Whole Travel Blog

On Tuesday, in Berlin, Germany, Daimler and Neste Oil announced the results of a year-long study in which 14 Mercedes trucks and buses ran entirely on sustainable biodiesel. The biofuel, made from palm oil, is a step along the path of Neste’s mission to creat 100% sustainably produced oil by 2015. The results of this study: a 60% decrease in CO2 emissions.

These young oil palms will grow up to be biodiesel.

The project has been extended for 3 more years, with more results to be reported in 2011.

In anticipation of the United Nations climate conference COP 15, global business leaders came together at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen last month. There, the World Economic Forum presented  a report titled “Towards a Low Carbon Travel and Tourism Sector” that was a collaboration between the United Nations and several key organizations. The study opens a discussion on how to shift progressively towards a sustainable low-carbon lifestyle and analyzes the impact of the travel and tourism sector on carbon emissions.

Direct and Indirect Carbon Emissions Sources in Travel & Tourism

The expected growth of the tourism sector is 4% annually through 2035, and without further emissions reductions measures, carbon output may outpace that. The study points out how governments, industry stakeholders and consumers can collectively improve the sustainability of travel, which will enable the sector to be a point of sustainable economic development for much of the world. There’s an opportunity to fix environmental and social problems while we fix this economy, let’s hope they get it right this fall at the meeting. To read the full report, click here.

Brian Brawley and his Green RV

A recent article in the New York Times travel section caught my attention. It’s about a family has been progressively downsizing their lives over the last few years. They started in a 1600 square foot home, moved into a smaller apartment, and now live in an RV (fueled by vegetable oil, of course) while they travel the country. They don’t have room for much, so they aren’t the world’s largest consumers, but they do see a lot of the country and are spreading the word about sustainability as they travel. It’s an out-of-the-box way to promote green awareness, that’s for sure, but we’re excited to see them on the road and inspiring people to live greener lives. You can read the entire article here.

Condé Nast just released its September issue with a special spotlight on the power of travel. It features Matt Damon on the cover and the story of how his 2006 trip to Zambia inspired him to create the H2O Africa Foundation which partners with a variety of other foundations to focus on clean water. With hundreds of children dying each day due to dirty water, Damon emphasized the importance of clean water, saying that it  “put people on the first rung of the development ladder.”

With its slogan “Travel Right, Do Good,” the issue highlights social responsibility through travel with such articles as “How to Be An Ethical Traveler,” “How to Do the Right Thing,” “The Green Traveler’s Handbook” as well as several profiles and forums.

Find the complete coverage here.