Stressing about your holiday plans? Take a deep breath and consider a Staycation! Anna Rabhan’s guest post has me absolutely itching to…  stay home!

(P.S. In addition to all of Anna’s excellent suggestiuons, I want to share this one from my friend Tamara: the JBF America’s Classics. It’s a collection of amazing and little-known locally owned restaurants. See if there’s one near you!)

Stay Put: Make Your Vacay a Staycay this Year, by Anna Rabhan

It wasn’t until I left my home state that I realized how much I hadn’t seen of it. That’s a good place to start. Ask yourself, “What would a tourist to my area do?”

The term “staycation,” referring to saving money by eschewing the air travel, hotel stays and frequent restaurant meals long-distance travel requires, popped up in the U.S. during the 2007 financial crisis. However, growing climate concerns have caused us to also consider the detrimental effects of long-distance travel. The 3,000 gallons of fuel an airliner burns just on takeoff and the 50 tons of trash and over one million gallons of wastewater produced during a one-week cruise give us pause when dreaming of our getaway.

Staycationing is a greener option because eliminating air travel means not contributing to the significant emissions and fuel and energy consumption involved. Eliminating a hotel stay means not contributing to the several million gallons a year of water that a large hotel can use, the massive energy consumption its constant occupation causes, or the huge amount of waste it produces. Aside from those obvious environmental impacts, one must also consider that the food vacationers eat is generally not produced or distributed in a sustainable way, that vacationers produce much more waste than when they are home, and many more factors that aren’t as in-your-face as a jet.

Besides, planning a fabulous staycation is so easy! A good starting place, especially if you’re new to the area, is the local or state tourism bureau. Type “Visit(State or City)” into your browser and you’ll find tons of them. It’s a great way to discover local festivals and interesting things to do like the garlic festival in Gilroy, CA, stand-up paddleboard eco-tours in Florida, and Samuel Adams Brewery tours in Boston.

It wasn’t until I left my home state that I realized how much I hadn’t seen of it. That’s a good place to start. Ask yourself, “What would a tourist to my area do?” Chances are that you know of a lot of cool stuff to see and things to do that you’ve never actually seen and done yourself! A Texan may have been to Paris, but has he seen the Alamo? Been to the Space Center in Houston? We tend to overlook what’s close to us, perhaps thinking that we’ll get to it someday, in favor of what seems exotic. On a staycation you can explore those hometown treasures.

If you’d rather not hang out with all the other tourists, break the mold and search out the secret spots. There are several publications, like Hidden Portland by Carye Bye, designed to help you find these places. But part of the fun of these little American cubbyholes is finding them yourself. So, Oregonian, go on a solitude treasure hunt led only by Ev Hu’s vague clues. Just promise not to reveal the locations if you do find them!

Another great way to plan your staycation is to theme it up. Think about what you’re interested in. A Kansan history buff can follow a bit of the Santa Fe trail, learn about the intersection of Native Americans and European settlers, experience pioneer life, and sample everything from American Indian to vegetarian fare all in the little town of Council Grove. Check out USA Today’s “10 great places to discover Midwest charm” for more inspiration.

If you are a seasoned staycationer and it seems like you’ve exhausted your options, it’s time to get weird! How about visiting the remnants of The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices in Minnesota? Consult the Weird series of books to get started. With rocks that move all by themselves and a submerged town that rose up again out of Lake Mead, there’s way more weirdness in Nevada than just Las Vegas.

Check out Practically Green’s action pages on reducing leisure air travel and other travel-related topics, and start planning your awesome staycation today!

Anna Rabhan is a freelance writer, editor, educator and consultant. She writes a column about green issues as the Organic Adventurer and is a green home and living consultant. She enjoys taking her dog to the park, traveling, kayaking, photography and anything else that gets her close to nature. Check out her green actions on her Practically Green page!

Jan Devereux, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a writer and mother of three who is guest blogging for Practically Green today about a conundrum many of us face when we travel: How to Find a Green Hotel. Thanks for the great advice, Jan!

As a Practically Green reader, you’re probably putting a good deal of effort into greening your lifestyle at home. But what about when you travel? Whether you’re making vacation plans or hitting the road for business, you may be pleasantly surprised to discover that hotels are going green, too.

What You Might Notice:

Individual bars of soap and sample-sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner are gradually giving way to pump-dispensers in hotel bathrooms. Most hotels also offer you the option of re-using your bed linens and towels (if you don’t find a card inviting you to make this choice, leave a note for the housekeeping service). The more forward-thinking hotels are also offering guests refillable water bottles, recycling bins in each room, motion-sensitive thermostats and access to hybrid car services.

