Or Blogs

Spring is here, or so we hear. (In Florida our weather is pretty much the same – gorgeous – all year round.) I understand that in other parts of the world, the cold is giving way to flowers and warmth. Spring means renewal: as the earth wakes up from ice and cold, so do we. Renew your eco-joy with these springtime steps.

Eco-Bags in Light Colors

Ditch the dull black and brown travel bags for fun and funky luggage in light, festive colors. Crisp white eco-friendly luggage can put a spring in your step. So can eco-friendly purses and backpacks in hues of pinks, greens, or yellows.

Declutter Before You Depart

Before you leave town, give your house a fresh sense of renewal by cleaning the clutter out of closets and garages. Go through what you find. Contact Goodwill or your local shelter and give away any old clothes, dishes, or furniture that have seen better days. Have an upcycle party and invite friends to trade their old stuff. One green traveler’s trash is another green traveler’s treasure – and if money is tight, trading items is a thrifty way to save your green.

Before You Leave, Clean

I like to tidy up before I leave town. There’s nothing more annoying to me than coming back to a dirty house, so before I leave I make sure that counters are scrubbed and bedsheets are changed. Ditch the toxic house cleaning products as well! Instead of glass cleaner or disinfectant, use vinegar. Instead of toxic scrubbing powders, use baking soda.

Spring Showers

Not only does spring bring color and renewal – it also brings the rain. If you’re hitting the road, protect yourself from blustery days and surprise showers with cute, non-toxic raingear. This umbrella is made of recycled steel and aluminum and has a bamboo handle.

Spring Friendly Travel Apps

If you need to track the ever-changing weather, check out The Weather Channel’s app – perfect for road travel. Going to be on the road? Try Roadninja – a travel app that lets you know what’s coming up off the next highway exit. You can look up exits from anywhere on the road and it’s handy if you need to find a potty or a vegetarian restaurant in a hurry.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By notamaiar

Gay-friendly travel apps are a must-have when exploring the world. Since you’re not wasting paper, apps are green (and if you’re a real travel bug, the more greener it is to have apps that replace heavy travel books).

Fun

I really liked Gay Scout by Damron. It allows you to narrow your search according to city and then look up everything from entertainment to hotel accommodations and places to eat. This app is also integrated with Google Maps, making it easy to navigate new areas. Another good one is GayCities, newly updated in January of 2012. It includes fast access to everything from reviews to maps and more.

Equal Rights and History

If you want to make sure that your hard-earned cash is going to businesses that support equal rights, make sure to download the official app for the Human Rights Campaign. Revamped for 2012, the new edition includes thousands of LGBT-friendly businesses and it can be searched according to category. If you want to impress (or annoy) travel companions, feel free to quote some famous gays by checking the Gay Quotes app.

Must-Haves

A few years ago, I left the country and  made the mistake of calling home on an actual cell phone. Even though I only made a brief phone call, it was hardly worth the exorbitant phone bill that I received a month later. I wish I’d thought to download Skype, which would have saved me an embarrassing amount of money. Through Skype, I could have connected to the Internet and then called home using the Skype app and not a traditional cell phone. Downloading a currency converter for international travels can be an invaluable app. Geared to familes with kids but a life-saver for anyone who’s just had to go, one of my all time favorite travel apps has to be WheretoWee, a handy little app when you need to find a restroom in a new city. Another is the amazing Trip It, which collects all your travel info and stores it.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By nrkbeta

Kid-inclusive travel means that anything and everything is subject to change in five minutes. Replace the maps with apps. These apps are a must have for any traveling green family and will help you stick to some kind of a plan when you’ve long since thrown your itinerary out the window.

“Mommy, I Gotta Go!”

Not only do bathroom apps mean that you don’t need to cart around a paper-and-money-wasting map, but it also means that you can breathe a sigh of relief when your little one utters those four words guaranteed to put speed into the feet of parents everywhere – “Mommy (or daddy), I gotta go!” Avoid wet undies and frayed nerves with potty apps, my favorite of which is the aptly and hilariously named WhereToWee . Complete with lists of toilet amenities, you can find bathrooms with kid-friendly features such as changing tables. Several similar apps even allow you to create a profile with frequently used bathrooms. (Want to make kids giggle? Some of these apps even boast a potty gallery, complete with pics of tricked-out bathrooms.)

“Are We There Yet?”

