As the summer music festival season rolls in, festival organizers across the globe will make significant efforts to create more sustainable events by reducing environmental impacts and educating fans. From solar powered stages to on-site composting, Bonnaroo is leading the way for green music festivals. Tucked away on a farm in Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo celebrated it's 11th year this month and I was stoked to be a part of the celebration.

Phish, one of the 2012 Bonnaroo headliners, has been supporting the green movement since long before "sustainability" was a hash tag on Twitter. Bonnaroo too. Much of the Bonnaroo team hails from the Phish crew, bringing to the table an expertise for organizing large-scale festivals and a true commitment to environmental consciousness. Since it's first throw down in 2002, Bonnaroo has always been committed to promoting sustainability as part of the festivities. Every year the eco-minded activities, amenities and educational workshops continue to expand and this year was no exception. Monday morning, as thousands of music-soaked fans headed home from this year's festival, I had the opportunity to speak with Laura Sohn, Sustainability Coordinator for Bonnaroo.

With six years of working with Bonnaroo under her belt, Sohn has been an integral part of the always evolving green initiatives, including teaching fans how to grow gardens or reduce their carbon footprint all year long. Highlights this year included the Victory Garden in Centeroo and the Carbon Shredders booth.

According to Sohn, "One of our three big highlights has been developing the on-site compost station so that none of that material leaves site. It's a total closed loop." Compost is collected throughout the weekend and then gets used on site at the farm for the trees that they plant, the garden and other various site projects. The two other big initiatives were the Carbon Shredders booth and the Victory Garden, a PlanetRoo demonstration garden where educational workshops are held for people to learn how to garden, compost and grow mushrooms. One of Sohn's favorite on site projects, the Victory Garden, is maintained year round, including all kinds of delicious herbs, such as lemon balm, lavender, fennel and rosemary. "It's important because it encourages people to eat local food" a mainstay passion for Sohn. Most of the fans are from the southeast and there are so many great local resources that they would love to encourage fans to either grow their own or purchase from local farmers. The educational component of the garden ties into their larger initiative with the Carbon Shredders, a Bonnarooo driven project in collaboration with CREx (Carbon Reduction & Energy Exchange). CREx is the organization that completed the carbon footprint analysis for the entire festival. Sohn says "The idea is to help people learn how to reduce their carbon footprint throughout the year when they go home after the festival. It's a big picture kind of education project. We try to communicate with fans throughout the year with tips and information and letting them know what we do as an example of something they can do at home."

Although hugely successful, there are always challenges that exist with an event of this size. A great benefit to the music festival scene is that fans are often already aligned with eco-conscious lifestyles and are interested in learning more. According to Sohn "The biggest challenge for the Bonnaroo team being that the scope of the festival is so large, Bonnaroo really tries to focus on making reductions to their impact, including purchasing offsets and they are working on including permanent on-site renewable energy sources within the next 18 months. They also work with the staff to make sure that as often as possible, materials and supplies are sourced locally." Despite the challenges, as Sohn says "We have a long-term commitment to this philosophy and mission. We know that we can take small steps some years and big steps other years, ultimately working within our mission to be as sustainable as possible."

A five time winner of the "A Greener Festival Award" and the only US festival to have been awarded by this UK-based organization, speaks to their long-standing commitment to creating a festival that is great for the fans but conscious of their environmental impact.

"The nature of Bonnaroo is so high profile, that its definitely an example that if we can make some of these efforts than other smaller festivals can as well." Bonnaroo does have a great advantage by owning the property which allows for more control over what happens on site. Both the on-site composting and the addition of a permanent main stage significantly limit the amount of material that is trucked on and off site, creating measuarable reductions to the environmental impact of the festival.

The greatest impact reduction over the years has been the vast amount of waste diverted from landfills, almost 240 tons in 2011, representing 68% of the total waste created, and the number continues to grow every year. As Sohn stated, it's the most direct way to make change and more volunteers means more waste diverted and sorted. Bonnaroo has also installed a permanent electrical system which reduced generator usage by seventy percent.

In addition to big changes, Bonnaroo is always looking ways to improve the community and the experience for fans in any way possible. This year more water refill stations were added and for the first time, Bonnaroo coordinated with California-based ride-share program Zimride. Combining social networking and carpooling, Zimride is a great way to meet other music lovers and reduce the impact of traveling. Over one thousand fans traveled together via Zimride this year with participation expected to increase next summer.

