Whole Travel Blog

This Thanksgiving try altering your traditions to be kinder to the environment.  A couple of articles offer suggestions to make your Thanksgiving celebration more “green”.  Many of the articles focus on some common themes such as: buy local, organic ingredients, avoid using disposable dinnerware, compost your scraps, and minimize your travel.  But some of them offer some things you may not have thought of like using soy candles, not buying special decorations that you will throw away afterward, and do a vegetarian Thanksgiving.  Check out a few of the articles we found…

Tree Hugger

US News and World Report

Planet Green

Earth First

While Hawaii is better known for its sprawling beaches and live volcanoes than its eco-friendly habits, authors Gary and Peggy Diedrichs have trekked all over the great islands to put together a comprehensive guidebook to everything sustainable and green in Hawaii. Called The Green Traveler Guides Hawaii and recently reviewed by  SF Gate, it suggests sustainable alternatives to everything from organic eateries to eco-friendly surfboard wax.

Want to lighten your carbon footprint even more? Check into one of  Whole Travel’s hotels which have received a Whole Ranking®, such as Aloha Place or the Hale Hookipa Inn.

With Halloween just around the corner, here are some tips to having a ghoulishly green time:

1. Bobbing for apples? Make sure to buy locally or organically grown varieties.
2. Go to a pumpkin patch nearest you to pick out your pumpkins for carving and decoration or make sure your grocery store has purchased them from a local patch.
3. Use LED lights instead of candles inside pumpkins; they’ll last longer and you can reuse them next year.
4. Save the pumpkin seeds you removed while carving and roast them for a healthy seasonal snack.
5. Make your own costume instead of buying one. Consider revamping an old skirt or shirt into something wicked, or explore the local Goodwill. Some tips for do-it-yourself costumes can be found at Planet Green.
6. Decorate your house with orange and black CFL bulbs.
7. Consider buying environmentally friendly treats such as candy made with fair trade or organic chocolate. Some ideas can be found at Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Store or Chocolate Bar.
8. Having a Halloween party? Use plastic cups, plates, bowls and cutlery which you can stick in the dishwasher and re-use next year.
9. Be sure to give kids cloth bags or pillow cases for trick-or-treating.

This past weekend, San Francisco hosted an outdoor music festival in Golden Gate Park, Outside Lands, that proved to not only be jam-packed with such notable acts as Beck, Radiohead, Ben Harper, and Jack Johnson, but also, to be eco-friendly. Artists jammed on a solar-powered stage, music lovers feasted on organic, sustainably farmed foods, and various eco-education opportunities abounded. Ecomomentum discusses the event here. Check out the festival’s “Eco Lands” website for more detailed information.