America's largest (greenest) companies

This week, Newsweek announced their 2009 Green Rankings - an "exclusive" look at the environmental impact of our nation's 500 largest corporations. The well-known  names dominating the travel sector are hardly surprising if you're a frequent consumer of eco news.

Can you guess who landed at the top of travel?

1. Walt Disney (Disney's Eco Makeover)
2. Marriott International (Marriott's Eco Initiative)
3. Starwood Hotels & Resorts (Starwood's Element Hotels)
4. Wyndham Worldwide (New WyndhamGreen Program)
5. Las Vegas Sands
6. Carnival
7. MGM Mirage
8. Wynn Resorts
9. Southwest Airlines
10. Delta Air Lines

Oregon Adds Another LEED: Courtyard City Ctr.

Earlier today, on the west coast's "hub" of alternative action, Marriott's Courtyard Portland City Center hotel was certified LEED-Gold by the USGBC. Powered by wind and hydroelectricity, the 256-room property reduced energy consumption by 30 percent during its recent redesign. This feat is coupled with the composting of kitchen waste, creation of biodiesel fuel (from used cooking oil), and employee garb that's fashioned from recycled plastic bottles. Chic, no?

Located near shopper's central, the Pearl District, and ever-blooming Rose Garden, this hotel is a hop, skip and jump from eco-dining options like the Farm Cafe, Wildwood, and Urban Farmer. Want to scope out the city's leafy appeal? TravelPortland lists their top-notch nature-viewing suggestions here.

Nature: Captured in Time

The only thing better than witnessing a rare and wondrous moment in nature is capturing the moment with a swift click of a button. As time erodes memories, the fortunate among us have photographic proof... the kind that you never tire of losing yourself in.

Next month, the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole will debut "The Natural World: Photographs by Thomas D. Mangelsen." Chronicling 20 years of photography (nowhere near a studio), the exhibit highlights a selection of panoramic images that span 10 ecosystems, each accompanied with excerpts from Mangelsen's journal.

A theme that runs throughout the photo line-up is conservation. Says Mangelsen in a press release, "These animals, even the most seemingly insignificant ones, are the barometer of the health of this planet. It doesn't take long to realize that we are on that same chain, we are all linked in nature."

If you're not in Jackson Hole, but are as curious as I am, check out the accompanying book, "The Natural World," a 256-page hardcover filled to the brim with Mangelsen's moving artwork.

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

In 2008, 275 million visitors geared up for a trek through America's National Parks. From Yellowstone to Yosemite, that's a lot of Gore-Tex.

With the first audible "crunch" of leaves, a new rush of nature lovers and adventurers will hit the trails for the season's dramatic display of foliage. If you're one of them (and you happen to live in NCY), you'll want to get a taste of what's in store by checking out National Parks Week NYC, which kicked off last Saturday. View all the events here.

This Wednesday, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and PBS will host a free concert--featuring the Counting Crows, Eric Benet, Gavin DeGraw, Alison Krauss and the Union Station, and more--while doling out teasers for Ken Burn's upcoming film "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

Want in? Head to Central Park's East Meadow @ 7:00 pm.

The New Alternative Consumer

Oooh, have you seen? The Alternative Consumer, the go-to resource for eco-minded shoppers, has just launched a new, beauiful website. You'll definitely want to check it out.

Chicago's River North gets a LEED-ing hotel

The Windy City might be home to Green Seals and hip, Energy Star-rated hotels, but most folks consider LEED certification king of "standardized green." That's what makes the LEED Gold Certification (Existing Buildings, Operations & Maintenance) of the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart such a big deal. As of this month, it's the first LEED certified hotel in the city.

Built in 1977 in the River North district, it's not the most chic building you could imagine, but what it lacks in luster, it makes up for in intelligence. A part of the 2.25 million square foot, 25-story 350 West Mart Center, the hotel is made up of 521 guestrooms and recently underwent a redesign that updated several hotel areas and added solar window film that will help the building to better maintain its temperature.

The hotel has also adopted many new eco initiatives, including a Sustainable Purchasing Policy that makes purchasing green products (like cleaning supplies, furniture, electronics, etc.) a priority.

For visitors who love art (River North has the largest concentration of art galleries in the U.S. outside of Manhattan) and design, and a solid selection of dining options, this is a convenient location to stay.

Cali's Wente Vineyards Goes to School

Give. Grow. Green. Three pretty simple words, yet each are loaded with meaning when we look at them individually. When I sit down to write a post for Green Globetrotter, those words -give/grow/green - are the mantra that plays in the back of my mind. The travelsphere is chock full of eco-driven initiatives today, happily obliging the conscious wanderers among us. But, many of those programs and initiatives aren't coming from a place of truth. They're greenwash, as we've come to dub them. And to combat it, I'm sticking with my give/grow/green concept, which rules that every idea is somehow giving back, encouraging growth, and promoting sustainability.

One example of a company that's leveraging their sustainable practices is Livermore, California's Wente Vineyards, who this weekend, will partner with a local college to educate students on their conservation practices. Ecology and biology students of Las Positas College will be participating, taking in the sights of The Course at Wente Vineyards and learning about its involvement with the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, as well as the Wente family's "Farming for the Future" philosophy.

"Farming for the Future" is a concept that extends across the family's 3,000 acres of Estate vineyards, into The Restaurant, the golf course and all property activities. Created in the early 1990s, it is a system of practices that enhances the vitality of the soils, nurtures a balanced and sustainable ecology, minimizes water use and reduces non-organic waste.

Cheers to that.