Hello again and welcome back to the blog for last few days of 2009. Wherever you read this and however you celebrate the season I hope you are having a safe and happy holiday. In the interests of the festive spirit I’ll save what I want to write about Copenhagen and the Climate Summit until the next post, in summary the results from Denmark were not good enough and arguably a step backwards. Not the eco-news we really need to take into a new decade which in essence heightens the importance of making good personal choices when shopping, using energy and looking at the way that we live. If governments can’t take matters as seriously as they should then we need to be sure we educate ourselves and those around us about the state of the planet and how to safeguard its future. I’ll keep looking for developments, inventions and ideas on the Green Gazette and ask that you consider our site for ways you can participate in sustainable practices.

This story from the Daily Telegraph shows that eco-tourism can potentially have the very opposite impact intended if planning isn’t as thorough as it should be. Eco-Tourism is a growing proposition globally with the emphasis being on the opportunity to visit places off the beaten track and vaction in a style that is as green as possible. While many resorts are successfully accomplishing this it seems that tourism to Antarctica is having a impact that is more costly than the benefits of increased awareness harvested by those who visit the frozen wilderness. This relatively new destination saw over 40,000 visitors travel to the bottom of the earth last year in what is now becoming a procession of ships through waters that normally saw nothing more than the occasional scientific expedition. Ship fuel and assorted trash from the new convoys are placing the delicate eco-system of the Antarctic under increasing pressure and imbalance. This in tandem with wildlife being disturbed by the near constant curiosity of the eco-sensitive tourists. Talk about best laid plans going wrong. Hopefully a solution can be found where awareness is raised without in turn raising the complexity of the problems that the South Pole (and by default all of us) faces.

Outrageously famous Irish band U2 are making some eco waves due to a project that guitarist The Edge (do you think he’ll stick with that name into his 50′s?) is behind on the California coast in Malibu. If you review the website behind the project it seems that the five unique homes that will be carved into the mountains above the coast are at the cutting edge (unintended pun) of eco-friendly design in terms of both construction and visual appeal when completed. ‘Leaves in The Wind’ isn’t a new U2 song but is the name of the development.  Truth be told the features of the five homes incorporate as much and probably more of all that you could ask from a responsible manufacturer in our current climate. Energy efficient heating and cooling, LEED certified and the best of environmental exterior design should all be considerations that would make this project be endorsed by the beach community of Malibu. If you’ve ever driven through the town you know that there are decades of ugly and inefficient buildings standing in every direction as zoning seemingly wasn’t the concern it is today. So when the L.A. Times published this article today, you wonder how this has escalated into a war of ideas, principles and debate. At this juncture the project has not been approved for construction and it seems The Edge and the website are doing their best to ensure that it is viewed as a very green development and that if more of the California coastline looked like this it would be a better place for everyone.

As you dig deeper you begin to wonder if this is political, anti-celebrity or a community saying thanks but no thanks. Having studied both sides of the equation I’m not yet sure where I stand. I don’t really think Malibu needs any more construction, but if you must build at least do so to stringent eco-standards. It appears the proposal reaches those standards until you read the counterpoints. More/wider roads would need to be built, driveways as long as 1,800 feet would weave their way up the mountainside that is currently unspoiled. Sewage and water lines would need to be plumbed and so the list goes on. I do know this, there are uglier, less efficient, non eco-considerate dwellings throughout the hills and mountains of Southern California. If new home construction will inevitably continue for the elite, surely a home that has the specs of these ones is preferable? Wouldn’t Malibu be a more beautiful place without a 4 lane road full of traffic plowing within 50 feet of the coast be a bigger thing to focus on. We’ll learn what happens with this in the months ahead – I’m positive there are bigger transgressions daily but the price of fame is making sure that the guitar player from a band famed for their global awareness is casting a brighter spotlight on this particular matter.

Tags: antarctica, climate summit copenhagen, copenhagen conference, Daily Telegraph, eco home construction, eco-system, eco-tourism, eco-tourists, LA Times, leaves in the wind, LEED-certified, malibu, malibu california, Pacific Coast Highway, planet forward, south pole, sustainable solutions, the edge, u2