But let me digress:

Before we find out who that winner is, just a quick word. If you visit here often, you may know that Sonya has been heading up this blog since November of 2008. The 2nd was her last day and so here I am moving in. I’m Jennifer, and I’ll get an about me page up soon, but until then I’ll just say that I’m happy to be here, really enjoy traveling (but don’t get to do enough of it) and pretty much live for green issues. I’m a freelance writer and problogger, mainly in the eco-genre; you can check out all the current places I write for by clicking here.

Now, back to the greenest and happiest place on earth. Have you figured it out?

According to the Foundation, Costa Rica is not only the happiest place on earth, but it’s also one of the most environmentally friendly. The New Economics Foundation’s research found that “Costa Ricans have a life expectancy of 78.5 years, and 85 percent of the country’s residents say they are happy and satisfied with their lives. Those figures, taken along with the fact that Costa Rica has a small “ecological footprint,” combined to push the small nation to the top of the list.”

Nice! Congrats to the folks living there for helping to make it jolly and green. If you’re thinking that you might like to visit the greenest and happiest place on earth, check out the following helpful links…

• Official Costa Rica website
• Kids Fly Free In Costa Rica
• Costa Rica Ecotourism

[image via official Costa Rica tourism site]

Happy Green Travels Everyone!

This is my final post for Traveling the Green Way.  From November 2008-July 2009, I loved my time writing this green travel blog.  I’ve been so inspired by green travel topics spanning hotels to trains, ecotourism to voluntourism and more.

If you want to reach me, please feel free to contact me via:

Twitter: twitter.com/travelinggreen

StumbleUpon: travelingreen.stumbleupon.com

Email: ecosonya@gmail.com

Image courtesy of www.freephoto1.com

More and more green travel guides are coming onto the market.  But what about reading a green book while traveling?  From climate change to green living, there are endless green book subjects and titles available.  Better yet, Sony’s Reader Digital Book eBook reader and Amazon’s Kindle paperlessly indulge holiday reading habits.

Here a few great green reads from Harper Collins:

• The Weather Makers. How We Are Changing The Climate And What It Means For Life on Earth by Tim Flannery

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

• Bottomfeeder. How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood by Taras Grescoe

Image courtesy of www.freephoto1.com

Are you updating your camping gear this summer?  Guyot Designs has cool camping gear that makes it possible for every camper to travel light.   One of my faves is the Firefly whose LED light converts your wide-mouth bottle into a camp lantern whether for tent nightlight or nighttime trails.

If you need dishes, their Squishy Bowls (above) are stylish, functional choices.  The flexible food grade silicone bowls are collapsible for easy packing and excellent for hot and cold foods.

The MicroBites Utensils (above) brings your kitchen to your campsite.  These 2 lightweight 5-in-1 utensils are a Spoon, Fork, Knife, Spatula and Spreader.  The carbon negative product is part of the company’s C-minus program which means MicroBites carry more than 25lbs of verified greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Says Guyot Designs:

“The utensils are completely reclaimable. In an ongoing effort to make sustainable and ethical products for the outdoors, we have initiated a program whereby The Utensils can be reclaimed and turned into another great product. It is our goal at Guyot Designs to close the loop on production and waste while creating great products in the mean time. 2% of the sales of The Utensils will be donated to the Rocky Mountain Institute.”

For more cool products, check out GuyotDesigns.com.

Images courtesy of Guyot Designs

Fancy staying at a green hotel in British Columbia?  “Green initiatives are a cornerstone” at Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa on Vancouver Island.

Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa reduces its environmental impact in 5 areas: Water Conservation; Energy Conservation; Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.  The lodge features double-paned windows, reused wood furniture, low-flow plumbing, heat-pump heating and air conditioning systems and bio-filtration pond.

Says the company:

“While Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa has consciously incorporated environmental
concerns into its planning, we must continue developing initiatives that will preserve the environment throughout our operation. Environmental sustainability has to be an ethic held in the hearts of employees and managers, especially in sustaining continual environmental performance.”

Here are some of the lodge’s green initiatives:

• “Donate partially used shampoos and conditioners to charity or shelters.”

• “Launder sheets, every other day in stay-over rooms.”

• “Turn off all lights, heat, and air-conditioning in rooms that are not in use.”

• “Use only rags for cleaning purposes.”

• “Buy only Local and Organic Produce, Meat and Seafood.”

• “Drink personal beverages out of glassware as opposed to paper cups.”

