It’s so easy to get carried away with the business of life. When you’re not at work or rushing from one appointment to another, you may be ferrying the kids to and from school, then after school activities, and maybe have a gym (or wine) session somewhere in between. It’s often hard to find time for yourself or your home. Simple living is something you’ve heard of the fairy tale lives of others.
If that all sounds very familiar to you, it’s time to take stock, slow down and simplify your life.
Of course, it’s not always easy to change down a few gears on command. When you’re living life at a billion miles an hour the very idea of leading a more simple life – while tempting – just seems so unattainable.
Here we share a few pointers to help you on your way to a more relaxed pace of living. Read More
Designed by a Brazilian firm mf+ arquitetos, Casa Spain is a stunning forest retreat that blends natural environmental design with a modern aesthetic to create a spacious family holiday home.
Located in Calas de Guisando, near Madrid, the brief for this 1,980sqm house was to be open, light, organic and welcoming. The owners wanted it to blend in with the natural habitat as subtly as possible. Surrounded by tall pines and greenery, Casa Spain is secluded with a peaceful ambience – perfect for families looking to leave the hustle and bustle of the urban life behind. Read More
Originally published July 2016; updated March 2019.
Perched on the edge of a mountain outside Bergen, Norway is a log cabin like no other. Far from the classic appearance of a mountain cabin, this unique eco retreat is a 14-metre-square cube made from recycled wood remnants. It also happens to be Norway’s only off-grid hotel.
Created by students from the Bergen School of Architecture at a design-and-build workshop, Tubakuba is the student’s solution to getting more children into the wild Norwegian woods. Led by architect Espen Folgerø, the workshop encouraged students to get hands on experience on what works and what doesn’t in sustainable architecture when put into practice. In this case, the students built a scale model of the structure at the school of architecture and then recreated it onsite.
If you’ve come here looking for Eco Traveller Guide, don’t worry, you’re in the right place. We’ve just had a change of name. Read on to find out why.
When I started Eco Traveller way back in 2011, I was certain what direction the blog would take. There would be destination guides, gear guides, and maybe a print magazine at some point. I had so many plans.
I’d been writing about eco travel for other websites for years before I started Eco Traveller Guide. In fact, as of 2019, I’ve been writing about ecotourism for 12 years. Can’t believe it’s been that long. And I still love writing about the subject and maintain the same passion I’ve always had. But I’ve been keen to change direction of the blog for a long time. I’ve just had to find the courage to do it.
I tell ya, it’s not been an easy decision. Hells no. Read More
Coming from the sea, Valparaiso looks strewn with candy. Colors dance like forgotten rainbows across the 42 cerros (hills) that face the bay and that give this UNESCO World Heritage Site its charm.
At its front are the whirring cranes and colossal ships that speak to its importance as a working port, while rising steeply behind them are the mishmash of crumbling colonial buildings that are evidence of its tangled past.
It’s a stark difference to the orderly buzz that dominates Chile’s capital of Santiago. I have made the journey east to experience its famous quirk for myself and to meet the Valparaiso locals (known as porteños), who remain closely connected to both sea and the hills. Read More
Just over nine years ago, the worst bush fires in Australia’s history devastated the small town of Marysville, a scenic hideaway at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, only 90 minutes from Melbourne. Since this terrible event, known as Black Saturday, Marysville has well and truly risen from the ashes. Determined residents have rebuilt the town and it’s now bigger and better than ever. Tourism is once again booming and the environment is flourishing.
I visited Marysville recently with the family. We arrived when the sun was shining and even when it started pouring, we explored happily. It’s a small town with lots to do in the area so is perfect for a short visit, or longer if you’ve got time aplenty.
Here we share why Marysville is the perfect green Yarra Valley getaway for families.
The Black Spur
If you do decide to head to Marysville, make sure to enjoy the drive there, and don’t forget to look up! The Black Spur is a 30 km section of road between Healesville and Marysville that is lined with towering Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus rengans), which, thankfully, escaped the bush fires.
Standing 100 metres tall, these are the world’s tallest flowering trees and are an impressive sight from below. Slow down, open the windows and enjoy the smells and sounds of the forest as you go. Read More
This is a guest post by Monika Tudja, the co-founder of Festination.com – a site dedicated to helping music lovers explore festivals around the globe.
No matter the weather or time of year, there’s a music festival happening somewhere in the world. The summer season is drawing to a close in the southern hemisphere, but the party’s only getting started up north of the equator.
Eco-conscious revellers are aware of the environmental impact of festivals, as are many of the organisers, which is why we’re seeing a move towards more cleaner, greener events all around the globe. But with so many to choose from, which ones stand out from the crowd?
Aside from a good time, these music festivals have something special to offer – the creators have gone to great lengths to ensure sustainability and environmental awareness are at the core of their event. All you have to do is have the time of your life… and leave no trace.
The world’s biggest green field festival, Glastonbury brings in 175,000 attendees every year so it’s no wonder they’re keen to promote a sustainable environment over of the weekend. At Glastonbury, things are done differently as the festival highlights new, and unpopular, issues about the environment. Aside from bringing in amazing musicians and artists, Glastonbury Festival changes the mentality of people by giving them the chance to “open their eyes” to these issues and make a change. Their list of green policies is impressive and in 2017, Worthy Farm partnered with Oxfam, Greenpeace, and WaterAid as part of their ‘Worthy Causes’ initiative. The festival also takes a break every seven years to allow the land to recover from being overtrodden year-after-year; 2018 is what they call their ‘fallow’ year. The next festival will take place in 2019.
With 1,073 UNESCO World Heritage Sites to explore, it’s hard to choose which ones to visit. Luckily, Tripadvisor has done the hard job for us and compiled the top ten best UNESCO Cultural and Natural Heritage sites across the globe, according to their reviewers.
Whilst one could be in danger of being ‘templed out’ due to the sheer number of them in Siem Reap, Angkor Wat should not be missed and is best toured with a knowledgeable guide to provide you with fascinating facts on the building process, history of it and Cambodia generally. The best views are at dawn or dusk, when the crowds have gone and the lighting reveals its true majesty. You can find tours on TripAdvisor which include either a sunrise or sunset visit with a private guide from AUD$51, or even take a helicopter tour over this famed site, discovering the ancient constructions from above, and which includes a dinner and traditional dancer performance. Read More
Running from now until the end of June, The Sustainable Living Series is a set of workshops designed to help Australians embrace a greener lifestyle. Held at The Calyx in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, the events aim to inspire attendees to learn new skills for healthy living that won’t cost the earth.
Plastic Free Home
Saturday 24 March 2018
10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Cost: $40 or $35 Foundation & Friends members
Plastics have infiltrated every aspect of our lives from packaging to food storage to skincare and clothes. Consequences are negative for our health as chemicals from plastic packaging leaches into our food, and also for the environment, with plastic pollution devastating our oceans and poisoning precious wildlife. Read More
Whether you consciously seek out accommodation with great eco credentials or not, it’s always good to know what some people in the travel industry are doing to reduce their environmental impact and appeal to the environmentally-conscious traveller. And as ecotourism is steadily becoming part of mainstream travel, accommodation owners are integrating sustainable and responsible practices as commonplace, making it much easier to find green stays on any trip.
Listing each and every eco hostel I know of, or have come across, would make for a crazy long post, so instead here are five that I’ve either stayed at, or plan to:
