Greediness hidden behind electric vehicles

Wired Magazine's latest issue confronts the rather sticky subject of exposing electric vehicle maker ZAP as charlatans.

We at Ecotravel News are all for emissions-free or emissions-cutting vehicles but were stunned at the greedy antics of the heads of this so-called eco-car company.

According to Wired, ZAP promised to manufacture many different models of electric vehicles (EVs) and urged individuals to open their own dealerships after paying ZAP an investment fee. ZAP only delivered two of the promised cars (one pictured above) and those had defects that ZAP refused to fix according to their warranties. The dealership owners, some who had put their entire savings into the promise of selling these environmentally-friendly cars, were crushed financially.

ZAP also issued phony partnership press releases to create creditability and buzz to up their stock price. The two heads issued themselves thousands of stock options and would issue more stock options to investors.

ZAP has yet to get more promised vehicles than the already defective two EVs on the road, but always manages to say they will be delivering new models soon. Meanwhile new people are constantly brought in to help the company, only to leave just as quickly, after realizing the greed of the company is the real goal hidden behind the rouse of environmental cars.

Read the full story: Hype Machine: Searching for ZAP's fleet of no-show green cars

Visit little-known national parks near Seattle

Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Getaways section highlights new and relatively unknown state wilderness areas worth visiting:

"Over the past 15 or more years, thousands of acres in dozens of plots have been acquired all over [King] county. Today the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks manages 180 parks totaling 5,000 acres, plus 20,000 more acres of open space, 175 miles of official trails and uncounted miles of unofficial 'local' trails that lace much of the newer lands."

Because a lot of these acquired lands are so new, they're not well-known and the county land managers are trying to get nature-lovers to come visit. Hiking, biking and horseback riding are just some of the outdoor activities welcome throughout the various terrains and trails.

And one of the best features about these unknown areas is that there are very few other visitors. The article's author Greg Johnston tried out a two-hour hike and encountered only four other people.

Read the full story: King County has acres of newly acquired public space, but few are using it

Air New Zealand now offers carbon offsets

Yahoo! 7 News Australia reports that Air New Zealand now offers travelers the option of purchasing carbon offsets to counter their flight. Air NZ joins Australian airlines Qantas and Virgin Blue who already have offset programs. For example, flying from Los Angeles to Auckland, the distance of around 6500 miles, will cost about $70 (NZ$88).

Read the full story: Carbon offsets from Air NZ

Hanford nuclear power plant tours FULL!

USA Today via the Associated Press reports on the surprising sell out of the limited tours offered of the Hanford nuclear power reservation:

"The [U.S. Department of Energy] had offered 48 tours for the public to register for on a first-come, first-serve basis. The registration opened early March 17, but by 6 p.m., all 2,000 spots were filled."

As everyone recalls, this Washington State reactor, located near Richmond, spewed radioactive material into the air and water from 1944-1966. This was subsequently covered-up even though or probably because noticeable problems and effects were reported as early as 1948. All documents related to the plant were to remain classified until 1986.

There is probably still radioactivity surrounding the site as there is in Chernobyl, Ukraine, so visiting doesn't sound like a good idea.

Read the full (albeit very short) story: Hanford nuclear tours more popular than ever

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Harrison Ford environmentalist or ?

National Geographic Adventure Magazine profiles Harrison Ford with the sub-headline: "The offscreen adventures of an eco-action figure."

The interview with Mr. Ford, starts out well, saying that his real life is just as adventurous (yet eco-conscious) as his Indiana Jones onscreen persona. He has been "moonlighting" for Conservation International since 1991!

But what does this have to do with travel?

Ford spoke to the magazine about his supposed environmentalness through his "high stakes, hard landings, lost worlds, and why he prefers his adventures unscripted." Hmm... as an airplane pilot, how environmental can this actor be?

"[Adventure Mag. question]: You've visited some untrodden places with [Conservation International] over the years. Any recent trips that really affected you?
HF: I went down to Venezuela and ended up renting a helicopter and flew with my sons to the tops of the tepuis, these freestanding jungle mesas, "lost worlds" as it were. In fact, it's almost impossible to access them without one. So we were able to land and spend some time there. We were trapped for about six hours by clouds that came in. Unbelievable. Spectacular environments. Very likely places where no other person had ever set foot before."

OK, so he says he's an environmentalist but in order to get to an untrammeled place, he rented a HELICOPTER to get there. Does this guy understand that helicopters are not good for the environment?... and he doesn't stop there:

"A: You own two hybrid cars. But it sounds like you prefer going airborne.
HF: Basically. I fly myself everywhere. I like all kinds of flying, including practical flying for search and rescue. And I also like to fly into the backcountry, usually the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho. I go with a group of friends, and we set up camp for about five days and explore little dirt strips and canyons."

Camping is good, but flying is not.

