Hey VIA Préférence members! Get closer to earning free train travel by shopping online at the VIA Préférence eBoutique. You’ll get one VIA Préférence point for each dollar spent, thus bringing you ever nearer to a free train trip with VIA — or maybe even the SNCF in France.

• Shop from over 85 quality online retaillers including Sears, the Apple Store and Avon.
• Double and even DOUBLE DOUBLE points offers from featured partners like Sony and Chapters.indigo.ca.

And the holiday season is just around the corner!

Start browsing the VIA Préférence eBoutique today!

Every spring, some 500,000 snow geese, Canada geese and ducks make a stopover in Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec on their migratory journey. Accordingly, every spring, I like to visit the Centre-du-Quebec region and show the birds my support!

Located just 140 kilometres northeast of Montreal, south of the mighty St. Lawrence, Baie-du-Febvre and the wetlands of St-Pierre Lake provide a natural haven for these magnificent birds as they travel from their winter homes in the Eastern United States. In fact, St-Pierre Lake has been named a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

When the birds take flight, it’s a mad cacaphony of sound and light that you’ll never forget.

For more details – and to watch videos! – visit a special Web page on the Bonjour Quebec site.

It gives me goosebumps just to think about it… Every April 22, some 1 billion people in over 170 countries celebrate Earth Day with activities and projects that address local environmental issues. That includes some 6 million Canadians!

Always a firm believer that we can change the world together, VIA Rail is proud to be supporting this worthy cause and is even offering travellers a limited-time 50% discount on Comfort class tickets* to help more Canadians discover a greener way to travel.

Earth Day is a powerful catalyst for change that has been transforming lives for almost 40 years. So get your 50% e-coupon now and then become your own catalyst for change by finding an Earth Day activity near you!

The coupon is only available until April 26 – so don’t drag your feet!

*Some conditions apply.

If you’ve never heard of Earth Hour, allow me to educate you

The concept is simple – if you want to express your vote for positive climate change, then turn off your lights on Satuday, March 28 between 8:30-9:30 p.m. It may not seem like much, but if this initiative reaches its goal of 1 billion “votes”, it will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

A mere two years old, Earth Hour began in Sydney when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In the following year, the movement spread to 50 million people worldwide. This is a global call for every individual, every business, and every community to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support during Earth Hour 2009.

So won’t you “vote” tomorrow? Visit the official website for more about what you can do.

Thanks Sonya! Your comment steered me to a new must-read blog: TravelingTheGreenWay.

Billed as “Earth friendly ideas for your travel”, Sonya scours the web for daily green travel news, green travel destinations around the globe, green gear that makes trips a cinch, and plenty of nods to fellow green travel bloggers and resources.

My personal favourite ? Green Places Canada, of course! A prediction that classis trips are THE travel trend for 2009 also caught my eye, give VIA’s amazine 50% off deal on cross-Canada adventures.

I know Sonia will definitely help me plan my next vacation!

Brought to you by: http://flickr.com/photos/krisdecurtis/

A friend recently told me about Earth911, a website dedicated to helping us earthlings make every day a little bit greener. In addition to useful recycling tips for everything from household cleaners to metal, from eyeglasses to motor oil, the site also features a slew of interesting articles for the holiday season.

What? You didn’t notice that it was December already? Catch up with these quick links:

• 5 tips to make your Xmas tree eco-friendly
• Holiday greetings made easy
• 2008 *green* gift guide

I’m a huge fan of the Green Passport Campaign, a global initiative by the United Nations Environment Programme that highlights the importance of becoming a more environmentally-conscious traveller. This includes:

• Selecting the most ecologically-friendly means of transportation (remember, a bike is often a great way to get around your destination city)
• Visiting places where workers are adequately compensated
• Staying in energy-efficient accomodations (inquire about recycling and energy-conservation policies)
• Ensuring souvenirs or other products you buy do not endanger any wildlife
• Keeping water and forest areas clean

It’s no secret that train travel reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and although it may not be as fast as a jetliner, the advantages of riding the rails make the journey that much more rewarding. Yes, hopping aboard a train is making a statement for sustainable travel, but it also lets you see landscapes that you’d miss from the air.

A vacation should be a relaxing, pleasurable event, but it’s crucial to do some research on your destination and ask yourself some important environmental questions, like:

• What’s the best way to get there?
• What is the ecological environment like?
• Who can best address my environmental concerns?

