Many of us will be traveling to visit friends and family this holiday season. Here are ten ideas to make your trip a bit greener.

1. Visiting a new place? Try exploring the city using public transportation or take a walk and explore by foot while getting some exercise as well.


2. When staying at a hotel, bring your own shampoo and soap in reusable travel containers and resist using the ones provided by the hotel. I used to make it a habit of collecting these small toiletries as little souvenirs, only to find that I eventually ended up throwing them out without using them.


3. Instead of buying bottled water while out on your travels, bring a reusable water bottle such as a Kleen Kanteen and fill up from the tap. Bottled water is not necessarily more pure than tap water. Bring a reusable mug to have water or hot drinks in your hotel room instead of using their disposable cups.


4. Many hotels used to wash linens and towels every day, but now only do so every few days unless requested by the guest. Sometimes they automatically will wash the linens and towels unless asked not to. Check the hotel's policy to see how you can be sure they aren't unnecessarily washing items each day.


5. Many of us will be visiting the homes of family and friends and bringing a gift. Consider a green gift, such as an item off of our Tranquil Parent Gift Guide, or a food or beverage item in a reusable container. This wine tote would make a great gift, along with some wine.


6. When shopping, look for items that are produced locally. Not only will you be buying something unique, but you'll be supporting the local economy and buying something that didn't have to travel long distances to get there. When purchasing produce, shop at the local farmer's market or shop for produce that is grown in the area. You'll be surprised at how better tasting a piece of fruit is that was just picked off the farm that morning as opposed to being picked a week ago and trucked across the country, and will create more vivid memories of your stay, particularly when you buy food directly from its grower.


7. When packing for your travels, pack as light as possible. You save energy needed to haul around your luggage, regardless of your mode of transportation. Once you've packed, double check what you have packed to make sure you have what you need to avoid having to buy something later that you already have at home.


8. Use rechargeable batteries for items like your camera that may need a standard battery. For things like your cell phone or iPod that need recharging, consider purchasing a solar charger like this one from Solio, although if you are traveling somewhere that will be overcast or during winter, you're better off with standard rechargeables.


9. If you need a rental car, consider a hybrid. Not all companies offer this option, but even just inquiring about the option lets companies know that people are interested. Enterprise is one rental car company that offers hybrid cars at select locations.


10. Get out and explore nature in your travel destinations! Just remember to leave it the way it was and to make sure you are allowed to walk on unpaved paths before exploring off the beaten path.


Do you have tips to share on making travel greener? Please share them in the comments!

In the early 1970s, before our neighborhood was designated a National Historic District and modern construction was forbidden, a builder demolished a bungalow and built an underground house. Not much of it was truly underground. The house was sunk into the ground, and then dirt was piled up about six feet all around and so densely planted that it was hard to see the structure from the street. The Underground House was under-appreciated by adults in my neighborhood, but beloved by children. It was magical.

Evening walks were often rerouted to accommodate my request to walk by the underground house. In the summer it was practically invisible, but in the winter, you could glimpse some glass and even peer into a lit window. Underground living seemed fantastic, even before I’d read The Hobbit. What could be cozier than retreating to a burrow?

Our local underground house was demolished two years ago, just when underground houses began to receive positive press—except for a tent, they are perhaps the most environmentally-friendly dwelling humans can construct. Since they are built partially underground, they are cheaper to heat and cool than conventional homes. Energy savings can be up to 80%, and with solar elements, it’s easy to live completely off-grid.

This building technique isn’t just for the geodesic dome crowd. Like the newly-hip tree house and yurt, underground living is chic again. This month’s Cookie Magazine shows an elegant, modernist version of (partially) underground living in London with an indoor pool, and child-friendly features like a slide, in addition to steps, to descend to the lower level. Older underground homes provide environmentally conscious living for the historically conscious crowd. Centuries-old, and brand-new cave dwellings in Andalusia, Spain are attracting savvy Europeans looking for a low-maintenance second home, and these modern troglodytes were recently profiled in The New York Times.

But, really, few of us are about to go and build, or buy, an underground house. The concept, however, seems worth introducing to your kids (perhaps you’re raising the new suburban developer!). You can do this the glam way; travelers can stay in caves in Spain, Italy, and Turkey. Or you can suggest the concept through play or housekeeping.

I propose two budget options:

• Underground house. Build an underground house of your own, but a very tiny one, for some treasured toys. Mound some dirt over a box or some cans to make a cave. Children might start adding light-shafts, windows, or create a warren or rooms.



• Root cellar. You can also exploit the constant temperature underground by building a root cellar, the traditional (and green) alternative to chunking the old fridge in the garage. Unlike the spare fridge, the root cellar is the perfect place to store winter vegetables, which you might have grown yourself, or, in your unbridled enthusiasm for a good deal, bought 30 pounds of at Costco. A root cellar can be elaborate, but an old trunk, lined with some newspaper and buried up to the lid in your backyard, works quite well in the cooler months for the modern family. The beer won’t freeze, and the turnips won’t mold. If all that digging seems extreme, you can also use a corner of your basement, but choose the damp one, and be sure the vegetables get some ventilation.

Enthusiastic, or whimsical? Check out the plans for a hobbit hole at Stormbear.

