Until I spent time in Palestine’s West Bank, seeing it with my own eyes and listening to people’s stories, sharing a home-cooked meal with a welcoming Palestinian family in Duma village, hiking throughout the West Bank along the Palestinian Heritage Trail where the olive trees shimmer and vast landscapes are endless, sipping sage tea amongst fields of wildflowers while local kids joined us for selfies in Sebastiya and shared stories about never seeing the ocean because of the apartheid wall, walking through Jerusalem and seeing the stark difference between the old city’s different quarters, staying in a Bedouin camp frequently destroyed by Israeli militants, biking through the old city of Jericho, and walking along the apartheid wall in Bethlehem with a local business owner and artist who uses art as a means of peaceful protest—I’ll admit that I didn’t have a grasp or understanding of what was happening or why.

Discover hotels and resorts dedicated to positive social and environmental impact

As the world begins to emerge—slowly but surely—from a year of lockdown, many of us are eager to start travelling again. But we have done so much damage to our environment and communities that we must start thinking about how we can travel in a more sustainable way.

“We have to repair and replenish to make things better,” says Amanda Ho, co-founder of Regenerative Travel.

You’re probably wondering: what is regenerative travel, anyway? Another buzzword for sustainable, eco or green travel? Not quite. Regenerative travel is all about creating better conditions for the environment and the community, making a positive environmental and social impact on the place you're visiting.

“It’s about honouring place,” says David Leventhal, co-founder of Regenerative Travel and owner of the first ever regenerative resort, Playa Viva.

Secluded on the West Coast of Mexico, in Julchuca, Zihuantanejo—where the sunsets are unrivalled— you’ll find Playa Viva (pictured above). With farm-to-table cuisine, yoga retreats, nurturing wildlife habitats, visits to local farms, and opportunities to really get to know the local community, that one resort soon turned into something much greater.

“People started asking if there were more places like it in the world," says David. "We thought, if we were resonating with people and it was so hard to find us, we figured there was an opportunity to make it easier for all these great little projects that people are running all over the world.”

In response, the duo created Regenerative Travel, a booking platform for the Regenerative Resorts hotel collection—44 (and counting) independently owned eco-luxury boutique hotels that practice the highest levels of social and environmental integrity. More recently they have launched full trip planning services, and the Regenerative Travel Summit (the second one will be held virtually in September 2021).

We chatted with both Amanda Ho and David Leventhal of Regenerative Travel on what the word means, how we can start to travel more responsibly, and what the future of travel in a post-pandemic world might look like…

Read the full story on Environment 911…

This week on Girlboss Radio Puno talks about fibroids and endometriosis with our guest Dr. Soyeni Hawkins—a gynecologist and surgeon specializing in the minimally invasive surgical management of fibroids and endometriosis, as well as a women’s health activist, empowering women to be better advocates for their own health.

This week on Girlboss Radio, Puno chats with Isabelle Cossart, an entrepreneur who navigated her tourism business through many unexpected events, from Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans, to 9/11 which halted travel throughout the USA, and more recently COVID-19, which has affected the entire world.

Carbon offsets are no longer thought to be enough to curb climate change. Meet Christina Beckmann of Tomorrow’s Air, the world's first collective of passionate travellers who clean up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through direct air capture

For Christina Beckmann, co-founder of Tomorrow’s Air and vice president of Global Strategy at the Adventure Travel Trade Association, a sustainable future means fresh air for everyone. While standing on Deception Island (62.93° S, 60.57°W) during the peak of Antarctic summer, she says it felt unseasonably warm—there wasn’t much snow, it was balmy and she had a feeling that something just wasn’t right.

“I was really affected by that day—by the sound of the zodiac going through the brash ice, like this is what a melting world sounds like and feels like,” says Beckman. “I had this visceral sense of this is what is happening to the world.”

The silence of Antarctica can be deafening, yet the sound of glaciers calving and ice changing is an inescapable reminder of our warming planet and oceans that few get to experience.

Beckmann came away from the 2041 ClimateForce Antarctic Expedition hosted by Robert Swan (the first person to walk to both Poles whose goal is to inspire a global climate force) with a sense of urgency—like we have to do something now, we can’t just sit around.

“I’m the kind of person who jumps to action—there’s a lot to be said for people who slowly think out a strategy and execute it—but I came out of my Antarctic expedition thinking, ‘Do something, get some people together, and start moving because the longer we sit around talking and evaluating, the worse this gets.’”

The result of this sense of urgency instilled in Beckman and others on the expedition? Tomorrow’s Air—a way for global travellers, travel companies and destinations to take tangible action for climate change through joining forces with direct air capture carbon removal technology.

Travel notoriously has a carbon problem. Carbon emissions caused by travel on planes, trains, and automobiles have long been ‘balanced out’ by travellers buying into tree planting or purchasing offsets. Those are great solutions, but according to experts, including Beckmann, alone they are simply not enough to reverse the effects of climate change.

