Ecological hotels, the best bet to attract millennial tourism

Forests are one of the great gifts of nature: they are not only a symbol of life, but they offer quiet spaces where the guest can relax, disconnect and recover energy and inspiration. Millennials are increasingly committed to a healthy lifestyle and green hotels are gaining more and more followers. Nature regains prominence, so designing a hotel in rural and forested areas has turned into a winning bet.

Booking.com proposes as an example these seven ecological hotels surrounded by lush forests. These paradisiacal accommodations, with their beautiful surroundings, can offer future entrepreneurs ideas of success for future projects.

Planet Zero Retreat, Anji, China

This resort, located in Anji and 5 kilometers from the Anji Zhongnan Scenic Gardens Area, has reduced the carbon footprint to its minimum expression. It offers rooms in the shape of a sphere surrounded by a beautiful bamboo forest. Travelers can use the free bicycles offered by the resort to explore the unspoiled nature of the surroundings of the Planet Zero Retreat or relax on the terrace while enjoying a drink.

Treehotel, Harads, Sweden

The iconic Treehotel is located in a pine forest in northern Sweden and is a unique accommodation that combines the most modern architecture and design with all the amenities you need to feel at home. Its ecological rooms were built with the environment in mind, and the kitchen serves typical game dishes with ingredients from the area.

Thala Beach Nature Reserve, Oak Beach, Australia

Thala Beach Nature Reserve is a place of retirement respectful with the environment and is located on the coast, in an area with more than 56 hectares of native tropical forest. It has a private beach and stunning views of the Coral Sea.

This eco-friendly accommodation features boutique-style bungalows made of wood, an organic coconut plantation and natural granite pools with waterfalls. Take the opportunity to live in full virgin nature in an area full of trails to enjoy the flora and fauna, and with a wide range of bird watching tours.

Whitepod, Monthey, Switzerland

This exclusive accommodation offers several capsules anchored to a wooden platform and surrounded by a virgin forest located at 1,400 meters above sea level. Each capsule has a pellet stove, windows overlooking the valley and a small terrace from where you can enjoy nature and the incredible views of the wooded mountain range.

A Walden's Pond, Soldotna, USA

Walden's Pond is an ideal place for those looking for a beautiful cabin in the middle of the forest, to be surrounded by nature and receive a friendly treatment from their friendly hosts. According to Booking.com travelers, this accommodation is a hidden treasure in the middle of nature in Alaska, where you will have the feeling of living a great adventure in a remote area of ​​dense boreal forest.

Casa Luna Hotel & Spa, La Fortuna, Costa Rica

The Casa Luna Hotel & Spa is located on the outskirts of the Arenal Volcano National Park. It is an ecological accommodation with infinite views of the volcano and the virgin forest. If you want to connect with nature, here you will be surrounded by lush forests and you will have the Fortuna Waterfall just 2 km away.

Marataba Safari Lodge, Hartbeestfontein, South Africa

The Marataba Safari Lodge awaits you with its elegantly decorated shops, made of stone and fabric. It is located in the Marakele National Park, located at the foot of the Waterberg Mountains. This beautiful lodge offers guided safaris to see wildlife, hiking trails and river trips. You can enjoy meals outdoors under an African acacia, or relax on their lounge chairs by the pool, and even enjoy a good book in its spacious living room with fireplace.

Mas Salagros EcoResort, Spain

Just 20 minutes from Barcelona, ​​in the middle of a natural reserve, Mas Salagros EcoResort is found, surrounded by beautiful views of the protected park of the Serralada Litoral. Submerged in a slow philosophy, it is an ideal place to enjoy 100% ecological gastronomy. It also has Roman baths and endless sustainable activities. The Mas Salagros project was created with the intention of offering something more than a hotel, betting on responsible and sustainable tourism.

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Giant solar power plant in Africa could power up Europe

At the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, the efforts to move towards more sustainable energies are also felt, with one of the largest solar plants in the world, that of Noor in Uarzazate.

One of the objectives of this solar power plant is the energy transition, exemplifying the path open to Africa, which places the hope in having a new source of income that drives the development of the most impoverished continent.

This is a very ambitious renewable energy plan, since Morocco is located in a continent that seeks to reduce its energy dependence and at the same time, sees in the exploitation of energy to the developed countries an option that takes off from the Magred (northern region of the continent African) to the Middle East and from there to Sub-Saharan Africa based on this Solar Power Plant.

Morocco hopes that by 2030, half of the country's energy consumption by 52% will come from clean energy.

To achieve these objectives, much depends on the sun, air and water, part of them have already been incorporated thanks to the installation of the Uarzazate thermo solar plant, a desert door that is a cradle of adaptation of energy from the sun, which shines in this place for 330 days a year. Producing for three hours once the sun goes down, with its storage of energy in reserves with molten salts based on sodium and potassium nitrates.

