Beyond Green Travel with Costas ChristCreating the Ideal Ecolodge

Kenyan-born landscape architect and ecolodge expert Hitesh Mehta has a Zen take on design: No lodge is perfect, he says—there is always room to evolve and improve. Here, Mehta describes key ingredients of the ideal ecolodge.

1) LOCATION
First and foremost, the lodge must be set in or near a natural area that it is helping to protect.

2) COMMUNITY
Not just a source of employment, it must also help safeguard indigenous culture and heritage.

3) DESIGN
It must stand in harmony with its natural and cultural surroundings.

4) SOURCE
Food should be locally grown, healthy, and organic.

5) SERVICE
Providing friendly, efficient service and interactive experiences should be the constant focus.

6) CONSTRUCTION
The lodge is planned, built, and operated in an environmentally sensitive fashion.

Now make your plan with our guide to the world's 50 top ecolodges (or at least tempt yourself with our jaw-dropping photo gallery). They are spectacular, green, and, surprisingly, there's one suited to nearly every budget.

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News: World's Rarest Leopard Found in Russia

Good news from the Wildlife Conservation Society:

The world’s rarest big cat is alive and well. At least one of them, that is, according to researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) who captured and released a female Far Eastern leopard in Russia last week.
The capture was made in Primorsky Krai along the Russian-Chinese border by a team of scientists from WCS and the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Biology and Soils (IBS).

The team is evaluating the health and potential effects of inbreeding for this tiny population, which experts believe contains no more than 10-15 females. Other collaborators include: Wildlife Vets International, National Cancer Institute, and the Zoological Society of London. The Far Eastern leopard is perhaps the world’s most endangered big cat, with an estimated 25-40 individuals inhabiting a narrow strip of land in the far southeastern corner of the Russian Federation.

The leopardess, nicknamed “Alyona” by the researchers who captured her, was in good physical condition, weighing a healthy 85 pounds (39 kilograms). A preliminary health analysis revealed that she is he is believed to be between 8-10 years old. The animal has since been released unharmed.

One of the options scientists are considering is trans-locating leopards from other areas to increase genetic diversity—similar to what happened with Florida panthers when animals from Texas were brought in to supplement the remaining population. Today, Florida panthers have risen from less than ten individuals to a population of approximately 100.

Over the last 100 years, Far Eastern leopard numbers have been reduced by poaching combined with habitat loss. However, both camera-trapping and snow-tracking surveys indicate that the population has been stable for the last 30 years, but with a high rate of turnover of individuals. If inbreeding or disease can be kept in check, WCS and its partners believe there is great potential for increasing survival rates and habitat recovery in both Russia and Northeast China.

Photograph by Andrew Harrington

Music Wednesday: Voodoo For All Hallows' Eve (Listen For Your Own Protection)

Assistant Editor Ryan Bradley's weekly exploration of great global music, in collaboration with Nat Geo Music.

All Hallows' Eve is a Celtic holiday, but across many cultures this time of year (the end of the harvest) has been seen as a time when the lines between the spirit world and the living word are blurred. Spooky, and a good idea to do all sorts of things to protect yourself...like pretending to BE a spirit, in costume, and confusing the bad ju-ju in the air. One of the primary concerns of voodoo is guarding against witchcraft, angry ghosts, and, yes, zombies. And at the core of voodoo ceremony (in Haiti it's vodou, in West Africa it's vodun or vodoun) is music. So, for your own protection, please listen to the following:
Spirits of Life, Haitian Vodou

Vodou came to Haiti from West Africa with kidnapped Africans sold as slaves. In the Carribbean, and under enforced Christianity, vodun took a new form, and became santería in Cuba and voodoo in Louisiana. (There's also obeah, which I will discuss in a later post, with various obeah-associated jams.) In in the cultural stew that is New Orleans, voodoo took on its most overtly magical, fantastical forms. And Dr. John brilliantly tapped into this with his 1968 album Gris-Gris, and "Walk On Gilded Splinters" is its climax. "Roll out my coffin, drink poison in my chalice/ Pride begins to fade, soon you all will feel my malice." Oo-wee, don't get on Dr. John's bad side.

And finally, because it combines both the devil and transvestites—the two things I think of when I think of Halloween in New York—Antony & the Johnsons' latest, greatest: "Shake That Devil." (Antony is a cross-dressing dude who's got a voice like no other).

The Adventure Life with Steve CasimiroReport: FDA Is Flat-Out Wrong on BPA

Story by West Coast Editor Steve Casimiro

Told you so.

