June 3, 2009 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
I was watching TV last night and I came across a show called Earth 2100. Te premise of the show was that if the human race continued on its current path, that there would be major catastrophe and possible extinction by the year 2100.
The show examined the effect of today’s pollution and depletion of natural resources. As we grow in population, the more we polute and the more resources we consume. Earth2100 used past civilizations such as the Roman Empire and Mayans as examples of expanding societies that outgrew their natural resources and basically went extinct.
For these previous civilizations, the solution was easy, move on…to new locations with more resources that hasn’t yet been polluted. Unfortunately for our current society that encompasses the entire earth this isn’t an option. Where would we go?
The scariest thing is that scientist say if we, as a human race, do not greatly decrease pollution and consumption of these natural resources by 2015 (9 years), that the damage we have initiated will be irreversible. A large part of making this “turn around” will be convincing China and India to cut back on the usage of fossil fuels. In a recent global summit, this was proposed to the two fast growing countries. China and India both said they would make the change if the Western world were to share its technology so that they could continue thier rapid growth without the use of fossil fuels. Unfortunatly, the U.S. and others would not agree to share technology.
Where does this leave us? For me scared out of my mind. Not that I’m going to be around in 2100, but what about my children and grandchildren?
You’ve already missed the show, but you can watch clips of it on their website including:
May 26, 2009 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
I had always been a big fan of recycling and more importantly reducing the use of plastic bottles. But after reading about a trash boat (a.k.a “Junk”) on an inter island flight earlier this month, the message really hit home.
I knew that plastic use and the amount of trash it created was bad, but I didn’t realize how out of hand it actually was. After reading the article and learning of the huge amount of plastic floating in the North Pacific Gyre (to the north of Hawaii), my jaw dropped. How could this much pollution have been created in the past 60 years? Well, the answer’s easy. We as a human race are so wasteful. We buy water from across the world contained in plastic bottles instead of drinking the water from our own faucets.
The problem with the plastic in our oceans is that it, “interrupts the feeding of marine life (birds choke on plastic trash, plankton ingest microscopic particles of plastics) and plastics release toxins into the water.”
Before reading about the “Junk”, I had already cut back heavily on my family’s use of plastic. But after learning about the pollution in the North Pacific Gyre, I need to cut back more. I hope you’ll do the same.
Learn more about the “Junk” >
May 2, 2009 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
For the past 20 years Americans have been consumed with consumption. It is the basis of our economic model. It is no wonder then, that our preferences for our homes has been to have bigger and better. We have been obsessed with stuff, and more of it.
Possessions have become an indicator of our status, our wealth, success, our happiness. Of course this is a very short sighted philosophy in terms of both: a sustainable economic system and our planet’s health.
The more we need, the more we consume, thus creating a multitude of complicated problems. Our seas are overfished; Vast forests and numerous wildlife species are being wiped out in search of fossil fuels, lumber, precious metals and such; We are expelling massive amounts of carbon into our atmosphere; Streams and vital waterways are being polluted; There are food shortages across the globe, even as gluttony is a predominate characteristic of western culture. All of these factors have been piling on top of one another, and it seems we are on the verge of a tipping point.
People are now seeing the errors of our ways, and many are creating captivating solutions and more sustainable business and lifestyle models. From the constant energy demands to the raw materials that they use, homes are one of the primary sources and locations of our consumption.
Smart, efficient, and sustainable practices are now becoming the norm when it come to building.
April 30, 2009 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
My Step Father, Robert, just posted about the economic viability of Uptake over on his Hawaii tourism study blog. Since Robert knows I’m into the whole green thing, he shot me over some information about Uptake’s CEO who has a blog called Simple Green Choices. This is a cool site that gives some interesting “green travel ideas”. My question is, why aren’t these environmentally friendly travel ideas over at Uptake? The reason I ask this is because Uptake has such a large reach, and since the whole green thing is such a big buzz word, I’m sure this would be an added bonus to visitors of Uptake’s travel website.
Check out these 3 sections for instance:
- Hawaii spas - I just visited an eco friendly spa for my honeymoon on the Big Island. Their are many of these in Hawaii.
- Hawaii golf courses - There are several golf courses that use recycled sewage water to keep their grass in tip top condition.
- Hawaii romantic things to do - There are several beaches in this section, including one of my favorites, Ke’e (great for watching sunsets with your honey). What better way to spend an eco friendly vacation then at the beach?
By creating an eco friendly travel section on Uptake, you could reach many more people. Plus you give travelers a choice of using companies and doing activities that are friendly to our natural resources. Now that would be a useful travel website!
April 21, 2009 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
Home Cooling
1. Open the windows to let the tradewinds cool your home.
2. Use fans instead of air conditioners.
3. Apply window tinting to reduce the need for air conditioning.
4. Close drapes or blinds to keep the sun’s heat out.
5. Plant native trees and plants around your home to keep it cooler.
6. Choose light-colored exterior colors and roofing materials to keep your home cooler in the sun.
April 20, 2009 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
I’ve been helping people market their Hawaii vacation companies before most people knew what a search engine was. Back in the day, we used to:
- Put ads in magazines.