Behind the scenes:

Hotels are improving the energy and water efficiency of their laundries, buying local and reducing waste in their food service operations, installing energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting and LED signs, and using low VOC paint and carpeting.

Eco-tourism expert Tedd Saunders, who advises hoteliers worldwide on environmentally sustainable operations and practices, says the hospitality industry has undergone a “sea change” in the past decade. Saunders was a pioneer when he started his eco-consulting firm, EcoLogical Solutions, Inc., back in 1992. Today, he’s pleased to see hotels of all sizes implementing innovative green policies that go beyond mere compliance.

“The major chains used to roll their eyes; now they all have environmental teams,” Saunders observes. And, when you consider that the U.S. hotels spend close to $4 billion annually on energy, the industry’s new found enthusiasm for conservation has the potential to make an enormous impact.

Saunders notes that eco-conscious consumers are not alone in helping to drive these decisions; increasingly, corporate travel managers are exerting pressure on the major hotel chains to green themselves, or risk losing multimillion-dollar national accounts. Educating both industry execs and guests is one goal of the Ceres Green Hotels Initiative, which Saunders helped to launch. CERES developed a best practices checklist for hotels to self-assess and a comment card for guests to leave with the manager at check out, rating how the hotel’s green practices measured up.

The way Saunders sees it, the hotel industry is approaching the tipping point where, soon, the major consumer travel booking sites will throw their muscle behind helping travelers make more informed choices about how to travel green. He looks forward to the day when all the major hotel management companies will have built up an internal knowledge base of sustainable business practices so that his consulting services will no longer be in demand. But in the meantime he hopes eco-aware travelers of all budgets will help hotels see the market advantages of going green.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

For a list of some of the country’s greenest city center hotels provided specifically for Practically Green readers from EcoLogical Solutions, click here.

The Green Key Eco-Rating Program rates hotels in the U.S. and Canada based on a voluntary self-assessment of member hotels’ operational areas and sustainable practices, and its hotels are subject to random on-site inspections (about 20% per year are audited).

The following hotels have earned the highest Green Key rating (5 keys):

ARIA Resort Casino (Las Vegas), Fairmont Newport Beach (CA), Fairmont Pittsburgh, Grand Hyatt Denver, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach (CA), Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort Spa Casino, Stowe Mountain Lodge (VT), Vail Cascade Resort (CO), Vdara Hotel & Spa (Las Vegas).

The Fairmont and Hyatt (Regency and Grand) chains led the pack in numbers of their properties achieving 4 Green Keys or higher.

Orbitz offers a list of green hotels by state, with symbols to denote those that have earned Energy Star or LEED certification.

And, finally, if you’re planning a trip to Boston and have allergies or respiratory problems, you’ll be happy to hear that The Lenox Hotel has an “allergy friendly” top floor. The entire floor was sealed and then treated for bacteria and mold to create a bio-shield. The floor has HEPA air filters and all rooms were renovated with hypoallergenic fabrics, carpets and cabinetry. Mattresses on this floor and throughout the hotel all have dust mite barriers.

Remember: Select a green hotel when traveling and earn more PG Points!

News Picks:

Dan Shapley, our friend from The Daily Green, wrote a great piece this week: The Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of 2011. The only thing more straightforward than the title is the article itself. In true Daily Green fashion, Shapley’s article is smart, helpful, and consumer-friendly. I suggest you give it read, it is truly astonishing how far we’ve come with fuel efficiency. And remember to get PG points while you’re at it!

The New Contraband: 8 Doomed Items in the New Green World: This slide show from Fast Company is a little frightening, but definitely worth a read. From common examples like Styrofoam and plastic bags, to surprising mentions like Happy Meals and pets, Fast Company opens our eyes to some pretty interesting environmental and health concerns.

You must check out the Green Wine Guide from TreeHugger! Instead of simply mentioning the formalities of the green wines (which is wonderful in and of itself), they feature a delicious recipe that perfectly complements each wine! When I read this I was dying to host a dinner party, I bet you will be too!

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the movie “Clueless” (it was the early 90’s, give me a break), and hence in love with Alicia Silverstone. So you can imagine how absolutely ecstatic I was when I found out that instead of making appearances on Law&Order or starring in infomercials, she’s making a living as a green superhero! Check out her website The Kind Life, or read her book, The Kind Diet (vegan awesomeness).

Multi-Media Pick:

With the Superbowl rapidly approaching, I couldn’t help but feature this hilarious commercial from 2010. It continues to be one of my favorites of all time. Bravo Audi, we love green!