The solar plant will continue to grow once Noor II and Noor III are completed, which are the two phases that are underway with an investment of 1,800 million euros. The authorities estimate that after they finish construction of the plant in 2020 approximately, it will provide up to 2000 megawatts (unit of measurement of electrical energy).

The impulse of the Moroccan government to clean energy is spread throughout Africa, with plants under construction in the Middle East and in South Africa, as well as in Rwanda, Uganda or Ghana; countries that can find in the sun an alternative for the supply, to produce energy for the exterior and, with it, to find a new income channel for the continent.

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British Petroleum Claims

The Deepwater Horizon disaster, in April 20, 2010, is the worst maritime spill in U.S. history.

It happened when an explosion sank the platform leased by oil giant BP in the Gulf of Mexico.

Although not recognizes its responsibility, British Petroleum (BP) reached a settlement of 7.800 million dollars with private plaintiffs.

The settlement will benefit thousands of people affected by the spill.

To know if you are included in the settlement is recommended to read carefully the following information.

Via: bpclaims.us

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Recycling paper

HOW TO RECYCLE PAPER

(Yield: 4 sheets legal size)

Preparation time: 20 minutes approx.

Ingredients:

• 20 sheets of paper, approximately letter size (you can use any type of paper)
• 2 cups of clean water
• 2/3 cup of white latex paint (or other)

Utensils:

• scissors
• plastic container with a capacity of 2 liters
• paddle or wooden spoon or plastic
• blender
• metal frame 30 x 40 cm, can develop with one or more steel hooks
• 1 half pan, frame size and depth between 5 and 10 cm

Preparation:

1. Using scissors cut the paper into small pieces and allowed to soak into thecontainer with water for 10 minutes, stirring constantly with the help ofthe spoon.
2. Once you have been well soaked, place in blender and blend at lowspeed, gradually add the latex paint to form a homogeneous mixture.
3. The mixture is poured into the container and is reserved for later use.
4. To form the frame, take the steel hook and a rectangle (using thetweezers), approximately 25 x 40 cm and the average is placed, opening and inserting in it theframe.
5. The frame is placed over the tray and the mixture is poured over and cover the frame is removedcarefully and dried in the sun on two poles, so as to aerate on both sides.
6. Once dry, the sheet follows carefully.
7. The mixture is poured from the tray and empty the container and placed back on the racktray, repeat step 5 to complete the mix.

Interesting Fact:

The problem of soil contamination is somewhat different from air pollution andwater as municipal and industrial wastes remain in the same place where the depositedfor relatively long periods, this causes the increase of insects and rodents.

The recycled paper is used as an alternative to reduce wastage, which mayreuse the waste for a maximization of these.

Benefits:

By recycling your used paper help reduce the pollution caused by waste generation.

You can reuse as often as necessary leaves using this technique of recycling.

The resulting paper will have a resemblance to the bark paper.

How to use:

You can use this paper to make drawings with watercolor, crayons, oil paints or other.

To make crafts such as boxes, photo books, cards, envelopes, tablecloths, pastesnotebook and books that you can decorate with dried flowers and seeds. 

Recommendations:

For a more leaves increase the amounts of ingredients as often aswant.

You can make more than two racks to make multiple sheets at a time.

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Happy Monday with Pictures

Is there any better way to start a week than to show off the pictures I recently received from my friend Andy Padian at the green consulting firm Steven Winter Associates ? I think not.

Last week he sent me a number of cool infrared thermography photos of common electronic objects, showing the heat they generate (and energy they waste) even when they are off. He also sent some interesting photos showing the energy wasted through poorly insulated windows and walls.

The photo above right is of an average electric razor charger, showing the energy wasted even when the razor is not attached. This photo came at a perfect time, as im still struggling to figure out the comparative environmental impacts of shaving with disposable and electric razors.

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Recycle medical plastic tubing

That seems to be a really useful thing - the kind of thing that would make a welcome addition to any toolbox. Some ideas of reuse that come to mind: the use of plants for the (gently) and tree stands, wrapped around (and probably glued in place) a management tool to provide some cushioning and I suspect that some intelligent people can use drip irrigation systems for greenhouses or the like.

Could be used to craft items in their own right too: I've seen people making jewelry line statement before, I've been watching the lights hanging recently and saw one of the loops from (although thicker) pipe , and I wonder if it is sufficiently flexible to be used for macramé or crochet / knitting - anyone seen projects that could use lengths of the tubes?

(A word of warning. Apparently, this type of tube will fade (yellow) over time when exposed to ultraviolet (sun) light)

Finally, it is worth that contains the medical supply company to see if he would take back for recycling - if people do, they might be forced to do something.

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