Intelligent Travel

Tour Guide: UN Guide to Guides

Here's a useful tool: Friends of World Heritage has a list of community tour operators in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America that have been approved by the UN World Heritage Foundation.

Tour operators include the Shampole Community Trust in Kenya (offering eco-friendly, luxury accommodations which we wrote about here), the Talamanca Initiative in Costa Rica (a biodiversity conservation group that focuses on reducing poverty) and the Bunaken National Marine Park Management Advisory Board in Indonesia (which offers homestays and eco-friendly lodging on Bunaken Island).

One hundred percent of funds raised through the Friends of the World Heritage Fund will go to World Heritage projects. Likewise, Expedia and the UN Foundation frequently match and triple the amount already raised.

79 Million Trees for Indonesia

Indonesia is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, right after the U.S. and China, according to the Associated Press. Eighty percent of the country's emissions come from forest degradation and deforestation. But President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has devised a plan to save Indonesia's diminishing forests, and the AP has the scoop:

Indonesia, which is losing its forests at a faster rate than any other country, launched a campaign on Wednesday [November 28] to plant 79 million trees before it hosts a critical conference next month on climate change. Environmental groups have called the planting program well intended but say it will mean little if the government does not immediately impose a moratorium on deforestation.

Around 300 football fields worth of trees are destroyed every hour in the archipelago due to illegal logging, mining, and slash-and-burn land clearing for highly profitable palm oil plantations.

"We will show Indonesia's strong commitment and action to preserve the environment and save our planet," Yudhoyono said as he planted some of the project's first saplings with members of his government.

Yudhoyono himself helped to plant over 1,000 trees in Bogor, West Java. Last week, world leaders from 80 countries met in Bali to discuss new plans for the 2005 climate-treaty Kyoto Protocol, which will expire in 2012. So far, the U.S. has not yet ratified the treaty.

Photo: Balinese Sunset #3, Fredrik Nyberg

Global Eye: Tasmania

Photographer: Janine, London, England

Getting the Shot: I was traveling in Australia throughout much of the spring of 2004, and this photo was taken from the river in Launceston. I'm afraid there's no special story, just taking a walk through the city and saw a beautiful sight.

The Details: My lasting memory of the place was how both the mountains and the bottoms of the clouds were purple. I only wish the photo could have done it justice.

Purple or not, we love this shot for the way the many colored roofs contrast against the blue of the sky.

Got your own shot for Global Eye? Add it to our Flickr pool.
 

Shining a New Light on Fashion

Here's a little something that recently sparked our interest: Aussies are developing electricity-generating clothing. Yes, you read correctly. Researchers at CSIRO (Australia's national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) were recently granted $4.4 million AUD (about $4.08 million in the U.S.) to determine the feasibility of electricity-generating shirts. Some researchers think marketing these shirts is attainable within five years.

We'd explain the science, but we're not science bloggers for a reason. Dr. Adam Best, the leader of the project, explained to the The Sydney Morning Herald:

The secret behind the idea involved piezo electrical materials. "Whenever you bend or deform piezo electrical material it creates an electrical charge."

If a shirt could be woven from the fabric, the constant vibration would "produce electricity as you move."

The power would be fed into flexible batteries that would also be woven into the shirt. Appliances, including mobile phones and palm pilots could then be plugged into the shirt.

Also on the research team is Dr. Richard Helmer, who has also been trying to develop a musical shirt. If successful, closet air guitarists would actually be able to play a tune simply by strumming their hand.

Of course, "to be a commercial success [the shirts] would have to be no heavier than a woollen jumper and would need to be washable," the Herald explains.

So the next time you're Down Under and you see someone talking into their collar, do not be alarmed. They are probably just talking into their new shirt-powered mobile phone. Thanks, Ecotality Life, for shining a new light on the latest fashion!

Photo: CSIRO

Library Ghouls

In our continuing coverage of all things mystic, spooky, and supernatural, we wanted to share a finding from our all-star researcher Marilyn Terrell. She uncovered a list of international libraries where spooks can be found in between the stacks.

Morelia Public Library, Michoacán, Mexico. Library staff say that a “nun in blue” has haunted the 16th-century premises for many years. Director Rigoberto Cornejo said in Monterrey’s El Norte newspaper, “When I leave the building, I feel the sensation of someone following me. In fact, I can even hear the footsteps.”

State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. This massive structure dates from 1856 and hosts many specters. The ghost of a female librarian named Grace keeps an eye on the children’s books in the Arts Collection, and a mustachioed gentleman protects the music stacks and piano. Poltergeist phenomena have been reported in the newspaper room. Glowing balls of light appear on the stairs. Security guards witness many of these antics after the library is closed.

