Eco Lodges

While on your travels abroad to save the environment, a lot of the programs offer accommodations in the form of ecolodges. What is an ecolodge, and where can you find them?

An ecolodge is defined by three main components, according to a study done by the IFC Environment, the three components are: the conservation of lands in and around the ecolodge, benefits to the local communities, and interpretation to locals as well as visitors.

Ecolodges are becoming more popular as the world of Ecotourism grows. Ecotourism has brought about travelers who are interested in being more responsible when it comes to the environment. They worry about the well-being of the country and the community they visit. As ecotourism grows, the need for more ecolodges grows as well.

Ecolodges are usually located in remote areas, but are still somewhat "luxurious and comfortable,"according to the Info Hub Specialty Travel Web site. The site also offers locations of ecolodges all around the world and the different aspects offered.

For example, I checked out a location in the Greek islands because I stayed in a little hotel there before I had ever discovered the idea of an ecolodge.

The Avdou Villas is a ecolodge in Crete. The villas rest on an organic farm in the Lagada Valley. The grounds are covered with olive trees,tangerines, apricot trees, kiwis, and a vegetable garden.

Guests are offered an apartment- like lodge with an electric kitchen. Some of the activities offered include horseback riding, cave tours, hiking, biking, and sea swims. There is also golf courses and an archaeological site.

The Web site offers information about all different sorts of ecolodges for the responsible traveler in places like India, Russia,Iceland,Tanzania, Mexico, or in the US.

All photos taken on my trip to Greece, island of Mykonos.

"Sustainable Energy in Motion"

I recently reported on Native American traditions and the way that those traditions shape a green lifestyle. When I saw that there was an opportunity to learn more about Native American traditions through Green Earth Travel, I figured I should tell you guys about it.

Green Earth Travel is an organization that is dedicated to providing people with travel opportunities that are environmentally friendly and conform to vegetarian/vegan travelers.

Green Earth Travel offers eco-trips,spas,accommodations,fitness,or cruises that wont force you to alter your lifestyle if you are a vegetarian or vegan.

One of the trips they offer,"Sustainable Energy in Motion," is a cycling tour through Oregon. The part that caught my attention is that the riders will spend time with Native Americans in their own communities. You will learn about traditional building techniques and work with salmon restoration.


The riders will stop off in different eco-villages and learn about different aspects of green living. Some of these aspects include, "permaculture, alternative building, appropriate technology and sustainable energy," according to the Web site.

The permaculutre sustainability tour that the cyclists will participate in and learn about includes, "a rainwater catching system, organic gardening, permaculture landscaping, a photovoltaic electric system, a passive solar hot water system, constructed wetlands, composting, fluorescent lighting, and natural building practices (straw bale walls, earthen plaster, passive solar design, and use of recycled and sustainably harvested lumber)," according to the Web site.


You can register for the bike trip online at the Green Earth Travel Web site, the tour can be one to three weeks long, and you bike somewhere between 10 to 70 miles a day.

If you are not the strongest of cyclists, but are interested in the trip, the Web site advises that the coastal ride is less intense of the two bike tours offered.

Organic Farming in Brazil

My friend Jessica De La Ossa and I are going to South America after we graduate in December and we have been looking into some possible volunteer opportunities we could possibly participate in for the time we are there.

I found Casa Do Caminho while I was looking up cheap programs we could give a hand to. This program will pay for your food and lodging in return for your help. This would be perfect for backpackers who are just passing through. You can stay as long as you like if you are helping out each day.

Casa Do Caminho offers a handful of different volunteer opportunities, but the one that caught my eye was the organic farming program.

You would be working on the farm for about six hours a day. The international volunteers will be teaching you the basics of organic farming. The farm in located on the edge of the Tingau Reserve in Brazil. The surroundings are mostly green mountains.

The goals of this organic farm that you would be contributing to include: healthy, natural, food to the local children, and an education to the surrounding farmers and residents about organic farming and sustainability. The primary focus of the organic farm is to ensure that the farmers and children can continue the farm once volunteers have moved on. The area is impoverished, and a healthy flourished farm will provide fresh food year round.

The program needs volunteers that know about farming and agriculture, but they will take any volunteers with or without farming experience.

The farm could also use farming tools like hoes and plows and help with the water irrigation system.

The organic farm began in February 2007 and the volunteers have already had successful vegetable growth like cucumbers. The members of the program teach volunteers about cultivating the land and planting seeds while not abusing the soil.

The farm uses only organic material to enrich the soil of the land and produce quality, natural food for the locals.

Jessica spent last summer in the less fortunate area of Fortaleza, Brazil and she wants to volunteer this summer to take care of some of the problems she saw during her last stay. Jessica explains that an organic farm would be extremely beneficial to the areas she saw in Brazil.

