Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Thanks to creators of ski and snowboard gear and resort owners, there are multitudinous ways to make your carbon footprint, look more like a barely discernible snowshoe imprint.

Because of artificial snow, ski resorts become big time emission generators – with all of the climate changes, what with global warming and all, it is a big Catch 22. So it seems obvious that resorts are interested in going green. And skiers and snowboarders should be on board as well. Here are a few tips:

Find Sustainable Skis and Snowboards – for instance, skis made from Paulownia and snowboards made out of bamboo.

Car Pool or Find inner-city shuttles to ski resorts
Go Cross Country – it’s the greenest way to ski
Only pay at Green resorts – Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts has installed a brand new wind turbine which generates just a third of its electricity demands.
Join the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition
Recycle/Donate Used Equipment
Buy SkiGreen Tags
Do Not Ski in Dubai – famous for their environmentally offensive resorts.

This year, WWOOF has connected 15,700 volunteers to organic farms across the globe, compared with 6,400 last year. There are 2,240 farms just waiting for people to help them out.

How it works – For a few hours of work a day, which usually includes milking goats, collecting honey and making compost, volunteers get a place to stay and fresh food to eat.

“I didn’t have enough money to stay on any other way,” said Alex Mansfield, 21, a philosophy student from Massachusetts. “It gets expensive, having to eat and sleep under roofs.”

“It feels so good to be right near the food you’re about to cook,” said former New York schoolteacher Talia Kahn-Kravis, 23, as she squirted milk from a goat’s udder into a plastic bucket.

“WWOOF is the perfect anti-discrimination device,” said the Dutchman born in Germany, who has lived on the Spanish farm for 11 years. “We have Germans and Israelis sitting at a table together without problems. It’s a really great way of getting to know more of a country than only the national prejudices.”

Germans and Israelis, eh? I didn’t know there were problems between those two these days. Would have been nice if they could do that, say, 60-70 years ago.

Julie Bateman, a mother of two took her two kids from Charleston, S.C. for some volunteer farming in Italy this summer. There’s a term for it now. It’s called “WWOOFing.”

“WWOOFing with the two children is certainly a twist on the normal travel and WWOOFing in general,” said Bateman.
This really sounds tempting.

The event, which ushers in the summer solstice (when the longest day of year is marked) is said to have magical as well as healing properties to all who gather to see the sun’s beams piercing between the geometrical positions of the monument. A few couples were on hand to “tie the knot” in traditional Druid fashion, and were dressed in what are said to be authentic Druid costumes.

The Druids are said to be an ancient animistic pagan cult who lived in the British Isles as long as 2,000 years ago – during Roman times. Originally, they worshiped trees and practiced human sacrifice, usually with unfortunate captives from the many wars these people were involved in with other groups who lived in what the Romans referred to as Britannia. Their religious beliefs were banned by the Catholic Church and Church of England for centuries, until contemporary groups began to present the religion in milder forms, during the 17th Century.

“It’s the most magical place on the plant. When you touch the stones from inside the ‘circle’ you feel warmth like you’re touching a tree and not stone – you’re absolutely drawn to its love” said a Druid participant, who owns and antique and New Age objects shop.

The party began the night before and went on into the wee hours, until the sun was first noticed peeking though the clouds and touching Heel Stone, the central focus point of the monument. A number of vendors were offering al kinds of “magical” Druid charms and amulets, which added something special to the occasion.

Even non pagans were impressed, which was helped this year by good weather. Many came because they said that the mystical qualities of the event were good for “healing of the soul” as well as the body. One person, a yoga instructor from Lithuania, said that “this place gives us so much energy and hope that we can forget about the problems of our everyday lives and believe that all our wishes will come true”.

And if they believe it, their wishes most certainly will come true – for a day anyway.

There must be something magical about this place to induce people such as Edwin Veelo, founder of Fitura.com, makers of one of the most potent anti-viral extracts on the market today, and Steve Sinclair, co-founder of the super food supplements company Enerfood to go all the way to this remote place, located in a mountainous region of southern Equador, bordering with Peru. Historically, Vilcabamba was a favorite resort location for Incan royal families, who must have known about the benefits of this region as early as 600 years ago.

Not everyone agrees that Vilcabamba is a modern version of Shangri-la however, and many scientists who have gone there to study the place, and it’s people, have come back saying that older people who claim to be well over age 100 may be exaggerating their age (and due to a lack of official birth certificates). Other scientists have confirmed that a combination of a year-round non-variable climate and a diet of healthy naturally grown organic fruits and vegetables; and eye tissue of 100 year old residents have been compared to those of persons living cities who are less than half their age.

Not everyone may go for the simple life styles and vegetarian diets (including juices from raw foods), but many people from modern Western societies have given up a life of electronic gadgetry and prepared food products to live the simple life. And if it means living to the ripe old age of 120, there might something to eating mani butter pudding (from a plant related to the peanut) and exotic cocktails of organic herbs fresh from the garden – all year round.