New and Cool Pick:

Top 5 Green Gadgets that Juice Your Phone: I can’t stand it when my phone loses battery, but I feel guilty charging it all day. This article from Inhabitat gives a few great green options for keeping your phone fully charged with no more guilt! Don’t forget to earn those PG points, too!

News Picks:

Looking to help out with a great cause? Check out Million Trees NYC! This PlaNYC goal is one of 127 great initiatives to make NYC a better place. Get inspired to do the same where you live! With cool recent news stories and tons of different options to help out, the site is a must-see! Whether you locate a great place to plant a tree, volunteer to plant one, or donate $, there are endless options to do your part! And remember, get your PG points for planting a tree!

Next time you’re looking for a great read, check out Better World Books. Whether you’re looking for a mystery novel or cookbook (or Textbook if you’re me!), they have it all! The best part? They’re a great cause, too! I stumbled over the “Our Impact” section of their website and was beyond impressed. Not only have they “re-used or recycled over 53 million pounds of books and raised over $8.6 million for global literacy and local libraries,” they also feature an awesome story of a specific cause. (I read about Edna Adan Ismail of Somalia). Visit this website, you won’t regret it!

I’m a big fan of Preserve products, so I was thrilled when I found this article by Pablo Paster of Treehugger, one of my favorite sites! Preserve really means it when they say: “Nothing wasted. Everything gained.” Paster gives us the low-down on the benefit of recycled toothbrushes and more!

Benefits include:

• 54% less water;
• 75% less oil;
• 48% less coal;
• 77% less natural gas; and
• 46% less electricity.

Don’t forget to check out Preserve yourself for more info! And get PG points for switching to a recycled toothbrush!

Multi-Media Pick:

I was on The Environmental Blog website today and came across a hilarious video posted by johntarantino1 in 2008. If you haven’t seen it before, or even if you have, you have to watch it! As someone who tries to bike a lot, weather permitting, I could certainly feel this guy’s pain. As we try to do what we can to live healthy, green lifestyles, let’s laugh at the obstacles that come up! Do like this guy does and get PG points!

New and Cool pick:

Green Universities: Tips for Going Green at College:

Thank you, thank you to The Daily Green! I just HAD to share this awesome part of their site. Even if you’re not in college yourself, maybe you were at one time, or  know somebody that is. If so, they, and you, know how hard it is to be green when you’re away from home (I know I struggle!). This section of The Daily Green is all about going green at college! From the best dorm plants, to the best Environmental Studies programs, it is full of great information for everyone, and not just college students. I’ve never seen this type of resource, talk about new and cool!

News Picks:

19 Easy Home Winterization Projects: The Daily Green gives some great tips on warming up your house this season without turning up the heat! From the draft snake to caulking and weatherstripping, this article provides lots of energy-saving ideas to help you save money and earn PG points at the same time!

Rhoost Baby-Proofing Products: This video from Daily Grommet introduces a line of child-safety devices made of recycled materials with no screws or adhesives, without BPA, PVC, lead, or phthalate. The line, Rhoost, was created by Vianka Perez Belyea and Tavinder Phull, two mothers sick of the traditionally complicated baby-proofing methods. The products are also portable: perfect for visits to Grandma’s!

BaaLLS: Another great alternative to traditional dryer sheets! These reusable, handmade, wool dryer balls reduce drying time for a full load by 40%! They are also unscented, use no chemicals, soften clothes, and reduce static. Made in the U.S. of 100% pure virgin wool, these dryer balls are a great way to earn PG points!

Multi-Media Pick:

Air-Powered Car, AirPod: The Future Of Urban Transportation? This article and video from The Huffington Post covers the latest invention in transportation. In the UK, a tiny car was created running on — that’s right, you guessed it — compressed air. Emitting nearly nothing, with speeds up to 50 mph, this little car could be the future! It may seem out of reach for the average motorist, but for now there’s always the hybrid! Purchase or lease one today and earn PG points!

Interested in fashion? Sheila Viswanathan of The Good Guide gives a great interview with Howard Brown, co-founder of Stewart+Brown on his sustainable clothing label. The interview discusses Brown’s reasons for creating a sustainable fashion brand, what we can look forward to in the 2011 collection, and the importance of product transparency when promoting sustainability.

New and Cool Pick:

On cold winter days like these that we can’t help but dream of our next vacation. How about instead of a regular hotel or resort, you look to something different. The  5 Cool Eco Friendly and Green Hotels, from Montana to Botswana, chosen by the Travelphant Travel Blog are just the tip of the iceberg. Next time you schedule a trip, look for hotels like these! From organic food, to recycling waste, these destinations have it all when it comes to green.

