If you’re in the process of making your summer travel plans right now (and we know that we are), then when you’re deciding which hotel chain to give your summer dollars to, might we point out that Radisson has improved its sustainability ranking recently by becoming the first hotel brand in the Americas to switch to green friendly eucalyptus linens.

We know Las Vegas can be a wasteful place, but it does have a few redeeming qualities (other than the fantastic national parks!)-- there's no shortage of great organic food from any place in the world you can think of. The past few years have brought a new surge of chefs who cook gourmet (and delicious!) vegetarian and vegan dishes and desserts. In May, celebrity chef Tal Ronnen will be hosting “Viva Las Vegan!” during the Vegas Uncork'd food festival hosted at the Wynn Las Vegas.

When we say “Mardi Gras,” you most likely think of inebriated, poorly behaved people wandering through New Orleans’ French Quarter and wearing plastic beads and feathered masks. While it’s true that this is what Mardi Gras has often become associated with, we think that there are some postconsumer elements that can be easily mixed into the concepts of Mardi Gras to make this a very postconsumer carnival season for all!

It’s that time of year again. In just a few short weeks, college students, high school students and even a great number of high school students’ parents will embark on a tradition known as spring break. Whether spring break in your world is a wild trip to Daytona Beach with your college buddies or a family trip to a calmer, more child-appropriate location, this break can bring with it a lot of excess and waste. Here are some tips for keeping spring break a little less wasteful and a little more sane!

If you live anywhere in the actual geographic southwest, then you probably love Southwest airlines in a passionate way because they make travel throughout the region so affordable and efficient. In fact, you may love them a little too much and be doing just a little too much flying for the carbon footprint that you’re hoping to leave. Well, now you can feel just a little less guilty, because Southwest is reducing their carbon footprint by implement fuel efficient landing practices in eleven U.S. airports.

We all know that Daryl Hannah, a fan of permaculture and a woman who lives in an off-grid ranch, is about as much of a sustainable liver as one can be. However, in a recent interview with The Daily Telegraph, Hannah talked in great detail about her beliefs about ethical, sustainable and eco friendly travel. Not only does she summarize the beliefs behind the purpose of eco travel beautifully, she also tells some great travel stories. Which we, of course, will summarize and share with you.

All too often, we feel as though we’re reporting on the devastation and pollution of many of the world’s most beautiful beaches and surf grounds, from North America to Hawaii to the Mediterranean. Well, good news for surfers and lovers of eco travel. In December, New Zealand passed a revision to the New Zealand Costal Policy Statement that will officially protect nineteen of the country’s top surf breaks from inappropriate use and development. The new legislation has been praised not only by the surfing community but also by coastal planners and environmentalists globally.

When you’re looking at eco travel destinations, it’s always great to not only be looking for clean, natural places to visit, but also places where you (and your family) can learn something about sustainable living. One great way to do that is to visit the recently opened Te Parapara, New Zealand’s first and only traditional Maori garden in a public setting, which was opened at Hamilton Gardens. Not only does it offer an insight into New Zealand’s pre-European history, it also teaches a valuable lesson about local and sustainable food production.

While many of us in the West are crying over the snow and the cold, it’s summer in New Zealand. And while we’ve reported before on how the warmer ocean temperatures (largely caused by global warming) have had a negative impact on a great degree of marine life (including, most specifically, coral reefs), there is one silver lining that we can point out to the warmer temperatures and early summer that hit New Zealand this year. Many of the areas rare and varied marine species are coming closer to shore with the warmer temperatures, leading to amazing animal sightings that even include rare whales.

As evidenced by the many articles on the e-scrap problem on TGB, we find the state of electronics recycling in the world concerning, both for the damage it’s doing to the environment as well as for the damage it’s doing to children. We also love to travel, so it’s concerning to us on several levels that a new study released by The Refinishing Touch of 103 hotel managers, operators and owners found that the mass majority of them weren’t aware of safe electronics disposal and certainly weren’t practicing it. There’s a television in every hotel room, so that adds up.