Feng Shui Paint

Just look at this picture for a second.

Any guesses on what that turquoise greenish color is? Nope, not valuable turquoise stones.... it's paint. According to this article, this quarry in southwestern China was painted green for $60,000 at the request of the forestry department, if for nothing more than to increase the feng shui. I just don't know what to say.

On another, more believable note: the state of Florida has decided that the artificial tire-reefs they created 35 years ago are not working. I have to admit that I would have made the same mistake - dump a bunch of tires offshore and wait for the corals and fish to arrive. Well, it didn't happen. Now those tires look like they were dumped there last week. Worse, they've broken from their steel or rope bindings and are being smashed into real reefs by waves and currents. This same mistake has been made all over the world, and it seems that nobody has had any luck. Now we're spending millions to begin cleaning them up. The good news is that the ships they sink are usually successful as artificial reefs.

Green Travel - More

So I just learned that one of my good buddies left yesterday from SLC heading east across Colorado. Yes, the same Colorado that is completely shut down due to an enormous snow storm. Send out the search parties.

After my earlier post, I figured I needed to try to find some resources for those not traveling in Michigan, and then realized that many people are changing travel plans right now due to a huge ski destination being shut down for a couple days.

So below you'll find a list of sites that list more hotels that are getting green under a variety of different programs. Supporting them is one small way to reduce your impacts.

US & Canada: Terrachoice

Florida: DEP

Cali: CIWMB

Worldwide: Greenhotels

Pennsylvania: DEP

And finally, the Green Lodging News - see what this hotelier's group is talking about