Ever wonder how you might become a more eco-conscious airplane traveler?

Here’s how you find out:

Go to Practically Green and type the word “FLY” into the search box. You’ll get seven suggestions:

Drive on a short trip (<400 miles) versus fly

Fly non-stop rather than connect

Reduce leisure air travel significantly (1 or fewer trips per year)

Choose train over plane for most trips under 400 miles

Fly during the day, not at night

Fly one of ‘top 10′ green airlines

Purchase carbon offsets for a flight

These actions range in impact from low (5 points) to high (100 points).

Can you guess which one is the most impactful? The least? You might be surprised!

Do you have an idea that we haven’t thought of yet? Please suggest it to us! Below the search results you’ll see: “Are we missing something?” and a clickable button: “Please suggest an action.”

Once you’ve taken the Quiz and registered, you can also recommend products and services across the entire database.

*   *   *   Bon voyage!   *   *   *

News Picks:

Greening one of the country’s most popular gift lists: Over at Celebrate Green, Cory and Lynn took Oprah’s favorite things and gave each item an eco-twist. For example, Oprah’s pick: Andre Walker hair care products. Their greener pick: Hair care products from all-natural Hamadi Beauty. Get PG points for giving a green gift!

USA’s biggest city acts to cut down on waste: With over 8 million people, NYC must accumulate a lot of waste. NYC.gov recently redesigned their website dedicated to helping New Yorkers recycle more and waste less in the city, appropriately titled “NYCWasteLess.” The site also helps you get rid of stuff and compost stuff.

The world’s most beautiful ecolodges: You don’t have to take a trip to Kenya, South Africa, China, or Indonesia to look at these spectacular ecolodges. (Though wouldn’t we all love to!) This gorgeous book, perfect for the green architect or coffee table in your life, describes ecolodges as “low-impact, nature-based accommodations of five to seventy-five rooms that protect the surrounding environment; benefit the local community; and are designed, constructed and operated in an environmentally and socially sensitive manner.” We can’t wait to visit one!

Multi-Media Pick:

One man’s green school dream: This off-the-grid school even has a water vortex that provides it with power. John Hardy describes the steps he took to build this eco-friendly school made from all-natural and recyclable materials. The school, located in Bali, teaches sustainability and even grows its own garden. It has also inspired a neighborhood of green houses and businesses to pop up in its vicinity! Here is some information on how you can make your child’s school greener by starting or joining a Green Team.

New and Cool:

Back to basics: This nifty bottle helps support one of Food and Water Watch ‘ s missions – to take back the tap. This holiday season it won’t hurt to have a friendly reminder of the basics, such as switch to a reusable water bottle: so easy!

Phew, that’s 85 points in this one post alone! Not sure what we’re talking about? Start by taking the quiz.

News Picks:

Five kids who are changing the world: Read about five inspiring kids who are making the world a better place. Whether it’s growing organic crops and donating them to soup kitchens, or knitting home-made hats to fight hunger, these kids make us feel better about the world we live in.

How to turn an old iPod into cash: Every time you turn around, Apple is releasing a new generation of the iPod — making them smaller, more fun colors, touch screen…. (Does anyone remember the iPod with the original scroll wheel and four individual buttons?) It’s enough to give you whiplash! This article uncovers a few ways you can get cash for even the most archaic of gadgets, so you can get rid of that iPod mini collecting dust in your desk drawer. As a bonus, you can get 10 PG points for recycling your electronics.

Can we green our Planes next? Have those monthly business trips or annual family vacations put an annoyingly significant dent in your carbon footprint? Hopefully, soon this will be less of an issue. Many airlines are testing plant-based biofuels in an effort to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Multi-Media Pick:

Farmers market frenzy: Happy national farmers market week! People everywhere are becoming more interested in farmers markets, PG is lucky enough to have one right outside of our office in Boston on Tuesdays and Fridays this summer. You can find one near you here. Get 5 points on Practically Green for buying local produce. Check out this video featuring organic farmer Rebecca Schwen, as she discusses the growing interest in farmers markets.

New and cool pick:

Scrub your veggies clean: Skrub’a is a cool line of gloves you can use to scrub those veggies you just picked up at the farmers market, without losing any of the nutrients. There are different colors for veggies, carrots, and potatoes, and they sure beat the heck out of peeling or using (gasp) a paper towel.

