Green travel resorts are basically environmentally friendly properties that have owners who are dedicated to the green movement. They are enthusiastic to initiate programs to save water, energy and reduce excessive waste that is otherwise generated in luxury hotels. Even though such properties require a higher level of initial investment, green resorts are aware that going green is in the benefit of the property and the earth at large in the long term.
Contrary to general belief, a green property can add all the savings that it gets in energy, water and recycling towards its bottom line. Energy management systems like fluorescent bulbs, linen cards, light out cards, motion sensors and more add to the savings at the end of the day.

The top 10 green travel hotels in California have been listed here if you would also like to contribute to the green movement and opt for an environmentally friendly hotel or resort.

1.    Green Travel Resorts in California: Pelican Cove Inn, Cambria

Located just across Moonstone Beach, this luxurious hotel offers cooked breakfast in the morning, wine in the afternoon and each evening meal is accompanied by dessert. A spacious lounge where you can enjoy the fireplace in one of the large cozy sofas is always at your disposal. A part of a line of hotels that pride themselves in gardening, this hotel also features a specific kind of garden. Toiletries are provided in dispensers to avoid the increasing landfills. An organic kitchen is maintained to ensure that the vegetables that you consume are completely fresh and clean.

2.   Green Travel Resorts in California: Terranea (LA’s ocean Front resort)

Dedicated to energy saving with its energy saving fluorescent lighting and low voltage devices, this resort claims a saving of 3 watts per square foot. Dimmers and motion sensors are used everywhere to ensure as much saving as possible. This resort also has a ‘Destination Earth’ taskforce that initiates and implements new conservation ideas.

3.    Green Travel Resorts in California: Post Ranch Inn

Among the cliffs of Big Sur, this inn is a romantic destination that showcases its commitment to the green movement by using solar energy, providing low flow shower heads, use of industrial size equipment to wash linen, maximizing natural light in design and the use of organic and recyclable products.

4.    Green Travel Resorts in California: Gaia Napa Valley Hotel

This property should be applauded for being the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified gold property. Here the tiles and carpets are recycled and the wood is harvested from mangled forest. But this property is as luxurious as any other in terms of the comforts that it provides its guests.

5.  Green Travel Resorts in California: Bardessono

Located in the middle of California’s wine country, this modern hotel has also bagged the LEED platinum award. Spanning about 6 acres, Bardessono has organic herb gardens, drought tolerant foliage, and recycled stone and salvaged walnut furniture. All grey and black water is recycled and used for irrigation.

6.    Green Travel Resorts in California: Blue Marble Spa

Hyatt’s first eco friendly property, the Blue Marble Spa is located at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay. The property has been named Blue Marble based on the look of the earth from space. The menu of the resort is in digital format and all the skin care products used in the spa are organic in nature. Spa linen is dyed using organic dyes with the use of eco friendly processes too.

7.    Green Travel Resorts in California: Keystone Resort

Among the many green initiatives of Keystone are recycling and energy saving. The property has also partnered with the National Forest Service in order to raise money for various conservation projects.

8.  Green Travel Resorts in California: Forever Resorts at Lake Don Pedro Marina

Dedicated to the green movement for many years, all the properties of Forever Resorts are certified as green. This property has a lake with a surface area of 13000 square acres of water and 160 miles of shoreline that the resort helps in maintaining.

9.  Green Travel Resorts in California: Radisson Hotel at the LA Airport

A certified green hotel, the Radisson at the LA airport has been awarded Green Seal’s Silver Level certification under the GS-33 Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties.

10.    Green Travel Resorts in California: Historic Sand Rock Farm

A few minutes away from Pacific Coast Highway 1, this is a simple bed and breakfast retreat that is dogged about its environmental approach. Member of the Green Hotels Association, this retreat is extremely elegant.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

If you have recently discovered your desire to visit the country and have taken to nature like a fish to water, you may need to know that there is a lot you can do while you are out in the open. For the real nature lover, there is nothing more exciting than taking a Fox rental car and riding off into the wilderness for a few days with a map and no particular structured plan. Irrespective of whether you are planning a fishing trip or deciding to go on a three day trek, there are various options that you have for lodging.

