Going home green

Folks are reconnecting with relatives or taking vacations during the holiday season—but, oh, what all that flying does to our carbon footprints!

We found a few ways to offset our upcoming travels plans just by making smarter travel choices.

Many ground-transportation companies have gotten the message that people want to drive green, even for short trips. Businesses such as Eco Limo in California and Washington DC and Green Cab in San Francisco, CA, offer alternative-fuel rides to and from the airport.

If you're staying within a small area, try renting a bike, or better yet, bring your own: Bike Friday makes portable bicycles that fold into a suitcase.

If your relatives aren't hosting you for the holidays, consider booking a green hotel in the area. Environmentally-minded accommodations are popping up in hot spots such as Santa Monica, California, which is home to the Ambrose, whose operations include non-toxic housekeeping methods and wind-powered guest rooms.

Look on Orbitz for more eco-friendly hotels in the state you'll be visiting.

And of course, while you may go as green as possible, there's no getting around that airplane ride when your family lives across the country. This is where the idea of carbon offsets —payback time—comes in.

CabonFund provides a way to relieve your guilt by calculating your carbon offset in a dollar amount and allowing you to donate to your choice of carbon-reducing projects such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, and reforestation projects.