• “(In the marina), isolate and contain all possible pollutant sources.”

• “Promote an environmental ethic in guests during interpretive guided tours.”

• “Conduct a yearly clean-up of the beach with community involvement.”

• “Recycle all plastics, metal, glass, and cardboard.”

For more info, check out BrentwoodBayLodge.com.

Image courtesy of Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa

What is your favorite stainless steel water bottle?  My latest eco-fave bottle is The Standard from Guyot Designs.

This well-designed, stylish bottle is durable and convenient with its attached lid.  All the company’s single wall bottles are compatible with The Gription, The Splashguard and standard wide mouth water purifiers and accessories.   The company says the bottles are carbon negative.

Says Guyot Designs:

“Each stainless steel bottle we sell through our website is now part of our C-Minus program. Every bottle we produce carries 100lbs of verified green house gas emissions reductions- making our bottles not just carbon neutral, but carbon negative! Each bottle we sell through the website is part of C-Minus batch number: 07-649733. You can use that serial number in our C-Minus SN Look-up form to find detailed information about the emissions reductions attached to each bottle.”

For more info, check out GuyotDesigns.com.

Image courtesy of GuyotDesigns.com

Would you love access to 1,000 planet-friendly trips worldwide?

Eco-travelers can now research their adventure travel options around the planet on the new Adventure Collection website.   The site is a consortium of 10 independent active travel companies.

“The group’s mission is to provide inspirational experiences that enrich the lives of travelers while dedicating ourselves to sustainable tourism and environmental and cultural protection,” says the site.

Eco-travelers can select by region or destination, specific activities, type of traveler and member company. Award-winning member companies including Natural Habitat Adventures, Lindblad Expeditions and Micata Safaris follow a travel ethic with the principles of accountability, transparency, best travel practices, preservation and education.  Adventures on offer range from the chance to sleep amid wild polar bear habitat to a 50^th commemorative Jane Goodall Tanzania safari.

For information, visit AdventureCollection.com.

Photo credit: John Baston and the Adventure Collection

Have you heard of the world’s biggest nature photo shoot?  It’s the Wild Wonders of Europe conservation project and upcoming exhibition.

The project’s 100,000 images are being collected by 66 professional photographers documenting the wildlife of the continent.  WWF is the main conservation partner for Wild Wonders of Europe.

“Wild Wonders is an immensely valuable conservation initiative,” says WWF International Director-General James Leape.  “It brings the work of WWF and other conservation organizations to life. These vivid images demonstrate that even in Europe there are still many undisturbed areas of natural beauty - and that our efforts to preserve them are paying dividends.”

One of the missions of Wild Wonders of Europe, say organizers, is to “inspire passion for wildlife in Europe and to change the perception that the whole continent was covered in buildings and roads.”

By July 2009, the photographers are expected to complete the 114 project missions.   In April 2010, the international year of biodiversity, the Wild Wonders of Europe Great Wild Show Outdoor Exhibition series will be launched and shown across Europe for 3 years.

For more info, check out Wild Wonders of Europe’s site.

Photo credit: Markus Varesvuo/Wild Wonders of Europe

Fancy an organic makeup travel kit?  Then you’ll love the organic mineral Afterglow Glow Kit Light available online from Beautorium Natural and Organic Beauty Emporium.  The makeup goes on silky smooth and gives you a fresh, natural glow on-the-road.

Afterglow Cosmetics use certified organic ingredients wherever possible. The makeup is gluten free, petrochemical and paraben free, bismuth oxychloride and carmine free.  The soft Baby Kabuki brush is super vegan made from taklon.

The $68 kit includes:

• 2 Organic Mineral Foundations (Ivory, Bisque) 6g each

• 1 Organic Mineral Blush (Smitten) 2g

• 1 Organic Setting Powder (Translucent) 2g

• 1 Baby Kabuki Brush

• 1 Concealer Brush

• 1 Afterglow Cosmetic Bag

Beautorium offers the best in natural and organic beauty from around the world.  The company selects brands that are natural or organic and not tested on animals, cruelty free.  Most products are certified natural, organic and/or vegetarian by independent third party organizations.

For more green beauty products, check out Beautorium.com.

Image courtesy of Beautorium

Are you interested in reading more about travel and green living on Mondays and Tuesdays?

On Twitter, check out #ecomonday and #traveltuesday for great news, information, sites and tweeters.

Please follow me on Twitter as:

twitter.com/travelinggreen !

Image courtesy of www.freephoto1.com