green living, smart spending
April 22, 2012 is the 42nd annual Earth Day, which has expanded over the years to Earth Week, with eco-friendly events around the world, as more of us become aware of the impact we are having on our environment, and how we can — and should — protect it. Be an ecoXplorer and spend your
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The Epic Hotel is the newest Green Seal certified four-star hotel in Miami. That’s just it’s latest award. It also has been named one of the top 25 hotels in the U. S. in 2011, and one of the trendiest. The Epic is part of the Kimpton chain, which operates boutique hotels under the
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Zion Lodge, in Utah’s Zion National Park, has just received Green Seal certification for its environmental programs that protect the park’s ecosystem. The Green Seal certification is just the latest of many awards and honors the Zion Lodge has received for promoting sustainable eco-tourism and practices and environmental initiatives. The award recognizes efforts that include purchasing
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California B&Bs have gone green with a variety of innovative and eco-friendly practices, including using solar power and geothermal energy systems to reduce electric costs, and providing electric car charging stations for guests arriving in plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf and Mini E. In Santa Cruz, The
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How appropriate that at the same time the Ford Motor Company is making headlines for producing green, energy efficient vehicles such as the Focus and Fiesta, a hotel named for company founder Henry Ford has earned a top rating from Green Lodging Michigan and the Michigan Dept. of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. The hotel
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San Diego’s Hotel Solamar is the city’s first downtown hotel to become Green Seal™ certified, and one of just 20 in all of California to earn this top rating for social and environmental responsibility. The Hotel Solamar is operated by Kimpton, which is one of the hotel industry’s top green leaders. Kimpton operates 50 boutique
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Go green with one touch at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts, Aruba’s top resort for couples and one of the most eco-friendly in the Caribbean. The resort has added what it calls a Green Button by the bed that allows guests to opt-in to the resort’s energy conservation program. The Green Button activates motion sensors
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There are 50 million allergy sufferers in the United States who have problems going on vacation because of the allergy aggravators in hotels, from the cleaning supplies used to the feathers inside the bed pillows. Hotel chains have taken notice, and are offering allergy-free rooms for sensitive noses for whom there aren’t enough antihistamines or nasal
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There’s still time to book special eco-friendly getaways for the holidays. These travel adventures are great gifts to give yourself. Zion National Park is one of my favorite places in the world to hike and inhale the beauty of the rugged scenery and the clear air — that photo of me is atop the Angels
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The world’s largest winter carnival is the annual Quebec Winter Carnival, in the heart of Old Quebec. It is 17 days of fun in the snow, from January 28 to February 13, 2011. The daily schedule of festivities includes parades, fireworks, slide runs, a giant foot ball game, concerts, snow sculptures, horse-drawn sleigh rides, dogsled rides, an
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