Jessica explained that there was a definite concern with the sanitation of the foods and she believes an organic farm would be very beneficial to the poor communities.

"People cannot afford to buy organic foods there, they are not always eating the most sanitary things," said Jessica. She thinks that if people were capable of growing their own organic foods it would keep food contamination under control, although she still thinks expenses would be a problem without the help of volunteers. She also thinks that giving these kids something to do other than roam the streets begging for food would help the overall moral of the community and the future of these children.


All pictures credited to Jessica De La Ossa. Taken in Fortaleza, Summer2007.

Not So Far Away

I know most of the programs I have been blogging about are opportunities to save the environment out of the US so you can get some travel experience, but I found out about an organization that offers trips all over the US.

This is perfect for those of you that are interested in travel and environmental issues but maybe you don't have enough money to go overseas, or maybe you aren't ready to leave the country for months at a time.

The program is called Student Conservation Association. SCA offers internships all over the US that aim to provide hands on experience in the field so interns can pump up their resume,receive financial benefits, and learn about conserving our natural world.

Some of the internships offered include:

Hudson Valley AmeriCorps Program- According to the SCA Web site this program is "dedicated to recognizing, preserving and interpreting the nationally significant historical, cultural and natural resources of New York's Hudson Valley."


Mount Rainier Recovery- This park was hit by a storm last fall and suffered damages from rain floods, this opportunity would allow interns to work in the park in order to restore it to its pre-storm condition.

Native Plant Corps- This program wants volunteers to learn about preserving native plant communities. According to the SCA Web site, this program is dedicated to "inventory & monitoring, invasive plant control, seed collection, propogation, revegetation, herbaria and public outreach."


There are opportunities from coast to coast to choose from. You can go to New Hampshire and work with conservation teams there, you can go and clean up the nature trails in Florida, or for all you native to Arizona, El Centro in not too far away, and there is a desert conservation team located there.


The great thing about SCA is that it is all about the students, but that does not mean you still have to actually be in school, it mean that you would all be students learning from professionals out in the fields. It has opportunities for people in high school, and offers career opportunities to those volunteers that are over the age of 21.


Although this program offers programs mostly for those who are in the US, they are not ignoring the rest of the world in their efforts to save the environment. This upcoming weekend, Oct. 13 and 14, is International Cleanup Weekend and SCA is urging people to recognize it locally. The Web site suggests that we "change the world" organizing a cleanup in our community. It can be a beach,park,trail,field, or whatever you want it to be,as long as you are cleaning it up!

India for Halloween!

Reid Park Zoo right here in Tucson is offering a sensational trip abroad that teaches about conservation. Imagine seeing the Taj Mahal, and a tiger in the wild in the same day!

The trip begins October 25th and ends November 12th. The first day will be all traveling, but from there you will have:

A few days in Delhi then on to Nagpur/Kanha National Park, which is home to the tiger,leopard wolf,sloth bear, and many more. From there you will head out to Bandhavgarh National Park, here you will be learning about the conservation of the white tigers and you will actually be seeing the tigers in the wild either by jeep or on an elephant's back!

According to Susan Basford of the Reid Park Zoo, who will be attending the India trip, the tigers are supposedly easier to spot via elephant back. Basford explained that the trip is about soaking up a new culture. She said that the trip is not as much actually acting out ways to save the environment, but more just learning about conservation.

Basford and I agreed that although there is much to be done right here in Tucson to save the environment and the local wildlife, the idea becomes much more tangible abroad when you see all there is to save in the world.

Basford has traveled all around the world observing animals and their natural habitats, and she encourages all who are able to take the plunge abroad.

"I don't think you can travel and not come back changed," said Basford.


After the white tigers, you will move on to Khajuraho and see the sandstone temples of India's ancient heritage.

Next you will travel to Jhansi/Agra to see the Mahadev Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, and of course the famous Taj Mahal in Agra.

Agra is not only about the Taj Mahal, you would also get a chance to visit the Agra Bear Rescue Facility. After a quarantine period, the bears are put into large enclosures where they can socialize with other bears.

Then you will move on to Jaipur, which in known as the "Pink City" because of the terra-cotta lime plaster.

After this you will return to Delhi where you will begin your journey home, or you can have the option to stay a couple of days extra and go on to Kaziranga National Park, which in the only known natural habitat for the Indian one-horned rhino.


This is just one example of the trips offered by the Reid Park Zoo that you can get involved with. Most trips teach people about conserving animals' natural habitats and some offer actual interaction with the animals, depending on the trip.

Volunteer Abroad Safely

We all want to take these adventurous trips abroad to save the planet and do something meaningful, but with all if the excitement of traveling, there are always some safety issues that come up.


Traveling to a different country can bring about some frightening instances. It is hard to adjust to a new place when you are not familiar with the area, you may not speak the language, and you do not know anyone to contact if something were to go wrong.