The most disappointing thing about the interview was the fact that NG Adventure did not even question Mr. "eco-action figure" about his unenvironmental hobbies. The media has a responsibility to its readers/followers to not get so ga-ga over a celebrity that the real issues get lost in the shuffle. Tim Russert of Meet the Press had this problem in the 1990s when he interviewed baseball player/alleged steroid user Mark Maguire. Mr. Russert was so overcome by Mr. Maguire's persona that he did not question him once about using steroids... I do think that IMHO Russert got an autographed souvenir from the interview...

Read the full un-environmental interview: Harrison Ford: the next crusade

Contest for most fuel-efficient car

At the New York International Auto Show this week, there are several fuel-efficient car models that are competing for a $10 million prize. The contest is the Progressive Automotive X Prize for the first vehicle to get 100 miles-per-gallon, but so far no major car makers are entering. The Christian Science Monitor sent reporter Ron Scherer to check out these earth-friendly cars:

"We need a car that is not just a concept but can be made in mass quantities at a reasonable cost for the average American," says Jack Hidary, chairman of the Coalition Advocating for Smart Transportation and a donor to the X Prize's new effort. "Unfortunately, Detroit has not stepped up to the plate, they have fought CAFE [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] standards every step of the way."

Read the full story: $10 million quest for a practical 100-mpg car

CSM is also venturing into video reporting, accompanying this article is a video report produced by print journalists... meaning, they tried but it's no CNN...

Opinion about Tibetan protests and China travel

Ecotravel News is deeply disturbed by China's violent reaction to the widespread Tibetan protests. Travelling ethically and environmentally is always something we at Ecotravel News try to write about and take into consideration.

We've read a lot of travel stories about whether it's a good idea to visit countries with repressive regimes like Cuba or Myanmar, but China never gets put in that list.

But perhaps now it should.

China has a horrible environmental record and its treatment of fellow citizens - as these past few weeks have shown - is almost as bad. Chinese cities are choked with such bad air pollution that permanent grey skies are the norm. The countryside is being exploited with major industrial factories so there are few pristine areas left. The Chinese ethnic majority, the Han, are the ones who control the government and insert their presence and influence around the world. The areas of traditional Tibetan lands in China were still relatively untouched by pollution and industry, but with the advent of the new train to Lhasa, exploitation by the Han is now enabled. Tibetans have been repressed by China since they were "liberated" and "taken over" and had their land swallowed up in 1959. And now that monks, the forbearers of peace and harmony are being brutally killed by the repressive regime, foreign travelers should question their visit.

A good resource on all the latest happenings about all things Tibet is Phayul.com. They have stories that you won't see in western media and have graphic pictures and video. Decide for yourself if it is ethical to enrich a communist government that is trying its hardest to cover-up everything bad that they think will harm their summer Olympic event.

Ecotravel News says don't go.

LA Times showcases desert wildflowers

The Los Angeles Times highlights four of its famous deserts and the beautiful and rare blooms that have been bringing in wildflower tourists like mad this month.

Ecotravel News wrote a previous post about this spring being a peak year for western desert wildflower viewing, because of the very rainy winter.

The Times article says it's almost past peak viewing in the Anza-Borrego Desert, Death Valley and Joshua Tree parks but the orange state flower - California Poppy - is just beginning to carpet the Antelope Valley. For arm-chair desert wildflower viewers, the article has a wonderful photo slide-show and links to real-time desert flowers.

For the full LA Times article: California's deserts ablaze with wildflowers

Green does not mean the end of luxury

Conde Nast Traveler's online concierge.com site showcases nine eco-yet-luxury retreats all over the world. As writer Matthew Link exclaims, er, explains:

"Yes, yes, Mr. Gore, of course we all want to do our part for the environment. But the inconvenient truth is that we're loath to trade in our resort's 1,000-thread-count bed sheets for rough-woven ones that feel like burlap. Perhaps we're asking for a lot, but aren't there hotels that are environmentally friendly and still sinfully sumptuous? The answer is yes... So drop into one of these green retreats—and check your guilt at the door."

One of the featured green luxury resorts is this one pictured above in Egypt that was built entirely out of clay and salt and eschews electricity. It was good enough for Prince Charles and Camilla, who are by the way eco-champions themselves. So if you can shell out the $400 a night charge, it'll be all in the name of the environment.

Read and see pics of: Green retreats in style and design

Ecotravel News described as "value-added leader" resource

As narcissistic as Ecotravel News is, somehow we are always happy and surprised to know that there are people who actually read the site. So we were pleased to find that Ecotravel News has been recommended by the Go Green travel wiki administrator Anne McDonough aka Annemcd as one of six "reliable, value-added leaders in the field" of green-travel resources. We are lumped together with such noted organizations as Lonely Planet and Carbon Fund!