National Park Lodging: Camping

If you are someone who likes to rough it out, camping will prove to be fun. This is something that you can do with your kids too if they are old enough to enjoy a campfire. Almost all national Parks have specific camping grounds where you can pitch your tent and plan the evening. If you are doing this for the first time, it might be a good idea to try your hand at pitching a tent and also to read up on some of the basic safety aspects of camping. This is even more important if you are planning to camp in the wilderness or in a forest where there is a threat of animal attacks. So be prepared with a pepper spray, just in case.

National Park Lodging: RVs

Those who like to hit the road when they like and at whatever time they choose prefer to opt for a recreational vehicle or RV as they are called. All National Parks have RV hook up places where you can connect to the various amenities that are provided. These include Internet access, electricity and some television viewing options too. So you can actually travel and stay with all the luxury in your RV that you are accustomed to.

National Park Lodging: Lodge

For those who would rather have the comfort of a clean bed and a hot bath after a long day trek, there is the option of using the services of a lodge. Most of the rooms and cabins in the lodge are equipped with television sets, air conditioning and Internet so that you feel at home once you are back from roughing it out. The level of amenities and the comfort generally varied on the kind of lodge that you choose. You may get a couple of options in one National Park to choose from but do not expect to get a long list of options that you can get choosy about.

National Park Lodging: Backcountry

If you want the real taste of the locality that you are visiting whether it is Yellowstone National Park or the Yosemite National Park. Not only do you get to see the real rustic life, you are also able to check out some of the spots that only the locals are aware of, if you mingle with them and get talking. If you are a bird watcher or an animal enthusiast or an angler, this is one the best lodging options that you have since you can get the best information about bird and animal spotting spots and fishing locations too.

Which lodging options do you prefer in National Parks?

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Earth Day is a very important event, celebrated around the world for the past 40 years. As we need to become more and more aware of the peril our planet is facing, Earth Day is a great opportunity to teach visitors about the challenges Earth faces due to climate changes. It also teaches us about the ways, habits and solutions we can find and apply to our daily life to help preserve our planet. Earth Day is the same day as the spring equinox, the 22d of April. However it is often celebrated the weekend before, this year it is on Sunday April 18th. So if you want to learn and be part of this green global community, here is some information about diverse Earth Day celebrations on the West Coast and other major cities.

Earth Day events in San Diego

San Diego Earth Day is one of the largest Earth Day events in the world. The festivities take over Balboa Park. As it is an important environmental awareness event, it brings together a very large diversified crowd, and is a great family attraction. Many boothes are built to teach and make you aware about how to conserve energy, and other environment friendly topics; there is a large food court with lots of different cuisines, from meat to vegan and organic food. It presents various activities and introduces green concepts to reach out to a vast age ranch. So come to Balboa Park from 10 am to 5 pm on April 18th to celebrate Earth Day to learn how you can help save our planet or support organizations who works for this.

Earth Day events in Bay Area

If you are in Northern California not to worry, you will find a way to celebrate Earth Day as well! Earth Day in San Francisco is not a large festival like in San Diego, but it is still an important event. Instead of a large festival, you can find a lot of various events, sometimes even for the whole week after the actual Earth Day. On the 18th, between 11am and 4pm you can go to Sausalito to celebrate Earth Day with a group of hikers. This is a great family experience to learn about the environment.
The major event in the Bay Are is Oakland Earth Day on the 17th of April between 9am and noon, where you can volunteer to help clean Oakland! Otherwise, you should stop by the Oakland Zoo, where a great Earth Day celebration is organized between 10 am and 3 pm. Boothes, demonstrations and activities are planned to share tips with you on how to be more green and care for our planet.

Earth Day events in Seattle

Seattle also has many events planned in the honor of Earth Day. If you like to give your time and help the community, the Pacific Science Center Earth Day event is an interesting plan. You can help take care of the park. For sportive people you can participate to the Earth Day 5K and Alumni Run on the 18th. This event is a fundraising event to help protect the environment and support the community. For more Earth Day events in Seattle read here.
If you are looking to share your knowledge and be part of Earth Day to actively help the planet, a special event is planned at St. Edwards State Park. You can be there as a visitor or as an exhibitor. So don’t wait check it out and help make this day special and successful.

Earth Day events in Phoenix

On April 22d, Phoenix celebrates Earth Day at the Cesar Chavez Plaza. This business event allows people to interact and exchange ideas and projects to save the environment such as recycling techniques, water waste management and such.