On our recent flight to Las Vegas for the ABC Kids Expo, we took the opportunity to test out the Kids Fly Safe CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System). When we've flown in the past, we've brought our folding Sunshine Kids Radian 80 with us and grunted and puffed (well, I stood there while Jeremiah grunted and puffed) until we had successfully installed it in Z's airline seat. Even with a folding car seat, it's still a pain to get it down those ever-skinner airline aisles and to maneuver in your ever-narrower row. On this last trip, we gate-checked our car seat and walked down the aisles a lot lighter. Instead of joining me in watching Jeremiah grunting and puffing, Z sat in her seat while we looped the FAA-approved (yes, even for takeoff and landing) CARES restraint over the back of her seat and adjusted it to the appropriate height. We buckled her in and were ready to go... actually, almost that quickly. It took us about 2 minutes to install it.

How it works

The way CARES works is simple. Looking at it from the front, it's a "pi"-shaped arrangement of seat belt fabric, with the top bar in fact a loop that hugs the back of the airline seat at your child's head height and drops two "legs" down the child's chest, which the seat's own safety belt is threaded through. I guess the shape is more of a Roman numeral "II" - hmm, maybe it's just better to give you another view of things:



In flight, we left her buckled in the CARES restraint and in addition to their being a lot more elbow room for all of us (since the car seat wasn't taking up so much space), it gave her a bit more freedom for "projects" (coloring, eating, stickering, etc). During takeoff and landing, we had the straps cinched as we would in a car seat, with the front clip positioned at Z's upper chest level; during the remainder of the flight, it was essential to loosen the straps, as she otherwise would not have been able to reach her tray table, and she, and we, would have been miserable. We were confident that if we hit any turbulence (and we did) we could cinch up the straps and ask her to sit back for a few minutes. (That's when videos on our portable DVD player came in handy.)

The bottom line

I was initially hesitant to test out the CARES restraint because I wasn't sure how this product could replace having a car seat along. We aren't crazy about checking our car seat with the rest of our luggage - we've seen how those pieces get thrown around and come tumbling down the conveyor belt. We're also reasonably wary of renting one so bringing a car seat and gate-checking it seemed the only reasonable option. (If you must check your car seat with your luggage, try to use the original manufacturer's packaging - anyone still have that? - or wrap it with padding and place it in a duffle bag.) And, we reasoned, if you're going to all the trouble to schlep the car seat through the airport, what's the point of having a different restraint for the flight?

What I figured out is that it really makes a big difference during the actual flight.

It meant we didn't have to unbag, unfold, install, uninstall, refold, rebag when boarding and deboarding and that means less of those stressful moments when a whole line of people is waiting for you, your luggage, and your restless child to get out of their way. It also meant not having to worry about bonking someone's elbow with our Radian, backpack-style, on the march to the seat. The CARES restraint is stored in a fabric drawstring back about the size of a petite lunch bag.

Because it is so easy to install, we had a lot more time to arrange ourselves and our daughter before takeoff - time we spent getting her prepared with a small project to keep her occupied during that dead zone of take-off and cruising altitude time when you can't do anything. We had time to get ourselves settled in - getting out the water bottles, finding the magazine, searching for the headphones you bought on the last flight so you don't have to buy them again (more on that in a later travel post), hiding a few in-flight trinkets for preschool diversionary tactics, try to find some leg room among the bags.

As for safety: The CARES restraint is the first and only restraint approved by the FAA for use throughout a flight as an alternative to a car seat. It is clear how it works, why it offers additional protection, and how it benefits children who wear it. Certification has also been approved in many other countries and continues to advance, and FAA regulations stipulate that airline personnel cannot restrict the use of CARES at their discretion. On our flight, we had an anxious stewardess pass slowly by and then return with another to ask us about it, stating that she hadn't seen one before; the FAA certification label quickly put her at ease.

Future plans

We knew then and there that we'd be using our CARES restraint as long as we could - but noted with disappointment that Z was about at the end of the limits for use of the device, which tops out at 44" or 40 pounds. When we got to the trade show, I went to meet with Louise Stoll, inventor of the CARES restraint, to tell her our one complaint - that there wasn't one for the 4+ age group. She told me that they have a CARES product for that age group in the process of FAA testing and certification right now! Not only is this a step in the right direction, but it will address a growing need for parents who practice extended harnessing, as many of those larger-sized seats are not FAA-certified for use because of their bulky dimensions.

The CARES restraint ranges in price from about $65 to its MSRP of $75. You can purchase it from the manufacturer, KidsFlySafe, or from Amazon.com.

But! And, to quote Pee Wee Herman, this is one big but - KidsFlySafe has also agreed to give away three CARES restraints as our ZRecs Newsletter giveaway for the month of October. If you are already a subscriber to our monthly email newsletter, you are already entered to win; if not, subscribe and you'll be all set. We'll draw three winners at random at the beginning of November from the subscriber rolls, announce winners in the next newsletter, and they'll get a CARES system in time for any holiday travel, and beyond. You can sign up here or find the link in the subscription box that appears in the righthand column of all ZRecs blogs. Please note, you will be receiving one, and only one, email a month from us, so please sign up only if you want a monthly compendium of news, information, and deals from ZRecs in your inbox.

Official Rules: No purchase necessary. Entrants must be 18 or older and reside in the United States. Item will be shipped to a U.S. address only. Winner will be announced in subsequent ZRecs Monthly Newsletter; failure to respond within 5 business days of contact with a valid U.S. mailing address for shipment will result in forfeiture of prize and awarding of prize to an alternate designated by ZRecs. Neither the prize sponsor nor ZRecs is responsible for items lost or damaged in transit. Winner will be selected on or around Nov. 1, 2008.