Xavier Moraga, manager of the Hotel Gavarni, the first independent hotel winner of the European Ecolabel in Paris, has just bought another hotel : the Hotel Eiffel Trocadéro, formerly Les Jardins du Trocadéro. These two hotels opened the way to the responsible hotel trade in Paris. Xavier Moraga is very involved regarding ecology and his project is to make a hotel as green as it is possible to do, with solar panels on the roof, showers recycling water, an efficient system of lingerie, bio products for the breakfast…

These two hotels are ideally situated if you want to discover Paris. The hotel Gavarni is situated in a street adjacent to the shopping rue de Passy, which is very typical and lively. The Hotel Eiffel Trocadéro overhangs the Place du Trocadéro. Both are just steps from the Eiffel Tower (visible from your room), the Palais de Chaillot, the Cité de l’Architecture, the Musée d’art Moderne, the Palais de Tokyo, the Musée Guimet, and the Musée de la Mode Galliéra.
There are several taxi-ranks, metro and Velib’ stations near the hotel, and lovely strolls to do. The bateaux-mouches (riverboats) are near too! The surroundings are very romantic. These green hotels keep all the Parisian charm, and yet you will feel responsible thanks to them during your stay in Paris!

Because green attitude is not just a question of smooth talk and organic food, Greenky offers you a chance to follow through your convictions. With Greenky, you can be trendy as well as contribute to sustainable development. No chance to look tacky, because the brand offers a choice of very modern looks. What does it mean to be green friendly by wearing Greenky? It means keeping a very fashionable taste, and at the same time creating new looks. You can be respectful of the environment and discover new stylish brands. Greenky allows you to be a responsible consumer, because you refuse to support the use of cotton coming from destructive farming, the exploitation of poor population, submitted to exhausting tasks, or even the tortures inflicted to animals for leather or fur. You contribute to solidarity economy, respectful of men and nature, all this time wearing trendy, vintage and unique clothes.

Nopeg is a new green and ethical  shop just opened a few month ago is totally dedicated to beauty. On 3 levels in Montorgueil, Nopeg offers initiations into aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, and shows you how to use extracts of buds as therapy also, with only green and luxury brands such as Dr Hauschka, Câlinesse or Bio Mada (essential and vegetal oils and floral waters produced in Madagascar). Nopeg is not only a shop, it’s also a small institute with several treatment rooms and a hammam shower.

Open from Mondays to Saturdays, from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p. m.

Nopeg
69, rue d’Argout
75002 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.42.33.15.54

The City of Paris is more and more concern about ecology, particularly as regards of its heritage. The Tour Eiffel will have the first floor renovated in 2011. Solar panels will be placed on the roofs of shops and all along the promenade which encircles the monument. Additions that will remain discreet not to distort the so famous appearance of the Iron Lady.

Well advanced, this green project will reduce the consumption of the Eiffel Tower in energy. Just the flicker of 5min per hour, every day from dark to 1am, represents 1% of its consumption. “Given the sunshine in Paris it is the equivalent of consumption of a dozen of homes, heating off.” said Wael Elamine, head of the solar branch of the Union of renewable energy to be recovered with the new facilities.

The Sete (Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel) indicates that the power consumption of the tower is already “100% renewable” since 2006. In exchange for a higher price, the supplier is committed to producing its own energy equivalent.

Photo credit

Pleasure-boating really took off here in 1983, when the Paris Arsenal marina was set up on the Saint-Martin Canal.
In addition, with the increasing number of cycle paths in Paris, it is now possible to travel by bike between the Seine and the Ourcq canal by following the route of the Saint-Martin Canal from the Bastille.
This involves taking the Boulevard Henri IV, crossing the place de la Bastille, taking the boulevards Richard-Lenoir and Jules-Ferry, then cycling alongside the above-ground section of the Saint-Martin Canal along the Quai de Jemmapes and the Quai de Valmy.
From the Rotonde de la Villette, the route continues along the Quai de la Loire and the Quai de la Marne, from where you can ride directly onto the Canal de l’Ourcq cycle paths.

The first cycle paths, created on the Canal de l’Ourcq towpath in 1978, were a resounding success. A new phase of cycle routes are currently being laid out along the Canal de l’Ourcq, extending the existing route as far as the Jablines leisure park and along the Saint-Denis Canal towards the Stade de France.
These routes link up with Parisian cycle tracks, enabling the region’s inhabitants to explore a very special natural environment.