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Phil's Eco-Travel Guide To Palm Springs
November 19 | archive | subscribe
Known as the “Playground of the Stars,” Palm Springs is a small city with the legacy, amenities and history of a large, cosmopolitan city. And even though it boasts some of the most famous water guzzling golf courses in the country, slowly but surely, the eco and giving community has taken hold. Here’s Phil’s guide to green and giving in Palm Springs. We feature a few eco-friendly retailers, services, and organizations as well as some great ideas on how to easily exercise your philanthropic philosophy when you travel.
Before you go
Patagonia’s Wheeled Hemp Luggage ecofriendly suitcases that you’ll want to carry and not smoke. It’s built to haul heavy loads and it’s incorporated hemp into the design. patagonia.com
iWood Sunglasses What could be cooler that an pair of hand made, painstakingly crafted, real wood (sustainable harvested wood) sunglasses? Not much that we can find. Made of exotic Bubinga, these glasses are perfect ladies for cutting edge guys. thegreenloop.com
Ravel Soaps Travel Bars are scented (White Grapefruit, Cedarwood with Eucalyptus and Mint and Clary Sage) with essential oils and is wrapped in a Cavallini paper depicting vintage maps of Paris, Rome and New York. Each bar: 4 oz. net wt. saipua.com
Car Rentals from Budget They rent hybrids through a marketing arrangement with EV Rental. Renters pay full-size prices for the smaller Toyota Prius or hybrid Honda Civic. budget.com
Carbon Nuetral Rate your trip with this travel carbon calculator.
DRESS
Because it’s always sunny and mild during the winter, day attire is always comfortably and casual ready for tennis, golf or hiking in the canyons. When temperatures soar in the low 100’s the clothes come off and you’ll see bikinis on strip. For those balmy nights, follow the lead from the glam-set; they sport smart cocktail attire at kidney-shaped poolside parties.
Calfornia's San Gorgonio Pass
Nestled in the Coachella Valley just southwest of Palm Springs, the San Jacinto Mountains form a natural wind tunnel that powers 4,000 windmills collectively producing enough electricity on the average to power a city the size of San Francisco.
“This is the only tour of a working wind farm available in the world,” says Jack Norie, tour operator for Windtec, just one of 80 wind farms in the pass. "A/C power generated by wind turbines is the most sensible form of alternative energy. Not only that, they're a great investment.”
The Palm Springs area is unique, as the wind blows hard enough to power the windmills 300 days a year. Windtec is just one of ten privately owned entities in the San Gorgonio Pass that sells wind-generated power to Southern California Edison at the rate of 6 cents per KwH. Take the educational 90-minute tour of this large working wind farm and see where power is born. windmilltours.com
EATS
With four branches and the motto: ‘Meat’s no treat for those you eat,’ Native Foods Restaurant is a standout in the abundant vegetarian field. It’s a casual, consistently good, ethnic and affordable eatery that offers gourmet vegan food as an alter”native" for people concerned about their health, animals and the environment. 73-890 El Paseo, Palm Desert 760-836-9396 nativefoods.com
Garden of Eden Organics is bringing farm-fresh organic produce into San Diego and other southern California regions. Members may get either of two size boxes on a weekly basis, payable monthly, quarterly or annually. They currently have drop points in Palm Springs. gardenofedenorganics.com
Meerkats live in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert, but if you can’t get to the Kalahari, you can visit a meerkat mob at the Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center just outside Palm Springs. Visitors who join their Adopt a Meerkat Program can feed, pet, and play with all of the meerkats at the Center during a two-hour visit. fellowearthlings.org
The Cheeta Primate Sanctuary is a desert haven and lifelong care for homeless and unwanted ex-show business primates. The founder of the sanctuary created the shelter after he received custody of Cheeta. Cheeta is a chimpanzee that performed in the old black-and-white Tarzan movies. You can help by making a donation or volunteering. cheetathechimp.org
Green Barry Manilow
|The musical superstar endorses the Cousteau Society which is working to halt human destruction of the entire environment. Additionally, the Palm Springs resident’s Manilow Fund for Health and Hope benefits, among other nonprofits, Cathedral City High School Bands, Desert Paws, and Palm Springs Art Museum.
Good Congresswoman Mary Bono
After her husband Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident, Mary easily won the Republican nomination for District 45 for the special election to succeed him. She took office in 1998, won a full term that November, and has been re-elected three times with no serious opposition.
Giving Mary Hart
Host of Entertainment Tonight, considers herself a “desert rat,” because she has come here since childhood and now lives part time in Palm Desert. Her omnipresence on the local philanthropy scene has been a boon to many charities.
Local Celebrity Barbara Sinatra
Frank Sinatra’s Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament’s events include a fashion luncheon and open house at the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, the tournament’s beneficiary. The nonprofit center in Rancho Mirage provides therapy for young victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.