Leslie's Space

After being on the road for the past SEVEN weeks, I have made it back to LA safe and sound! (FYI, I did use a plane to get back, but bought carbon offsets for the flight! Check out  http://carbonfund.org/ to learn more.)

So, now what? Is this the end of my Eco Trip blogging? I can assure you the answer is NO.

Though Marshana, Hedge, McGuire and I will no longer be snoozing in tight quarters together   and lugging around our thousand-pound bags (they seemed that heavy!)

  I still have a great deal to write about. I've seen, experienced and learned a lot over the past few weeks and will continue to post about my journey (and beyond!).

Besides, I still have to blog about the main destination of our Eco Trip: THE LIVE EARTH CONCERT!  Indeed, I have a lot to say about that event alone... what was neat  and quite frankly, revolting.

I also have been compiling a list of all my favorites (from restaurants in each city to the folks I met  ), so stay tuned for those blogs!

Thank you for your support throughout my ECO TRIP journey. I appreciate your patience as I continue to post updates! Ciao for now! Leslie  

(FYI--you can subscribe to my RSS feed or request to be on my mailing list via leslieecotrip@hotmail.com)

Can it be?? Could the Eco Trippers be in NEW YORK CITY already?!?!?!  Yes, it is true!! We have safely arrived to our last city on this ultimate environmental road trip.

I feel completely horrible that I have yet to even update my Washington, D.C. blog though! These last few days have been flying by...

I WILL bring you up to date SOON, though, so please stay tuned! Meanwhile, I hope you had a wonderful 4^th of July.  I can hardly believe the LIVE EARTH concert is in 2 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BIKES Biking around DC was OK—  I saw designated paths in parts of the city, which was nice, but Georgetown is TOUGH to navigate around via bike. The streets are typically jammed with vehicles ranging in all sizes ...from Vespas  to Hummers 

METRO The METRO rocks (minus the fact that there is no stop Georgetown, and it is somewhat infrequent compared to the NYC subway). But it’s clean, fast & efficient.

BUSES Buses are not bad—they take you specifically where you need to go, but perhaps not as often as you’d like  

CABS  be careful! Try to establish a rate before you get in a cab. Once Marshana and McGuire took a cab that cost $12 for one mile, while Hedge and I got downtown in one that cost half the price!

CARS & ECO-ALTERNATIVES Of course you can drive your own car, but be prepared to sit in traffic and pay ungodly amounts to park (tickets are frequently issued too, as I recall...)  While in DC I found out that Enterprise Rent-A-Car established an E85/FlexFuel Branch in Washington, D.C. to show their nationwide commitment to to alternative fuels and technologies.   YAY!

Despite the countless interests groups and non-profits headquartered there, it is SO OBVIOUS that DC is a city of contrasts. Just a few blocks from the White House and Capitol Hill roam some of the poorest of the poor in our nation. Though I appreciate that our country serves others abroad, I can’t help but wonder who will help out our brothers and sisters in need here at home.

I also noticed that the city has tons of gentrification.  Though it’s exciting to see formerly depleted areas renovated into places that thrive, it doesn’t solve the issue of poverty.

During my trip I met with a dear friend and former professor (Mark Bergel) who launched an organization called A WIDER CIRCLE. His mission is to empower children and adults to break the cycles of poverty and poor health. This also requires a shift in priority that motivates us to no longer tolerate the tragic living conditions that exist.

By working together, he knows we can make this world a place where every person has the opportunity to live well and to be fully human.  Check out how: http://awidercircle.org/vision.htm

The Eco Trippers and I have made it safely to Washington, DC! This city marks our 9th city out of 10 on our cross-country Eco Trip!! Stay tuned for updates including our experience at the ECO EXPO  and the fun people we've met in the Nation's Capital thus far! How does DC measure up to other cities in terms of being ECO-FRIENDLY and how is its public transportation??? Come back to find out soon! Plus, I'll fill you in on our Environmental TRUTH Campaign on the National Mall this Monday (July 2)!    What happened to Hedge's lens??? You'll find out soon!