- Send snail mail out to previous customers.
- Advertise in phone books.
- Create four color pamphlets to leave at airport baggage claims.
You name it, we did it, and it was a huge waste of paper…and oil (yes, the U.S. Postal Service is a huge consumer of oil). I think people sometimes forget how much waste the Internet saves. Today, my websites sit on server farms driven by wind power. And my paper advertising has been cut by 90%. Instead of sending snail mail to previous customers, I stay in touch with them through an email newsletter. Instead of full page spreads in magazines shipped on oil consuming boats and planes around the world, I advertise on websites.
Today, I’d like to recognize one of the first Hawaii vacation advertising based websites on the Internet, Kauai Vacation Resorts. I found this Kauai vacation rental website back in 2001 and have been advertising with the owner, Steve, ever since. You can still find my client’s rental properties on his Poipu Beach vacation rentals, Princeville condos and Kapaa condos pages. You can think of the site as a VRBO, accept specific to Kauai with a lot more rentals for its niche market.
There have been a lot of other vacation rental websites that have popped up since Kauai Vacation Resort’s inception, but you really have to commend Steve for having the foresite to create an advertising venue that didn’t rely so heavily on waste. Whether this was Steve’s intention or not is besides the point. Good work, and here’s to many more years working together.
April 3, 2009 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
In my recent post, “Hawaii resorts looking to save energy by turing of the air conditioning“, I discussed 2 resorts using a technology that turned off air conditioning when you left your room. Then a reader commented asking, “Why do these resorts even need air conditioning?”. It’s true, this is Hawaii and median temperatures are about 75 degrees year round. If you planned well in the development phase and made sure your resort took full advantage of the prevailing trade winds, there should be no need for ac.
So my next task was to find a resort that didn’t use air conditioning. Easier said then done. After some research and several phone calls I came across Kuhio Shores. Kuhio Shores is a resort built right on the water and the building was designed with trade winds in mind, which come right off the ocean. This is a clever design that allow the rooms to stay cool and keep guests comfortable.
Upon further inquiry into the resort, I found out that the reason for not having air conditioning was because of how the building was wired for electricity. The owners decided not to redo the condominium complexe’s wiring because they felt there is no need for ac. I think this is admirable since one of the key ingredients to conservation is reducing. And Kuhio Shores is reducing a lot by not retrofitting the building to accept air conditioning.
April 3, 2009 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
Solar Energy
The sun’s energy can be harnessed with various solar technologies. Photovoltaic (PV), also called solar electricity, utilizes cells made up of semi-conducting materials to turn sunlight into electricity. PV cells can be also combined into modules that can power appliances and electronic equipment.
Federal tax credits are available to partially subsidize PV systems. Recently, the state increased the credit for single-family residential PV systems to $5,000 while commercial photovoltaics are now eligible for credits up to $500,000. PV-equipped homes and business that produce more solar electric energy than they use may be connected to the utility grid and use surplus power to offset their electricity bills.
March 31, 2009 - Posted by admin - 2 Comments
Recently I visited 2 Hawaii Resorts who have impletemented a device that turns off the air conditioning when you leave the room. How the system actually works, I don’t know, but upon returning to my rooms at both Hanalei Bay Resort and Waikoloa Beach Resort (I stayed in one of their Kolea Rentals), the air conditioning had been turned off.
I thought this was pretty clever, especially for resorts in Hawaii where temperatures rarely reach beyond 85 degrees. I could even see the value of having a similar device for my personal residence. Imagine how much electricity could be saved if your lights, TV and air conditioning were automatically turned off when you left your home.
I did speak with Rob Dalton of Waikoloa and he informed me that the device was not perfect. But, if there was more demand for such a product, I’m sure the technology could be made to work more effectively.
March 31, 2009 - Posted by admin - 0 Comments
Generally, Hawaii companies are like any other company. They have offices, which means commuting, which means gas. They use paper for to conduct business, which means not only killing trees, but oil used to transport the paper to its final destination.
But not all businesses are run this way. Take Hawaiian Beach Rentals for instance. This company, specializing in Hawaii vacation rentals, takes a different approach in that they are completely web based. Hawaiian Beach Rentals utilizes software created by Vacation Rental Agent, a vacation rental booking service, that allows the company to conduct its day to day business online. The software operates using a virtual office where employees meet online instead of wasting valuable time and gas commuting to work. Emails and instant messaging replace faxes and paper memos. And the virtual office even includes chat rooms where people can meet in larger groups to discuss improtant company matters.
So, if you’re visiting Hawaii and looking to book an Oahu vacation rental or Kauai vacation rental, perhaps you should look towards Hawaiian Beach Rentals who is helping our environment by not requiring their employees to drive to work.