In a previous post we noted the review of Ecotravel News by Ms. McDonough, and the inclusion in this list of green travel resources is another happy event:

"Several of the [green-travel] resources are among those that my former newsroom [Washington Post] colleagues and I have recommended to the general public in order to address a few of the major issues facing those who travel, including carbon off-set, myths of the "eco-travel" trend and endangered destinations. All of the resources offer concrete steps for the common traveler to take in order to decrease their domestic and international environmental impact, whether through tips and suggestions or by highlighting how these issues are addressed in the press.

There are numerous other resources that would warrant inclusion in this list; I chose organizations that are reliable, value-added leaders in the field. The first resource, for example, sends a higher percentage of every dollar donated right to supporting carbon-offset projects, then doother [sic] like organizations. I feel that each resource is either the first, the best or the most vocal in its field."

We nominate ourselves as the "most vocal."

Link to the full Go Green resource list

The choice of flex-fuel cars

Flex-fuel cars (like Sir Richard Branson's SAAB at right) are not usually an option for anyone buying a new car in the U.S. American Public Media's Marketplace Morning Report had an interesting commentary this morning by Gal Luft, a global security expert, who questions why we are not given the choice of flex-fuel cars especially since gas prices are so high. He even notes that in Brazil and China, consumers are given this choice.

Listen to the full story: Pay more attention to flex-fuel cars

Use less paper when printing out online itineraries

Conde Nast Traveler's online Perrin Post blog alerted us to:
a free downloadable printer default setting that will use less paper and therefore less wasted pages:

"GreenPrint keeps track of how much ink, paper, and money you're saving -- and in addition to the trees that won't be harvested, you'll be saving energy and water that would otherwise be used in paper production and shipping."

Read the full post: GreenPrint saves trees

Scourge of rouge snowmobilers in Yellowstone NP

The National Parks Traveler blog that follows national park issues, wrote about the scourge of illegal rouge snowmobilers in Yellowstone NP. Although the allowable number of legal snowmobiles is around 250 per day, the NPT says that there is still a continuing amount of illegal snowmobilers who storm through the park.

The picture above was taken by former National Parks Service employee Bob Paterson and shows illegal snowmobile tracks near the west entrance of Yellowstone.

Snowmobiles are loud and spew out air pollution that not only disturb the native animals but also other people trying to enjoy nature. These unenvironmental menaces go hand-in-hand with ATVs and Jet Skis as machines used by unthoughtful people who endanger animals, the environment and fellow human-beings for their own selfish pleasure.

Read the full post: Snowmobilers continue to roam illegally into Yellowstone National Park

Boat to use the power of ocean waves from Hawaii to Japan

Environmental News Network reports on the environmentally-friendly wave-powered boat that will be sailed solo from Hawaii to Japan. Although 69-year-old Japanese sailor Ken-ichi Horie hopes to make a Guinness record with this first-ever wave-powered boat, his trip could also prove the viability of this innovative technology. Besides being powered by waves, the boat's electrical elements will be powered through solar energy. His trip is expected to take three months of the distance 4,350 miles.

Read the full story: World's first wave powered boat

Virgin flies first flight with biofuels

Ecotravel news is pleased to see that The Wall Street Journal online edition is now free to the public. So although a few weeks late, The Middle Seat column reported last month on Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airlines' first flight using biofuels. Although they only used a mixture of 20 percent biofuels to 80 percent regular jet fuel, it's still better than 100 percent jet fuel:

"Airlines are under mounting pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, even though aviation's pollutants amount to less than 3% of all emissions. Jets are visible signs of environmental damage, and scientists have concerns that pollutants dropped directly into high altitudes may be more dangerous than those released on the ground."

Sir Branson also made a show of actually tasting the biofuel concoction of coconut and Brazilian nut oils.

Read the full story: Virgin puts biofuels on maiden voyage

Eco-friendly Texas resort in the middle of the desert

The Fort Worth, Texas Star-Telegram had a feature about an eco-lodging in the Chihuahuan Desert, a self-proclaimed "organic bed-and-breakfast and ecology resource center." Writer June Naylor observes:

"Within a half-hour of your arrival, you realize that Eve's Garden represents a model of how healthy our world would be if it were to function in a purely green manner."

That's because owners Clyde Curry and Kate Thayer created their green haven using recycled and environmentally-friendly materials. Their green ethics also extend to their guests by feeding them on-site greenhouse grown veggies, a library full of ecological books, and also impromptu discussions about how to help the environment.