Earth Day events in Las Vegas

Though Earth Day is an important celebration, not every city organizes a festival with booths and such, Las Vegas keeps it up to the business around town to celebrate Earth day in their own way. From Macy’s to the Las Vegas History Museum, various projects happen during Earth Day week to help raise awareness for green habits.

Fox Rent A Car Earth Day Event

And because at Fox Rent A Car we also believe in change toward a better and greener way of life, we decided to organize our own Earth Day celebration! We give you a whooping 15 % off on all Hybrid Rentals with Fox Rent A Car for this special day! So make sure to support the cause and rent an Hybrid on Earth Day!

Our new promotion is here: Fox Rent A Car wants to celebrate Earth Day with you and will give you a whooping 15 % off on all Hybrid Rentals with Fox Rent A Car for this special day!

History of Earth Day:

Earth Day is celebrated on 22nd April this year. The day was coined by Senator Gaylord Nelson with the first Earth Day being celebrated on 22nd April 1970. This year, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and it has become far more than an effort to bring the environmental concerns into the political limelight as it was 40 years back. Today Earth Day is a day where we remember to make the Earth a better, cleaner and safer place to stay for everyone. More than 500 million people across 164 countries celebrate this day in more ways than one.
Children are encouraged to take on environmental projects and make a difference to the Earth on this day. There are demonstrators that put across their point peacefully to make sure that some of the pressing needs of the environment are noticed and acted upon. People plant trees to ensure a greener environment and start projects that involve the use of renewable energy. Families cook Earth Day meals and teach others about the benefits of recycling and reusing.

Celebrate Earth Day with Fox Hybrid Rental Cars for 15 % less!

Fox Rent A Car is also making its contribution to the Earth Day this year by announcing a 15 percent discount on Hybrid Rental Cars. A car that works on two engines, the hybrid gives better mileage for less gas consumption, thereby reducing the use of non renewable energy like petroleum. One engine of the Hybrid Rental Cars uses regular gas while the other uses electricity. The dual engine ensures that there are lower emissions while ensuring adequate power and better fuel efficiency.

Fox Rent A Car’s Hybrid Rental Car option: Honda Insight

With the Honda Insight Fox Rent A Car gives you the option to choose an environmentally friendly rental car for your trip. With an elegant style and 5 person seat capacity, these hybrid rental cars offered by Fox Rent A Car are spacious too. Fox Rent A Car is one car rental company that cares about the environment and therefore promotes renting the hybrid option, especially on the Earth Day when you should be making sure that you participate in the celebration.
With comfort that is as good (if not better) than a large number of other cars and fuel efficiency that cannot be matched, hybrid rental cars are an easy way for you to contribute to the environment while getting a great 15 percent discount on the rental car bill, not to mention the fuel costs that you save.

With better awareness of the harm that we are causing to our planet, there are many people who have started to take steps to ensure that they contribute positively to the environment. Towels are not being washed every day, the use of disposables is reduced and there is a drive towards less synthetic apparel too. But are we really that careful when we travel? The holiday mood does tend to make us a little carefree about all things, including our ‘green intent’. But if you think about it, it does not take much to remain green even as you travel. Check out some of these green travel tips that you could use.

Green Travel Tips Before Leaving Home

- Make sure that you turn all the lights off when you leave for a vacation.
- Unplug appliances such as the television, cable boxes and all other kitchen appliances too.
- Turn off the water heater and leave the thermostat at the minimum that you need for your indoor plants, if you have any.
- Close the water valve from the mains
- Ask for the newspaper not to be delivered for the number of days that you are away.

Green Travel Tips During the Travel

- Purchasing an electronic ticket is far more convenient and ecofriendly as compared to a paper one.
- When renting a car to get around, choose a hybrid model that is greener. This is a model that has two engines – one that runs on gas and another that runs on electricity. With no fear of being stranded due to the gas engine, the hybrid rental car allows you to save on fuel too. Fox Rent A Car offers  the Honda Insight Hybrid as an affordable eco-friendly rental car option!
- Pack light so that your rental car does not have to literally bear the burden of the extra luggage. Extra load means more fuel wastage.
- Try and not accelerate and decelerate the car and maintain a steady pace as much as possible. Just keep a little more distance to the car in front of you and this should be very easy, even in heavier traffic!
- Use the GPS to find shorter and more convenient routes rather than taking the freeway everywhere.

