Air travel is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions—a real bummer for eco-travelers like myself. I can’t help but feel a little guilty every time I board a plane.

But it looks like the airline industry is really trying to get on board the green travel bandwagon.

On Aug. 20, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Southwest Airlines’ Houston and Dallas operations for participation in the federal Fortune 500 Green Power Challenge, and for being one of the top green power purchasers; it currently ranks No. 32. The Dallas and Houston operations together purchased almost 16 million kilowatt-hours of green power, enough to cover 30 percent of its electricity needs.

The EPA Green Power Challenge aims to exceed 10 billion kilowatt-hours by the end of 2009. To learn more about the program, go to www.epa.gov/greenpower.

Photo: www.southwest.com

More Green Air Travel News

The Air Transport Association of America announced last week that eight leading United States carriers have agreed to purchased nearly 1.5 million gallons of renewable synthetic diesel fuel for all ground operations at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The airlines: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, UPS Airlines and US Airways.

Denver International Airport (DIA) is planning to build a solar electricity generating system to power the airport’s fuel facility, scheduled for completion by the end of 2009.

Imagine getting away from it all to travel in the South Pacific in eco-friendly style. A bicycle tour operator, Pedalers Pub and Grille, is offering an eight-night island-hopping bike and sail adventure in Tahiti. For $3,395 per person (excluding air travel to Tahiti) plus an additional $220 per person in port taxes, visitors can tour the islands of French Polynesia including Taha’a, Raiatea, Hauhine, Moorea and Bora Bora. The tour includes a seven-night stay on a ship (plus the first night’s stay at an eco-friendly hotel in Tahiti), airport transfers, daily meals, professional guides, and sightseeing and cultural activities.

Pedalers Pub and Grille has been organizing cycling tours to destinations in Asia, Alaska and the South Pacific since the 1980s and is offering environmentally friendly tours to help protect the threatened ecosystem of French Polynesia. The Bike and Sail Tour which begins and ends in Tahiti’s capital, Papeete, is set on a wind-powered clipper ship which can carry around 170 passengers.

During the trip, visitors (ranging from beginning cyclists to avid Lance Armstrong aficionados) peddle a total of 230 miles along designated routes that take them past local villages, historic centers, lagoons and the lush vegetation of French Polynesia. Trip highlights include visits to the Marae Taputaputea temple on the island of Raiatea and the markets of Maharepa in Moorea.

The next tour date is scheduled for June 20, 2009. For more information about the Bike and Sail Tour, visit www.pedalerspubandgrille.com.

Get some eco-education on your next family vacation when you stay at two family-friendly Sandos Hotels & Resorts in Mexico. Sandos is converting its Sandos Caracol Beach Resort Spa and Sandos Select Club Beach Resort Spa in the Riviera Maya into eco-resorts.

The Caracol complex—which comprises both resorts—is poised to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions 75 percent by 2012 by turning to alternative energy sources. Caracol is also creating an “Eco-Zoo” around the property, where endangered species will live in designated habitat zones; the resort will work with area universities to establish breeding and re-population programs. Guests will be able to partake in Eco-Zoo activities such as free lectures and tours, and eco-activities including beach clean-ups and tortoise conservation projects.

The all-inclusive Sandos resort vacation includes accommodations, all meals and beverages, sporting activities, daily activities program, supervised Kids Club and Teen Club, entrance to the disco and all hotel taxes and service charges. Additional activities can be arranged including deep-sea fishing, visits to archaeological sites like Tulum, Cobá and Chichen Itza, and ecological park Xcaret. Rates range from $67 to $132 per person, per night for a standard double; rates are good through April 18, 2009.

To learn more about Riviera Maya destinations, read TravelMuse articles on Treasures of Tulum, Cobá: Into the Mayan Jungle, Playtime at the Playa, Off Track Adventures and Top 4 Riviera Maya Resorts for Families.

Stack a bunch of shipping containers together like Lego bricks and what do you get? In London’s Uxbridge area, you get a 120-room Travelodge hotel.

The 86 steel containers were outfitted in China with electric wiring, walls and bathrooms before being shipped off to their assembly location in the United Kingdom. After being stacked in their hotel configuration (two different sizes of containers were used), windows were installed and the rooms were decorated—before the outer skin of the hotel was built.

If the containers are ever needed for another location, they can be disassembled and used for another hotel—or go back to their previous job as shipping containers.

A second container hotel is underway at London’s Heathrow airport.

There are budget hotels—and then, there are hay hotels, the newest sleeping sensation sweeping across Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. Yes, you sleep on hay. As in, from a barn. In fact, the hay-filled lodgings are converted outbuildings and barns located on family farms.

The idea has been a hit with ecotourists, budget-conscious travelers and outdoorsy families on cycling or hiking tours. Hay hotels (or Heuhotels as they’re known in Europe) are inexpensive—as little as €8 (about $12) per night—and the second-harvest hay that’s used is softer to sleep on than the coarse stuff you may have encountered in hay rides. Plus, your hosts serve up a hearty breakfast, fresh from the farm. A few rules: BYOSB (bring your own sleeping bag) and absolutely no smoking.  

Check out www.heuherbergen.de, which has an English Web page and lists hay hotels in the Schleswig Holstein, the northernmost state in Germany (and the region with the most hay hotels). Here are a couple of other Heuhotel Web sites in German … but grab someone who can translate for you: www.heuhotel.de and www.heuhotelferien.de.

Don’t let skyrocketing gas prices keep you from traveling to your favorite concerts, festivals and sporting events this summer. It’s still cheaper to drive than fly, but it’s even cheaper to drive with other people—and kinder to the planet. That’s the idea behind Pickup Pal, a service that matches drivers going from point A to point B with riders along the way; drivers earn money after paying 7 percent commission to Pickup Pal. Since its launch in January 2008, Pickup Pal’s rideshare program has averted more than 1 million lbs. of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Rideshare programs are definitely not new—[Craigslist.org|http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.html]’s rideshare program has been around for years, as have local carpool programs for commuters. Many of my friends use Craigslist to find rides, whether for a short ride to the airport or a trip out of state to visit family; regardless, they save money and meet interesting people. But Pickup Pal bills itself as “the world’s first online transportation marketplace;” it’s easy to use, free to join—and they do the matchmaking for you.

Even cooler, one of Pickup Pal’s newest programs, Eco-Rideshare, allows users to create unique Web pages for specific concerts, festivals, sporting events, corporate events and more. In May, The Dave Matthews Band joined up, encouraging fans to use Eco-Rideshare to 53 concerts during its North American tour. Check out the full list of partners at www.pickuppal.com/erp/partners.

Have you ever used a rideshare program? Would you be interested in a program like Eco-Rideshare? Let us know your thoughts.