CONTACTS:
Danielle Johnson, Wisconsin Department of Tourism
Phone: 608-266-0458
Email: djohnson@TravelWisconsin.com
Media Room: http://media.TravelWisconsin.com
Celebrate Earth Day by visiting a Travel Green Wisconsin Certified business or destination
MADISON, Wis. (April 5, 2012) — Earth Day is coming up on April 22, but in Wisconsin, we’re proud to celebrate it every day. And with over 300 Travel Green Wisconsin certified businesses, state parks and recreation areas, there are literally endless ways to spend a green day in Wisconsin.
The state’s commitment to being sustainable is deeply rooted. The Travel Green Wisconsin certification program, which launched in 2006, is the first state-sponsored sustainable travel certification program in the nation that allows not just certified accommodations, but tourism businesses of all sorts to become certified.
Celebrate this Earth Day, and every day, by supporting a green certified business, attending an eco-friendly event, or enjoying the great outdoors. To get you started, here are 10 ways to travel green in the green and gold state.
1. Use the Travel Green Wisconsin Certified business directory as your guide
Planning a sustainable getaway in Wisconsin has never been easier. With the Travel Green Wisconsin directory, you have access to Wisconsin’s green certified businesses right at your fingertips. And we’re not kidding when we say you can find just about anything on here. From restaurants to museums, to coffee shops and bed and breakfasts, to state parks and even golf courses, these businesses all had to pass the Travel Green Wisconsin certification process to earn their prestigious title.
For those businesses looking to be a part of this program, it just got a whole lot easier. In January, the Department of Tourism adopted a flat fee structure for Travel Green Wisconsin based on industry feedback to encourage more tourism businesses to consider implementing sustainable practices in their business.
2. Visit a newbie
New members are constantly being added to the Travel Green list as our industry takes note of the marketing power behind certification. So far in 2012, 25 new businesses have made the cut.
The Harley Davidson-Museum in Milwaukee has recently earned green certification. It is the first museum to be awarded the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification. As you breathe in the exceptionally clean air, check out the museum’s impressive design lab, engine room and motorcycle gallery. Come June 16, you’ll want to check out Worn to be Wild: The Black Leather Jacket exhibit at the museum.
A trip to Brew City isn’t complete without a brewery tour. In August 2011, Lakefront Brewery became Travel Green Wisconsin certified. The brewery switched to a bottle that uses less glass and also donates spent grain to non-profit Growing Power in Milwaukee for composting.
3. Pedal around the badger state
You could wait until “bike to work week” in May to bring out the old Schwinn, but with the unseasonably warm spring weather, hit the trails early. Wisconsin has a long history of welcoming cyclists, as it was one of the first states to convert abandoned railways to multi-use paths (also known as Rails to Trails).
One of these trails, which happens to be Travel Green Wisconsin certified, is the Badger State Trail. Extending from Madison to the Illinois state line, the trail stretches a total of 40 miles. Bikers travel through varied terrain – from rolling hills and meadows to woods and ravines. However, the highlight of the trail is the restored 1,200-foot long Stewart Railroad Tunnel, also known as the darkest tunnel in Wisconsin. Built in 1887, the tunnel has a slight curve, so when visitors look in, they see nothing except total darkness. Those brave enough to enter should bring a flashlight.
4. Make a green trip to a Wisconsin state park
You’d expect Wisconsin’s state parks to be superstars of environmental stewardship. Afterall, they were purchased for the primary purpose of protecting our natural resources and allowing access for recreational purposes. Wisconsin’s green certification program has inspired many parks to kick it up a notch and become a Travel Green Wisconsin Certified destination. Recent parks that have made the cut: Tower Hill State Park in Spring Green, Governor Nelson State Park in Waunakee; Kinnickinnic State Park in River Falls; Military Ridge State Trail in Blue Mounds; Point Beach State Forest in Two Rivers; and Roch-A-Cri State Park, in Friendship.
But the more important question – how are these parks making a difference? Turns out it’s the little things. Governor Nelson uses a solar powered hot water heating system, Tower Hill and Kinnickinnic put rehabilitation projects in place to restore their prairie and shoreline, Military Ridge replaced all lighting with compact fluorescents and Point Beach offers bicycle rentals to visitors.
5. Up a creek, with a paddle, having fun
No motors are required when you’re canoeing, kayaking, or stand-up paddleboarding, making gliding on the water completely environmentally friendly.
On June 9, head to Hayward for the second annual Backroads Banderdinker. Named for the mispronunciation of the well-known cross-country ski event the Birkebeiner, the Banderdinker is a fun, non-competitive kayaking and canoeing event around Nelson Lake in Hayward. As paddlers make their way around the lake, they stop at checkpoints with various fiddlers, banjo players and storytellers, who provide lakeside entertainment. Though the event is non-competitive, the first person to reach all checkpoints is awarded at the end. After the race, stick around in the Hayward area for lunch, as all proceeds of the event go to charity.
