Most polluted locations in the world

Has environmental damage ever made you not visit a location? It is a big reason why I have never been to China, although I know it also contains picturesque locations filled with historical significance and a wonderfully kind culture. So I thought I would blog on some of the worlds most polluted cities and how they have found themselves in this position. This list is not in any particular order and there is still some disagreement which cities are more polluted than others.

Linfen, China: This city is the hub of China's coal production, and the smell of burning coal comes from both of legal and illegal sources. This city has a population of more than four million and located in the heart of Shanxi, from which the local population suffers from the ingestion of coal dust which causes a myriad of lung aliments as well as drinking water polluted with arsenic. (Source: MSNBC)

Sukinda, India: Located in the north eastern portion of the country this particular city is plagued by hexavalent chromium in drinking water. This type of chromium is a heavy metal used for stainless steel production and leather tanning that is carcinogenic if inhaled or ingested (Source: Time). In Sukinda, which contains one of the largest open cast chromite ore mines in the world, 60% of the drinking water contains hexavalent chromium at levels more than double international standards.

La Oroya, Peru: Mining in this area has devastated the local environment in the Peruvian Andies. Lead, copper, zinc and sulfur dioxide are the main culprits and all of which come from the lack of regulations from mining. 99% of children have blood levels that exceed acceptable limits, mostly due to American-owned smelter that has been polluting the city since 1922 (Source: Time Magazine). This particular plant is owned by the Missouri-based Doe Run Corporation.....(author side note: how do these people sleep at night when they know they are giving children cancer?) Sulfur dioxide emissions from the Doe Run plant sometimes reach 10 times the amount considered acceptable by the World Health Organization, and the annual mean concentration exceeds this level by a factor of two or three (Source: Oxfam)

Chernobyl, Ukraine: Not unexpectedly this city is still reeling from the ecological disaster that occurred in 1986. In Chernobyl, the report estimates 5.5 million people are still threatened by radioactive material that continues to seep into groundwater and soil 20 years after the nuclear power plant exploded there (Source: MSNBC).

Some other severely polluted cities: Dzerzhinsk, Russia, Vapi, India, Mayluu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan, Tianying, China Read more...

Protecting Our Marine Environment

Keeping with our recent eco-statistics posts, I thought I'd present two issues today: Some stats on the damage cruise ships do to our oceans, and some interesting points regarding off-shore drilling. Now, some of you may be scratching your heads as to why I'd present these stats while being in the travel business. It's simple: Both Jessica and I are travelers, want to promote it and take part in it, but we want to do so responsibly. For this reason, we have created a program that reinvests money in eco-friendly, sustainable, and conservation-based non-profits. We give money from every trip to help protect our world. You can read more about this program, here.

Our statistics on cruise ship pollution are well-documented on our Web site here, so please check the link out when you get a chance. To start with offshore drilling, I received an interesting e-mail from a partner of ours (Surfrider Foundation) today regarding offshore drilling. In our quest to lower the price of oil this is a pretty hot topic, and Surfrider pointed out the following:

Regarding calls to restart coastal drilling:

1. Lifting the moratorium will not provide immediate relief from high gas prices.
If the moratorium was lifted it's estimated that it would take about a decade before any oil could even be extracted. And it's safe to assume that drilling might reduce gasoline prices by merely 6-7 cents per gallon. Obviously, this would not have any effect on prices at the pump this summer or anytime in the near future. But it would affect the coastline you love.

2. Drilling for oil offshore threatens the coastal & marine environment, recreation and coastal economies.
Increased spills and industrialization associated with drilling offshore will result in devastating damages for coastal and marine environments for decades - not to mention putting your enjoyment of the beach at risk! Although improved technology may limit the likelihood of catastrophic spills, there are still hundreds of thousands of documented "small" spills in areas heavily used for oil drilling. In one study of a proposed drilling site it was predicted that over the next 40 years there could be up to 870 spills of 2,000 gallons or less - that's over 1 million gallons from just one site.

3. Increasing oil production worsens global warming.
You and I both know that global warming is threatening our planet, our coasts and us. And fossil fuel consumption is a major culprit. It is time to look for alternatives not further our addiction to oil.

Now I'm not sure it's as simple as these points make it out to be, but at a macro level the point is this: Coastal drilling does substantially more harm than good. Drilling does unimaginable harm to our coasts and oceans, and the places we love to visit. As with cruise ships, the solution is not necessarily to just not partake, but rather look for ways to give back and promote legislation that protects these environments. There is a great example of a company working with such legislation for cruise ships called Blue Water Network. They, like us, are seeking to not stop people from taking cruises but to work with governments to pass legislation holding cruise ship companies accountable for how they dispose of their waste. If you'd like to read more about this, please see the following article. Read more...

