other costs.

There are other enviornmental benefits: most classwork is done online, so no assignments need to be printed, saving paper and trees. More textbooks are available digitally, which saves more trees and offers greater flexibility of usage. Online colleges feed fewer students in their cafeterias, which saves water from washing all of those dishes and trays.

Online course enrollments have doubled and tripled over the last year, as people look to reduce their driving costs and improve their quality of life. It might be time for you to think about doing the same.

Freebie of the Week: B & B by the Sea

RiverWired.com — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:08:45 -0400

Need a restful, organic vacation? How does this sound -- five nights at a Bed & Breakfast overlooking the beautiful Mendocino Coast of California. And breakfast comes from the certified organic gardens. Stonyfield Farm will not only pay for the stay at the Inn, but the air fare to get you there -- for you and a guest. No purchase necessary. Start clicking.

Carry the Power of the Sun on Your Back

jplatt — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0400

Do you carry a lot of portable devices with you? Well now you can charge them on the go with the new solar backpack from gadget4all.com.

While solar backpacks aren't new, this latest model is priced at just $48 -- less than half the price of the Eclipse Solar Gear Laptop Backpack and one-fifth the price of the popular Voltaic Solar Backpack.

While the Eclipse and Voltaic models offer a few more bells and whistles, Gadget4all's device is no slouch, and comes at a better introductory price point. It comes with a 5.5V solar panel and has an output of 5.8V, allowing it to charge any small portable device such as a cell phone, MP3 player or GPS unit. On cloudy days, it can also be hooked up to a computer's USB port for additional charging capacity.

Worth a look for the road warrior or the student looking forward to the start of school in just six weeks.

Freebie of the Week: Caribbean Eco-Vacation

RiverWired.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:53:32 -0400

Are you ready for a free eco-vacation? How does five nights on an island next to the US Virgin Islands National Park plus two $500 airfare vouchers sound? (Total Value: $2760.00) Somebody has to go relax in a green way, why not you? Deadline: Enter by July 14, 2008.

http://www.redbookmag.com/sweepstakes/4620

Green Free Stuff: Check out this Freebie of the Week

RiverWired.com — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:00:00 -0400

We love to help you save money and energy and resources. And savings don’t get better than free stuff. Who doesn’t love it?

Here’s this week’s green freebie:

A trip for two to Reykjavik, Iceland, (which we are told is actually a greener country than Greenland) courtesy of Amtrak (though last we checked, you cannot get there from the US by train, so go figure). After that Grand Prize, Amtrak is also giving away two roundtrip tickets to anywhere their trains travel.

Segway Sales Scooting Along

jplatt — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0400

Gas prices high enough for ya? You're not alone. But some people and businesses are taking action. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, high gas prices have pushed sales of electric-powered Segway PT vehicles up as much as 50% this quarter.

Segway, Inc. doesn't release exact sales figures (private companies don't have to), but according to CEO Jim Norrod, Segway sales rose 25% in the first quarter of this year; he expects another 50% jump for the second quarter.

The Segway PT comes in a variety of configurations for personal and business use, and plugs into a standard wall socket. One model, the i2 Commuter, has a range of about 24 miles, a maximum speed of 12.5 miles per hour, and costs "about what you spend for your daily newspaper" to charge.

On top of that energy savings, Segway is giving buyers an extra incentive to start scooting around on their two-wheeled vehicles: for every device sold, they will purchase Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) "equivalent to the amount of electricity frequent rider uses in one year to charge a Segway PT (about 200 kilowatt hours)."

Now, a Segway ins't the perfect choice for everyone. They still cost around $5k, they only go a few dozen miles, and they don't have roofs, so they aren't exactly all-weather vehicles. But if you're feeling pain at the gas pump and are still waiting for an electric car, the Segway could be your salvation.