Sydney reporters test commuting options

Australia's Sydney Morning Herald had an apt commuting race between some of their reporters using different methods of transportation to get to work.

But to make it an even better race, they all started from the neighborhood of Ryde - where New South Wales state transport minister John Watkins lives - to his office at Parliament House. The total distance is 15.5 kilometers, about 9.6 miles.

The commuting methods the six reporters used were bus, train, running, biking, driving a car or a motor scooter.

The scooter commuter came in first with a time of 25 minutes. The biker came in second, clocking in at 32 minutes. Then the car commuter arrived in 37 minutes. It took the train and bus commuters over an hour and a quarter. The runner arrived last, but only six minutes later than the bus rider.

This test shows why more people choose to drive their own vehicles rather than taking more environmental but slower public transportation.

Read the full story: Public transport? You're better off on your bike.

Virgin honcho to build uber-green Caribbean resort

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Richard Branson, the Virgin conglomerate pioneer, is going to build the utmost in green resorts on his private Caribbean island.

Sir Richard is a genuine champ for the environment and actively incorporates environmental measures in his businesses like promoting airplanes to be tugged out to the runways to save fuel and to being the first to use biofuel in his Virgin Atlantic airline earlier this year.

His uber-green resort will be powered using only solar and wind energy, and Branson has already partnered with many alternative-energy consultants.

"'It is actually inexcusable for the Caribbean to need to use dirty fuels anymore when it has all these natural resources on its doorstep,' said Branson, during a tour of Necker Island in June.

He told reporters that the eco-resort's buildings would capture cool thermal airflows, eliminating the need for air conditioners. The guests' food would come from an organic orchard, and beach buggies would be powered by biofuels."

Read the full story: Branson plans world's most eco-friendly resort

Pope urges lifestyle changes to help environment... from his plane

Australia's The Sydney Morning Herald reports on Pope Benedict XVI's visit and urgent message to Australians (that he delivered from his plane before he landed) to save the environment by changing ones lifestyle.

This is just another ironic event (because as we all know that airplanes emit high amounts of carbon that is causing the climate to change) in the Pontiff's tenure.

Ecotravel News has previously pointed out that the Vatican has started their own airline and also have more honorably gone carbon-neutral.

The catholic leader has good intentions but he needs to start following his own advice too, even though the SMH does point out that Australia is becoming less energy-efficient.

Read the full story: Help to save the world, Pope tells Australia
and the sister story of: Nation of climate sinners