Can cars be green?

We are starting to see the terms hybrid car, electric car and solar car more and more these days and it got me thinking: Is there such a thing as a truly green car? What exactly do these terms mean? These questions, and the fact that the gas station down the street from me now has 87 octane gas selling for the bargain $4.19/gallon, prompted me to look into the answers. To start, here is a link to a useful article explaining the differences between gas-powered cars, electric-powered cars, and the combination of the two - more commonly known as hybrid vehicles. With the soaring oil prices these days, the thought of finding a car that is capable of driving 35-55 miles/gallon is pretty appealing. There are some very helpful sites and blogs out there that are really breaking down the advances in the hybrid industry, as well as comparing what is available on the market. Here are a few links of note:

1. Hybridcars.com: This site has a few nice features including a database that compares hybrid vs. non-hybrid cars, a robust research section covering topics from the environmental impact of cars, fuel options and buyers guides, as well as the latest technology coming to the forefront in the industry.
2. The Green Vehicle Guide: This site is housed within EPA's Transportation section, and covers the greenest vehicles and their emission ratings relative to gas-powered cars.
3. The Green Rating: This is a site Yahoo advertises that ranks vehicles on a scale of 1-100 (measuring their environmental friendliness). The site goes on to rank the top 100 cars by that green rating.

In addition to hybrid cars, we are starting to see smaller vehicles here in the States that have long been staples of the road in Europe, and other high-priced gas countries. The first of these vehicles to cross the Atlantic was the Mini Cooper. Most recently, and my personal favorite, the Smart Car has been introduced. While safety ratings for these cars could be an issue, I imagine more and more of these energy-efficient cars will be brought to market. I hope the days of the huge Hummer's may be coming to an end.... Read more...

Do you have helmet hair today?

Happy National Ride your bike to work day! Today is the day where company bike racks are full, people are a little more sweaty than usual and the earth is just a little happier. Since helmet hair is today's fashion statement, here are a few ways to make sure all your co-workers know you rode in today:

1. Just wear your helmet around the office all day and when people ask why, just say it is for their benefit.

2. Ride your bike around the office.

3. As you walk around, use hand signals to tell everyone which way you are turning.

4. What other hairstyle would go with my cool florescent bike shorts?

5. Clip a bell to your pants and if people get in your way, ding it loudly.

6. Purposely walk behind people and tell them you are drafting to preserve strength.

Any of these methods will give people the message that you did your part and rode your bike to work today. Good job!
Read more...

Traveling "green"

What the heck does it mean to travel green anyway? We get this question a lot around here, and it usually surfaces alongside some of the following comments:



- Traveling green? (Blank stare) I can't ride a bike to Europe.
- Green travel? Is that like only going to places with rain-forests and pine cones?
- Are you guys with the Green Party? Do you work for that Al Gore guy?
- Are you guys those people that go camp out in trees chanting "Mother Earth" as loggers try to fell conifer trees?

So for the record to the above, no, no, no, and finally, NO. So what does green travel mean then? Well, it can mean a lot of things but Jessica and I believe that we ought to minimize the harm we as travelers do on the environment through flights, car and train trips, hotels rooms etc. We also believe that rather than just visiting (and often jeopardizing) the places we travel to, we should give back to the local communities we all love so much around the world.

One solution: We think carbon credits are a great way to minimize the impact of travel on the environment. Sure, they're not perfect, but it's better than nothing. A couple of things to make sure you look out for with carbon credits:
1. Make sure that credits are going towards projects that can in fact, make a difference (not just reforestation efforts).
2. Make sure those projects aren't all in one place should (heaven-forbid) a fire wipe out the area etc - similar to the investment strategy of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
3. Make sure the company's records have public audits to show where (and in what amount) their money is spent. If you'd like to see an example of a company doing a great job at this, please click here. To learn more about Pangaea's program, please click here.

And lastly, our vision of the most important piece of making travel sustainable: Give back! What better way to protect the cultures and environments we as travelers visit than to invest in their development, protect their lands and resources, and ensure the beauties of this world are around and thriving for future generations. Read more...

Pangaea Travel Offers Discounted Tours!

Pangaea Travel is glad to announce that we now offer DISCOUNTED TOURS AND CRUISES! Okay, hold the questions - I'll break it down for you. This is the most simple program you have ever heard of: Find any tour or cruise online with any of your favorite operators, and if you let Pangaea book it for you, we'll give you cash.

Whoa, whoa whoa! What!? You ask.
Seriously folks, it's that simple.

Visit our site now, and you can check out some of our favorite tours around the world. On the right hand side you'll see how much money we'll give you per person if you let us do book the trip for you. Don't see a tour listed that you know you want to take? No problem, we'll give you cash for it as well for allowing us to book it.