Lots of us are getting our hands dirty in the garden the summer, and even more are eating wonderful food from farm stands and local co-ops. How about growing veggies in Alaska? Today we heard from our friend Debbie Clarke Moderow, a musher, mom, and gardener who lives eight miles south of Denali National Park. Debbie has run the famous 1,100-mile Iditarod race across Alaska twice; she and her husband and their two kids have thirty-seven sled dogs who are “the center of our household.”

We’re refreshed just thinking about being there!

“I loved the quiz at Practically Green. It encouraged me! Alaskans are behind, you know. Yes, we have some LEED National Park Service buildings, but for most of us, recycling might mean leaving stuff off that would get shipped to Seattle. So that sets you back, you stop doing it. Alaskans face recyclng challenges, due to low volumes and long distances. We are trying hard however! We have changed our habits over the years. We use cloth napkins. And when I took the quiz I thought, I’m not doing that badly! I liked it, and I wouldn’t like it as much if it made me feel guilty.”

“This is a really unlikely place to have a greenhouse. The summers are so short. But the days are so long and the temps so cool, nothing bolts! Right now my greenhouse is a jungle! I don’t have anything that isn’t organic in the greenhouse. I love going out there, cutting some chard and eating it. It makes me really happy.”

Debbie is working on a memoir as part of her work toward an MFA in Creative Writing at the Rainier writing workshop. Here’s a preview, reflections on gardening near the Arctic Circle:

Like many details in our Denali Park home, my greenhouse bears no resemblance to those of my Connecticut childhood. My mother was a horticultural wizard, and although we never had a greenhouse, I often tagged along when she went to visit others’. Those wondrous glass caverns were set on manicured lawns, beneath towering oak and maple trees. A visit inside revealed rows of orchids and lilies, begonias and geraniums, destined for blue ribbons in the upcoming garden shows.

No, my greenhouse would not turn heads in Fairfield County yet I know Mom is smiling down at my little treasure. Hand-built by my husband and son for my 54^th birthday, my greenhouse is tiny – 8’ x 10’ if you stretch the measuring tape. It has a Dutch door to keep out the arctic hares, one window, and a ceiling fan that comes on (a few times a week) when the temperature rises above 75 degrees. It sits fifty yards from our sled-dog team, and as I run to it in the mornings before feeding the dogs, they serenade me with an exuberant “it’s-a-new-day” howl.

The dogs’ home – our home – is located just 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle, in a landscape fiercely bound to winter. Summer is short here – some say you might miss it if you travel out of state for a weekend. Still, the hours of daylight are long, offering the possibility of horticultural miracles. My greenhouse holds the warmth of the midnight sun, and yet stays cool enough for leafy crops to thrive for long weeks at a time. Stir fried greens with eggs and goat cheese for breakfast, basil pesto, butter leaf salads with pea pods and radishes–these are a few of the delights we are enjoying this season. Aware of the recent heat wave in the “lower-48,” last week I walked into my little warm haven, closed my eyes, inhaled and tried to recall summers when this would have felt cold.

Young greens by Debbie

It’s mid-July, and there’s a new chill in the air. The long hours of daylight have peaked, and now a construction heater sits alongside my peas and rainbow chard, set to turn on when the night temperatures drop below forty. I know harvest will take place in the next four to six weeks, but with the trusty heater, my crops just might make it to September 1. There are other things to harvest between now and then. The blueberries along the dog trail are ripening, and they’ll be followed by plentiful low-bush cranberries. By mid-August we’ll be running the dogs daily, then coming in for lunch salads and the traditional blueberry pie. Finally we’ll busily gather what’s left in the greenhouse and preserve what we can for brightening the dark winter nights. I’ll sadly close her up, but not before detailing the drawings for the little addition we’ll add in the spring. Maybe I’ll try some of those geraniums next summer.

Debbie is a Princeton graduate who found her way to Alaska after college and never looked back. She works for Innisbrook, the ubiquitous school fundraising gift-wrap outfit: “Innisbrook is striving to be the greenest it can be….they’ve introduced paperless online ordering, taken tubes out of the inside of the rolls, all of our giftwrap rolls are printed on partially recycled paper, etc., but let’s face it, my friends who are really green wrap their presents in cloth!”

Have a terrific Red, White, Blue, and Green long weekend, everybody! Here are a few snippets for a great holiday. First, of course, we hope you’ll head to PracticallyGreen and answer a few quick questions for suggestions of things you can do to make your life healthier and safer for you and your family — this weekend and anytime.

