Whole Travel Blog

An eco-cabin near Seattle, WA.

There’s a new trend emerging across the United States - eco cabins. Now, this isn’t what you’re thinking - some tent shack in the woods - it’s more of an experience that blends old with new, traditional styling with modern materials and design. Recently reported in the NY Times, these types of cabins are becoming more and more popular as people search for a retreat from their usual city routine. Author Michelle Kodis was quoted in the article saying:

“Given our busy, techno-heavy lives, people are seeking places where they can rejuvenate and connect to nature.”

That’s how we picture an ideal vacation, and for those people who don’t have their own eco-cabins, or just want to explore a new part of the world with this type of experience, there are quite a few places to look. There’s duPlooy’s in Belize, Crescent Valley Eco-Lodge in New Zealand, and Barahona Coralsol Resort in Dominican Republic. We’re looking forward to seeing more and more of these types of cabins becoming available around the world - what a way to experience local culture and appreciate all that nature has to offer!

Ever since architect Adam Kalkin debuted his Push-Button House, I’ve been intrigued by sustainable architecture. Kalkin’s Push-Button house is a dwelling made from an old shipping container. With the push of a button, the sides of the container unfold, and the container transforms from a metal box to a sleek and sophisticated living space. The Push-Button House debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2005 and eventually spawned a Push-Button Cafe c/o Kalkin and Illy Coffee (great for caffeine addicts like myself).

Now California construction company Logical Homes will be expanding on Kalkin’s idea by making houses constructed from old containers available to the public. Ecofriend writes:

Logical Homes in California is gearing up to offer nine models of container homes for construction around Southern California. They are estimated to be about $100 cheaper than the average cost of per-square concrete construction in that area. Ranging from 640 to 3,250 square feet, these corrugated metal shipping containers are enhanced with large windows and custom paint. Energy-efficient appliances and bamboo flooring add to the eco-equation inside, while recycled denim insulation helps keep heating and cooling demands to a minimum.

Conveniently, these types of homes are also hurricane proof and fireproof, and much less susceptible to flood or water damage. It would be great to see a hotel develop a property using this model. It’s not just eco-friendly, it’s economically feasible too! And Kalkin and Logical Homes have me convinced that sustainability does not have to come at the expense of good design or comfort.

A Logical Homes prototype

Urban communities around the globe, particularly in North America and Northern Europe, are increasingly taking steps to become more environmentally sustainable by doing things like improving public transportation systems and promoting renewable forms of energy.

Yet some of the biggest buzz these days surrounds cities that are being designed and created explicitly for the purpose of being ecocities. The most well-known example of these efforts is Dongtan, a city that was designed by the British engineering firm Arup, and that is being developed on the island of Chongming, next to Shangahi. Read the rest of this entry »

LEED certification has emerged in recent years as an accepted, well-recognized seal of approval for sustainable or “green” buildings. And a growing number of new hotels, like San Francisco’s acclaimed Orchard Garden Hotel and Vancouver’s Hilton, are newer, LEED-certified establishments. However, this green building focus quickly leads to an important question: is it better to build a new, sustainably constructed hotel or to renovate one that’s already there?

While fancy new buildings decked out with energy-saving gadgets and green furnishings are exciting, the plain truth is that renovating an existing building often results in a smaller carbon footprint. It also means less new clearing/excavating for construction, which can be important in ecologically sensitive areas.

A recent TreeHugger post discusses a British study that found renovating older homes is less carbon-intensive than building new ones following sustainable construction guidelines. And since LEED has programs for renovations and other projects as well as new building construction (read here), even existing buildings can achieve LEED certification.

In fact, there are lots of changes existing hotels can make to improve their sustainability. Some are more involved, like installing low-flow water fixtures, purchasing energy-efficient equipment, and upgrading insulation. But even small changes can have great impacts on sustainability, morale, and even bottom line. I’m starting the non-profit Whole Travel Foundation to help hotels and resorts sort these things out. We’ll start by using Whole Ranking (Whole Travel’s sustainability ranking system) to identify issues, and then help find sustainable solutions.

Stay tuned in weeks to come for more information about Whole Travel Foundation. And in the meantime, remember that “out with the old, in with the new” isn’t always the best path to sustainable tourism.

I’m flying to Shanghai this evening, so in honor of that I wanted to post something on China.

As August 8th approaches, more and more scrutiny has been leveled at the world power that in previous months has come under the spotlight for air pollution in Beijing.  While news outlets anxiously await word of blue skies, relatively little coverage has been devoted to the positive steps China has taken to try to make the Olympics greener.

The video below features the Beijing Olympic Green Convention Center, which has incorporated features to reduce waste and energy consumption.  Rain water is collected on the roof for flushing systems and the irrigation of the convention’s gardens, and an ice storage cooling system and a “free air cooling” ventilation system are used in the public foyers of the convention center.  While China clearly has a long way to go in promoting environmental responsibility and sustainability, I do think the inclusion of green features at the convention center says something as to how far mainstreamed the green movement truly is.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ji5Mu85y1k]

The 270,000 square meter convention center, located on Olympic Boulevard, was designed by British architectural firm RMJM.  It incorporates the largest ever Olympic media facility, retail, commercial, and hotel space, and sporting halls for the fencing and the pentathlon pistol shooting events.  The building will reopen as China’s National Convention Centre in 2009.