Vilcabamba is a truly unique environment with a combination of year-round spring-like weather, fantastically pure water, and organic fruits and vegetables that make what you buy at your local whole foods store seem poor in comparison. Nestled in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the southernmost part of the country, the valley in which this paradise community is located does somewhat resemble Hilton’s legendary place. People who inhabit this region have been found to be extraordinary healthy and live very long lives, with ages up to 100 and even beyond. Besides a wonderful, pollution free climate, the diet of the inhabitants of miraculously fresh fruits and vegetables; help to contribute to their long lives. Due to this fact, many people from the USA and other countries are coming here for extended visits; and many are even purchasing properties and moving to Vilcabamba permanently.

Because of the very low cost housing available (for those lucky enough to be accepted there) one can live in Vilbabamba for much less than other so-called paradise communities, including Mexico and Panama. And those wishing to live a vegan vegetarian lifestyle, especially those who love a “raw food” diet.

Like other places in South America, one has to have a lot of patience and be prepared to live in a “manana” (tomorrow) type of environment, including with the local government bureaucracy. But despite these inconveniences the pure and simple lifestyle more than makes up for this and those who do choose to go there will not regret their decision, especially considering what is going in their former communities.

A new Dutch breakthrough invention makes it possible to reforest large desert and rocky areas on the planet in the coming years. Experiments in the Sahara desert have shown that the WaterBoxx allows trees to grow under harsh conditions and can provide them with sufficient water.

The WaterBoxx looks like a plastic, rectangular bucket, with a hole in the centre, allowing the tree to be planted in the soil. The sophistically designed top catches water from condensation at night. Together with the rainwater from rare showers, it is distributed in small doses to the tree inside. Additionally the WaterBoxx prevents water in the top soil layers from evaporating and protects the roots against sun, wind, weeds or rodents. After a year the tree is strong enough to grow by itself and the WaterBoxx can be removed.

Many of these establishments serve menus tailored for those seeking natural or organic types of food, including those who request strict vegetarian (vegan) menus. Others have menus to conform to religious doctrines, such as Halal (for Muslims) or Strictly Kosher for Orthodox Jews.

Though the idea is not new by any means, the concept of offering a differing kind of hotel experience and holiday resort began to take shape in the 1960′s when many people became tired of staying a the large “Hilton” and “Holiday Inn” type of hotels where décor and amenities became standardized and personal service a thing of the past.

Some locations, including England and European countries also had quaint inns and small “B & B” hotels which could quickly be turned into boutique hotels. This also held true for tropical locations such as Thailand and Mexico; and as a result, one can find boutique hotels are now found in many countries around the world, and in some of the most popular tourist destinations. Whether one desires a picturesque lake shore location, a secluded beach front or tropical isle, or a desert of jungle surrounding, by accessing web sites dealing with such places, or simply inquiring at your favorite travel office, it is easy to pick out the most suitable boutique hotel to suit both your vacation aspirations and your pocketbook.

When entering such an establishment, the first thing usually noticed is the lovely and quaint combination of furnishing and decor. From the outset, one can see that this is no ordinary hotel, and this is usually followed up by a personal type of service that most people only have known about by seeing old motion picture films from the 1930′s and ’40s.

Those looking for a particular type of vacation “package” and readily find it at one of these hotels or resorts. Whether it be a vacation involving golf, tennis, boating and yachting, fishing, or just plain relaxing and beach combing, the right combination is readily obtainable. And some of these hotels may even be within an hour’s drive from where you live.

Many sunscreen preparations said to protect people from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays, actually offer only partial protection. There are preparations that, if used properly, do offer much more protection – providing complete instructions are followed. A good sunscreen preparation should be rated to give protection against the UVA classification of ultraviolet sunlight – the strongest classification. UVA rays penetrate the skin deeper and have more chance to cause skin cancer or melanoma later on. A top quality preparation should also over at least SPF 15 protection; which means that people who have applied this strength of preparation can be exposed to the sun’s rays at least 15 times longer that those without this kind of protection. While SPF 15 preparations are now considered adequate in many locations, there are countries, notably Australia, where preparations going up to SPF 45 are available. Australia is now rated as having the highest levels of solar radiation. Mediterranean countries, including Israel, are not far behind in regards to the dangers of solar thermal radiation.

Even if one goes to the beach “armed” with the strongest sunscreen preparation that money can buy, there is still no guarantee that preparation alone will give adequate protection, even if all the directions are followed as closely as possible. Even if the preparation is continuously reapplied following a dip in the ocean, those planning to spend long periods at either a beach, or outside swimming pool should limit the time that their bodies are actually exposed to the sun’s rays. Small children, who have much more sensitive skin than adults, should be covered with a bathing suit that only lets their hands an feet remain uncovered. Large beach hats should be worn by both children and adults.

As sunscreen preparations usually wash off if a person goes into the water, the sunscreen preparation should be immediately re-applied afterwards. Beach umbrellas and other means of proving shade should be used; and beach goers should drink plenty of water, as dehydration can happen very easily, especially to children. A person’s skin tone is also a very important factor regarding how long one can expose himself or herself to the sun – if at all. And most important, it is advisable to not lay in the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

While many of these advisories may seem to take away from the enjoyment of a beach, lake, or pool outing, it’s better to be safe than sorry.