In a BBQ frenzy? Dive into Self magazine’s special burger section for mouthwatering recipes from beans, turkey, and spices. How about Rosemary-Sage Burgers With Apple Slaw and Chive “Mayo” or Portobello-Black Bean Burgers With Corn Salsa? YUM! http://www.self.com/about/burgers

Annie Leonard at a shoot for her new movie

Got sunburn? Stay indoors and watch The Story of Stuff, Gasland, Food, Inc. and get ready for Annie Leonard’s new movie, The Story of Cosmetics, releasing at the end of the month.

Kids bouncing off the walls? Plan a trip to your local library! Massachusetts libraries have a “Go Green at Your Library” summer reading program, featuring a special program for teens: tnk grEn (Think Green) .

Going on a trip? Ask if your hotel offers eco-friendly amenities, such as opting out of daily housekeeping service – for a $5/day credit! Read about two Phoenix hotels who’ve jumped aboard the burgeoning movement of green travel hosts.

Annika and Kerry

Beach reading: Eco-awesome designers Annika Sanders and Kerry Seager run London’s Junky Stylish fashion label. They make wedding dresses from men’s white button-downs and set up an O.R. in NYC last week to transform unwanted maternity wear, tuxes, kimonos, and pinstripes into high-fashion garb. Isn’t it somehow patriotic to remember our British cousins on Independence Day?  In the July 5 New Yorker magazine. Or pick up the book, Junky Styling: Wardrobe Surgery.

Can we talk? I’m an optimist, but between us, it wouldn’t take much to make me go into hiding some days. Just say the words “BP oil spill” or “record hurricane season forecast,” and I can feel the blood drain from my head. Talk about a problem that won’t go away.

What to do?

At Practically Green we’re about solutions—green actions that people can take easily, on their own budget and schedule, to make their lives greener and more healthy. Simple tasks, like switching to all-natural toothpaste or rinsing a Zip-loc bag. More complicated tasks, like getting an energy audit or upgrading windows.

It seems there’s not much I can do, personally, to plug that horrific oil spill, or to persuade the Senate to outlaw incandescent lightbulbs (or to regulate the AC in the frigid Post Offices of this country, grrr), but at least I can buy local and organic whenever possible, and I can open the window at home instead of automatically turning on the AC. Sigh.

Last night I had a dream that the CEO of BP called a press conference and announced a change. For once he looked strong and heroic, full of conviction:

“We’re doing everything we can to plug the spill. And we’ve had an epiphany. Today, we’re changing our company. From this day forward, BP is all about renewables and green power: wind, solar, geothermal, algae, LED, smart-grid, recycling, repurposing, and all of the brilliant solutions that deserve big funding and unprecedented muscle NOW. We’re taking measurable steps to dial down our traditional business. We vow to push our brethren oil companies to do the same, starting today. Exxon Mobil and Shell have already come on board. And we won’t rest until the world is free of dependence on fossil fuels and a new green economy has been established, globally.”

As I said, this was a dream.

Later today, I saw a powerful little piece of relevant persuasion that I don’t want you to miss. It’s by Umbra Fisk, the acerbic, stylish wit who writes Grist’s advice column. Please read the excerpt below. For Umbra’s full Q & A, please visit Grist.

And for hundreds (yes, hundreds; I know, because I’m editing them) of things you can do to be more eco-aware in your life, for your health and your family’s well-being, please visit us at www.PracticallyGreen.com. Answer a few easy questions and you’ll be on your way to a custom to-do list of positive actions you can take.

Ask Umbra on Turning Oil-Spill Depression into Transformation

A lot of us are feeling depressed and disheartened by what is happening right now in the Gulf. It is terrible beyond words. It’s so bad I don’t even like using the word beyond anymore.

Being overwhelmed by a big crisis may cause us to think that our personal actions are meaningless. But this is where we’re wrong…. The “little things” we all do are not futile. In fact, little things add up fast. Especially if you do them, and then talk to your friends and family so that  they start doing them too. That’s the magic of the multiplier effect…. Step it up a notch. Be infectious! Here’s how:

Talk to all of your friends, family, co-workers, Facebook pals, Twitter followers, that weird lady on the bus, etc. about consumption, not only of fossil fuels, but of what we eat, buy, turn on, wear, use, or throw out. Get them to ask themselves: “Is this thing I’m consuming necessary?”

If the answer is no, here are 11 simple steps they can all take. These actions don’t cost much, if anything, and they may make you and your circle happier and healthier while you’re helping the planet. Of course, there’s always more we can do. But the list is a good conversation piece and starting point. Pass it along. May it reach everyone, even the people who eat Styrofoam.

(There’s a lot more information online.)