Earlier this year, we reported on the risks of bisphenol-A, a chemical used in plastic water bottles, baby formula containers, and canned-food linings, and drew the conclusion that BPA is in fact dangerous. We also noted that the Food and Drug Administration ruled BPA was safe based on two studies funded by the chemical industry, raising obvious questions of conflict of interest and flawed findings. Now, in a report released today, a panel sponsored by the FDA itself has come to essentially the same conclusions.

The report concerns the FDA’s ruling in August that plastic baby bottles are safe. Much of it is coached in scientific language—not what you’d call easy reading—but this much is unmistakable: “The margins of safety defined by FDA as ‘adequate’ are, in fact, inadequate,” the panel wrote. FDA’s methodology “creates a false sense of security”.

Specifically, the panel found that the FDA’s threshold for safe exposure is 10 times the amount some studies have shown can cause problems.

The report also attacked the FDA for ignoring numerous studies showing a link between BPA and health problems such as prostrate and breast cancer, brain damage, early onset of puberty, and more. The FDA didn’t use enough samples in its testing and didn’t account for variability in BPA content, either: It relied on just 14 bottles of formula, all bought at the same time.

The harsh findings come as somewhat of a surprise because the group of experts assembled to second-guess the FDA’s August ruling has been attacked itself for ties to the chemical industry. The chairman of the panel, Martin Philbert of the University of Michigan, heads a risk science center that received a $5 million pledge for research from a retired medical equipment businessman who’s been openly dismissive of BPA’s potential for health problems. Both Congress and the FDA are looking into the connection.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Democrat from Connecticut, whose Congressional committee oversees the FDA budget, said, "Despite the concerns about their objectivity, [the panel] agreed with the many independent scientists that questioned FDA's initial assessment on BPA." It shows that “FDA should restart the BPA evaluation process."

The report is being presented Friday at a meeting of the Science Board of the FDA. You can read it in its entirety, along with a host of studies and documents assembled for the meeting, here.

Deep Survival with Laurence Gonzales Why We Crave Risk

Text by Contributing Editor Laurence Gonzales, author of the books Everyday Survival and Deep Survival

Illustration by Paul Blow

There are certain foods and drinks that most people would consider empty calories, such as sodas and many kinds of snacks. When we eat or drink them, we feel nourished, when in reality we’re still lacking the ingredients needed to sustain a healthy organism. Many forms of information are like empty calories—a lot of the news we receive, for example. The mind works at taking in facts and comprehending events. It feels like we’re learning, but the ingredients of deep knowledge are missing.

I recently read a BBC news item with the headline: “Brain’s adventure centre located.”

Continue reading this story >>

Field FAQs With Holly Morris Exit Strategy: Why You Need a Real Vacation

Holly Morris is a TV host (Treks in a Wild World, Globe Trekker), and the author of Adventure Divas and founder of the multimedia company Adventure Divas. Post your travel questions here and they could get answered in the magazine.

I’ve been at a desk job for eight years and need a change. I want to break away and explore the world but don’t know where to start.

A. Life is meant to be more than a string of brutally long, ergonomically disastrous days. The potent form of liberation I recommend? Leave. Restore your sense of direction by taking a sabbatical, a retreat, or a true pilgrimage. Getting away in a big way, for a long time, is an age-old component of a fully realized life. Set your compass toward something that is personally meaningful and push beyond your comfort zone. Backpack in search of your ancestors in the hills of Slovakia; hike the Colorado Trail solo; heck, spend a summer at klezmer camp. Some years ago, I went on a modern-day vision quest deep in the Sumatran jungle, where the combination of weeping leech bites and steamy dawns with a call to prayer tumbling in from the distance reminded me of the transformative powers of the unknown.

Need some role models? George Orwell relates his journey in Down and Out in Paris and London. Alexandra David-Néel renewed herself in the Forbidden City (Lhasa) in the 1920s long before any other European woman set foot there. Elizabeth Gilbert ate, prayed, and loved her way across Italy, India, and Indonesia. And, of course, there’s Siddhartha, aka Buddha. And all Australians.

If brass tacks are needed to nudge you off the cliff, consult The Practical Nomad by Edward Hasbrouck or peruse Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree Travel Forum online community. Bottom line: As long as your departure doesn’t financially or emotionally cripple any dependents, point toward the unknown and jump.

Illustration by Harry Campbell

The Adventure Travel Issue, Now on Newsstands (Even in Vietnam)

Photograph courtesy of Kara Fox

We're pleased to confirm that globetrotters worldwide are not forced to forego their monthly dose of Adventure. Former NGA photo researcher Kara Fox, currently on her own world tour, found the magazine while exploring the hustle-bustle of Hanoi.