Once your prep work is done, you’ll be ready for the most environmentally-friendly trip of your life (complete with Green Passport in hand!)

Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/iwona_kellie/833524579/ for more!

Just because gas prices have dropped, that doesn’t mean we should start using our cars again! As the FLICK OFF rally reminded us, climate change is a very real threat and sustaining a healthy environment is crucial for future.

So what are you waiting for? Park those cars for the winter and take the train instead. Consider the following statistics:

Brought to you by nightthree www.flickr.com/photos/nightthree/

According to Environment Canada, transportation accounts for approximately 30% of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions of which 50% are produced by private passenger vehicles. Passenger trains contribute a comparatively small amount, totalling only 0.03% of Canadian GHG emissions. Train travel reduces traffic congestion in large urban centres and, therefore, reduces GHG emissions. On short and medium distances the harmful emissions are approximately half of the amount generated by vehicles and about 40% of the amount generated by air transport.

Also, did you know?

• Cars are less fuel efficient in winter thanks to increased use of heating systems and idling.

• Winter road conditions increase the number of automobile collisions.

Come on Canadians – let’s keep each other inspired in the battle against climate change!

Add more reasons for taking the train this winter by leaving me a comment.

This was by far my best trip to Ottawa! Why? Because I was on board the FLICK OFF Express along with scientists, musicians, students and of course, David Suzuki! And we all took part in a lively, fascinating discussion on various environmental issues. What more could you ask for?

We all agreed that FLICK OFF’s environmental message was relevant to all of us. Like many of you, I wouldn’t, for example, tie myself to a tree to protest against deforestation. But the following three valuable tips that we learned on this trip are things that we can implement in our daily lives quite easily. And that could make all the difference:

• FLICK OFF - It’s pretty clear: turning off your computer, TV, lights and properly closing your faucets reduces energy which, in turn, reduces greenhouse gases.
• Buy locally - Really, the only difference between an apple from California and one from Quebec is the distance needed to travel to get it to your grocery store. Less travel, less greenhouse gases. Magic? No, just common sense.
• Take the train! - It’s been proven, written about, and it’s remarkable: Only 0,03% of the total greenhouse gases are produced by rail transportation. Much less than planes and cars!

Once we arrived in Ottawa, we were greeted by a warm sunshine and beautiful autumn colors. I spent the day meeting students from the University of Ottawa campus and, of course, taking plenty of pictures!

It was an inspiring atmosphere that I’d like to share with you in pictures. Enjoy!

How lucky am I? I’ve just returned from the most exciting train ride of my life – filled with inspirational characters and a positive, life-changing message.

FLICK OFF EXPRESS: TRAVELLING FOR A CAUSE

No sooner did I have my first cup of coffee in hand did I come face to face with a giddy group of passengers aboard the FLICK OFF Express. Everyone from RBC contest winners to students, from scientists to musicians were ready to raise awareness about climate change and motivate our leaders to invest in our environmental future.

THE TRAIN RIDE OF A LIFETIME

One of the first people I ran into was José Etcheverry, who kindly offered me his elbow (his hands busy holding a coffee and muffin). José, who left Chile in the late-90’s and has been living in Canada ever since, is a member of the York University environmental faculty and an analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation.

Our very important discussion about the benefits of train travel was pleasantly interrupted by the sounds of Airick Woodhead (of Spiral Beach) and Gill Deacon showing off the FLICK OFF theme they composed that samples Queen’s “We Will Rock You” (singing, “We will, we will flick off!”).

I didn’t know where to point my camera first!

(PSST! To see the full photo set, visit my Flickr account!)

MEETING MY HERO

But the highpoint was definitely when David Suzuki, the legend himself, got on board. Students had plenty of questions for him, and he answered them all with both passion and conviction. We were so caught up in his words, we barely noticed when the FLICK OFF Express arrived on campus.

Surrounded by beautiful autumn colors, the campus was swarming with both curious on-lookers and students. It was an awe-inspiring sight and even though there’s nothing like being there yourself, I did my best to bottle this moment and share with all of you.

Stay tuned later this week for another posting about the Ottawa rally.

Until then, don’t forget to “flick off” your computer and save energy!