STA Travel offers a programs that allows you to choose the country you would like to volunteer in and it provides a feeling of safety.


There are not only programs that save the Eco environment, which is what I am focusing on, but there are also programs to aid the social environment in these countries.


STA Travel came up with I-To-I Volunteer Abroad, a program that is for volunteers but you do have to pay. I know it does seem odd that you would have to pay to volunteer, but it is this extra aspect of safety that your money will go to.


According to the STA Web site http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xchg/us_division_web_live/hs.xsl/home.htm, the money will go to helping you locate these remote places that are not very tourist friendly, but are indeed the communities that need the most help, your accommodations and some meals are included, you have an in-country guide to ensure nothing goes wrong. The money will go to a few other things that overall are meant to make you feel more at ease in a foreign country so that you can focus on the job at hand.


"I am going to travel when I have saved enough money by the end of the year,"said 22-year-old Lexi Green. "My parents are helping out as my graduation present, but I think they would be a lot happier if they knew I would be safe."



Green explained that she is interested in working abroad she admitted that she was not completely thinking about saving the environment, but she does have a strong interest in veterinary studies and helping the local wildlife would be a great experience. Saving the local wildlife includes saving their habitat.


"Since I am taking this trip all alone, I do think I would feel a lot better with a guide," said Green. "Maybe I could meet other people my age doing the same program so I would have people to hang out with while I am there."


Possible countries offered in the I-To-I Volunteer Abroad Program include Thailand,Brazil,Costa Rica,Egypt,India and the Philippines, along with many more. So you can basically choose which country you have always wanted to see and there will most likely be a program that you can participate in to enrich your experience.


For example, you could live in Madagascar, the only place you can still find lemurs in the wild,according to the Web site, you would wake up early every morning and carry fruit baskets out to the wild lemurs!!! The program needs volunteers to help staff learn English to communicate with the visitors. You would be explaining to the visitors what the program does for the animals and their habitat. Check out the Madagascar trip, which is one of many, here http://statravel.i-to-i.com/ProjectBooking.aspx?mid=537&tabindex=2&tabid=134&subtabindex=0&subtabid=218&ci=en-us&pmt=840&prj=3&dst=156&pkg=1&stg=2

Viva Italia!

Italy seems to be leading the rest of Europe in a green revolution, and their weapon is something called the Eco Label, which is awarded to businesses that have found alternative options that are better for the environment.

The Eco-label is a flower symbol that businesses must apply for. They have to fill out an application and explain projects that the business partakes in that benefit the environment.

According to the Eco Tip Web site, since early summer, Italy has taken a the lead over the other European nations by almost doubling the amount of tourist accommodations that have been accepted to bare the Eco-label.

In June and July the number of accommodations, like hotels and campsites, with the logo increased from 30 to nearly 60 awarded Eco-Labels!

"I just spent three months traveling around Italy, I wish I would have known to look for the flower at the places I stayed," said 21-year-old Corey Wlodarczyk. Wlodarzyk supports environmentally friendly travel. "I always recycle, but while I lived in Italy I felt like a lot of the younger Italians I hung out recycled way more that my American friends. Wlodarzyk understands that it is just little efforts that can make a difference. I also reused my own water bottle for the whole trip, I just refilled it instead of buying more and more plastic bottles."

The Eco Label aims to promote greener options for services and products that businesses provide, mostly involving the ever-growing tourism market. The Eco Label wants Europe and its visitors to know that the flower symbol is not given out easily, it is difficult to qualify for. Some credentials that businesses need to have in order to have the flower include the products/services must have scientific evidence to support its friendly potential to the environment, attainability, reasonable prices, and the list goes on. You can check out the list of credentials at the Eco Tip Website. http://www.eco-tip.org/Hotspot/hotspot.htm

Some places in Italy that have recently been awarded the Eco label Include the Hotel Villa Di Campo in Lomaso, the Hotel Tevini in Commezzadura, and the Hotel Scoiattolo in Andalo.

Italy's future with the Eco-label looks just as bright as the present, currently there are 39 businesses that have applied for the Eco Label.

If you are a business you can apply online to get your products/services awarded with the Eco-symbol. Also, there are a lot of opportunities for students who want to travel. There are offered traineeships that you can apply for based on what kind of businesses and/or products interest you. You are also able to choose from a list of European countries that are looking for students to help out and write thesis on certain projects.

"I went to Italy this summer, and all over Europe, now I really just want to go back," said 23-year-old, Business Management graduate from Northern Arizona University, Ryan Summers. "I have been looking into some career opportunities in Italy and Switzerland, this sounds like something I could be a part of, like maybe marketing or something," said Summers.

For another link with information about Europe's growing awareness of Eco-friendly tourism, check out this site as well http://www.ecotrans.org/2007/html/projects.html