Green Postcards

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill anticipates a green-heart's every need, Part 2

See yesterday’s post for all the eco-details on Hotel Mocking Bird Hill.

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill
PO Box 254
Port Antonio, Jamaica
Phone: 876-993-7267
E-mail: info@hotelmockingbirdhill.com or mockbrd@cwjamaica.com
Skype: Mockingbirdees

Your room rate includes shuttles to the beach, wireless internet, free mask and snorkel use, and complimentary afternoon tea and “sundowner” cocktails in the evening. You’ll get extra eco-perks in your room like handmade stationery made out of recycled materials, a plate full of local fruits, and a collection of the hotel’s recipes so you can recreate the dishes you enjoy here at home.

Only the standard room during the low current season falls under our Green Postcards limit: $125 per night for two, May 1 through December 19. Rates go up to $165 per night for two, December 20 through April 30, 2009. (2009 low season rates are $135 per night for two.)

You can splurge on the garden view rooms (starting at $165 per night for two, low season), the superior rooms (starting at $220 per night for two, low season), and the suites ($390 per night for two, low season). You can add a third person to any of these more spacious rooms for $48.95 a night. The suites are especially good for families: They include an extra bathroom, living area, and day beds. Kids under 12 stay free with their folks.

Shireen Aga, Hotel Mocking Bird Hill’s manager, has a fabulous list of must-dos while you are in Port Antonio, all of which the hotel’s tour company, Jamaica Explorations, can arrange for you. Tours are led by community members or certified guides and can run between $15 to $120 per person. Here are Shireen’s top picks:
 
1. Hike and raft along the Rio Grande
2. Take a boat from Winnifred Beach to the Blue Lagoon, the popular diving hole where freshwater springs meet the ocean
3. Take a day hike to Reich Falls
4. Hike to a local coffee farm in the Blue Mountains.
5. Visit Charles Town, where you can hike to the ruins of an 18th-century coffee plantation. Immerse yourself in the history of the Maroon community, descended from slaves who escaped to the mountains and fought the British for their freedom.

If you make some quick plans, you can be in Jamaica during Quao Day, June 23, to help the Maroon community in Charles Town celebrate Captain Quao, an 18th-century Maroon hero!

Photo from www.hotelmockingbirdhill.com

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Hotel Mocking Bird Hill anticipates a green-heart's every need, Part 1

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill promises “guiltless indulgence” in Jamaica’s Port Antonio. Owners Shireen Aga and Barbara Walker seem to anticipate any nagging eco-worry a true green-heart could have. From the handmade, recycled stationery in guest rooms, to the bamboo furniture, to the rehabbed and reused structure itself, Hotel Mocking Bird Hill promises to provide a socially aware solution to countless travel whims and needs. The e-mail Shireen sent me explaining the hotel’s environmental efforts was incredibly thorough; I can’t fit the depths of this destination’s sustainability into a couple posts. Trust me that for every feature I mention, there’s another well worth looking into! (Check out their detailed environmental information.)

Let’s start with carbon neutrality. The quest to “go zero” is what separates the girls from the women in the eco-travel industry. Mocking Bird Hill offsets their 68.78 annual tons of CO2 through Sustainable Travel International’s program. They also give guests a way to compensate for their flights’ carbon loads and give back to Jamaica at the same time: Mocking Bird Hill offers optional tree offsets through the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust. $10 will plant one tree and offset a short (two to three hour) flight, for example. If you’re honeymooning at Mocking Bird Hill, the hotel will plant two trees in your honor as a wedding gift – a great, green way to start your ever after.

The hotel keeps their energy and water use low through various conservation tools and practices. Shireen says they already use solar power but are working to expand their renewable energy capabilities. They collect rainwater; use efficient showerheads, taps, and toilets; and use native plants for landscaping that can survive without extra watering. Natural cleaners like vinegar and baking soda keep toxins out of the resort.

Shireen says she’s proud of how her staff has personally embraced sustainable lifestyles: “Despite being one of the smallest properties on the island, we have been able to set an example.” She works hard to educate both guests and employees, who in turn pass on the eco-lessons to their own circles.

Shireen also makes sure her guests have a true Jamaica experience rooted in the local culture. “We are very proud of the numerous close relationships and networking we have established over the years with various community groups and value our relationships with them very much,” she says. The strength of those relationships show in the extensive (and locally led) tours the hotel offers. You can also taste the local ties in the resort’s regionally sourced food.

Despite all the resort has already done, Shireen still has a long list of goals for the future. “Reduce our footprint; minimize the carbon emissions; become more self-sustaining; expand our network of local, organic food suppliers; intensify staff trainings and encourage more life-long learning; offer more educational opportunities for our team members,” she ticks off. All in the service of providing you with a trip that will relax your conscience as well as your mind and body.

Come back tomorrow for rates (they start in Green Postcards territory and expand into the splurge zone) and suggestions for Port Antonio activities!

Photo copyright Alan Smith 2007
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Eco-Travel Headlines (and links!)

This is the first year I’ve been privileged to live in close proximity to an REI, and I’m definitely going to miss the quick access to great outdoor gear when we move in August. REI’s just-released 2008 stewardship report has some great green highlights:

• A goal to reduce their 2006 emission levels by one-third by 2009 – that’s moving fast, people.

• They get 20% of their power from renewable sources and are trying to increase that percentage.

• Their ecoSensitive products feature recycled, renewable, and/or organic materials and are labeled to help explain to consumers how those material choices are made.

Finally, and most relevant to this blog, they partner with Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset all their fabulous REI Adventures. Their carbon-neutral tours are one of my favorite places to get a quick travel daydream fix. Here are a few packages that sneak under Green Postcards’ $150/day price limits (If you’re an REI member; $20 for a lifetime membership. Trust me. You’ll make up the cost with your annual member refund – usually 10% of what your combined purchases for the year):

“Everest Classic”:
19 days of hiking in Nepal for $2699.

“Nepal’s Royal Trek”
16 days of hiking and a jungle safari for $2399.

“Paddle Baja: Islands and Coast Route”:
8 days of kayaking in the Sea of Cortez for $1045.

“Loon Lake Kayaking”
Three days of kayaking in Loon Lake, California, for $365.

“Mono Lake Kayaking”
Three days of salt-lake paddling in Lee Vining, California, for $380.

“Sierra Day Hikes”
Three to four days of hiking in the Tahoe National Forest for $320-$430.

“Yosemite Backpack”
Four days of backpacking through Yosemite for $535.

“Appalachian Trail Hut to Hut Hiking”
Four days of hiking through the White Mountains of New Hampshire for $415.

“Basic Rock Climbing: Rumnet Rocks”
Three days of introductory rock climbing  in New Hampshire for $425.

“Basic Rock Climbing: North Carolina”
Three days of introductory rock climbing in the Pisgah National Forest for $355.

“Basic Rock Climbing: Northern Virginia”
Three days of introductory rock climbing on Crescent Rocks and Elizabeth Furnace for $315.

“Mount Rainier Classic Hikes”
Three days of hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park for $450.

“Yellowstone Backpack”
Four days of exploring Yellowstone National Park for $580.

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Splurge Saturdays: Sail to the North Pole on a Carbon-Neutral, Nuclear-Powered Ice-breaker

For those of you with cash to burn, carbon on your mind, and polar bears in your heart: Expedition Trips is now booking summer voyages to the North Pole aboard 50 Years of Victory, a nuclear-powered, luxury ice-breaker. The newly renovated, 64-cabin ship has an indoor pool, gym, lounge, bar, masseuse, library, and not one but two saunas. (You're going to need them -- it's reportedly chilly up there at 90 degrees latitude.) Also on-board are a bevy of experts (historian, biologist, ornithologist) to educate you on all things Arctic. The trip starts in Helsinki, Finland, where you'll fly to Murmansk, Russia, to board the ice-breaker. Seven days later, you'll reach the North Pole, then head south to the Franz Josef Land archipelago, the Barents Sea, and back to Murmansk and Helsinki. The voyage is 16 days (departures on June 23, July 6, and July 19). Rates start at $22,900 per person and go up to $31,900 for an Arktika suite (bedroom, sitting room, bathtub, fridge, etc.). The whole shebang is offset through Native Energy, making it a carbon-neutral expedition to view the carbon-caused effects of climate change in the rapidly changing Arctic. Ironic, yes. Life-changing, definitely.

Photo from www.expeditiontrips.com

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A cheaper, faster low-carbon route to Australia from the United States

This past Splurge Saturday we looked at one low-carbon way to get to Australia from the United States to take advantage of Callicoma Hill’s offer of free board for carbon-neutral travelers: Hitching a ride on a globe-crossing luxury sailboat charter. It would take you 11 months and $66,000, but you’d get there with a cleaner, greener conscience! Here’s a sailing and biking option that’s a little faster and a little cheaper.

Get theeself to Miami. Remember, you need to convert a diesel vehicle to run on waste vegetable oil (WVO) to have a cabon-neutral drive.  (The conversion will set you back $1000, but the WVO will be free if you can wheedle your way into restaurant-manager’s green hearts along the way.) Estimate three days, depending on where you’re driving from.

Next, charter this sailboat (a monohull with solar panels!) to Barbados for around $340 a day for four guests. ($85 per person, per night.) Estimate seven days.

Then treat yourself to a tall-ship cruise on Star Clippers’s Transatlantic crossing, from Barbados to Rome.  The trip lasts 21 nights, starting at $3,135 for double occupancy. ($75 per person, per night.)

Once you get to Rome, bike to the eastern coastal town of Brindisi along the ancient Via Appia Antica like this guy did back in 2005. (He was planning another go at it this spring, but postponed the trip for financial reasons.) He estimates it will cost you around $800 for lodging and food and take you seven to 10 days.

Charter a sail boat to go from Brindisi to Patra, Pick a boat, any boat, from a sailing charter service like this one. Estimate 2 days and $700 for eight guests. ($88 per person, per night.)

Get back on that two-wheeler and pedal your way from Patras to Athens. Let’s say it will take you seven days and cost $1000. This is pure speculation. You can make it cheaper (and burn off all that fantastic Greek food faster) if you biked the whole 215km in two and a half days like this “Crazy Guy on a Bike.”

Treat yourself again to a tall-ship cruise. Star Clippers’s Indian Ocean crossing goes from Athens to Phuket, Thailand. It takes 37 nights, and prices start at $4705 for double occupancy. ($64 per person, per night.)

Charter a sailboat in Phuket. Estimate 20 days of sailing to reach Syndey. This is going to cost you: The crewed charters start at $932 for four guests per day ($233 per person, per night). Hopefully, you'll be able to find a better deal.

Now that you’ve landed in Sydney, you’re a 185 km bike ride away from Callicoma Hill. Take your time getting there; estimate five days and $500. Now all you’ve got to do is hope Callicoma Hill’s managers will forgive you the minimal carbon offset by sailboats and put you up for free!

Total Cost: $12,674 per person ($113 per person, per night – within Green Postcards range!)
Total Time: 112 days (about 3 months and three weeks)

The moral of the story is traveling long distances across the globe in a low-carbon way is going to take serious time. It’s much faster to jump on a fuel-chugging jet. Until better options are available, travel close to home, offset the plane trips you do have to take, and be willing to commit to slow travel.

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Eco-Travel Headlines

The New York Times reports that splurge-y  W Hotels is now letting guests rent bikes (and helmets – safety first!) for free to encourage environmentally friendly transportation.

A study from the University of California San Diego says that 45 percent of Americans have thought about taking a volunteer vacation. The destination of choice to give back while traveling? 17 percent said Africa (most popular with Gen Y respondents). See the volunteer opportunities Green Postcards has featured here.

Could cars fueled by algae be in our future? The blog Gas 2.0 reports that the US military will start to test 100% algal biodiesel made by California company Solazyme. Read more here.

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