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When I was a kid, my parents took me to see Back to the Future. Ever since the first time I watched the Delorian speed through time, I was hooked. A few years later the sequel returned with a bona fide flying time machine. So, ever since the age of ten, I’ve had my fingers crossed that one day reality would catch up with the movies and we’d get to drive flying cars.

And soon, for the steep price of $279,000, we’ll be able to do just that. 

Part Car, Part Plane, All Groundbreaking

Released earlier this month, the Transition, a “roadable aircraft” developed by Terrafugia was shown at the New York International Auto Show. According to the Washington Post, the car has completed its first flight and a select few are slapping down the 10 grand deposit required for purchase. On its first test flight, it flew for eight minutes at 1400 feet. (Your average airplane flies for several hours at a height of about 35,000 feet.) However, the Transition won’t be able to get you out of bad I-95 traffic. Drivers of the Transition will need a runway to prepare for lift off.

The Transition has two modes: a driving mode and a flying mode. The idea is that drivers will be able to drive it to a nearby airport where they can take off. Upon completion of the journey, they’ll be able to land at their destination airport and drive it off site.

Green?

It’s a little too early to tell if the Transition will be eco-friendly, but if both cars and planes produce heavy carbon emissions, then what of the Transition’s carbon emissions? After all, this flying car is a machine that is both automobile and airplane, the love child of two of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions. What does the green future hold for new inventions like this? Undeniably, the Transition is a giant step forward from the days when we dreamt of Marty McFly’s Delorian or longed for the futuristic freedom of George Jetson’s flying car. What kind of fuel will it use? Will there be a green version? Will we one day purchase carbon credits for flying cars? As we soar into the future, it will be interesting to see.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By lotprocars

Car sharing is a great, alternative option to owning a car, if you live in an area that can provide other means of getting to work. Car sharing is also a nice alternative to renting a car. Many major U.S. cities offer a car sharing program.

How It Works

In most cases, you can reserve the car via phone or internet and drive the car when you need it, picking it up and dropping it off in clearly marked areas. Some people who live in cities with public transport use this option, including those who don’t need to drive to get to work. The fees are low – it’s often free, with daily or hourly rates incorporating gas, insurance, or other fees. Yearly rates are also reasonable and far less than the cost of constantly gassing up your car, or making monthly car payments.

The Benefits, Green and Otherwise

Zipcar, the world’s largest car sharing program, has been around for ages and is available in America, Canada, and the U.K., with available Zipcars in Miami, Orlando, Gainesville, and Tallahassee. Some major car companies  also offer a car sharing option. If you can rely on non-car options to get to work, car sharing might be for you. You can car share  for weekend jaunts, and you won’t be saddled with the year-round car expenses. Car sharing is also self-serve, so there’s no need to worry about rental offices. If you’re a college student and can’t afford the many fees that come with a car, several universities have their own sharing program as well, including Florida International University and the University of Miami.
Plus, the green benefits are fantastic – one shared car takes about fifteen personal vehicles off the road, resulting in billions of gallons of gasoline and oil being saved. There are no year-round gas prices, maintenance or car insurance, because that’s all picked up by the car sharing company, or included in the daily or hourly rates.

The Downside

Some car sharing programs put limits on their mileage, so if you’re looking to car share for a road trip in which you’re driving more than, say, 200 miles a day, you may want to look into other options. These programs often charge per mile once you’re over the daily limit, where as with traditional rentals, a three-hour road trip may be expected. Also, carsharing programs don’t clean the cars in-between users, so if the previous driver was a slob, you’ll be recycling their trash. While many car sharing programs don’t allow pets or smokers, there’s no guarantee that the previous driver won’t have bent the rules, which might be annoying for allergic green travelers.

Even with those slight issues, car sharing is a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to car ownership and car rental.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Lightpattern Productions

Green travel can be divided up into three camps: the beginners, the intermediates, and the heavyweights. Where do you fit in – and how can you improve your green travel habits?

Eco-Friendly Products

Are You a Beginner?

Beginners recycle only sometimes while at home, if they can find the bin. Maybe you’ve forgotten to inflate your tires if you’re traveling by car, or you’ve forgotten to book a nonstop flight because it will use less C02 then a plane trip that will take several stops. A good way for the beginners to move up to the intermediate level? Look into carbon credits and never leave home without the water bottle.

Are You an Intermediate?

If you’re at the intermediate level of green travel, you use carbon credits to offset major plane trips and your road trip tires are always inflated. You always use stainless steel water bottles when on long trips. When traveling by plane, you remember to book a nonstop flight and also know the importance of only packing what you need. A good way for intermediates to move up to the heavyweight level? Continue to stay aware of ways to go green, no matter where you are. Make sure that you’re aware of national directories that can support all kinds of green travel.