Our annual Adventure Travel Issue (November 2008) hit newssands this week. In addition to announcing the 25 best new adventure travel trips for 2009 (see the list), we also have a feature on the world's 50 top ecolodges, forming the most comprehensive ecolodge survey ever assembled (check out our interactive map and truly spectacular photo gallery). And while maybe it's no surprise that these Earth-friendly retreats are situated near some of the planet's most treasured spots—Ayers Rock, Kilimanjaro, the Seychelles—perhaps it is surprising that there's something for almost every budget.

Music Wednesday: Cold Weather Music

Assistant Editor Ryan Bradley's weekly exploration of great global music, in collaboration with Nat Geo Music.

The mercury is beginning to fall in earnest here in New York City. Whenever this happens, I find myself listening to music from cold places—Finland, Sweden, and Iceland, mostly. Iceland especially. So must the good people at NG Music. In the past few weeks, they've posted a review of Emilíana Torrini's new album, Me and Armini, and a bang-up concert video of Björk, bashing a snare drum wth Sigor Rós to their song, "Gobbledigook."

These three bands are Iceland's most popular worldwide, and nicely illustrate the startlingly diverse range of music that comes from this small island nation in the middle of the North Atlantic. There is also great electronica and hardcore metal in Iceland, but for the sake of keeping everyone's ears focused on the cold weather, I'm going to stick to the well-known stuff. It has interesting origins in religious hymns and 1960s rock. The band Trubrot is some kind of starting point. So is the band Voces Thules. Watch them perform Ice and Fire, and then watch Björk and Sigor Rós with Goobledegook. You have right there a nice compression of Icelandic music history in the last two decades/centuries.

Emilíana Torrini: born to an Italian father and Icelandic mother, raised in Reykjavík, made her first album "as a joke" (her words) when she was 17. Her first major record, 2005's Fisherman's Woman, is her best, and I must have listened to it no less than 68 times during one particularly cold Chicago winter. My favorite track is "Heartstopper," but the whole thing is everything a good acoustic confessional album should be: sad, happy, clever, gorgeous.

Sigor Rós is the only of these three I've had the pleasure of seeing live and—wowie—what a show. There are, technically, only four members of the band but they usually play with more (this year's tour is an exception). They make soaring, orchestral, ethereal music that is, not surprisingly, used in many, many films. If you like Radiohead, I can say with confidence that you will like Sigor Rós.

Björk is, after bad mortgages (zing!), Iceland's biggest export. She's the country's most well-known musician—a musical prodigy on par with Stevie Wonder—and cut her first record at the ripe old age of 11. She's also crazy experimental, and for this she is loved and loathed by many. Listen to her biggest hits ("It's Oh So Quiet," "Army of Me," and "Hyperballad") to get a sense of her ridiculous range and bonkers music videos. And she looks like a wood-nymph and dresses like one, too.

Finally, here is a gem of a piece by recent MacArthur Genius grantee, Alex Ross, on his trip on Reykjavík: Ice Pop. I swear I wrote "startlingly diverse" to describe Iceland's musical range before I read the Ross piece, but I'm glad I am in agreement with a certified Genius.

News: Branson Sets Sail to Break Atlantic World Record

Text by Laura Buckley

Sir Richard Branson and his 24-person crew left the North Cove Marina in New York's Battery Park City early Wednesday morning for what they hope will be a record-breaking sail across the Atlantic, as reported by the New York Times. The billionaire British businessman, along with his top-notch crew of America’s Cup and Olympic sailors, hope to beat the current record of six days, 17 hours, 39 minutes, 52 seconds, set by Mike Sanderson’s Mari Cha IV. That means the Virgin Money, a 99-foot maxi yacht, will have to complete the journey by 9:39.52 p.m. on October 28. The Virgin Money is scheduled to dock in Lizard Point, the most southwesterly point of Britain.

Branson is no novice when it comes to record-breaking attempts, including several around-the-world balloon flights with his close friend, Steve Fossett, who was recently presumed dead after his airplane wreckage was discovered near Mammoth Lakes, Calif. “This will be a wonderful trip to do in his memory,” Branson told the New York Times. We here at ADVENTURE wish Branson a happy and healthy sail!

Branson and arctic explorer Will Steger were awarded our lifetime achievement award last year for their environmental efforts and collaboration to dogsled across Baffin Island. See what Branson has to say about his life of adventure in this video.