Backed by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, Tomorrow’s Air has partnered with Swiss company Climeworks to filter carbon dioxide out of the air and inject it underground in basalt rock where it mineralizes over time and is permanently stored.

Read the full story on Environment 911 here.

This Canadian company is repairing the damage we've done to our planet's soil in a natural way

We need to stop treating soil like dirt. “When soil is healthy, it has the power to fix climate change and the problems we’re having today,” says Darrell Liski, CEO of EnBiorganic, which focuses on creating and using microbiology to restore soil to its natural state. “We’re nature’s remedy made ready,” says Darrell.

Why is that important? According to the United Nations, if present rates of soil degradation continue, the world’s remaining topsoil will be gone in 55 years, by 2075. And what does that mean for our planet?

Well, 95 percent of our food is grown in soil, and it has a ripple effect. Modern techniques in farming—such as tilling, plowing, spraying with dangerous chemicals and replanting every year, as well as harmful techniques and practices in animal agriculture—have eroded soil to an unhealthy level, and those chemicals are trickling down into our water systems and into the food we consume. When we damage soil, we substantially reduce its ability to retain and further sequester carbon. Without a healthy soil microbiome, the continuing release of carbon into our atmosphere leads to climate change.

In their lab, Environmental Bioorganic Sciences Corp. builds naturally derived microbiology formulations to target specific organic material. EnBiorganic has created a means to produce these formulations on-site and deploys them with an autonomous production technology—called the EBS-Di—in high, active populations. The soil microbiology is adapted to the specific wastewater, lake water, soil or waste from livestock operations. Essentially what EnBiorganic does is regeneration, repairing the damage we’ve done to our planet’s soil through natural processes.

We caught up with Darrell to better understand how EnBiorganic's innovative technology helps make soil healthy again..

From beautiful linens to green essentials and ethically sourced decor, we’ve got your home covered with these four sustainable homeware brands.

Living sustainably is a true commitment—and while it takes time and effort, every little step you take towards reducing waste in your home counts. We've rounded up four eco-friendly home brands that help bring sustainable living into your bedroom, kitchen, laundry room and more.

Need an eco-friendly getaway?

The transition of seasons has arrived. The sun starts to set earlier, the air begins to feel crisper and the cool weather seems to have settled in for the long haul. Meanwhile, we’re dreaming about the coziest, most sustainable places to escape to across Canada—from luxurious cabins and glamping tents in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country; sphere-shaped domes in Quebec’s Laurentians where you can watch the stars from overnight; and cozy log chalets overlooking an eco-reserve on a lake in the Gulf Islands.

All of these destinations are easy on the environment, put you at one with nature, and instill a feeling of calmness you only find in the remote, Canadian wilderness...

Read the full story here on Environment 911

Tentree—the Canadian apparel company that plants 10 trees per item sold—has just planted its 50 millionth tree worldwide

What started as a small-town tree-planting business in Saskatchewan has become a worldwide fashion brand focused on responsible consumption.

Tentree is an intersection of comfort and sustainability “It’s maximum comfort, minimum footprint,” says Derrick Emsley one of the co-founders and the CEO of Tentree. “We look at ourselves as a tree-planting company that sells apparel, not an apparel company that sells trees—that’s a distinction that’s unique to us,” he says.

We've rounded up three sustainable beaches you can visit responsibly

Remember travel? We sure do. Yet as we think about planning to explore our incredible planet again—either within our provinces and states, or abroad as borders slowly reopen and restrictions lift internationally—sustainability is at the forefront of our minds (and if it’s not, it should be). As the cool weather sets in, sunny beach days are top of mind. But how can we travel to our favourite beaches sustainably?

When you're ready to travel again, consider these three eco-destinations

The future of travel is—without a doubt—sustainable travel. It’s hard to imagine a future where people are hanging out in crowded cities, piling into bars and flocking to places overrun with tourists.

In reality, that might not be the worst thing for the travel industry. Researchers conducted a global survey of 160 countries between 2009 and 2013 in order to calculate the amount of CO2 emissions produced by the tourism industry worldwide—turns out it’s responsible for eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

So, spending a whole lot more time outside, getting to know the wildlife and true culture of a place, and intentionally exploring our planet in a way that gives back to people and places where we can have unique experiences? Count me in.

From the Middle East to Mexico to South America, here are three eco-lodges to put on your travel bucket list...

Read the full story on Environment 911 here…

Why saying you don’t have time to make sustainable choices simply doesn’t fly anymore

As we continue to slow things down, spend more time at home with the people we love, and find joy in things we may have taken for granted in recent years, there’s never been a better time than now to make time for prioritizing self-care, as well as care for our planet. We’ve been programmed to think it’s not easy being green—but we challenge you to think again.