Off to explore more...

Leslie :)

PS: I'll keep you posted on our latest TV interviews, too

By Robin Dalmas

You've decided to camp in the Costa Rican jungle alongside howler monkeys, sloths, parrots and snakes. That makes you an ecotraveler, right? Actually, you can be an environmentally conscientious traveler anywhere you go, from New York City to Nepal's highest summits.

Just ask Glen W. Hanket, author of Underwear by the Roadside: LitterWalk Coast-to-Coast. In 1993, Glen and Sue Hanket left behind jobs, friends and family to stroll across the United States and clean it up a bit. He spent his honeymoon walking from Maine to Oregon bagging more than four tons of garbage.

Traveling with an eye to the environment, however, need not require a Herculean effort. Here are 12 ways for travelers to help the planet.

1. Do your homework. The International Ecotourism Society can help you find a responsible ecotourism company. Green Globe is a worldwide certification program designed to help tourists discover their impact on local environment and communities. Planeta.com specializes in environmental and tourism reporting.

2. Choose your destination carefully. "For example, Iceland has some of the most fantastic whale watching in the world, but that country also started hunting whales last year in defiance of an international moratorium," said Chris Cutter, communications manager for the International Fund For Animal Welfare. "In Africa, Kenya has a strong commitment to conservation and a wide variety of habitats and animals, but countries like Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are much less responsible with natural resources."

3. Select a green hotel. Look for lodges and hotels that have received the Green Seal Certification for environmentally responsible practices. For a list of certified lodgings, visit http://www.greenseal.org/certproducts.htm#lodging. Delaware North Companies, which manages some national parks, created the GreenPath environmental management plan to conserve water and energy, reduce and recycle waste, and maintain the properties' integrity. For a list of GreenPath lodgings, visit http://www.delawarenorth.com/Destinations/Destinations.asp. Vacationing in Canada? The Hotel Association of Canada's ECOmmodation Rating Program recognizes hotels, motels, and resorts that are committed to improving their fiscal and environmental performances. Visit www.hacgreenhotels.com for information.

4. Rent a smaller car. "Why pay big bucks to gas up a hog when a comfy little car will get you where you're going?" said Rosemary Forrest, public relations coordinator for the University of Georgia/Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. "Unless you are offroading, an SUV isn't necessary and isn't eco-friendly."

5. Think local. By purchasing food at farmers markets and establishments that offer local groceries, you'll reduce fossil-fuel consumption and shipping emissions.

6. Think twice before buying certain souvenirs. "Many souvenirs in exotic places are made from endangered animals," said Chris Cutter. "Knickknacks made from materials such as ivory, reptile skins, tortoise shells and chiru fur (for shahtoosh shawls) not only encourage poachers, but may be illegal to bring back to the United States."

7. Be responsible at the beach. "Humans are visitors to these coastal areas and should enjoy them as such," said Brad Pickel, coastal scientist and beach management coordinator for the Beaches of South Walton. Stay in designated areas and off the dunes. "Remember that the beach is home to numerous plants, animals, and birds that are found nowhere else in the world than at a beach, and many require beaches for nesting."

8. Respect coral reefs. "The first thing that visitors need to realize about reefs is that they are living animals that should not be touched in any way, so be careful when snorkeling and scuba diving," Pickel said. "As part of their natural protection they are covered by a mucous membrane. When a coral is touched, the mucous membrane is removed. In human terms, the touching would be similar to having road rash from falling off of a bicycle or motorcycle."

9. Take pictures, not petals. "The national parks and other parks are inundated with visitors," said Glen Hanket, author of Underwear by the Roadside. "If every visitor picked one Rocky Mountain Columbine, or one Indian Paintbrush, the meadows would soon be denuded. Leave it there for those who come after you to enjoy. A photograph will live much longer."