Easy things anyone can do to fight oil spill anger/apathy (in random order):

1) Take one less airline flight per year

2) Keep your car tires properly inflated, engine tuned and take 100 excess lbs. out of your car

3) Leave your car at home one day a week (use mass transit, bike, or innovative ride-sharing programs like Weeels)

4) Carpool two days a week or telecommute one day a week

5) Go meatless on Monday’s and switch from red meat to poultry two days a week

6) Support your local Farmer’s Market or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

7) Use recycled paper products (office paper, toilet paper, paper towels)

8) Reduce the number of catalogues you receive by more than half

9) Turn off unused lights, use the hibernate mode on your computer, unplug things when you’re not using them

10) Wash your clothes in cold water 75 percent of the time and hang clothes out to dry in summer

11) Share more — including this list, and talk to people in your life — at work, weddings, in elevators or better yet on the stairs — about other simple ideas to add to the list.

Anyone who’s visited Napa Valley is likely to give you bossy suggestions of when to go and what to do there. This famously heavenly verdant squiggle of farmland north of San Francisco inspires loyalty. Napa is home to world-class wines, restaurants, yoga, farms, artists, and sublime ambiance. Green is not merely an option here: green is a way of life.

My personal Napa must-dos include 1) as many meals as possible at Ubuntu, where local organic veggies rule (click here for the “current crop” list), and where the wine list is over 70% sustainably produced — and which has a spanking-new Michelin Star (congratulations!); 2) yoga classes in-between delectables (there’s a sweet studio on the second floor of the restaurant); and, 3) a visit to the Oxbow School, where the chefs are aligned with the Slow Food movement and inspired by nearby guru Alice Waters. “No Bug Juice Served Here,” they like to say at Oxbow.

Practically Green’s friend Jeff Deasy wrote this report on Napa for his blog at AmericanFeast.com, and we’re reprinting an excerpt here with his permission.

Farm-to-table dining has been a growing trend for some time and there is no sign it will slow anytime soon. The movement to serve fresh, local, sustainably harvested food is offering truly distinctive dining experiences and helping raise awareness of the delicious alternative to heavily processed foods shipped from factories.

One meal at a good farm-to-table restaurant should convince anyone that foods are at their most flavorful and nutritious when served at their freshest. Eating seasonal foods produced without chemicals, whether grown at home or in a community garden, or purchased from a trusted local farmer, makes for better health and a cleaner environment.

The Bounty of California’s Napa Valley

The Napa Valley in California is one of America’s most rare and precious agricultural preserves. Home to the founders of America’s fine wine industry, its towns and villages also present a bounty of crops for an authentic farm-to-table dining experience regularly enjoyed by visitors and locals alike. The very word Napa stands for ‘Land of Plenty’, the original meaning given to the region by its first inhabitants, the Wappo Indians.

Many Napa Valley restaurant chefs cultivate their own orchards, vineyards and gardens teeming with rows of basil, eggplant, squash, pomegranates, figs, tomatoes and of course grapes. The freshness makes a huge taste difference, as is regularly noted by restaurant patrons and those culinary institutions dishing up annual accolades. Even those who do not have gardens of their own largely rely on the bounty of area farms and local farmers markets.

Click for the Napa Valley Destination Council’s recommendations for Agri-Eco Tourist destinations.

Here’s a list of Napa Valley restaurants with edible gardens of particular note:

• Ad Hoc

• Bouchon bistro

• Bardessono Inn

• Brix Restaurant and Gardens

• Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen

• The French Laundry

• Long Meadow Ranch, Winery & Farmstead

• Meadowood Napa Valley

• Ubuntu.

• The Carneros Inn

For more information about America’s legendary wine, food, and wellness destination, go to: The Legendary Napa Valley

To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook

To follow American Feast’s Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter

News Picks:

Google Maps Adds “Bike There” Feature: Now you can find the most direct route for a bike trek while avoiding hills and excessive traffic (we think it makes being green convenient!).

Road Test: Best All-Natural Toothpastes: Hoping to avoid the chemicals, additives, detergents and sweeteners in conventional toothpaste? Fortunately, there are healthy (and flavorful) options.

Save Money with Healthy Coupons: Sites that offer coupons for the natural and organic food you (probably) already buy.


Multimedia Link:
We already liked Annie and her Story of Stuff, but in this interview Steven Colbert does a great job of playfully challenging her and cracking a few jokes which makes us love her message even more.

