Places to Tread Lightly
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Indulge in ecological gastronomy at a restaurant which focuses on quality, seasonal food and locally-sourced ingredients. This means that everything, from the basil in your salad and the mozzarella in your starter to the sustainable wild salmon in your main course and the strawberries in your truly British pud, has been left to grow until it reaches its peak of ripeness or maturity. All waste, including food and any packaging, is recycled, so your leftover salad will become the compost which grows tomorrow’s tomatoes. It’s a tasty example of the healthy state of British cuisine.
(69 Swinton street, London WC1X; + 44 (0) 20 7812 1842 ; booking@acornhouserestaurant.co.uk ; www.acornhouserestaurant.co.uk).
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Terra Plana’s 99% recycled trainers help you travel in green style. Buy a pair of funky trainers or hot high heels at Terra Plana’s Covent Garden store and you’re likely to be stepping out in reused t-shirts, fireman’s trousers, coffee bags, car seat leather, jeans and rubber scraps from the factory floor. Put on a pair of these shoes and put your best foot forward. These shoes were definitely made for walking... And running, jumping, hopping, skipping etc.
(124 Bermondsey Street, London Bridge, London SE1; +44 (0) 207 407 3758; 64 Neal Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H; +44 (0) 207 379 5959; .www.terraplana.com).
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Once you’ve seen the Beefeaters at the Tower of London opposite, hop over Tower Bridge to City Hall. You’ll be able to see London’s stunning skyline and say hello to the Mayor of London in his iconic green HQ.
A sweeping spiral ramp takes you 10-storeys up, all the way to the top. By day its steel-and-glass skin shimmers in the sunlight, while by night its interior skeleton is lit up for all to see. The whole structure is built to consume 25% less energy than a regular office building, thanks to its scientifically-designed, sloping-sphere shape which conserves heat in winter and keeps things cool in summer. Bureaucracy has never been quite so beautiful or so clean.
(City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1; www.london.gov.uk/gla/city_hall).
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London may not be known for its glorious sunshine but it still receives enough to power the Solarshuttle, sailing you around Serpentine Lake with no CO2.
For a unique view of central London, forget dodging joggers and swap dry land for a peaceful potter on the water by hopping on this unusual craft. Whatever the weather, the Serpentine Solarshuttle generates all its energy from its solar-panelled roof to power itself around the lake in the heart of Hyde Park (and any excess electricity gets fed into the national grid). It’s a stylish and green way of getting around, just like Eurostar’s new carbon neutral journeys, which get you from Paris to London in a mere 2h15.
(The Boathouse, Serpentine road, Hyde Park, London W2 ; +44 (0)20 7262 1989 ; www.solarshuttle.co.uk).
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The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew may be a peaceful place to visit when London takes its toll, but its main purpose is conserving the planet in all its green glory. Inside Kew Garden’s Victorian Palm House are hundreds of tropical plants. You’ll find the world’s oldest pot plant, a cycad which arrived in 1775, happily growing older near the feather-like tamarind plant, the secret ingredient of Worcester sauce, one of England’s favourite condiments; it transforms cheese on toast into a gourmet dish (deserving of a Michelin star… almost).
(Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9; +44 (0) 20 8332 5655 ; info@kew.org ; www.kew.org).
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Welcome to the vertical veggie patch where 150 species of plant life grow sideways, encouraging biodiversity into the depths of the urban Parisian jungle.
37, quai Branly, portail Debilly 75007 Paris; +33 (0)1 56 61 70 00; www.quaibranly.fr
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Let’s face it, you need to be above ground to see Paris and the best of the city can be discovered on two wheels. With pedal-power you can leave the well-trodden trails behind and head off to explore the lesser known eateries beloved by locals, where steak tartare and onion soup taste truly authentic. And best of all, using one of the city’s 15,000 Vélib’ bikes is the perfect digestif after an extravagant dinner (just don’t have too much wine or you’ll be wobbling all the way home).
www.velib.paris.fr
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For the choicest address in town, head to Restaurant de Kas, where you’ll find a small but perfectly formed menu offering a taste of the day’s pickings fresh from the kitchen’s greenhouses and nearby farmland. Whatever is ripe and in season will make an appearance, so forget about asparagus in winter and pears in May, or pineapple anytime, this is about celebrating natural, local food cycles. It’s good to know that your dinner hasn’t travelled thousands of miles to reach your plate. In fact, in the case of the basil, tomatoes, fennel, chillies, strawberries and figs it’s approximately 120 centimetres.
(Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3, 1097 DE Amsterdam; +31 (0)2 04 62 45 62; info@restaurantdekas.nl; www.restaurantdekas.nl)
How to get there: For Amsterdam change at Brussels.
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Early morning is ideal for a canal trip. Float silently through the silver-plated waters, admiring the elegant facades of the ancient Dutch houses of the Jordaan district. With Sloepdelen’s electric boat-hire scheme you can pick up one of these sturdy sloops and glide through the city without releasing any CO2 emissions and leave the waterways just as you found them. Take a picnic or moor up along one of the waterside cafés for an alfresco breakfast and bring a whole new meaning to relaxing in Amsterdam.
There are two boat hire stations (Borneosteiger in Zeeburg) and Singelgracht (in Westerpark), Amsterdam; +31 (0)2 06 93 40 15; info@sloepdelen.nl; www.sloepdelen.nl
How to get there: For Amsterdam change at Brussels.
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A state of the art ‘sunport’ at the Oceanium at Rotterdam zoo means that the penguins are kept at a cool 10-12°C thanks to the power of the sun’s rays. A shimmering 4,438 solar panels cover the 4,000 m2 of roof space, and all the energy produced goes directly to keeping the King Penguins at a comfortable temperature and making sure that their 8-metre-deep pool is icy cold, perfect for a post fish-feast dip. Next on the agenda is a wind turbine to power the turtle house.
Rotterdam Zoo, Blijdorplaan 8, Rotterdam ; +31 (0)1 04 43 14 95; www.rotterdamzoo.nl
How to get there: For Rotterdam change at Brussels.
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Welcome to the water disco, where the average person’s water usage is revealed in glowing UV for all to see. And when you’ve learnt your lesson, head to their eco-café for an eco-feast.
Turnhoutsebaan 139, 2140 Borgerhout; +32 (0)32 17 08 11; ecohuis@stad.antwerpen.be; www.eha.be
How to get there: For Antwerp change at Brussels. Remember, you get 24 hours of free onward travel throughout Belgium with your Eurostar ticket.
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For a cleaner, greener travel option discover Lyon by bike. From bridges to backstreets, everything looks more enticing on two wheels. And when you get weary, peddle to a bouchon and refuel with the local delicacies.
This city has made 3,000 bikes available to anyone who wants to travel cleanly as they make their way from A to B. For a real work out make your way up the hill at Fourvière and visit the Roman ruins for a stunning birds-eye view of the buildings below. Then free wheel all the way down to your eatery of choice.
0800 08 35 68 (France only); www.velov.grandlyon.com
How to get there: For Lyon change at Lille.
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Everything, from the paint on the walls to the light bulbs in the chandeliers, the soap in your bathroom and the food on your plate is an example of eco-friendly luxury in France’s first Ecolabel hotel.
And to keep your environmental footprint low throughout your stay, hop on the hotel’s electric bikes and order another bottle of organic wine (best not to do both at the same time though).
12, avenue du docteur dupont, 86320 Lussac-Les-Châteaux; +33 (0)5 49 84 07 07; orangeries@wanadoo.fr; www.lesorangeries.fr
How to get there: For Poitiers change at Paris.
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Skiing may not seem like the most obvious of pursuits for your average eco-minded holidaymaker but really, what could be greener than simply standing on a pair of waxed planks and allowing gravity to do the work?
And now with this, the first ethical green chalet in the Alps, you can have peace of mind without scrimping on luxury. You’ll enjoy such benefits as FSC timber furniture, power supplied from wind and solar farms in the North of France, full composting and recycling of all waste, home grown and locally sourced food, and discounts for clients who travel on the snow train.
Chalet Montperron, Seez 73700, France; +44 2895 810 685; +33 479 08 42 06; www.green-rides.com
How to get there: For Lyon change at Lille.
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This page assured by Bureau Veritas April 2009. View our main assurance statement, including scope of work/limitations and findings.
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