 

Save the Turtles, Save the World

Become your own hero on your next Fijian vacation. Or become an artist. Or become both! (You don't even have to drink any kava to do it.)

Turtle Island, located in the Yasawa Group in Fiji (known for being the film location for Blue Lagoon), has a Turtle Release program, in which it buys green and hawksbill turtles from local fishermen. The turtles are auctioned off to Turtle Island resort guests, who then get to paint their names on the turtles’ shell. The turtles are then released back into the ocean. The paint is permanent, but non-toxic, which means that it won’t hurt the turtles. But it will make them useless to trophy hunters, who want turtles for their shells.

Thanks to Kim Lisagor and Heather Hansen, who blogged about Turtle Island on EndangeredPlaces. Both eco-savvy women were part of our 522-member team of sustainable tourism experts that we consulted for our upcoming "Places Rated: Islands" story in the November/December 2007 issue. Also be sure to check out Kim and Heather's upcoming book, Disappearing Destinations (2008), which highlights 37 of the world's most endangered places.

WWOOF-ing ’Round the World

We here at IT know it all too well, but let's face it - traveling is an expensive hobby. From plane tickets and lodging to food and extracurriculars, wanting to see the world can put a big hole in your pocket.  But in 1971, organic farm supporter Sue Coppard got sick of not being able to afford to see the countryside, so she started a work-exchange program that has been going strong - and saving travelers money - ever since.

Originally called "Working Weekends on Organic Farms," WWOOF began as a weekend-long program in the U.K., allowing WWOOF members to work on organic farms for a couple of days in exchange for free room and board. After WWOOFers (as these volunteers are officially called) decided a weekend was not nearly long enough to suit their travel needs, the organization became "Willing Workers on Organic Farms" and eventually, expanding beyond the U.K., "World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms."

Green Hotel Wish List

IT has a confession: All of this eco-travel research has just made us want to travel more. Lucky for Mother Earth, we can't afford it. So when it's pay day and time for a weekend getaway (or a week-long getaway to the Outback), we'll have to consult our ever-growing (and eco-friendly!) wish list.

Here are a few that have caught our eyes recently:

Mohonk Mountain House
Who would've thought that this secluded, green oasis existed just an hour and a half from the Big Apple? The Mohonk Mountain House isn't your average hotel. In fact, it's a 265-room castle built on Shawangunk Ridge overlooking Lake Mohonk. Since its unveiling in 1869, the hotel has continued its commitment to environmental initiatives. For instance, a geothermal heating and cooling system using the constant temperature of the earth is used to heat and cool the new 30,000-square-foot spa (plus it's emission- and noise-free.) The spa also has a green roof which helps insulate the building, reduces energy use and runoff, and provides a habitat for birds and butterflies, as well as a venue for yoga and meditation. The prices are a little steep (the lowest for single occupancy start at $275), but the beautiful setting, sleek accommodations and perks—like a solarium, culinary classes, and a nine-hole golf course—might have you saving your pennies.


Hotel Green
This itsy-bitsy Nantucket boutique hotel has paired both style and sustainability. Set in a historic 1847 building in Nantucket Town, the hotel has just ten uniquely decorated rooms. Shoe designer and hotel owner Vanessa Noel uses energy-efficient lightbulbs, all-natural bed linens, organic hemp towels, and chemical-free cleaning supplies. Plus guests can get organic wine at her in-house café.

UNESCO? Let's Go!

This year’s newly chosen UNESCO World Heritage sites are an impressive list of places you’ve probably never heard of. With one obvious exception: The celeb of the bunch is Australia’s crown jewel, the Sydney Opera House. But get an eyeful of a few of the other cultural and natural beauties that made the cut:

• Primeval beech forests in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine and Slovakia.
• A magnificent Korean volcano
• An Ottoman bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• A sandstone palace in Delhi, India.
• And IT's personal favorite: The fairy-tale-like stone forests of Shilin in China’s karst region. Seriously, this place looks amazing.

Freaky Food Fest

IT's eaten fried rattlesnake and sautéed fiddleheads, but we must admit, freelance travel writer Katie Nerenberg's Fear Factor-esque post has our stomach turning:

On a road trip up the west coast of New Zealand's South Island last March, I became a bit obsessed with one particular entry in Let's Go New Zealand: 'If it crawls, it's dinner at the phenomenally popular Wildfoods Festival, during the second weekend in March. Opossum, kangaroo, and grasshopper are among the tamer entrees. Book accommodations at least six months ahead.' It was six days before, but no problem—we were driving a 1991 Nissan Vanette with a double bed in the back.