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HopHunt Free Traffic said: "Thanks for sharing these good panda photos. We are happy to see that there are may good people who take good care of our forest and wildlif..." [read]

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Caravan and Camping Industry’s Gumnut Awards

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04.30.08
Travel & Nature

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“The caravan and camping Industry in New South Wales realises that Australia has some big challenges ahead in order to reduce our eco-footprint. For this reason, environmental programs such as the Gumnut Awards have been developed to get the touring industry to proactively drive environmental sustainability.”

The program, self described above, was developed back in 2002, modelled closely on the success of the David Bellamy Conservation Awards in the UK. Since that time the Caravan and Camping Industry Association of NSW (CCIA) have apparently managed to get by-in from 47% of their member holiday and residential parks.

Read more: Caravan and Camping Industry’s Gumnut Awards

Wine Tour On Wheels, With King David

by Karin Kloosterman, Jerusalem, Israel on 04.21.08
Travel & Nature

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Tourism is growing again in Israel and along with it the awareness of eco-tourism. Long-time residents or tourists to the Holy Land looking to travel a bit off the beaten path, should consider the one-week cycling and winery tour laid out by the Ministry of Tourism.

Although the onus is on you to map out your route and find places to lodge at night, a fairly detailed outline on how to do that, while sampling the wine from some of the country's better establishments is mapped out here: Cycling Through Israeli Wine and Biblical History.

Read more: Wine Tour On Wheels, With King David

In this Week's Bargain Bin: Our National Parks

by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.17.08
Travel & Nature

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Here are some fun facts for you to consider: According to the National Park Service, there are currently 4.3 million acres of privately owned land within park boundaries; and another 1.8 million listed for acquisition. The federal agency estimates it would cost $1.9 billion for it to purchase these lands. Now here's the really funny part: It only requested $100 million from Congress for fiscal year 2009.

Read more: In this Week's Bargain Bin: Our National Parks

Dolphins and Sponges and Ospreys - Oh My!

by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 04.11.08
Travel & Nature

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Fallen Australian Pines on Anclote Island.

This past week we enjoyed a boat cruise from Tarpon Springs, Florida through the Tarpon Bayou to Anclote Island with Sun Line Tours. The picture above shows some of the fallen Australian Pines on Anclote Island that were planted to stop erosion, but due to their non-native species status did more harm than good. They are being allowed to naturally disappear from the small island off the coast of Tarpon Springs.

Read more: Dolphins and Sponges and Ospreys - Oh My!

Carbon Neutral Vacations in Costa Rica

by Eliza Barclay, Nomad on 04.10.08
Travel & Nature

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The guilt-free, eco-friendly tropical vacation has finally arrived. NatureVacations, a travel agency that operates in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama, hopes to vanquish all of your treehuggerly shame about flying to Costa Rica to soak up some rays by claiming to offset "every ounce" of carbon you produce en route and during your stay with a new seven-day package.

Travelers will stay at the Finca Rosa Blanca and Lapa Rios- the only two hotels in Costa Rica to be awarded five “green leaves” from the Certification for Sustainable Tourism, a system created and managed by Costa Rica’s Institute of Tourism.

Read more: Carbon Neutral Vacations in Costa Rica

Welcome to Eigg: The World's First Fully Self-Sufficient Island

by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04. 1.08
Travel & Nature

sgurr on eigg
Image courtesy of monkeypuzzle via flickr

If you've been looking for the ideal travel location in which to truly indulge your newfound eco-ethos, then look no further than the beautiful Isle of Eigg - a small island located off the coast of Scotland. Yes, through a mix of ingenuity and sheer will, the island's residents have managed to go completely off-grid - relying on a £1.6m system that draws power from a mix of local wind, solar and hydroelectric energy sources.

Read more: Welcome to Eigg: The World's First Fully Self-Sufficient Island

China Shuts Down Mt. Everest, Cites "Environmental Pressures"

by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03.13.08
Travel & Nature

mount everest
Image courtesy of Dan Kamminga via flickr

In an effort to crack down on any potential disturbances ahead of the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government has just issued a notice announcing its decision to shut down the north face of Mount Everest until May 10. The move is widely seen as an attempt to minimize any interference that could hinder the movements of Chinese torch bearers, who will be climbing the mountain within the next two months.

Though the shutdown may only last until May 10, it will likely dissuade any upcoming expeditions; as Tim Johnson explains in his post, attempting to climb Mount Everest that late in the season would prove virtually impossible. The Tibet Mountaineering Association posted the notice on its website a few days ago; it estimates the shutdown will likely inconvenience close to 1,000 climbers who have already put money down to pay for porters, hotels and transportation.

Read more: China Shuts Down Mt. Everest, Cites "Environmental Pressures"

Our (Not So) Pristine National Parks: 70 Contaminants and Counting

by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 4.08
Travel & Nature

glacier national park
Image courtesy of backpackphotography via flickr

The verdict is in and it ain't pretty: Our cherished, "pristine" national parks and monuments are wallowing in filth - more specifically, a wide variety of pollutants such as heavy metals, airborne contaminants and pesticides. In a piece for the AP, Matthew Brown reports on the results of a 6-year federal study - the Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project - on the state of the Western U.S.'s national parks; the results indicate the presence of high levels of contaminants in the 20 parks and monuments - even in remote locations like the high Rockies and northern Alaska. A large proportion of the contaminants is believed to have come from overseas - mostly from Europe and Asia.

Some of the usual suspects - mercury, DDT, PCBs - make an unwelcome return, often accumulating in dangerously high levels in fish, according to Oregon State University fish expert Michael Kent, who co-authored the study. The contaminants exceeded human consumption thresholds in 8 of the surveyed parks; mercury and DDT levels also exceeded the predator consumption thresholds.

Read more: Our (Not So) Pristine National Parks: 70 Contaminants and Counting
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