New green adventures in Canada for Earth Day; Canadian Tourism Commission's Media Centre spotlights sustainable travel

VANCOUVER - Green travel has been steadily rising since the 90s, according to the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), growing at three?times the rate of conventional tourism since 2004, according to the International Ecotourism Society. And earth-friendly adventures in Canada are sprouting every day.

To celebrate Earth Day -- April 22, 2008 -- the CTC is spotlighting new sustainable Canadian travel adventures on the CTC Media Centre, www.canada.travel/media, a website designed to inspire media in CTC's nine key global markets to write their own stories about Canada.

Here's one excerpt:

Seaweed goes global. It's not just for sushi anymore. "You are looking at one great, big, wild, exotic garden," says Diane Bernard. Actually, she's talking about southern Vancouver Island's coastline. This is where the "Seaweed Lady" and Outer Coast Seaweeds (her company) pickers hand-harvest some of British Columbia's 500 varieties of edible seaweed. From her overflowing bucket, she offers up neon-green sea lettuce that is crisp, fresh, slightly salty. Egregia, an underwater brown-feather-boa of a plant, evokes hints of citrus and caviar. READ MORE at

http://www.corporate.canada.travel/en/ca/mediacentre/story_ideas/food/seaweed_ lady.html.