The Colbert Report	Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Annie Leonard
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Skate Expectations

New and Cool Pick:

Waterpebble Water-Saving Device: This cute device measures how much water you use while you shower then challenges you to shorten your bathing time the next time you step into the tub.
(Those of us who are known klutzes may not want to purchase one of these cool devices, but we will buy them for our coordinated friends!)


Photo credit: http://gizmodo.com/5487584/waterpebble-encourages-shorter-water+saving-showers

This week, I took public transportation several times when I would normally drive and was feeling very virtuous. But yesterday I blew all that green goodness by stepping onto one of the biggest carbon contributors out there–an airplane. For a cross-country flight. And I’m not alone–there were 809MM passengers on airplanes in 2008.

Why does flying have such a big environmental impact? Planes emit carbon dioxide & nitrous oxide, very potent greenhouse gasses. According to Greenskies.org, a single flight across the Atlantic would produce the same amount of carbon per person as their home does in a year. In addition, the CO2 and water vapors emitted at high altitude also has a bigger environmental impact–experts suggest anywhere from 2-2.7X the impact at ground level.

Yes, reducing your flights is the biggest way to reduce that impact, but that is often not practical. Are there other ways to green your flying? Pattie Prairie, the CEO of Brighter Planet, had some good tips in a post this week that included packing lightly, fly non-stop, picking the greenest airline you can (JetBlue is the best of the major carriers), and flying during the day. I hit two for four on my trip–going non-stop with a small carry on. But my airline was mediocre and the flight was at night. Now what?

Brighter Planet also sells carbon offsets and their mantra is to conserve what you can and offset the rest. My flight offset is $28 and that money goes to projects like the Greensburg Windfarm. Carbon offsets have gotten some mixed reviews recently, but that’s not entirely surprising given how new the market is. If you want to make sure you are purchasing a high quality offset, here is a ranking of providers.

I have to be honest and say I’m not 100% there yet on offsets. I like that the calculations give me a number that I should “contribute” to offset something ungreen and make it easy. But I wish I had a better sense for where the money is going and more transparency about “middle man” costs. So I’ve purchased them here and there, but am by no means a regular.

What about you? Do you purchase offsets? Who do you buy from? What do you think?

News Picks:

5 Surprising Things You Can Recycle: You know about bottles and cans, but this article has some other good recycling ideas for less obvious items like phone books, hangars, and tin foil.

Tried and True Eco-paints: NY Times writer tests 10 environmentally friendly indoor paints and shares his favorites.

4 Secrets About Fast Food: Men’s Health editor-in-chief reveals list of shocking ingredients in common fast food items, including chicken nuggets, filet-o-fish, and a Frosty.

Multimedia Link:

Note from Susan: The first time I visited the Healthy Child Healthy World site, it scared the bejeezes out of me. I had no idea that so many things we did every day were negatively impacting the health of our child. It definitely was a wake-up call. This beautifully produced video “A Wake-Up Story” summarizes the key issues, but also encourages parents to take action—in their own homes and in their communities. Hope you enjoy it!

New and Cool Pick:

The first Green Map iPhone App helps users find green things in their communities.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhook/2830319467/

It’s February and in Boston that means two activities are on many parent’s list: skating and skiing. Personally, I’m torn on skiing and not just because my knees are awful. First, the pros. You are enjoying the outdoors and nature, having fun, using your own energy for at least part of the effort, they have daycare & ski school, and who doesn’t love apres ski! And many skiiers are pretty green people. After all, global warming really ruins the skiing.

But then you consider how they actually operate ski slopes. Cut down trees or bulldoze runs, throw up high energy using lifts, serve pretty bad food in styrofoam, and when nature doesn’t cooperate, make a lot of snow. Not so green.

Fortunately, the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition has a site for those of us who want to TRY to be as green as possible while skiing. My only complaint is that it doesn’t have Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine, but if you are out West or headed out West, you are in luck.

Every year, they rank ski areas on a series of environmental factors to produce a scorecard (kind of like what Practically Green is going to do for you…). The grades are based on four criteria: Habitat Protection, Protecting Watersheds, Addressing Global Climate Change, and Environmental Practices and Polices, which then form a overall grade. Their work is endorsed by major conservation organizations and they publicize a Top 10 Best and Top 10 Worst list.

The winner for greenest ski area? Squaw Valley, California. The least green? Breckenridge, Colorado. You can also search for the place you choose to ski on the site specifically.

So no, I readily admit downhill skiing isn’t the greenest way to enjoy the outdoors (this is where all you hikers and cross-country skiiers get to remind me how virtuous you are relatively speaking). But you can still support green living by voting with your lift ticket or encouraging your local mountain to lift their grade–their eco-grade that is.