A a frequent concert-goer and an environmentalist, I know we all want to have a good time and we want to share in the experience of music, but what's also important is finding ways to do that which limit the impact on that place and the larger community. Bonnaroo is committed to the cause, whether educating their fans or improving conditions on the farm. With a captive audience of almost eighty thousand, there really isn't a better opportunity to expose a multitude of green lifestyle choices to the masses. And even those this year's festivities have just come to a close, according to Sohn, new and exciting carbon reducing projects are already in the works for 2013. Personally, I can't wait to do it all again next year.

Image Sources: Ray Terrill; Richard Allen/Green Up Music

A version of this article originally ran on our sister site, Green Up Music.

For many of us, travel is a fact of life during the holidays, and with a bit of planning, you can make sure your holiday travel plans are a little bit better for the planet.

Over at Earth and Industry, Tim wrote about a couple of airlines that are starting to use algae-based biofuels in their planes. As biofuels begin to catch on in the airline industry, it's going to make a huge dent in the transportation sector's carbon footprint.

United Airlines is planning to have 75 regular flights using a biofuel blend in their planes. That's a lot of flights, but it's also only a fraction of the planes in the air. For now, skipping the plane is usually the greener option, if you can swing it.

Take the Train

Confession: I am train obsessed. When my best friend and I headed out west last year to visit folks in LA and San Francisco, one of the top adventures on my list was taking the Coast Starlight, Amtrak's legendary train between the cities. The train takes longer, but I like to think of it as part of the journey. You can relax, take off your shoes, have a cocktail (or several!), and unwind on the way to your holiday shindigs. When you're weighing the time for a train ride against flying, don't forget to include the wait at the airport. You can walk into a train station and saunter right onto a train - no security checkpoints or naked scanners!

Over the holidays, my husband and I travel from Atlanta to Florida, and I've looked high and low for a reasonable train schedule. Unfortunately, it would take 36 hours to go from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale or Orlando, because we would have to go via Washington DC. That's really out of the question, but we have taken the train between visiting my family in south Florida and Dave's family in central Florida. It only takes slightly longer than driving, and it's so much more relaxing!

The key with the train is research. Here in the U.S., it's not always the quickest, because our national rail options are frankly the pits. To see if the train will work for you, I'd recommend just starting with Amtrak's website and also looking at any state transit systems to see if anything is a good fit.

Driving

If you own a hybrid or an electric car, driving is probably the greenest way to go for the holidays. Don't own a hybrid? You can rent one! Renting a car for your road trip keeps the mileage off of your family car, and you can rent something that gets better gas mileage. Hybrids are sometimes a bit pricier to rent, but the lower cost on gas will often help make up for at least some of the difference.

Bus It

I know, the bus is not the most glamorous way to travel, but it's cheaper than driving, and companies like Greyhound often offer more options in terms of routes than trains do. Like the train, you don't have to worry about security lines, and you can relax while someone else takes care of the driving.

Location, Location, Location

When you're talking to the family about where to congregate for the holidays, pull out the map! If most of you have to travel across the country to visit with one relative, consider moving the festivities this year to a more central location, where everyone travels the shortest distance. The idea is to reduce the total miles that your family travels as a whole.

It's not always easy to coordinate holiday travel, and the environment is probably not the first thing on your mind. The great thing about more eco-friendly travel options is that they're often less expensive, too. Have you guys done anything to green up your travel plans over the holidays?

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by theogeo

Save the travel expenses, carbon emissions, entry fees and time spent on tiptoes or shuffling around crowds of loud tourists--Google's Art Project will bring you up close to masterpieces from 17 world class galleries.  So far the arsenal includes 4 collections from the USA, 2 from Germany, Spain, the UK, The Netherlands and Russia and 1 from the Czech Republic, France and Italy.

The museums involved made the decisions on what artwork and information to include, but it's up to you what to extract.

My virtual visit to Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, opened the door to Juan Gris' early 20th century Cubist portraits, shot with Street View technology and multi-angled shots that gave the paintings more life and richer history.  Most of these museums are offering a mere glimpse of their collections, but since I don't think I will be making it to Moscow and the State Tretyakov Gallery any time soon, I'll take what I can get.  And with more than 1,000 pieces already up for viewing, it's enough to get the virtual curator in me starting her own collection.

Perks of the project include ultra high-resolution (gigapixel!) images, and art junkies can round out their experience by watching interviews and behind the scenes footage hosted on You Tube.  While this won't be competition for the gallery experience, it will be a great tool to broaden access and engage curious museum goers.