Learning to live a green lifestyle and consciously making green choices is not only important for the planet and future generations, but it can also save you a whole lot of money if you do it right. Saying you’re too busy simply isn’t an option anymore. Swap that time spent commuting to work, binge-watching TV, mindlessly scrolling on social media, and try these four ways to become more sustainable at home. Let’s leave that 'I don’t have time to be green' mindset behind for once and for all. Bonus: these alternatives take less time and cost less than their more traditional counterparts.

Here are four simple changes you can make in your daily routine that have a huge impact on the environment...

Can fashion ever be sustainable? Alexis Giannotti, owner of Giannotti—a sustainable knitwear brand designed in Monaco (the tiny Mediterranean city-state on the French Riviera where he was born and raised) and made in Italy (where he spends his summers)—says the future of travel is, in fact, sustainable.

I STEP OFF THE M/V SEA SPIRIT AND ONTO a Zodiac which speeds towards Cuverville Island, the largest Gentoo penguin rookery on the Antarctic Peninsula, home to 6,500 breeding pairs.

I expected many things travelling to Antarctica with Chimu Adventures: wildlife, glaciers and polar temperatures. But there are a few things they don’t tell you to expect: the deafening silence when you find yourself atop a mountain overlooking the Southern Ocean, camping overnight in a self-dug hole in the snow only to be awakened by a calving glacier, or the moment when you stop paddling your kayak and are overcome by the nothingness.

As we approach the rookery, I’m again taken aback by something less pleasant. Most surprising aren’t the astonishingly brash sounds penguins use to communicate, rather the revolting smell of their guano – that’s science speak for a mix of penguin feces and regurgitated krill. A better description? A mix of fermented seafood and vinegar that pierces your nasal cavities like ammonia.

For many, food and travel are synonymous, they choose the destination based on the country’s cuisine. Searching for that feeling once evoked inside a cozy restaurant, longing for the thrill that comes with tasting something new, or the satisfaction that comes from savouring a home-cooked meal in another country?

These Vancouver restaurants will spark memories —a friend’s kitchen in Taipei, a tapas bar on a side street in Barcelona, or sipping a cocktail on a pristine Caribbean beach – with their take-home meal kits.

So, we've come to terms with the fact that our spring and summer travels aren’t going ahead as planned (sigh, with a long deep breath) with the reassuring caveat that absolutely nothing is stopping us from dreaming up the perfect adventure for the future. In fact, now more than ever, there’s time to explore and plan from the comfort of home. Stock up on your favourite travel magazines (we love Canadian Traveller, Explore, and Canadian Geographic Travel), dive into a great travel series on Netflix (hello Parts Unknown, Our Planet, Ugly Delicious, and Street Food), read your favourite travel blogs, and follow the most incredible sustainable travel influencers on the internet (if you’re not already following Travels with Nina, Twins that Travel, and The Travelling Mom, you’re missing out).

Whether your ideal vacay is lying on the beach on a tropical island sipping a margarita (we know the perfect one) or planning an epic hike in the mountains—we’ve got you. Grab a cup of tea (or glass of wine, if that’s more your style) and cozy up on your couch while we share five places we hope will spark inspiration for you to travel to (when it’s safe to do so) because just like us, they quite literally always feel like summer.

We care so much about what we’re putting into our bodies, seeking out natural, organic, GMO-free foods and supplements but what about what we’re putting on our skin? These five Vancouver-based brands are free of chemicals and fillers and are jam-packed with natural, plant-based ingredients that have incredible medicinal benefits for our skin. They are all products you can feel good about, and, bonus, they actually work.

Local, organic, farm-to-table foods and diets have been around for a lot longer than the current trends suggest—Canada’s Indigenous population has been eating this way since time immemorial. Indigenous cuisine is much more than a fad in the foodie scene, it’s a lifestyle worth learning about. For Paul Nattrall—owner of Mr. Bannock, British Columbia’s first food truck serving exclusively Indigenous cuisine—and other First Nations chefs across the province, it’s all about getting back to their roots and sharing those traditional methods and ingredients.

One of the weirdest and most wonderful places on earth is a tiny town in the high Arctic that just 2,100 people call home. Welcome to Longyearbyen – the world’s northernmost city – located on the island archipelago of Svalbard, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

The locals walk around with rifles; polar bears outnumber humans here, and everyone leaves their front doors and cars  unlocked, just in case someone needs to run inside to avoid an encounter. Being in a place where, during winter, the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon for four months and there’s continuous daylight for nearly six months in the summer, is both bizarre and fascinating. Longyearbyen literally translates to ‘the longest year’ – with good reason.

In Amman’s oldest neighbourhood, Jabal al-Weibdeh, you’ll find Beit Sitti (translation: my grandmother’s house). Up a set of brightly coloured stairs, it’s equal parts cooking school and social experiment, run by three sisters who are integrating food, culture, women’s rights, and conversation into one delicious, thought-provoking afternoon on a sun-drenched sandstone rooftop.