Apps like Google Earth are great for keeping kids entertained – and for helping you to navigate your way to more familiar streets. Use similar apps to show kids where you are and where you’re headed. Free downloadable travel games can also help keep boredom at bay. A fantastic choice for your little green traveler is the Ecopetts app , a free app that allows kids to ”save” animals from their contaminated natural habitats. By overcoming challenges, kids will earn points that will save their animal friends and help clean up their homes.

“I’m Bored.”

Need to find kid-friendly stuff to do in a new city? Leave the travel guides at home and download a family-friendly app that directs you to playgrounds and museums, one of which is MomMaps. These apps offer a fantastic variety of resources and are well worth the download.

Photo by Proggie

By Marissa Cohen

It’s no secret that E-readers and Kindles have revolutionized the way we read. Thanks to technology, we can travel without weighing down our suitcases and backpacks with travel essentials. We no longer have to pack several –hundred page guidebooks or language dictionaries. Leave the multi-paged maps at home. Everything can be quickly uploaded to an e-reader or portable device, so you can save trees, money, and sanity without sacrificing knowledge.

Language Guides

Wondering how to say bonjour? Translator or language apps are far greener than those heavy, bulky language dictionaries and who has the time to flip through and find an exact phrase ? On most apps, you can simply type in what you want to say and either hear the sentence played back automatically or read it phonetically. So if you’re not yet comfortably fluent with a language other than your own, downloadable language guides and translators can help foster clear communication.

Finding a Bathroom

Got to go? As anyone who’s ever been on vacation knows, finding a potty in a new area is critical. Several free apps help you track down toilets as the need arises. It doesn’t matter whether you’re exploring America on your eco-friendly vacation or if you’ve left on a jet plane to have international fun, toilet apps allow you to find and rate bathroom faculties. Found a great and clean bathroom? Add it to the listing. You can even check off bathroom features such as changing table or if it’s a free-to-use bathroom. Really feeling adventurous? Add photos.

Guidebooks

Paper guidebooks are heavy and are swiftly becoming a thing of the past thanks to ever-changing technology. Want to save a tree? Check out some great downloadable guidebooks for your Smartphone, iPad, or e-reader. Several offer city guides, complete with walking tours and other interactive features. Some traveling publishers, such as Lonely Planet, even offer roaming-charge free maps for a low fee so you can pinpoint your location in a new city without unfolding an awkward paper map.

Photo by Ben Dodson

By Marissa Cohen

Being green means being aware – and a big part of that aligns obviously with our awareness of the planet – and an awareness of ourselves. Over the last few weeks, we’ve focused on green technology and how it relates to green travel. We’ve looked at ways to green up our existing technology in order to keep our feet planted firmly in the world of connections and communications, including some Smartphone apps – and we’ve done all this while still trying to respect the environment.

But what happens when all the technology goes away? We’re left with our own thoughts. A friend of mine teaches social networking and has her students go on a technology fast. Why? I’d guess it’s so we can see the vast amount of time underneath the texting, emailing, and blogging. We’re caught up in it, 24/7, and while technology certainly has a lot to give us in terms of green travel and green knowledge, it can also drown us out.

See what happens when you turn off the computer. Experience a world – for two hours or two days – without the constant presence of electronics. Turn off your Smartphone. Don’t look at your apps (even if they’re green apps)!

What happens? How do you feel? Are you restless? Bored? Calm?

How would a worldwide technology fast change the way we live? Imagine what could happen if, for just a few days, every single person turned off one major electronic item, such as a television, a Smartphone, or a computer. It  boggles the mind how much electricity we could save – and how in touch with ourselves we might be.

 By Marissa Cohen

Photo by adactio

You’re on the go with the family or your significant other. You’ve just hit a new town. Of course you’ve done your research, but when you’re on the go, things change. You’ve checked with the locals to find the nearest organic markets, but sometimes phone apps can show you where to find green resources. Perfect for the green traveler, check out these free apps and make the most out of your travel.

Green Food Apps

Green foodie apps are perfect for travel. Many of these provide a geographical list detailing how long certain fruits and veggies are in season. Not only that, but they will also provide details about where the nearest farmer’s markets are, based on your zip code. Some of these apps, such as Locavore, track local farmer’s markets and provide a full list of contact info, ratings, and types of food provided. Apps such as Greenopia can track your location and pull up green stores, restaurants, and other responsible businesses in the immediate vicinity. I had hours of fun with this one and it is now on my phone.

Green Tracking Apps

Some apps track day-to-day choices. Some, such as Carbon Tracker, help you to… you guessed it, track your carbon footprint and even help you set goals to help shrink it. Find Green is free on iTunes and helps you to locate sustainable businesses.

By Marissa Cohen