green living, smart spending
When the all-new redesigned 2014 Kia Soul goes on sale soon, its starting price will be a budget-priced $14,701, plus upgrades and options that bring the top, fully loaded model a blink over $20,000. But even the base model is far from a tin can on wheels, with normally pricey features included as standard, such
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Whale sharks are sharks the size of whales, but unlike other sharks, they are not the least bit scary. Even so, swimming with creatures as large as 60-feet is an adrenalin experience, as I found out on a recent whale shark tour in the Gulf of Mexico near Cancun. Whale sharks are annual visitors to
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Commuting by bicycle is getting more popular, and so is sightseeing by pedal power – two reasons why Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in the USA are offering guests free loaner bikes. But these are not ordinary roadsters. These are custom-made for the boutique hotel company by San Francisco-based boutique bicycle and gear company PUBLIC. The
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An entire museum devoted to footwear? Yes. And it has absolutely nothing to do with obsessive shoe collector Imelda Marcos. The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto walks us through the history of footwear, from prehistoric times to the present. It’s a fascinating look at the at the design and cultural impact of footwear, where you
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Erik Lindbergh keeps aviation pioneering in the family. That’s the headline of my article on green aviation and the future of flight supported by the grandson of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh. Erik Lindbergh supports electric-powered and solar-powered flight and space tourism. He’s an interesting man, and I enjoyed interviewing him in 2013 for an article
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It’s easy to understand why Aruba is known as The Happy Island. It’s silky white sand beaches include Eagle Beach, consistently rated as one of the world’s best, it’s a cultural melting pot with international cuisine, it has some of the best scuba diving in the Caribbean, and that’s just for starters. Aruba is located
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The last place you want to see fireworks is inside your car or truck. A few simple safety checks in the driveway before your family vacation can help avoid the short fuses, inconvenience and potential safety hazards of breaking down many miles away from home. I’ve been in a car that nearly caught fire, and
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Zion Lodge in Zion National Park has become the first hotel in a US national park to receive the top Green Seal Lodging Standard award for its eco-friendly environmental standards and practices. The top Green Seal is the Gold award, which means Zion Lodge is both green and gold. The top award covers everything from
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The Omni Dallas Hotel proves once again that green can be beautiful, luxurious, and affordable. The Omni, which opened its doors on 11/11/11 — a lucky day for those of your who follow numerology — has earned LEED Gold New Construction certification. That makes this new Dallas landmark the first and only LEED Gold hotel
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The impending mandated federal budget cuts, also known as sequestration, are a disaster for US national parks, wildlife, and for those of us who love the outdoors. The impending mandated federal budget cuts, also known as sequestration, are a disaster for US national parks, wildlife, and for those of us who love the outdoors. Sequestration
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