6. Order food that’s farm-to-fork fresh
The field/farm to fork movement in Wisconsin is large and mighty tasty. The idea behind the farm to fork movement is to support local producers and farmers and promote green living. By using Wisconsin grown produce and naturally raised cattle, chefs prepare menu items that are ever changing with the bounty of the season.
Visit Field to Fork Café and Grocery in Sheboygan. Chef Stefano Viglietti is a self-taught chef who strives to work with local ingredients whenever possible, cultivating local relationships with artisan producers and in turn, becoming a steward of the earth. Field to Fork offers a large and delicious breakfast and lunch menu. Visitors can also purchase fair trade products, sample the in-house roasted coffee or select a drink from the raw juice bar (an easy way to get your daily two to four fruit servings). And get this, Field to Fork has a cheese cave built into the floor filled with Wisconsin artisan cheese and meat from locally raised naturally pastured animals.
7. Learn to be green from the pros
The term “going green” is given a whole new meaning at the Midwest Renewable Energy and Sustainable Fair in Custer. Held June 15-17, visitors can experience over 275 workshops, 200 exhibitors and view products that promote sustainable living. This year, the fair’s focus is on renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. Chefs from environmentally conscious restaurants around the state will demo cooking with organically grown foods (see farm-to-fork, No. 6). You’ll learn priceless information from experts in the sustainable field. Workshop topics range from learning how to raise honeybees or creating your own rain garden. For those in the Milwaukee and Madison area, catch a festival bus to Custer to avoid driving and save gas. Carpooling to an environmental fair – you can’t get any greener than that!
8. Bed and sustainable breakfast
When you stay at an eco-friendly bed and breakfast, you can sleep easier knowing that your innkeeper makes stewardship of the environment a priority in every aspect of their business. The B&B industry in the state has done more for the Travel Green Wisconsin movement than just about any other tourism sector, as evidenced by the number of inns that are certified – 37 in all.
The Wildflower Woodland Cottage in Bayfield has been a proud Travel Green Wisconsin certified business since 2009. With Brickyard Creek running through the property, water conservation is a strong component of their environmental ethic. While you’re in the area, take a kayaking adventure in the Apostle Islands. Rent from recently Travel Green Wisconsin certified Living Adventure Inc. in Bayfield. Then stop in for a bite to eat at Big Water Café & Coffee Roasters for an eco-delicious lunch.
9. The birds are calling
Birding is another “green” sport that requires nothing except binoculars and a love for the outdoors. Did you know there are 88 Important Bird Areas or IBAs in Wisconsin? The IBA program is administered by the National Audubon Society and for a site to qualify it must support an endangered or threatened species. Horicon Marsh is an IBA, and it’s also the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States. Now is the best time to visit the marsh, as April through the end of May is the peak of most spring migrating birds. Horicon Marsh Boat Tours help you take advantage of this season by offering environmentally friendly tours of the marsh.
Another cool bird spot is the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in Baraboo, a restored prairie and wetland covering 100 acres. The ICF is the only place in the world where you can see all 15 species of cranes, including the rarest of all, the whooping crane.
10. Looking for more info?
Now that we’ve got you hooked, you may want to read up on some more ways to travel green and live a greener lifestyle. Why not start with some of Wisconsin’s very own environmental scholars?
Aldo Leopold is considered the father of wildlife ecology, a philosopher, educator, writer and Wisconsin hero. He is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac, which is a classic for modern conservation science and policy. Plan a trip to the Travel Green Wisconsin certified Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, and you can see the national historic landmark, the Shack. This is a re-built chicken coop along the Wisconsin River where Aldo Leopold and his family stayed during weekend retreats. It’s also the site that inspired many of his essays.
For an Earth Day read, check out The Man from Clear Lake: Earth Day Founder Senator Gaylord Nelson, by Bill Christofferson. Christofferson, a former journalist and Wisconsin political consultant, details the history of Earth Day and how it was actually the brainchild of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin.
Two other titles that we consider must-reads: Green Travel Guide to Northern Wisconsin and Green Travel Guide to Southern Wisconsin, penned by Wisconsin’s own Pat Dillon and Lynne Diebel.
For more great Travel Green ideas, check out TravelWisconsin.com and the Travel Green Wisconsin home page. You can also choose to “Like” Wisconsin Tourism at Facebook.com/TravelWisconsin, follow along on Twitter at Twitter.com/TravelWI, and download the free Travel Wisconsin™ iPhone or Android app.
