The total direct travel spending in California is about $96.7 billion, with 14 million international visitors. For a state as vast and diverse as California, with such a huge tourism industry, it can’t be easy to try to make travel sustainable, and ensure that these sustainable options remain easily accessible for tourists.

But President and CEO Caroline Beteta of the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) is determined that California travel should get a green makeover. In a recently released press statement, she says that “With millions of visitors touring California every year and leaving behind their carbon footprint, it is our responsibility as part of the tourism industry to not only provide sustainable travel alternatives, but to help make those options effortless so our travelers will embrace them on their next visit to the Golden State.”

And then the CTTC helpfully lists a ton of green travel options across the length and breadth of California. Summarized below are the highlights.

The green travel experience starts the minute you land at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), since the airport is fast developing into a model for green airports, with environmentally favorable LED lighting and a comprehensive green building policy. The preferred mode of transportation out of the airport is by ECOLIMO, which offers a fleet of green vehicles and chauffeurs.

The biggest attractions in Los Angeles are also the greenest. Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles was the first theme park to be honored with the Environmental Media Association’s Green Seal Award. Disney recently announced a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and electricity usage by 10% at it’s theme parks over the next 10 years.

16 miles east of Los Angeles lies another hugely popular attraction - the Santa Monica Pier. The City of Santa Monica has implemented a sustainable plan wherein all the businesses and the City combine to offer a complete green experience. Suggested stay at the Ambrose Hotel, which, in addition to being one of the newest boutique hotels in Santa Monica, also happens to be one of the greenest.

One of the biggest eco-friendly activities on the Pacific coast is a day out on the beach. The wonderful weather, the boardwalks, the facilities and the beautiful landscape all along the San Diego beaches make this coastal stretch a paradise for tourists and visitors. 

The Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego has partnered with the California State Parks and the California State Parks Foundation to help preserve and maintain the Silver Strand State Beach. Guests taking part in the resort’s Volunteer Vacation package stay overnight, tour Silver Strand with a State Park Environmental Educator and then roll up their sleeves to participate in a hands-on restoration project or coastal beach clean-up

 San Francisco is one of the top 10 greenest cities in the U.S., as rated by National Geographic’s Green Guide. The Bay Area offers many sustainable activities and attractions. Travelers can walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Touring the bay is also a green excursion in San Francisco, as visitors can take the Hornblower Hybrid, the nation’s first hybrid ferry boat, to Alcatraz Island. Guests to the City by the Bay can also visit the new super-green building of the California Academy of Sciences in the Golden Gate Park.

The San Francisco Ferry Building hosts up to 80 farmers and certified producers who grow the products they sell at the farmer’s market on Tuesdays and Saturdays. And a visit to the city would not be complete without riding the San Francisco Cable Cars.

Orange County is ground-zero for California’s slow food movement. At the 15-room Casa Laguna Inn & Spa in Laguna Beach, 51 miles south of Los Angeles, visitors enjoy a breakfast menu that changes with the season, based on what can be picked or acquired at the height of freshness. In fact, many of the vegetables and herbs used in on-site breakfast preparation are grown on the property.

Huntington Beach may be famous for being ‘Surf City’, but it also offers a tour of protected wetlands for rare birds and you can wander through an ecological sanctuary consisting of California native plants and wildlife.

If you’re fond of winter resorts, South Lake Tahoe offers some fantastic eco-friendly options, like the Lake Tahoe Water Trail which offers a custom paddle trip around the lake’s 72-mile shoreline, navigated via a special map that lists access points, resting places, campgrounds, lodging, points of interest and related support facilities. 3 million annual travelers make use of Yosemite National Park’s free shuttle service comprising of a fleet of 18 all-hybrid buses.

For ski fans, the Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Resort, just outside of South Lake Tahoe, is hosting its first-ever Ski Green Day on April 1 with a full day of eco-focused guest activities.

The 3rd Annual Earth Day Food & Wine Festival, on April 18, at the historic Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia, just outside of Santa Margarita, features an array of cuisine from locally sourced ingredients and sustainable wines – all while leaving a minimal footprint as a “zero waste” event.

Palm Springs merchants along Palm Canyon Drive between Tahquitz Canyon and Amado Road host Green Fridays, the last Friday of every month from 5-8 p.m., with special deals, live entertainment and sustainable eco-products.

Source: California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) - www.VisitCalifornia.com

Related Links:-
Green LA - LA Inc.
Green SF
Green vacations in San Diego
Slow Food Orange County chapter
Lake Tahoe Water Trail Organization
Greenopia

Posted on March 29th, 2009 by PLing
Filed under: California, Sustainable Travel