Eco-Chick Escapes · The modern girl's guide to green travel

Eco Friendly Wetsuits Just For Women: Swish is Supersexy and Totally Badass

Shorty Wetsuit (this is the one I’m obsessing over!)

Swish Wetsuits was founded by Chelsea Berg, and her sister, Victoria heads up communications for the sister-run company. Victoria says that the “ocean is her office” and we all know how it is being in dire need of work-appropriate wear, right? Since Victoria and her friends couldn’t find what they wanted in the wetsuit world -they looked for five years! – they did what smart women do: Made their own. And yeah, these suits are sexy, but they’re also sustainable too (makes sense since these women LOVE being outside, in the water, that they would want to protect it).

Shorty Wetsuit
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Public Running in New York City: An Essay

I prefer running to walking, walking quickly to strolling, and only meander in museums and woodlands. It’s not because I’m late – which I often am – or because I really want to get anywhere faster. It’s that I love the way running feels, especially downhill. I sometimes think that part of being grownup means losing that part of yourself that simply engages in an activity because it feels good.

You’ll notice that children run all over the place – and they are allowed, if not encouraged, to run about in restaurants, chain bookstores (but usually not independent ones), and any other place where they can put one foot in front of another in rapid succession. As an adult, one can only run in specific circumstances; while engaging in healthful exercise (and wearing appropriate gear) or when one is in a serious hurry.
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The Conscious Caribbean: The Green-Behind-the-Scenes Bucuti and Tara Beach Resorts in Aruba

There are always enough chairs and shade on Bucuti’s portion of the beautiful Eagle Beach! A low density of guests ensures no annoying overcrowding on the beach or anywhere else at the resort.

I love the Caribbean, from the Virgin Islands (British and US) to the Antilles and the Bahamas, and over my lifetime I’ve seen many of the gorgeous isles that populate that special sea between North and South America. What strikes me every time I visit is how each locale is so different – in architecture, cuisine, and people. Some islands have been settled for hundreds of years, and some not until recently. Some have a French influence, some British, others mixtures of African, native American Indian and Spanish.

Bucuti and Tara Resorts entranceway.

But no matter the culture you’re exploring, whenever you step off a plane in the Caribbean, you are entering a fragile ecosystem that in recent years has taken a beating, from population increases to rapid tourism fluctuations, to Mother Nature’s intensifying weather due to climate change. While plenty of properties are only contributing to the problem, polluting local ecosystems and generating (literally) tons of waste a month, there are some real stand-outs that are quietly leading the charge to preserve the beauty that we travel to see – the good news is that they are beginning to be followed.

Why not get married on one of the world’s most beautiful beaches? Or maybe renew your vows with your partner; I took this shot post-swim for a wedding that was scheduled for that evening. Later I saw the couple getting hitched. Simple and gorgeous!

Case in point is the beautiful beachfront Bucuti and Tara Suites Beach Resort, situated among the low-rise developments on Aruba’s world-reknown Eagle Beach. (Don’t take my word for it, this beach, with perfect white sand and mellow, ideal-blue seas is a “top ten beach in the world” knockout according to USA Today and others.)

An ozone pool (which won’t hurt local wildlife if they happen upon it by accident) just steps from the beach gives a break from the salt water, and the giant circular loungers are ideal for a nap in the sun (or shade).

Ewald Beimans is the mastermind behind both the resort’s long-standing green operations and its extremely high ratings on TripAdvisor (it’s the highest-rated in Aruba). I was incredibly impressed with Ewald’s commitment to the environment and customer happiness (and I’m not the only one, he is slated to speak in Paris at the Green Globe World Summit at the end of May.)
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Planet Magazine’s 3rd Annual Global Travel Photo Contest Winners

The photos in Planet Magazine’s Global Travel Photo Contest are incredible! Check out the portrait winners here.

Lhasa Girl, by Gaelle Morand

Memphis, by Jacob Perlmutter

Show Your Love for the Beach! Here’s How.

I made this video when I was up North on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast: Check it out!

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