Are You a Heavyweight?

Wow! Not only do you use carbon credits to offset trips, but you’re able to stay aware throughout your green vacation, perhaps thanks to organizations like Sustainable Travel International. Your knack for recycling doesn’t go on a holiday when you do. No, you’re able to find recycling bins within a ten-foot radius of your hotel. Renting a car? Not if you can find suitable public transport or a fantastic car-sharing program. If you’re on a camping trip, you follow the green camping golden rule: only remove what you brought with you. Most importantly? You’re always willing to learn more – and make personal adjustments that can help you find your individual eco-friendly path.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Sommer Poquette

Leaving town to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family? If you plan to be one of the 38 million Americans traveling on Thanksgiving, here’s how to put the green in your Thanksgiving Day travel plans.

By Plane

Nonstop flights generate less fuel and are kinder to the environment than planning a trip that incorporates many different flights. Also, when boarding your nonstop flight, try to pack only a carry-on, which will not only be less expensive, it will also use up less fuel. Take part in a carbon offset program or look for a travel website that provides deals on carbon offset packages. As always, pack an environmentally friendly water bottle.

By Train or Car

Train trips may take longer than plane rides, but they are often less expensive and use less fuel. If taking the car, try to organize a holiday carpool. While road trips are usually the nightmare stuff of holiday movies (anyone ever see the Steve Martin/John Candy classic Planes, Trains, and Automobiles?), try traveling by car with friends if you’re all headed in the same direction. It might even become part of a new holiday tradition: the Thanksgiving Car Pool. Keep a small bag on hand for recyclable trash.

Staying in a Hotel

If you’re planning to stay in a hotel for Thanksgiving weekend, remember to conserve resources in the room. Reuse  towels for a few days and remind the staff that they don’t have to change your linens every single day. As you would at home, be aware of using power. Switch off the tv if you’re not watching it. Remember to turn out the lights when you leave your home away from home. You may want to pack a small nightlight rather simply leaving the bathroom or closet light on all night.

House Prep

If you’re leaving home to celebrate Turkey Day elsewhere, remember to unplug small appliances before you leave and turn off the thermostat. Check windows and doors to make sure they are closed properly. Make sure the lights are turned off before you leave as well.

Photo by smcgee

By Marissa Cohen

While at dinner, a friend of mine announced to his mom that he rarely watched TV anymore and was thinking of getting rid of it entirely. About a week later, he visited his folks and his mom, still surprised by the anti-technology announcement, pointed to the set behind her. “See that?” she joked. “That’s called a television. Do you remember what one looks like?” My friend is a die-hard travel documentary man. He’s seen all of them, so I assumed he’d watched enough about interesting, far-flung places for a while, if he was willing to give up tv.

Arguably, many of us have internet on our phones – and with it, access to video sites. But when we’re in our homes, what are some benefits of turning off the TV?

Time to Think

Turning off the TV means that we don’t have constant background noise. What’s underneath the drone of several hundred channels? Silence.

Intention

When we turn off the TV (or other electronic items) we are making a conscious choice to live exactly in the moment. I read somewhere that most of us often get stuck watching something just because it’s “on.” What if we exercised the power of choice and only took the time to watch what interested us?

No Ads

What would life be like without commercial ads? How would we think about our lives? Often, we don’t realize the consumer mentality we’re stuck in until we take a step out of it.

In the case of my friend, the ignoring of the tv awakened a desire to travel, actually travel, outside of his living room. In the few months since he’s given up tv, he’s begun to look into taking some trips to the places he learned about on tv. He seemed less tired and more energized – and hopefully, he’ll write me when he leaves.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo by b.frahm

A few weeks ago, we ran a piece on greening your car. In that piece, I talked about ways to keep your car green and clean. But what about all the car accessories, from windshield wiper blades to emergency tools? Make your accessories eco-friendly too and really compete your green travel experience.

The Car-Friendly SmartPhone Apps

Several phone apps can actually help to monitor your eco-smarts on the road. You can monitor gas prices, green habits, your daily or weekly carbon footprint, and more on some of these green car apps.

Green Blades

Windshield wipers must be replaced twice a year and also degrade over time. Go green with eco-friendly blades. Look for ones that are not made from petroleum products. Jamak  offers wiper blades that are made of 100% recyclable silicone and come with a manufacture’s warranty for as long as you own the car.

Emergency Kit

Hand-crank flashlights or LED powered flashlights are the way to go in case of an auto-emergency. Standards such as band-aids or tire changing gear are also important. When creating your own emergency kit for your car, be prepared and make a list in advance. What goes into your emergency stash should have bearing on the climate you live in. Living in the cold? Make sure that extra snow chains or blankets are a part of the stash.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo by doviende

Now that you have some green cleaning car tips, it’s also important to know how to give your car eco-friendly love. There’s plenty we can do to conserve resources while still having a great family road trip.