Read the full story : Earth-friendly West Texas resort

Biofuel discharge is bad for environment

The New York Times reports on oily and polluting discharges in an Alabama river that were ultimately traced back to biofuel production. Although considered "natural" and "non-toxic," the glycerin and vegetable oil byproducts that leaked into the Alabama water sources choked off oxygen supplies to native species:

"Bruce P. Hollebone, a researcher with Environment Canada in Ottawa and one of the world’s leading experts on the environmental impact of vegetable oil and glycerin spills said 'but as with most organic materials, oil and glycerin deplete the oxygen content of water very quickly, and that will suffocate fish and other organisms. And for birds, a vegetable oil spill is just as deadly as a crude oil spill.'"

Read the full story: Pollution is called a byproduct of a 'clean' fuel

Belize croc tours also benefit endangered reptile

Plenty Magazine reports on crocodile-sighting tours in Belize where the tourist money also goes into research and saving the once-endangered reptiles:

"For the past five years, residents from Lamanai [Outpost Lodge] and scientists from the University of Florida have been tracking and monitoring the formerly endangered Morelet’s crocodiles. The mainly freshwater reptiles measure up to 14 feet, and are only found in Belize, Guatemala, and parts of Mexico. Researchers hope that the data they acquire will uncover more information about the creature, which scientists know little about."

Ironically the research could also open commercial exploitation on the crocs:

"Officials at the Forest Department say they haven’t made any decisions yet about commercial exploitation, but it is something they will consider when developing a management plan. 'What we are looking for is creating that proverbial human-croc ecological balance,' says Wilber Sabido, chief forest officer with the Forest Department."

Read the full story: Take a trip to Belize and save a crocodile

Peak year for western desert wildflowers

Because of intense and wet storms throughout the west this past winter, desert wildflowers should be in abundance this spring. Normally dry desert areas in such states as Nevada, California, Utah and Arizona will proliferate with colors for a short viewing season in April. The Wall Street Journal via the Miami Herald says that the popularity of viewing desert wildflowers is a growing trend and many websites on the topic have -ahem- sprung up.

Read the full story: This could be a great year

Hiking among glaciers in Canada's Jasper NP

Bob Downing of the Akron Beacon Journal via the Miami Herald writes about two worthwhile and picturesque hikes through Jasper National Park in Canada. There are icy-white glaciers, snowy mountain peaks and flower-filled meadows to be seen there.

Read the full story: Jasper National Park in Canadian Rockies offers trails aplenty

Environmental degradation of charity events in the UK

Large-scale charity events that involve hundreds of participants are common all over the world. Getting lots of people together in the name of a cause sounds like a good thing, but it leaves behind waste and environmental problems. The New York Times reports on an English community's outrage against the landscape degradation caused by a charity event:

"'The mountain is wearing out' under the pressure of charitable boots scrambling in all kinds of weather for the summit [says Richard Palmer the ranking regional official of the National Trust].

Typically, in the midsummer months of long days and short nights, people seeking to complete the Three Peaks Challenge start to the north at Ben Nevis or south at Snowdon in the late afternoon. Then they drive hundreds of miles to their next destination — Wasdale Head where the trail to Scafell Pike begins, arriving here usually at around 2 a.m. to begin the ascent.

This tiny hamlet is reachable only by a one-lane road, and parking spaces here are few. There is one public toilet, and one public faucet for drinking water. Yet, according to Mr. Palmer, there are sometimes as many as 75 minibuses disgorging more than 500 hikers at a time. The hikers park their vans, conquer the peak and then depart — leaving behind rudely awoken residents and bags of garbage."

Read the full story: Charitable hikers erode mountain and town's patience

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Grand Canyon's man-made and damaging "flood"

The Los Angeles Times reports today on the first of several Grand Canyon "flushings." The flushing is a series of controlled water surges or floods recommended by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. Grand Canyon national park officials criticize the controlled flooding as favoring hydroelectric power producers and not helping to "clean" the canyon's river bottom as promoted:

"Grand Canyon National Park Supt. Steve Martin said he was given a day to formulate comments to a cursory environmental assessment of the project. In those comments, he wrote that statements by the Bureau of Reclamation used to justify the flows' timing were "unsubstantiated." Far from restoring crucial sand banks and other areas, the flows could destroy habitat, Martin said."

Mr. Kempthorne was heavily criticized by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) when given the job of Secretary of the Interior in 2006:

"Kempthorne became governor of Idaho in 1998. During his first four and a half years in office, the state's air got dirtier, more rivers were polluted, fewer polluters were inspected, and toxic emissions increased, according to a Knight Ridder analysis of Idaho pollution data from Environmental Protection Agency and state records. Kempthorne cut the state's environmental services budget three times in two years."

Read the full story: Plan to 'flush' Grand Canyon stirs concerns

Ecotourism in Cambodia

Ecotourism is a relatively new development in Cambodia where the majority of tourists visit for the history rather than the wildlife. But in targeted areas of active environmental protection, ecotourism has been making a positive and successful impact in the lives of indigenous species and local villagers. Watch my video report from Siem Reap, Chong Khneas, and Prek Toal, Cambodia: