Green Postcards

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Jun 15, 2008 5:24:39 PM | Adventure Travel, Beach, Big Group Vacation, California, Cuisine, Food and Drink, Hiking Vacation, Learning Vacation, Organic, Running Vacation, Splurge, Travel, US

June 09, 2008

Eco-travel wish list: Three Yosemite activities for your next trip

Here are a few things I wish I'd had time to do while in the Yosemite area recently. Add them to your own itinerary if you're going to be traveling to the park and send me a report! These three are definitely on my to-do list for next time.

1. Volunteer in return for a free night of camping at Yosemite. The massage therapist at Yosemite Bug, Derek, had the inside track to scoring a free night at Yosemite. His girlfriend is a ranger there and runs the drop-in volunteer program. Derek says he talks it up to everyone who will listen because it’s such a great and underused opportunity. Yosemite visitors can sign up to trade a few hours of light labor (planting trees, digging up blackberry bushes, an invasive species, etc.) you get hands-on park education and a voucher for a free night at the park. (Usually $5 to $20.) All you have to do to sign up is visit the main park entrance and ask them to put you to work!

2. Mariposa County wineries: I passed multiple wineries as I drove up Highway 41 from Fresno to Fish Camp, CA, and west on Highways 49 and 140 to Midpines to stay at Yosemite Bug. I’m especially interested in Silver Fox Vineyard because they grow organic grapes.

3. Visit some of the local organic farms to pick berries and gorge myself on fresh produce. I’m sorry I had to leave so early; I saw a flier for the annual “Pick and Gather” at Riverdance Farms two weekends ago. The event is sponsored by local farmers and includes farm tours and organic blueberry and cherry picking. It also promised to “[teach] the importance of our precious regional eco-system, sustainability, [and] the value of supporting local small farms and the farmers that feed us!” Sounds like my kind of event; I’ll have to try to make it next year!

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Jun 9, 2008 4:00:00 AM | California, Cuisine, Food and Drink, Hostel, Learning Vacation, Mountain, Organic, Rural, Volunteer Vacations, Wine Vacation

June 07, 2008

Splurge Saturdays: Eco-lodge luxury at The Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park

I thought national park accommodations were camp sites and bunk houses; I was wrong. I didn't get to stay at this uber-luxe lodge on my recent trip to the Yosemite area, but it's on my wish list for next time (if I can save up the cash). The Ahwahnee Hotel was built in the 1920s to draw rich travelers into the park, a task I'm sure it continues to successfully fulfill to this day. Its site was chosen for the surrounding vistas; it overlooks Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Glacier Point. Modern-day visitors can look out over those Yosemite landmarks from 123 cottages, suites and deluxe hotel rooms and dine at the famous Ahwahnee Dining Room ("resort casual" dress code required at night). Right now, weekend rooms start at around $439 per night and are slightly lower in the fall and winter seasons.

The Ahwahnee is owned by the Delaware North Company, who also runs Tenaya Lodge, last week's splurge feature. Visitors can rest assured their indulgent stay isn't harming the surrounding environment, thanks to DNC's GreenPath program.

Photo from www.yosemitepark.com

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Continue reading "Report: Yosemite Bug Café: Great food, even better people-watching" »

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Jun 7, 2008 4:00:00 AM | California, Cuisine, Hiking Vacation, Mountain, Rural, Splurge, US

June 06, 2008

Report: Yosemite Bug Café: Great food, even better people-watching

See yesterday's post for a report on Yosemite Bug's spa; a retreat at an extra specia eco-hostel in Midpines, California.

Contrary to the lounges in conventional budget hotels (TV blaring CNN Headline News, generic sofas, picked over danishes at the breakfast bar), this is a common area people actually seem to enjoy frequenting. They’ve got a live music schedule posted, and big groups of locals seem to be eating here as well as guests. As I people-watched during dinner, I’m surrounded by single travelers journaling, tables full of wine-sipping boomers, Asian tourists playing a card game I can’t follow, young backpackers, and resort employees hanging out after their shifts. I heard Spanish, Eastern European accents, the Queen's English, and languages I couldn’t begin to place all in one evening.

The food is as good as the crowd. The café is low key; you stand in line to order and clear your own table, though when the line slows down the employees in the kitchen come out to take your dishes. The menu is better than the self-service implies; they’ve got wine, beer, and surprisingly nice entrées for a camp-type resort. Everything from steak to vegetarian options. I had an amazingly filling vegan chili served a top herbed rice, side salad, whole wheat roll, and a pleasant, local pinot noir. All for $19 with tip. (I was so ravenous I forgot to snap the picture until I was already half-way through.) Apparently, the carnivorous options are also fantastic; the pork chop with green chili sauce elicited an “Oh. My. God.” from one table over. And the British backpackers next to me raved about their meals: “I’ve been dying for a dinner like this!”

Jun 6, 2008 4:00:00 AM | $25-$50, California, Cuisine, Food and Drink, Hostel, Mountain, Rural, Travel, Under $25, US, Vegetarian / Vegan

Eco-travel news: the Washington Post on organic fast food

The second Washington Post article to catch my eye this week covers the West Coast chain Organic to Go's purchase of the DC-area's four High Noon Fresh & Ready cafes, creating a East/West Coast, quick-organic mini-empire. Both companies feature organic fast food and catering with menus that are a far cry from Mickie D's. If you're traveling to Seattle, LA, Orange County, San Diego, or DC, make sure to mark these locations on your google maps; they seem like easy ways to grab a quick and greener meal. I have to ask the question, though: What about all the fly-over states? I've got plenty of favorite Midwestern organic restaurants (Blue Bird Bistro in Kansas City is a must if you're anywhere near that city) but know of none that have focused on fast food and gone the franchise route. Anybody have the scoop on non-coast organic fast food?

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Continue reading "Report: New Stars Vegetarian Restaurant in Fresno, California" »

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Jun 6, 2008 4:00:00 AM | Cuisine, News, Organic

June 03, 2008

Report: New Stars Vegetarian Restaurant in Fresno, California

I flew into Fresno, California, this past Friday, en route to the Saturday 50K race in Fish Camp, one hour north. Common wisdom dictates the day before a race should be full of carbohydrate-rich meals. So what was a hungry runner passing through town to do? I followed my own advice and did a little vegan web searching before the trip. The almighty Google led me to New Stars Vegetarian, a relatively new Fresno site of the original New Stars in Merced.

After minor trouble finding the restaurant (it's tucked into the back of an upscale outdoor shopping complex), I was quickly settled at a white-clothed table by a extensively curtained window. It was toward the end of prime lunch time, but there were only three other diners happily noshing to the jazz standards playing on the speakers. The menu was mostly pan-Asian with a few Italian touches; vegan options were clearly marked.

Jun 3, 2008 4:00:00 AM | California, Cuisine, Food and Drink, Report, US, Vegetarian / Vegan

May 29, 2008

Five travel survival strategies for vegans and vegans-for-a-day

A Carnegie Mellon study has been making the eco-blog rounds thanks to this controversial statement:

Shifting less than one day per week's worth of calories from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs, or a vegetable-based diet achieves more [green house gas] reduction than buying all locally sourced food.

Yup. You heard that right. Red meat and dairy create a heck of a lot more emissions to produce than "lighter" meats and produce. Buying local is great; it supports your neighborhood farmers and keeps your "food miles" low. But according to this study, travel emissions are only 11 percent of foods' greenhouse gas totals. Actually producing the food? 83 percent.

So let's say you're making a once-a-week veggie commitment to lower your carbon footprint. What do you do when you're out of town or out on the town with friends? I went vegan in January of this year, largely for environmental and health reasons. It's been surprisingly easy -- when cooking for myself at home. Restaurants took a little while to learn how to navigate, especially when on the road. Here are a few tricks I've learned to finding a satisfying and low carbon meal while traveling or going out:

Continue reading "Five travel survival strategies for vegans and vegans-for-a-day" »

May 29, 2008 4:00:00 AM | Cuisine, Discussion

May 09, 2008

Churchill House Inn: The oldest, greenest inn in Vermont, Part 2

See yesterday’s post for the history of this venerable inn (the first guests showed up in 1872) and its more recent energy-efficiency upgrades.

Churchill House Inn
3128 Forest Dale Road
Brandon, Vermont 05733
Phone: 800-320-5828 or 802-247-3078
E-mail: stay AT churchillhouseinn.com

Churchill House Inn defines the “quiet season” as weekdays from November until May (excluding President’s Week in February and the Christmas through New Year’s week). “High season” is September 19 through October 18 and Memorial Day weekend. All rooms have private bathrooms and wi-fi access. Rates include a made-from-scratch breakfast created from the inn’s own organic garden and other local ingredients sourced from the Vermont Fresh Network http://www.vermontfresh.net/. If breakfast has you craving more, you can order up a four-course dinner at the inn for $30. See menu examples here.

The London Room: One king bed and one twin bed. $160 for three. ($135, quiet season; $180, high season.) (That’s $45 to $60 per person, per night.)

The Moscow Room: Two double beds. $145 for four. $120, quiet season; $165, high season. (That’s $30 to $41.25 per person, per night.)

The Athens Room and the Bombay Room: One queen bed and a whirlpool tub. $145 for two. $120, quiet season; $165, high season.

The Morocco Room: One queen bed. . $140 for two. $115, quiet season; $160, high season.

The Tuscany Room: One queen bed and one twin bed with a sitting room. $145 for three. $120, quiet season; $165, high season. (That’s $40 to $55 per person, per night.)

The Paris Room: One queen bed. $135 for two. ($110, quiet season; $155, high season.)

The Chartwell Room: Two double beds. $125 for four. ($100, quiet season; $145, high season.) (That’s $25 to $36.25 per person, per night.)

If you're looking for some Churchill-appropriate reading material, owners Seth and Olya Hopkins suggests bringing along some Robert Frost. “The celebrated poet summered just a few miles up the road from us for more than 40 years,” they write, “and his works speaks of the flinty splendor of this locale.” For music that evokes Churchill House Inn, look back – way back. “Nineteenth century small string bands used to play dances in the ‘ballroom’ at our inn,” the couple reports. You’ll hear similar music in the background as you eat your homemade breakfast: “We have several recordings, similar to the soundtrack of the [Ken Burns] Civil War documentary, that seem to fit the inn.”

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May 9, 2008 5:00:00 AM | $100-$125, $125-$150, $25-$50, $50-$75, B&B, Cuisine, Cycling Vacation, Hiking Vacation, Mountain, Rural, US, Vermont

April 30, 2008

A Stone Wall Inn: The greenest inn in Vermont, Part 1

A Stone Wall Inn claims to be the greenest inn in Vermont. I'm not going to argue. In my (eco-)book, any inn that pours 100 percent of its profits into a nonprofit that encourages sustainable design and has a strict BYOTB (Bring Your Own Teddy Bear) policy can make any claims it wants to. Besides, it probably is the greenest inn in Vermont.

The inn was built with recycled materials and local wood and masonry. Solar hot-air collecting systems provide 60 percent of the innâs space-heating needs. The rest is supplied by efficient wood stoves and firewood grown on the innâs property. The inn uses water-efficient toilets and shower heads. (âAlthough water is not the issue here,â says owner and architect Robert Shannon, âbut the energy to pump it.â) Cleaning supplies are non-toxic (7th Generation and Ecover), and the inn grows its own fruits and herbs, used to make the breakfasts and snacks provided for guests.

Robert says heâs proud of how A Stone Wall Inn was designed to surpass LEEDâs platinum sustainability standards. In the future, he wants to make the inn carbon neutral. An important step in that process is being about to generate renewable energy on-site â a challenge Robert is tackling currently by adding photovoltaic solar arrays.

Although the unique architecture has a function â moving solar-heated air throughout the buildings â it is also aesthetically sophisticated. Robert says guests should make time to enjoy the architecture, the innâs extensive gardens, and the artwork found throughout the inn.

Come back tomorrow for details on the innâs accommodations.

Photo courtesy of www.astonewallinn.com

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