10. Don't feed the animals. "You may think you're doing that cute squirrel a favor by giving him that bread crumb, but instead you're sentencing him to starvation," Hanket said. "Think of what happens when winter comes and the visitors go — and that critter is no longer able to forage food for himself." Similarly, don't feed marine critters. "Fish and other marine creatures have distinct diets and rely upon their natural instincts to find food," said Pickel, the coastal scientist "By feeding fish, humans can make fish dependant on human intervention."

11. Don't litter. "Most people don't realize the cost of litter," Hanket said. "Money spent on trash removal is money not available for spending on amenities like campgrounds, visitor centers and the like. Some of the litter is also dangerous to wildlife — plastic six-pack rings being perhaps the foremost example, as animals get their mouths and beaks entangled and then cannot feed."

12. Offset your travel with alternative energy certificates. A great way to travel green is to purchase wind certificates that pay for the production of renewable energy generated by wind farms to compensate for pollution created by traditional means of travel. Travelers can purchase $20 certificates each time they purchase a plane ticket or $10 certificates when they rent a car. Purchase certificates through Renewable Choice Energy at www.renewablechoice.com.

Robin Dalmas is a freelance writer and former MSNBC.com travel editor and producer.

HELLO LIVE EARTH COMMUNITY!

IT'S TIME TO MAKE YOUR COMMITMENT

Live Earth Founder Kevin Wall joined with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Alliance for Climate Protection CEO Cathy Zoi today to announce the Live Earth Call to Action -- a series of commitments that Live Earth is asking people across the globe to combat the climate crisis. Join the global movement. Click one or all of the boxes here and enter your email. Enter your name and look for it on screen during Live Earth!

GET LIVE EARTH ALERTS & ARTIST INFO SENT TO YOUR CELL PHONE!

Text SOS to: 82004 if you're in the USA 
Need help? Text Help? to 02 8022 0777

Live Earth will be broadcast worldwide through multiple media channels - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels. On July 7th, Live Earth concerts will be streamed live by MSN at www.LiveEarth.MSN.com. The events will air on NBC, BRAVO, UNI HD, SUNDANCE, MSNBC, CNBC TELEMUNDO, and MUN2. Get specific air times, and more broadcast details here.

FIND A LOCAL EVENT NEAR YOU

There are going to be more than 6,000 satellite events and house parties taking place in more than 100 nations around the world on July 7th in support of Live Earth.
Find one that's happening near you right here. Be sure to check out the interactive map, and don't forget to evite your friends!

LIVE EARTH LATEST:

REID, PELOSI SIGN "LIVE EARTH PLEDGE"
Senate Majority Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were proud to be among the first to sign the "Live Earth Pledge," created by former Vice President Al Gore. The pledge is in conjunction with the global Live Earth event to be held on every continent on July 7 (7-7-07). [more]

LENNY KRAVITZ TO HEADLINE LIVE EARTH RIO DE JANEIRO CONCERT
Lenny Kravitz has agreed to act as the headliner at the Brazil leg of the 7-continent, 24-hour Live Earth concerts on July 7, 2007. Brazil is the only country hosting a Live Earth concert that is entirely free and open to the public, and producers expect the concert being staged on the famed Copacabana Beach will draw over a million people. Kravitz will close the show there. [more]
Get more Live Earth news and announcements at www.liveearth.org.

  Around 6 AM Tuesday (6/26) the Eco Trippers and I rolled into our 8^th city…CLEVELAND, Ohio!

Cleveland has been a great city to visit…I'll admit I even underestimated what this city has to offer. Little did I know Cleveland is nicknamed “The Comeback City” and now I can see why. I anticipated Cleveland to feel somewhat dirty and industrial (the way I thought Chicago would’ve been), but again, I was caught by surprise!

 The downtown had a unique combination of charming storefronts & restaurants with a backdrop of modern skyscrapers, and one of the first things I noticed was how CLEAN the streets were! Right off the bat I felt safe there.  In fact, within 30 minutes of us arriving to the train station and unloading our stuff, I was off riding my bike....Because the streets were so deserted, Hedge, McGuire and I opted to cycle to our hotel rather than take a cab there with Marshana and the luggage. 