Image Credit: www.aboutmyplanet.com

For most of us, winter is just around the corner, or as is the case in my Colorado town, you may have already experienced some of the ice and snow that make this season exciting and difficult all at the same time. Many people try to use alternative transportation in the Spring and Summer when the weather is pleasant, but as soon as the cold settles in, they run right back to their cars for warmth and protection from the elements.

Many will participate in the winter tradition of "warming up the car." And although this excessive idling is oft-considered a necessary and sometimes chivalrous act, it contributes to a dramatic increase in air pollution during the cold weather season. In fact, in winter conditions, studies have shown that emissions from an idling vehicle are more than double the normal level immediately after a cold start.

Many people have been misinformed that "it takes more gas to turn the car on than to keep it running, or "turning the car on and off damages the engine." So we sit and wait for the frost to dissolve on the windshield and the seat warmers to be cranking at full capacity before we climb in.

However, with a little creativity and some advance planning, there are ways that you can get your car ready for driving in winter conditions without wasting gas and sending clouds of toxic emissions up into the atmosphere.

1. Embrace the Scraper

If hate the morning cold, there's nothing better for getting the blood flowing that going to town on windshield frost and ice with a simple ice scraper. If you would normally turn the defrosters on full blast and retreat to the house until your the ice melted on its own, you should know that every 10 minutes of idling costs you at least 2/10 of a gallon of gas, and every gallon of gas you use produces about 19 pounds of carbon dioxide.

2. Cover It Up

Depending on where you live, you might have to deal with anything from a light frost, a coating of ice, or six inches of heavy snow on your car in the morning. Those lucky enough to have a garage, don't have to deal with as many of these obstacles, but cold weather is still a factor. If you are unwilling to scrape, covering your vehicle with an eco-friendly canvas tarp is a great way to keep ice from forming on the windshield, and with a little help, can even expedite the process of clearing away snow that may have fallen over night.

3. Make Your Own De-icer

If you're running late and the scraper isn't an option, it helps to have a de-icer to help the process along. However, most conventional deicing agents are extremely toxic and contain ingredients that are harmful to the air and the water supply. Make your own non-toxic windshield de-icer instead, and keep a spray bottle right by the door for easy access.

The Greenists and their friends at Niagra County Recycling offer this easy recipe for a solution that can be applied to the windows the night before to help prevent ice from forming:

“When you have to leave your car outside overnight in the winter, mix 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and coat the windows with this solution.  This vinegar and water combination will help keep windshields ice and frost free.”

If you didn't know that the bad weather was coming, the Dollar Stretcher offers these simple formulas for de-icer that can be used right away:

Recipe #1: Mix one part water to two parts rubbing alcohol.  Apply to the window and watch it peel right off!

Recipe #2: Use a bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol (50% works, too, but not as well) with a few drops of dish soap.  Apply liberally to the glass with a spray bottle.  (Readers also recommend adding alcohol to the washer fluid container, with a 50/50 mix, to keep wiper lines from freezing up in the winter.)

Do You Have Other Tricks or Tips for Eliminating the Idling from your Winter Morning Routine? Share them in a comment!

I, greenUPGRADER's own Doug Gunzelmann, will be embarking on a cycling trip that will take me across Brazil through the heart of the Amazon Jungle. Originally the Transamazonica was built to open up the interior of the Amazon for settlment. The project was left infinished a few years after construction began in 1973. By returning to nature and following this scar across one of earth’s most precious natural resources, I hope to educate people about the importance of nature in our lives and inspire people to actively engage their environment in sustainable ways.

Amazon Pilgrim will be the base for this expedition and will provide frequent updates and background info about the TransAm and myself. Matt Embrey, our chief editor, has been immensly helpful with the logistics planning for this trip and will be my contact point back at home here.

I've Begun outfitting a mountain bike for long distance touring and will be setting out this September by myself. Starting in Recife on Brazil's east coast I will follow BR-230, or the Transamazonica, nearly straight west until I reach Cruzeiro do Sul close to the Peruvian border. At this point the road dead ends, unfinished, in the middle of the Amazon jungle.

The project was one of the most expensive roadway construction projects in history and touted by many as an environmental disaster.  The project was ultimately abandoned leaving a vast majority of the highway unpaved, in disrepair, and impassable during much of the year due to heavy rains.

The presence of the Transamazonica was enough to open this territory to loggers, ranchers, and farmers. The image above was taken from Google Earth and clearly shows deforestation as “hairy” looking offshoots along the Transamazonica.