Don’t Let the Car Sit

It’s typical of any family vacation. One of the kids forgets something and runs back to the house to get it. Maybe your son forgot a favorite magazine or your husband forgot his eco-friendly phone charger. They jump out of the car to go get it – and the car is still running. In order to reduce the amount of carbon emissions caused by this, turn off the car when someone goes on a pre-vacation dash back into the house.

Pile ‘em In

While cars overstuffed with relatives is truly the stuff of hilarious vacation stories, there’s an up side to cramming yourself into a car with Great-Aunt Edna and Cousin Charley – you’ll use less carbon emissions and the decision to carpool is kinder on the environment.

Clean it Out

Believe it or not, all that accumulated car trash from the week can add weight to your car, making it use more fuel and release more carbon emissions into the air. Want to save some gas? Toss the car trash. Keep a bag for compost (food scraps) in the car so that your fruit and veggie peels can be used to help a garden grow. Also consider keeping a bag just for recycling and empty it into a recycle bin.

Check the Tires

Car experts advise that you check your tire pressure once a week to make sure that tires are inflated properly. The more deflated your tires are, the more gas you’ll use. If your tires don’t have the right pressure, your car’s fuel consumption can feel the impact.

Offset the Trip

Check carbon offsetting sites like Terrapass in order to find ways to offset the cost of your car trips. The environment will thank you!

Photo by Wetwebwork

by Marissa Cohen

“I’m going to go clean the car,” my father said.

My cousins and I nodded at him and then exchanged worried glances. The family trip was just around the corner and we were all hoping to avoid a scene out of National Lampoon’s Vacation. In order to do that, dad had to clean the car before taking it on the road so that the kids wouldn’t throw random pieces of trash at each other. There was nothing green about me back then except the color of my face as I watched dad uproot part of someone’s ancient candy bar from the back seat. Still, in order to keep your car green and clean when preparing for a big vacation, follow these eco-friendly car-cleaning tips.

Careful with Cleanser

In order to avoid volatile organic compounds, avoid cleaning your windows with smelly, toxic, headache-causing cleansers and stick to natural cleansers, such as mixtures of vinegar and water. No more headaches and you’ll be able to see through squeaky-clean windows.

The Right Kind of Cleanser

Dr. Bronners’ Sal Suds  is fantastic for washing cars – and it’s also a great, all-purpose cleanser made from a plant base. Even better? Sal Suds is cruelty-free and biodegradable.  Friends of mine who live on the beach swear by Dr. Bronners’ Sal Suds because they can make a spray to clean the car’s insides as well. You can use this cleanser for dish washing and house cleaning as well.

Wipe Windows With Newspaper

Use old newspapers or junk mail to wipe down windows. Why? Newsprint doesn’t leave streaks and you won’t waste countless paper towels cleaning the glass.

Change the Filter

To avoid dust mites and potential mold spores, change out the air filter in your car. You’ll be able to do this in most cars manufactured in the last ten years.

Lose the Pinecone-Scented Air Freshener

At some point, we’ve all had one of those air fresheners that dangled from the rear-view mirror. A friend of mine once had a Yoda air freshener that smelled of mint. As Yoda himself might say “Get an air freshener and breathe in toxic chemicals, you will.” Avoid air fresheners, especially on long car trips, or if you’re really feeling creative, make your own. Now that’s wisdom.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo by J Wynia

It’s summer and for most of us, that means packing the kids and family into the station wagon for a trip. But be careful. According to the Society of Concerned Scientists in their Green Travel report, commuting for an entire year can have less of a carbon footprint than one vacation.

Watch the Gas

Skip the crowded freeways and increasing gas prices and hit the trains, which feature low carbon emissions. Amtrak offers inexpensive travel, especially during the summer months. However, if you decide to travel by car, make sure that you avoid congested areas in order to avoid rush hour.

The Numbers Game

A solo traveler or a couple? You may want to consider keeping the car parked in the garage and using an alternate method of travel in order to reduce your carbon footprint. However, the more people you pack into the car? The more the carbon footprint shrinks, same as with carpooling.

B.Y.O.W.

That’s bring your own water bottles. Instead of purchasing waste-creating water bottles, stick to refillable ones for easy – and green – hydration on the road. Try for glass or stainless steel ones.

No Rental

Once at your destination, consider skipping the rental car and experience getting around like a local. You’d be advised to arm yourself with maps ahead of time, but many cities offer public transportation as an alternative to car travel.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo by nannetteturner