SANDnature Archive - Page 3 of 6 - GREEN TRAVEL BLOG

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How Sustainable Can Budget Travel Really Be? A reality check

How Sustainable Can Budget Travel Really Be? A reality check

A week’s holiday for 500 euros, including flights, accommodation and all-inclusive meals. Sounds like a bargain . But can something like that really be sustainable? Or is someone (or something) else paying the price for it?

THESE THREE QUESTIONS TO ASK AT MORE SUSTAINABLY OPERATED HOTELS

THESE THREE QUESTIONS TO ASK AT MORE SUSTAINABLY OPERATED HOTELS

Asking questions can expand your knowledge and make you appear more knowledgeable, thoughtful, and interested. Good questions demonstrate that you’re thinking critically and recognizing connections rather than passively consuming information. Sometimes, they can even spark real change. So for your next trip, you might want…

More sustainable Travel in Germany – Destinations and Travel Tips (Green Travel Guide)

More sustainable Travel in Germany – Destinations and Travel Tips (Green Travel Guide)

A vacation in Germany? It’s seriously underrated. From the Wadden Sea to the Alps, you’ll find breathtaking nature, charming regions, and plenty of opportunities for sustainable travel. And the best part? You can easily reach many of these destinations by train.

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From throwing away to thinking forward: It’s time for a circular food system

From throwing away to thinking forward: It’s time for a circular food system

1.05 billion tons of food. According to the 2024 UNEP Food Waste Index Report, that is how much food was thrown away worldwide in 2022 alone. That equates to over a billion meals thrown away—every single day. Disturbingly, 60% of this food waste comes from…

Sleep well, naturally: Pillows in hotels with responsible materials and practices

Sleep well, naturally: Pillows in hotels with responsible materials and practices

The “pillow menu” is considered a sign of luxury in many hotels. However, while traditional hotels often use memory foam (a polyurethane-based chemical mixture) or other synthetic materials, eco-friendly hotels are consciously taking a different approach. Hotels in the Green Pearls® network opt for natural…

“A dish about one ingredient (onion) across all its lives, inside an ocean of umami.” – Aggeliki Charami

 

Handmade tortellini with an umami filling

Portrait Aggeliki Charami at Omnia Restaurant
Chef Aggeliki Charami ©Paradiso Pure.Living Vegan Hotel

Ageliki Charami, the executive chef at the Paradiso Pure.Living vegan hotel, LA VIMEA and the OMNIA plant-based restaurant, has a penchant for Asian and Japanese cooking techniques, as well as umami flavour. This vegan recipe, which she shared with us, is the most elaborate one on our blog so far and is perfect for special occasions. The noodle dough, which is coloured with a little turmeric, is the easiest part.

The onion-umami filling, on the other hand, requires a trip to a Japanese speciality store. The flavour of the caramelised onion is enhanced by kombu (seaweed), shiro miso (Japanese seasoning paste), umeboshi (fermented Japanese fruit) and rice wine.

 

Sustainability fact: seaweed is considered the vegetable of the future. It grows without the need for freshwater or fertiliser, and it absorbs huge amounts of CO₂. However, importing it from Japan undermines its environmental sustainability due to the long shipping distances involved. A more climate-friendly alternative is to source seaweed (kelp) from Europe, for example from France or the Baltic Sea.

 

But the dish is far from finished yet . As we work our way through the recipe, we’ll make our own rosemary oil (it’s easier than it sounds!) and prepare three different onion toppings for more experienced cooks, as well as a seaweed bisque and a lemon potato cream. We’ll then “dab” these onto the dish before serving.

By the way, this is what Aggeliki says about the recipe:

This recipe is really simple. I created it so that you can easily make it at home, without needing any special restaurant equipment or complicated techniques.”

Well then! Go for it and surprise your guests (or just your favorite person) with this special dish. We hope it turns out great, and enjoy your meal!

PS: If you would like to tell your guests about the creator of this dish when you serve it, take a look at the interview with Aggeliki Charmi here.