Have we gone mad? Totally lost it?

Nope, we're just that good.

Oh, and don't forget, we'll make the whole trip GREEN at our own expense as well.

Wow, we're good. Read more...

Pangaea According to Fox News.....

For all of my Mensa friends out there, here's a question: What do Fox News, rising gas prices, and Pangaea Travel have in common?

Guess #1: Absolutely nothing. Ummm.... close, but no.
Guess #2: They are all rad. No. Clearly, Pangaea only qualifies as rad. Fox News gets a "neat", and rising gas prices... well, I don't really want to say what I think about that.
Guess #3: I'm not sure, but there was a news story on this last Friday. Bingo.

Yep, last Friday we had a brief feature on the local Fox News 6 station here in San Diego. Our green measures are being noticed! We think our eco-commitment and carbon offsetting initiatives are big news, and it's nice to see others picking up on it. To view the feature, please click on this link and play the video on the right side of the screen. To read more about the environmental incentives of booking with our company, check out our Web site.

Taking a cruise? A tour? Flight? Booking a hotel room? Let us book it, and we'll make it GREEN! It'll be the same price, and there's no additional charge... Why not! Read more...

"Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today."

Jessica and I often find ourselves in a Groundhogs Day-esque conversation that goes something like this:

Random stranger: "So, you own a travel agency... that's great!"
Jessica and I: "Actually we're doing something different, it's not really an agency, we do x, y, and z"
Random stranger: "Oh.... I see...." (confused look)
(Pause)
Random stranger: "So what is it you do again?"

In honor of Bill Murray, or maybe because print lasts longer, we are going to lay out for all you loyal readers the niche we have created for ourselves and why we think it makes us unique... and frankly, just totally rad.

First off, if any of you are ever going to book a tour or cruise, come to us! Even if you know the cruise line you're going to take, when, where and how - we are your people. Here's why: If you let us book the tour/cruise for you, we'll share in the proceeds with you. Yep. We get paid by the cruises and tour companies to bring them clients. That means, if the cruise costs you $3,000 and you let us book it, it still costs you $3,000. *But* we'll give you money on the back end to outfit yourselves for the trip. What's the catch you ask? There isn't one.

Secondly, we got into this business to make a difference. We think the travel industry does a tremendous amount of harm to the environment, cultures and sites it visits. A round trip flight from Washington DC to Paris burns over a ton of harmful emissions into the atmosphere alone. Yikes. So, we've partnered with a number of organizations to do something about it. The first is Carbonfund.org. Moving forward, every client that books their trip through us will be receiving carbon neutral travel. What this means is, we will be purchasing carbon credits to offset the damage clients' trips are doing on the environment. When you travel, your plane, cars, trains, boats and even hotel rooms all release carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels which are causing the Earth’s climate to change and warm. These harmful fuels will have catastrophic results if we do not act to reduce them. What's better than Pangaea choosing to do this? Unlike other travel companies that claim to do this for their clients, we are offsetting EVERY portion of their trip (flight, hotel, cars/boats/trains) not just one or two pieces, and we are doing it at our own expense. That's right. We pay for all of it out of our own pocket. As if that's not enough, we've offset our annual business impact here at Pangaea.

Next, we will be also giving back to several leading global conservancies supporting various environmental causes. We will soon be posting the details of this program as well.

Lastly, we can do the simple stuff! If you want a hotel booked, an international flight quote, or a custom made adventure, we're here for you! Read more...

The Green Mile..... travel eco style!

So the word 'green' is being used quite frequently recently. For instance, NBC is in the middle of their green week, I am actually really excited to see David Schwimmer and Al Gore team up and act like super heroes. Hilarious.

Since all you out there are travel experts, you probably know how detrimental travel can be on the environment. That is why the term eco travel or green travel has created such a buzz. However, there are a lot of disreputable companies out there that are simply jumping on the green bandwagon. Sooooooo......I (in my infinite wisdom) have created a great list of the BEST eco-tour companies for all your inquiring minds. Upon creating this list I have taken into account a few things, such as why the company is green and how they are green.

1. Natural Habitat Adventures: Love them. This company is a pioneer in carbon-neutral travel, they off-set all the carbon emissions created by their cleints tours. They also provide their clients with the ability to off-set their flights, so people may decide to pay a little extra money to off-set the majority of damage.

2. National Geographic Expeditions: This is the magazine's tour company arm and the same dedication to sustainable travel exists. They have won a number of awards including Outside Magazine's Best Trip award. Side note, I am dying to take their trip to Nepal and Tibet!

3. Adventure Life Journeys: A wonderful tour company which works with local communities to create sustainable travel with the local environments. They won Conde Nast's Green Traveler award in 2006 and there is no question why. This is simply a well run and committed organization. Read more...