Mother Nature Network has a slide show of eight eco-friendly beaches around the world.
Mother Nature Network has a slide show of 10 animals they say are "at risk for extinction" from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.For a handful of species, however, the spill may be the final nail in the coffin. The situation is so dire that one major online gambling site has begun allowing bets on which Gulf animals are most likely to be declared extinct first.Among the list are:
Mother Nature Network's Destination of the Week is Little St. Simmons Island, Georgia.As one of only two Green Globe 21 Benchmarked properties in the U.S., LSSI’s commitment to low-impact lodging exceeds standard leave-your-bath-towel-on-the-floor-if-you-want-it-laundered practices:Read the full story: Little St. Simmons Island, Georgia
- Three of the guest houses, Tom House, Cedar House and River Lodge, feature geothermal HVAC systems.
- Rain barrels are a common site throughout the island.
- The recycling/composting program is comprehensive.
- You won’t find a single plastic water bottle on the entire island since guests are provided with their own Camelback reusable bottles.
- To keep a somewhat notorious bug population at bay, the island has instituted an eco-friendly, larvicide-based mosquito control program. However, if you’re skittish around bats take heed: There are bat houses in place to help keep the mosquito population in check.
Mother Nature Network reports that BP will use several of actor Kevin Costner's oil filtration machines in efforts to clean up their continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.After more than 20 years of development and $25 million in personal investment, the actor's oil-separation centrifuges were given the green light by BP last night.Read the full story: Kevin Costner's oil filtration tech gets BP 'excited'
"We were confident the technology would work, but we needed to test it at the extremes. We've done that and are excited by the results," said Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer. "We are very pleased with the results and today we have placed a significant order with OTS [Costner's Ocean Therapy Solutions] and will be working with them to rapidly manufacture and deploy 32 of their machines."
Mother Nature Network reports on the ecotourism possibilities in Panama.Eco-tourism is becoming a powerhouse industry in Panama, much like it did in neighboring Costa Rica over the past few decades. Costa Rica’s well-developed nature-tourism industry has caused land prices to climb to the point where developing anything other than a multistory resort hotels is not financially possible. Panama’s prices are much lower, making it possible for developers to build resorts within the natural surroundings rather than on top of them.Read the full story: Destination of the week: Panama City
Mother Nature Network reports that band Pearl Jam will offset their carbon output from last year's tour by planting trees.Pearl Jam has announced a donation of $210,000 to the Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC), a Seattle-based organization that works to conserve natural areas and restore neighborhood trails and parks. The donation will offset the carbon emissions from the band's 2009 tour and lead to the planting of 33-acres of native trees and plants around Puget Sound.Read the full story: Pearl Jam offsets 2009 tour with tree-planting initiative
According to calculations from the CLC, the band's 32-date tour produced 5,474 metric tons of CO2.
Mother Nature Network reports on the eco-friendly nature of this year's White House Easter Egg Roll.
Mother Nature Network showcases their "Eco-photos of the week" including this one of a fake camel carcass in Sydney, Australia that visitors can take shelter in.
Mother Nature Network has a slide show of seven car-free places around the world.
Mother Nature Network reports that Washington D.C. is now taxing consumers for once free grocery bags.
Mother Nature Network reports on Pope Benedict XVI's environmental decree for 2010:"An objective shared by all, an indispensable condition for peace, is that of overseeing the earth's natural resources with justice and wisdom," [he said]The Vatican has a mixed history of environmentalism that Ecotravel News has previously written about. It has created its own airline, gone carbon neutral, had the Pope declare people need to be more environmental from the plane, and made toys out of old Christmas trees.
Mother Nature Network (MNN) reports on the green spaces worth visiting in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Its public transit system, though crowded, is an easy way to get around and there has been a city-level movement to increase the number of green spaces and to build an extensive network of bicycle paths. Add a vibrant organic eating scene that supports small farms to the list and the Sao Paulo (often referred to as Sampa in local slang) becomes an impressive destination for environmentally conscious travelers.Read the full story: Destination of the week Sao Paulo
Mother Nature Network reports on German farmers selling fresh produce via vending machine. [Farm] Peter-und-Paul-Hof spawned the idea as a solution to a problem which faces many local farmers worldwide. After efforts to deliver milk directly to customers became too time-consuming and costly, they first tried to encourage customers to collect the milk from fridges on their farm, but of course that only shifted the burden onto the customers. Vending machines simply offered them the smartest middle ground solution to the problem.Read the full story: Farmers using vending machines to sell produce
Perhaps even more unusual, the company has chosen to place several of these upstart Regiomats alongside popular hiking trails in Switzerland.
Mother Nature Network has taken over defunct Plenty Magazine but still has some of their articles like their list of seven enviro-friendly "wonders" to visit.