I figured the roads were empty because it was so early in the morning, but throughout our stay in Cleveland I never really saw any congestion. At times it felt almost as desolate as Salt Lake City, but this made biking around a breeze. Because I felt safe riding at nearly any time (day or night), that became my sole mode of transportation. Although they were available, I never had to ride a bus or cab –even to and from service projects!

As for the people, I found Clevelanders to be very engaging. The first night I was at a café downtown (hoping to catch up on work) and I overheard some folks debating about environmental issues. At one point I joined their conversation and spent the rest of the evening chatting with the friendly (and lively) locals!

One of the main highlights of the trip was handing out reusable totes for people to bring to the store (as an alternative to having their groceries bagged in paper or plastic sacks). The Eco Trippers and I headed to Tower City Center (a nearby mall) and were planning to spend several hours there passing out the goods. But before we had a chance to get settled and set up, crowds began to swarm around the boxes!...It was FREEBIE FRENZY. Within an hour we had given away nearly 500 bags, and emptied our entire box of organic T-shirts, too!

Another fun outing was checking out the vibrant and flavorful Westside Market. I enjoyed interacting with the vendors, and I even got to meet the aunt of my college roommate Jacki (a Cleveland native)!  She had a bakery stand…yummm. It was neat to see people of all ages in the open-air market browsing and haggling for the best picks.  I must say the only letdown was finding out the majority of fruits, veggies, dairy and meat products were imported… not locally grown! 

In terms of its eco-friendliness, Cleveland is similar to Chicago by offering drop-off sites for locals to recycle their waste. As of now there are 32 public drop-off sites throughout the city, and they accept ALL materials (meaning you don’t have to sort & bundle your trash).

To find out more about where to recycle in Cleveland, click here. You’ll also find more environmental resources by clicking here. And, if you live in Cleveland and want to know how and what to recycle, click here.

Finally, here are some fun facts about Cleveland, also known as the “City of Bridges” Cleveland is famous for its appreciation of sports, arts and entertainment. Indeed, every time I rode by the stadium there were crowds lining the streets eager to catch a game,  and there was always a hub of people waiting to check out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (though I never got a chance to visit it!). 

 One thing I was particularly impressed with was Lake Erie. I knew it would be large, but I wasn’t picturing it to look like an ocean! Standing along the water’s edge I could not see a single piece of land in the distance, not even miles and miles away...

Little known facts about Cleveland:

Famous Clevelanders include Drew Carey, Paul Newman, Halle Berry, Phil Donahue, Henry Mancini and Arsenio Hall. The city is also best known for: The Browns, The Indians, and the Cavaliers, Playhouse Square, The Cleveland Orchestra and The Cleveland Clinic.

Other eco-friendly sites related to Cleveland:

Clean Air Conservancy: www.cleanairconservancy.org / Cleveland Green Building Coalition: www.clevelandgbc.org / EcoCity of Cleveland: www.ecocitycleveland.org / The Environmental Fund for Ohio: www.efohio.org / Environment Health Watch: www.ehw.org / NOACA: www.noaca.org

Overall, Chicago was GREAT and I was pleasantly surprised by the city as a whole. In fact, it might even slip into 3^rd runner up to my favorite cities on this trip (San Francisco and Seattle are still strong leads).

 In all honesty, I expected the Windy City to feel more grungy and industrial, but instead found it quite the vibrant, cosmopolitan, and culturally stimulating place! It reminded me of NYC with a European twist (and with more green spaces to play!). I enjoyed seeing lots of bridges, alfresco cafes, and old-world architecture. 

In terms of transportation, there were plenty of cabs (even water-taxies!)  but also an abundance of trolleys  (yes! more trolleys!), buses and trains. NOTE: Access to such transportation was VERY convenient!

 In addition, I saw lots of people on rollerblades and other innovative  and old fashioned ways of getting around.

I must've become more comfortable orienting myself via bike to each new city, because I found myself cycling to places (on my own) a lot in Chicago.

