Wow…if you haven’t visited my sister’s website it is high time. I have been traveling for the last few weeks and had limited internet access. When I got home last night I logged on to see some pretty fantastic videos and great blogs. From Botswana to India and beyond (currently she is in Jerusalem) my sister’s expeditions are pretty fantastic. I think my favorite video is Kanpur: Ganges Under Threat http://www.alexandracousteau.com/videos, I have never been to India before but am familiar with the Ganges River and how important it is to the culture of the Hindu people. When you think in Kanpur that 20 million litres or just over 5 million gallons of tannery waste as well as human waste get dumped into the river each day!!

When one thinks of the pollution and devastation that a river many people call the ‘Mother Ganges’ is suffering from; it is a poignant reminder of the link between human culture and the environment.

These are important stories and I urge you all to watch them.

It’s summer, it’s time for the beach! Obviously, we all know by now that we should be wearing sunscreen to protect from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, but with so many sunscreens, which is the best? Here are some criteria to help with your decision:

• Protect against UVA and UVB rays: UVBs are better known because they cause sunburn and wrinkles, but UVAs are just as bad. UVAs damage the collagen that gives skin its elasticity. So opt for a broad spectrum sunscreen.

• Choose a sunscreen with a physical blocker: There are chemical and physical sunscreens. When exposed to sunlight, chemical sunscreens generate free radicals that increase the likelihood of developing cancer. Other chemicals have also been shown to mimic estrogen and to be endocrine disruptors for fish. Chemical sunscreen ingredients include: avobenzone, cinnamates, octocrylene, oxybenzone, PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid), padimate-O, and alicylates. Physical blockers, on the other hand, contain titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Some studies state that titanium dioxide might also react with other sunscreen chemicals to further free radical production (i.e. cancer-causing cells). The best choice seems to be zinc oxide, and the latest advances virtually eliminate the white discoloration that used to be associated with using it. Here are some examples of brands and one more.

• Inorganic is better than organic in this case: Probably the only time I will suggest going inorganic. This is another way of saying the same thing as the previous bullet, but it’s important to be aware of this terminology. Organic sunscreens are partially absorbed by the skin and work by absorbing light within the epidermis. “Organic” means that the sunscreen is made of carbon and hydrogen. The chemical sunscreens are organic. Inorganic sunscreens are the mineral based non-chemical pigments such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. They work by creating a physical barrier between the skin and the sun, reflecting sunlight away from the skin.

• Don’t go higher than SPF 30: The protective level of a sunscreen plateaus around SPF 30-32, so anything more is just as effective as SPF 30.

• If in the water, use water-resistant sunscreen: Per FDA requirements, “water resistant” means that the sunscreen retains its SPF rating after 40 minutes in the water whereas “very water resistant” means it last up to 80 minutes.

• Reapply every 2 hours: After a couple of hours, the sunscreen sinks into the layers of the skin cells and is no longer on the surface to protect against UV light. The sunscreen particles trapped beneath the skin’s surface react with the UV light and create more free radicals than the UV light would cause alone. The way to prevent this is to reapply so that the rays don’t get under the first layer.

• Consider natural alternatives: Of course! Natural topical products such as green tea extract, turmeric, and licorice root extract offer protection against premature skin aging and skin cancer.

• Use other protection methods: Wear a hat and sunglasses and avoid the 10am to 3pm period, when the sun is strongest.

Well, the first full week of summer has come and gone and I’m still on expedition in the Mediterranean. Tough life, I know. It’s been amazing, and it struck me the other day that you are probably counting down the days until your summer vacation—your own expedition. While making plans for your getaway, keep in mind that nearly one billion tourists are traveling around the globe every year and the volume of people traveling takes a toll on our environment. Don’t add to the statistics—do good by yourself and the planet by promising that your summer vacation will have a positive earthecho!

While planning your vacation, I encourage you to visit Independent Traveler and read this recent MSNBC.com article with eco-friendly tips you can refer to. The subtitle of the article, “How to leave nothing but a footprint in your travels,” says it all. Individuals who minimize their environmental footprints by traveling green are able to protect the places they love to visit not just for themselves, but for future travelers and the people that live there.

Here are a few easy actions you can take to make your summer travel more ecofriendly:

• Choose a green hotel hotel: For a list of eco-friendly options, visit Independent Travel’s Green Resource Center, environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com, or the Green Hotel Association.
• Be good to your hosts: Reuse your sheets and towels rather than having the hotel change them every day; keep your showers short and turn off the water when brushing your teeth; and turn off the air conditioning, heat, lights, television and other electric devices.
• Get around green: For shorter trips, take the train rather than flying (especially within Europe); rent a hybrid car or the smallest vehicle that can comfortably accommodate you; remember you can always walk or bike!
• Sightsee with care: When snorkeling, do not touch the coral or stir up sediment; try to buy local products whenever possible instead of those that have been flown or shipped in from overseas; and always treat the locals with respect.

Need more info? Visit the International Ecotourism Society for additional traveler’s tips and check out Anca’s blog on how to offset your carbon emissions. And although they don’t have an environmental focus, Lonely Planet has an awesome website.

I’d love to hear where you are off to this summer and what you’ll be doing to make a positive difference for the environment. If you haven’t already, share your summer vacation story with us. Bon voyage!

If you’re thinking about planting trees to offset the carbon dioxide emitted by your car or plane trip, think again. Don’t get me wrong - I LOVE trees and green spaces. But planting trees is not the most effective way to counterbalance CO2 pollution.

US Today had an interesting article about this, which goes hand in hand with research that I have read about in the past. Essentially, the article points out that planting trees is a short-term solution, and we can’t possibly plant enough trees to cover the amount of CO2 emitted. Not to mention that different types of trees take in different amounts of carbon dioxide, and trees emit carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere when they die.

What should you do instead?

• Calculate your carbon footprint: There are many carbon footprint calculators out there, such as those found at Conservation International, BeGreenNow and World Wildlife Fund in the UK, to name a few. Though they are not an exact science, it’s always interesting to use a couple and see what your average footprint might be.

• Now that you’ve got a sense of your footprint, MINIMIZE IT!
  First and foremost, minimize your overall carbon footprint. This includes transportation, energy use, and items that you own—the majority of actions you take directly or indirectly impact the amount of carbon dioxide emitted. The websites listed above all have tips on how to reduce your footprint, as does the Inconvenient Truth website.

• Offset the rest of your emissions: Once you’ve calculated your footprint and implemented some changes, your footprint will be smaller and you can now offset the rest of your emissions. To get an idea of companies, pricing, and method by which they offset emissions, take a look at this comparison chart. Pick a company that is third-party certified and that also funds renewable energy resources as a means of reducing CO2, such as Carbonfund and Terrapass.

Now you can get on that plane, if you must. And don’t forget to wave “HELLO!” to the trees from the air!