Government land grants were most favorable to those equipped with the man power or money to work larger tracts of land. The easiest way to occupy the land, with the least labor force, is cattle ranching. Unfortunately this is practically the least productive use of land possible. Swaths of land across the Amazon are succumbing to clear cutting and deforestation (much of which is irreversible) due to cattle ranching. On top of that, only a few individuals profit from all this destruction, leaving many of the settlers struggling to farm for their own subsistence.

I've chosen this expedition as an extreme personal challenge, a vehicle to promote and understand sustainability, and to study the dynamic amongst the various groups of people that call the Amazon Basin their home.

As the departure date closes in I have a mix of excitement and shear horror with all the unknowns I'll surely face. I have slotted over two months to cover this territory. This past rainy season flooded huge portions of northern Brazil with some of the heaviest and most sustained rains since 1953. This may be the very real results of climate change that is already effecting the Amazon Basin. Check out Amazon Pilgrim and learn more about the trip, how you can help, who we are working with on this project, and of course feel free to provide any helpful input. I look forward to creating an adventure for everyone to follow, hopefully avoid malaria, and come back home with a story to tell!

Amazon Pilgrim

Daniel Beltra, a Spanish photographer, is traveling the world to capture the world's three major rainforest regions. We have some of his amazing shots from the first leg of the trip... the Amazon! From cattle men in the deforested Mato Grasso region of Brazil to smiling native Indian children pointing down the barrel of his lens Daniel captures a compelling array of images from this important part of our planet.

March 29th 2009,  North West of Mato Grosso State (Brasil)..Enawene Nawe village. The indigenous tribe (500 members) is best known for their cultural richness. Their traditional fishing method of building barrages is being threatened by a project of 86 dams to be constructed on the Juruena river basin . (© Daniel Beltra, courtesy of The Prince’s Rainforests Project and Sony)

Beltra' won The Prince's Rainforests Project (PRP) Award at the Sony World Photography Awards. This contest, funded by the Prince of Wales, has awarded Beltra', based out of Seattle, a fully funded assignment to photograph the rainforests of the world.

“Traveling to the Amazon has been an incredible experience and I have been able to capture some powerful images that show the many different elements of the rainforest – the beauty, the wildlife, the local people and also the destruction“, says Daniel. “It is has been an eye-opening journey so far and I’m looking forward to photographing the Central African and South East Asian rainforests on the next parts of my trip. I hope the photos I produce will make a strongly persuasive argument for emergency action to preserve the world's tropical rainforests”.

(© Daniel Beltra, courtesy of The Prince’s Rainforests Project and Sony)

March 14th 2009, Manaus, Amazonas State (Brasil) Aerial view of the Anavilhanas archipelago on the Rio Negro near Manaus, Brazil. (© Daniel Beltra, courtesy of The Prince’s Rainforests Project and Sony)

March 20th 2009, Cristalino State Park, Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso (Brasil). View of the rainforest canopy from the ground in in Cristalino State Park, Brazil. (© Daniel Beltra, courtesy of The Prince’s Rainforests Project and Sony)

Check out more from Daniel Beltra' here.

Visit Prince's Rainforests Project here.
© Daniel Beltra, courtesy of The Prince’s Rainforests Project and Sony

Ever found that you drink a little too much on holidays?  Now you can sleep it off inside of a wine cask in these repurposed  14,500 litre casks turned into hotel rooms.  The Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren in the Netherlands offers you the opportunity to choose from one of their four upcycled rooms that are amazingly comfortable looking considering their start in life.

The rooms offer two single beds as well as an attached sitting room and bathroom.  These rooms have been pretty popular with tourists in the sleepy village of Stavoren.  If you get tired of the in-room television and radio, you can rent a bicycle and travel along one of the many popular bike paths to see the old growth forests and beach.  There is even a famous statue of "Lady van Stavoren" to keep an eye on the harbour as well as an eccentric local story to go along with it.

The wine casks are a great reuse as hotel rooms because of their ability to seal tightly.  Visitors have stayed in the hotels four special recycled rooms from all over the world.  Prices for the rooms range from approximately $150 USD a night to about $40 USD a night depending on the length of your stay and the season you go in.  How can you afford not to?

Hotels are really getting in on the green movement with their repurposed hotels being made out of everything from airplanes, to shipping containers or even drain pipes.  Who knows what else they'll be making hotel rooms out of next?!  These hotels are helping to show the world what can be done with "trash" and are helping to change people's perceptions.