Though the city was definitely more congested than our former Eco Trip destinations, it was also pretty condensed and overall biker-friendly, which made it convenient to get around. That said, there were tons of walkers getting from place to place there...with the exception of robo-cops like this guy: All in all, Chicago is accessible in many more ways than simply a CAR (if only Los Angeles were the same!). 

In terms of its eco-friendliness, I was encouraged by Chicago’s initiatives to implement a neighborhood recycling program (I was particularly impressed by nearby Naperville, Illinois, where 90% of the citizens participate in the program!!!). 

The city itself seems to be extremely kept up (at least most of the areas I saw were). The lush garden-like medians dividing the downtown streets were refreshing both aesthetically and fragrantly!  I even saw a mini Zen water fountain in some of them! 

I was a bit grossed out by the amount of smokers I saw (and smelled), but more than anything, I was disappointed to see ZERO recycling bins in public areas. One day the Eco Trippers and I passed out biodegradable alternatives to plastic and Styrofoam containers to people on their lunch break. During that time I learned that Chicago sends all waste collected in the city straight to the ground, unlike other cities that have a system to sort out recyclables from the trash. NOT GOOD.

However, I was encouraged to hear a lot of enthusiasm from the locals about their desire to live more green. This again reminded me that we cannot wait for the federal government to modify environmental regulations and make a substantial difference. We have to be more active within our LOCAL COMMUNITIES if we want to see a national (and ultimately global) change.

 Luckily Chicago’s mayor has a pretty strong reputation for being eco-friendly… I hope he can continue the momentum and establish an efficient city-wide recycling program (for downtown areas, not just in residential areas). Chicagoans are ready and willing to participate!

Coming up next: more highlights from Chicago and helpful links for those that are interested!

It was nearly midnight last Wednesday (6/20) when the Eco-Trippers and I arrived to our 7^th city: CHICAGO! 

I had never been to the windy city before and was looking forward to it. I was surprised to get a sneak peak of it a few days early, though!

We were supposed to go to Janesville, Wisconsin first, but because our train from Omaha was delayed 6 HOURS, we missed our connecting bus to get there. 

 After unloading our gear and reassembling our bikes,  we were blessed to find a vacant hotel for the night.

The next morning we hitched a Greyhound-style bus to Janesville, Wisconsin, otherwise known as the "City of Parks". Our purpose for the journey there was to visit a Chevy manufacturing plant and learn about General Motors’ production of more fuel-efficient cars.

Once we were equipped with our snazzy safety goggles, Duane (a GM retiree) gave us tour of the plant.  

We learned that the Janesville Chevy plant is GM's biggest and OLDEST factory. It was neat to see some of the original models... Notice this 1923 Chevy didn't even have door handles (it was worth $495 back then)!

The company certainly has progressed over the years, today they manufacture an average of 4,000 cars per week!!

 I was particularly interested in learning about their advancements to become a more eco-friendly company...  Their mission is to lighten their environmental footprint, improve fuel economy, and reduce emissions while continuing to deliver great performance of their vehicles.

 Among many tasks, the company’s environmental engineers help to monitor emission control equipment, waste management, wastewater discharges and construction projects (to assure environmental considerations are made).  The Janesville Facility is considered a model for their energy reduction initiatives and has also received rave reviews for their efficiency from the US EPA WasteWise Program. I was pleased to hear they recycled 2,400 tons of paper and cardboard last year, saving 40,160 trees from being cut down!!  I had no clue simply turning off lights on soda machines and in parking lots over the weekends could save $32,000/yr!

One of their popular vehicle models is the E85, which uses 15% gas and 85% ethanol (made from domestically grown corn). Check out www.livegreengoyellow.com

Another aspect of GM that impressed me was their commitment to community involvement. They’ve established something called Project GREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network). This partnership (with Nature Conservancy) allows employees to interact with locals while giving back to nature through service projects.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by what I learned about this mega corporation. It was encouraging to see so many employees enthusiastic about their work and the ENVIRONMENT!

My only hope is that in the years to come the demand for Hummers will go down, and subsequently, their production…