Green Travel Tips At the Vacation Venue

- Take advantage of the linen programs that hotels have initiated and do not ask for new towels every day.
- Turn of the air conditioner or heating, lights, and television when you leave the room
- Close the drapes to ensure no loss of heat from the room.
- Take the used bars of soap back home in the soap wrappers
- When you use the hotel sauna, fitness equipment, whirlpool or Jacuzzi switch it off after you are done.
- When buying gifts to take back home, choose items that are green. Souvenirs bought without much thought often land up in a corner of the house, never to be looked at again. Look for local handicrafts that are made out of green material.

Keep these green travel tips in mind and don’t lose your green focus even when you are traveling.

Our efforts of saving the environment, improving our behavior to help preserve the planet is important. So it shouldn’t stop over the Christmas holidays! So Fox Rent A Car gives you a few tips to go green during your Christmas holidays! Here are tips to help you be more green and still enjoy this great month of celebration.

Go Green with your wrapping

Christmas for most people, also often involves gift-wrapping. A good way to keep an eco friendly attitude during the holidays can start with this. You can go green with your wrapping by using paper made out of organic materials. If this might be hard to find another great solution is to recycle your gift-wrapping and gift bags. If you don’t have any, get creative! Make your own wrapping paper. By cutting and pasting images of catalogs and painting on newspaper and other paper material, you can create fun and colorful wrapping paper. You can also decorate a shoebox. Or you can use old and left over fabric, such as old curtains, or old sheets or shirts and create funky bags.

Go Green in your presents buying

Another way to go green during Christmas is by choosing the right gifts. A first step is to buy local. Then try to chose presents that are needed, useful and wanted. Food is always good. Buy organic, fair trade products. Chocolate, coffee, specialty cookies are always a warm gesture. You can also buy services rather than products. A Spa treatment , massage therapy, hair salon gift cards are becoming more and more popular. Speaking of Gift cards, they are another great idea of green gift. Instead of buy something someone doesn’t want nor need that will end up in the trash give them gift cards to stores everyone goes to, or where you know they usually shop…why not gift cards for green stores!
If you are crafty you can also make it yourself. Instead of buying a box of cookies, bake them yourself. Plus it will be much more appreciated knowing you put your time and effort in it! Finally, if you do buy clothes, chose brands supporting the green attitude.

Go Green Christmas Decoration

You guessed right! Keeping a green attitude over the holidays starts with how you decorate your house. Chose green, energy saving lights. Recycle your old lights and buy power efficient LED lights. They consume less energy and therefore are better for our planet, and still look just as good. Remember to put your lights on a time switch, so they turn off automatically during the night. For the tree, make your own tree ornaments or buy glass ornaments, rather then plastic. When you decide to make your own ornaments, it creates a fun and exciting memory with your children, saves you money, and preserves the world we like so much. Cut paper into snowflakes and make paper angels; bake cookies in various shapes and decorate them with icing to hang them on the tree; make snow flakes out of cotton balls, paint pine cones, there are hundreds of options to decorate your tree beautifully with self made ornaments… Here you can get some more ideas to spark your creativity for home made Christmas ornaments!
When you buy your tree, you have diverse choices: a fake tree with already included LED lights can be re-used over years and the light consume less power, or, a potted tree which can be planted and grow in your yard after Christmas.

Go Green with a better planning

Going green doesn’t happen over night and doesn’t happen alone. So let your invitees help you help the environment. When you organize your Christmas parties, plan ahead and provide a separate recycling trash for the rest and let them know what can be recycled and what goes into the regular trash. When you shop for your Christmas dinner, buy organic and local produce. If you guests offer help and want to participate, direct them to the right stores
Christmas also means connecting with your loved ones far away. Make your own cards, instead of driving to the store and buying plastic boxes of cards you will then throw away. If you don’t have the artistic gene in you, then buy them online, personalize them and print them at home. There are many websites offering great designs. And you can buy recycled paper to print them. Remember to ship them soon, so you don’t have to airmail them.

Note: You can also recycle your past gifts that you didn’t use or want by giving them to homeless shelters or the goodwill and other non-profit associations.

Having a great Christmas is not just about getting the family together, it is also about being together and helping together to preserve the world we live in. So go green for the holidays! And have a Merry green Christmas!