What's New

What's new in San Francisco is that the city has become obsessed with going green. Never a city to just follow environmental issues, San Francisco is aggressively spearheading America's movement to reduce greenhouse gasses by showing its citizens and corporations how even little changes can, in the long run, make a difference to the environment. And because tourism is the world's largest industry, even you can contribute to the environmentally conscious campaign by being a carbon-neutral vacationer. Here's how:

Plan Green

First, let's save you some other kind of green -- money. If you plan on seeing a lot of attractions in the city, you might want to purchase the new Go San Francisco Card, a sort of money-saving E-Ticket that gets you pre-paid entry to about 45 of the most popular attractions in the city, Bay Area, and Wine Country, including museums, walking tours, bike rentals, wine tastings, and sightseeing tours.

Another option is the San Francisco CityPass, which focuses more on the city-wide sights and costs slightly less. I suggest researching both via their websites to decide which is better for you. By the way, both the Go Card and CityPass offer unlimited public transportation -- including cable cars, Metro streetcars, and the entire bus system -- throughout the city, so you'll increase your carbon-neutral karma just by purchasing one.

Explore Green

In the previous edition there was a suggested itinerary that involved driving to and around the Wine Country -- not a very eco-friendly way to spend the day. So I've replaced it with my favorite thing to do in the entire Bay Area: ride a bike from Fisherman's Wharf to Tiburon (a small town just across the bay). It's a beautiful, exhilarating, and environmentally conscious way to spend the day. The route takes you over the Golden Gate Bridge, through the heart of Sausalito, and finally to Tiburon, where you can have a frosty beer and lunch at the best outdoor cafe in the Bay Area. And here's the best part: You don't have to bike back. After lunch, you and your bike can take the passenger ferry across the bay to Fisherman's Wharf -- right back to where you started.

Sleep Green

Yes, even the hotel you stay in can make a difference to the environment. For example, the city's new $25-million-dollar Orchard Garden Hotel is part of California's first generation of truly "green" hotels and the only hotel in the state built to the nationally accepted standards for green buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Just about every aspect of the vanguard accommodations is geared towards creating a healthy environment for guests and staff, from the eco-friendly construction materials to an in-room recycling system.

Numerous other hotels within the city are joining the green bandwagon as well, from using citrus-based cleaning products to installing low-flow toilets and fluorescent or LED lighting.

You can do your part as well by asking about a hotel's commitment to environmental preservation before you make a reservation, and by leaving a note for housekeeping stating that you don't need the towels or sheets changed daily (thereby saving water and energy).

Dine Green

Even what and where you eat can make a difference. Transportation accounts for 14% of the energy used for food in the U.S. (an estimated 100 billion gallons of oil per year). By eating at restaurants that obtain their ingredients within the Bay Area "food shed" -- the region within 100 miles of the city -- you can help cut down the amount of carbon dioxide produced by long-haul trucks, ships, trains, and planes.

You'll help save even more energy by patronizing sustainable restaurants that only purchase organically grown foods (processing foods and manufacturing fertilizers and pesticides consume significant amounts of energy).

I've added 23 more restaurants to this edition, almost all of which use locally harvested organic foods, steroid-free meats from Northern California ranchers, and fresh coastal seafood as often as possible -- much of it purchased by local chefs directly from our amazing Farmers' Market. Some of my favorite supporters include A16, Ame, Chez Panisse (of course), Delfina, Kokkari, The Slanted Door, and Zuni Café, but there are dozens more throughout the city.

By the way, bottled water is a huge waste of resources and energy -- it has to be processed, bottled, and transported from as far away as Asia and Europe. San Francisco's tap water comes from the Yosemite mountains. It's both safe to drink and clean tasting, so next time tell your waiter you want Hetch Hetchy Reservoir's finest.

Play Green

Who thought going green could be so much fun? A new tour run by the San Francisco Electric Tour Company lets you ride around on Segway Human Transporters, those weird-looking, upright, battery-powered scooters you've probably seen on TV. After a 40-minute lesson, you tool around Fisherman's Wharf on a fun and informative guided tour (way better than a stinky, polluting bus tour).

But wait, there's more. Be sure to check out the new talking GoCars. I see them all over town now -- the tiny yellow three-wheeled convertible vehicles that are cleverly guided by a talking GPS (Global Positioning System) and give a computer-guided tour of the city's highlights. As you drive, the talking car tells you where to turn and what landmarks you're passing. It's both fun and far more energy efficient than a car or tour bus.

In other news, the magnificent de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park is the city's new must-see site. The museum's collection includes American paintings, African arts, sculptural and decorative arts, and textiles, but it's the building itself that will amaze you -- a striking facade consisting of 950,000 pounds of textured and perforated copper and a 144-foot tower that slowly spirals toward the sky.

Over at Fisherman's Wharf is the gargantuan new Boudin at the Wharf, a 26,000-square-foot baking emporium that's nearly half a block long and houses not only their signature demonstration bakery (strangely mesmerizing) but also a museum, gourmet marketplace, cafe, espresso bar, and restaurant.

And since we're on the green theme, I can't help but mention my favorite museum: The Exploratorium. Scientific American magazine calls it "the best science museum in the world" and I couldn't agree more. Inside you'll find dozens of mind-blowing interactive exhibits, including ones that study how human activity affects the earth's climate (and how you can help make a difference). It's like a mad scientist's penny arcade, an educational fun house, and an experimental laboratory all rolled into one.

Give Back Green

Simple changes in the way you travel: That's all it takes to go from being just another tourist to becoming part of the growing community of proactive vacationers who find satisfaction in giving back to the environment as much as they're taking -- if not more.

And what better way to say thank you to the city than to plant a few trees before you leave? About 40 trees are planted every Saturday on the streets of San Francisco with the help of residents and volunteers. The planting finishes around noon with a potluck lunch hosted by the neighbors to thank volunteers for their time. Call Friends of the Urban Forest (tel. 415/561-6890; www.fuf.net) before you arrive to see how you can help make a difference.