The World Carfree Network is an umbrella organization that works worldwide to provide people with alternatives to single vehicles by supporting outreach programs and education. Combined with our local transit information and the coupons in our books, you can celebrate Carfree Day and make a lifetime habit change. One of the best Carfree Network programs is the UK based Autoholics Anonymous (open to all), which has a twelve step program and this message: More...

Have you ever thought: ‘Boy, I’d like to change the world!’?  I’m sure we could brainstorm several pages of things we could do (and hopefully are doing) to change the world, but I’d like to focus on the power that travelers have every time they make a choice on where to go and what to do.  The travel industry operates under similar economic rules that most businesses must follow: if no one wants your product or service you either change or you die.  Sure, marketing can help you convince your customers that they want you, but, especially with sustainable traveling, most businesses are trying to catch up with the trends.  The new green revolution has incredible potential to change the world, or it could be too little too late.  The consumer has the ability to chart the course of this new journey by asking tough questions on every purchase (or choosing not to purchase) he or she makes.  When traveling, when was the last time you asked if the food served at the restaurant is local and organic?  What about the water consumption of the lodges.  Or even assurance that the labor standards do not allow for exploitation of the folks who clean the hotel or maintain the grounds.  If more people started asking these tough questions it wouldn’t take long for hotels and restaurants and others in the travel industry to start paying attention to these and other sustainability measures.  Better yet, if consumers decided to only support the businesses that met such values, it wouldn’t take long for there to be an industry standard.

 

I am not one opposed to government regulation, but the speed of government does not usually match the pace we need to take to address the large environmental and social justice problems of our time.  Writing a letter to your representative is always encouraged, but when you vote with your dollars there is a chance your say can reach those in industries quite a bit quicker than any law or regulation.

As a company, EverGreen Escapes is working to do some of this homework for you.  Every partner we choose to partner with must demonstrate how they are working towards sustainability.  As time goes on, those that live up to this commitment will continue to get our business and those that fall short will not.  Currently, we are researching how we can be carbon neutral and waste free.  This is not only what we demand of ourselves, but what our customers are demanding of us.  Because of YOUR commitment to sustainability, you are holding us accountable and pushing us towards the cutting edge.  Keep up the good work.   

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What are you missing? Click to watch the video for the surprising results. Watch the video while tired, talking on your cell phone, at night...well, you'll get the idea.



Do the Test More...

The New South Wales Government (of course I knew this but that's Sydney, Australia for all you lay people) has a new "No one thinks big of you" ad campaign to stop young men from speeding and driving old mustangs: More...

It didn't really hit me how in vogue "green" has become until I was stuck in traffic recently, breathing exhaust from that monument to capitalism ... a Hummer. There on the bumper was ..."Think Green."  I stopped singing with the radio (my personal contribution to air pollution), put down my single-use - but recyclable - plastic bottle of Diet Coke, and said out loud ... "What's that supposed to mean?" More...

Most of us make weekly trips all over town for necessary errands. Find an easy public transportation route, match your trips with a friend, or add extra time to bike or walk. Combine car trips into one route to save money, gas, and time — plus you’ll feel organized. List your weekly trips (you can do this in the notes on the transit page of our book), then rank them from 1 for closest to your home or office to 5 for furthest away. Reorder the list by number in the second column for an efficient trip. More...

Driving to work can be tedious, polluting and costly. Calculate the real money you spend driving, and find resources for commuting by other means at commuterchallenge.org. Commuting 10 miles in Seattle in an average car could cost you $2412.12 a year, compared to $990.00 for a 2-zone bus pass, or $514.32 for vanpooling with 6 others. Use the carbon counter to determine how much CO2your commute creates, carboncounter.org. More...

Driving to work can be tedious, polluting and costly.http://wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/ Calculate the real money you spend driving, and find resources for commuting by other means at commuterchallenge.org. Commuting 10 miles in Seattle in an average car could cost you $2412.12 a year, compared to $990.00 for a 2-zone bus pass, or $514.32 for vanpooling with 6 others. Use the carbon counter to determine how much CO2your commute creates, carboncounter.org. More...