Best Green Company in Puerto Vallarta: CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa: From implementing a new water heating system that reduces smoke pollution by 503 tons of carbon emission per year to ensuring an annual average of 61,000 sea turtle hatchlings’ safe return to the ocean, there never seems to be a quiet moment for the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa when it comes to environmental issues.

Ten Green Things to Do in Your Puerto Vallarta Home: It’s easy to make your home more environmentally friendly and save money, too! Here are a few easy ideas.

Best Vision of What a Town Can Be: Corral del Risco: Sometimes it’s challenging to envision the possibilities in life when you’ve only seen things one way.

Best Non-Profit Idea: Cookbook: While attending Los Amigos de La Peñita’s annual Fundraising Fiesta in La Peñita de Jaltemba this past February, we couldn’t help but notice their recently published community cookbook

Best Time to Catch Up With Friends: Restaurant Week: Not only is Restaurant Week a great way to experience new restaurants and revisit some of your favorites, this festival has become a popular group activity.

Best New Park: Recicla Parque, Corral del Risco: Hot on the heels of the magnificent Recicla Parque in San Pancho, entreAmigos, spearheaded by Nicole Swedlow, teamed with Molly Fischer of PEACE and about 200 volunteers to build a fabulous playground in just one day, using recycled materials, at the Corral del Risco Kindergarten.

Best New Food Event: Wine and Chocolate Tasting at the Botanical Gardens: Charming Xocodiva chocolatiers Charlotte Semple and Carole Fast joined forces with wine connoisseur Nina Goodhope to create a unique, original event.

Most Proactive Approach: Punta de Mita Foundation: The Punta de Mita Foundation was created by a group of visionary residents concerned about the future of their community.

Best Letter to Find in your Mailbox: EntreAmigos Gets a New Home: After years of lobbying, San Pancho’s non-profit community development organization entreAmigos finally received “the” letter from Alonso Villaseñor, secretary of economic development for the state of Nayarit, effectively allowing them to move to an unoccupied warehouse at the entrance to town.

Most Original Fundraising Party: Make-A-Wish Las Vegas Fantasy Event: Last December, after a sumptuous three-course dinner at Oscar’s Bar and Grill, the Make-A-Wish Casino opened.

Most Original Fundraising Method: Christmas CD by Casa Infantil Mojoneras: Finding new and exciting ways to raise funds has become a challenge for charitable organizations in Puerto Vallarta. Casa Infantil Mojoneras found success through the Maranatha boys choir, who launched their second CD last November, “Christmas ... Contigo 2008,” under the direction of Carlos Santana.

Finally, an International Convention Center: Tourism in Puerto Vallarta has expanded its horizons with the arrival of the International Convention Center, which will benefit the entire region including Bahía de Banderas.

Businesses That Donate Food to Local Children’s Charities: Support can come in many forms, but if you’re a hungry child the source doesn’t matter.

Kerri Rivera: Like a kite, Kerri Rivera rose against the wind rather than with it when, after a frustrating slew of hits and misses, her youngest son, Patrick, was diagnosed with autism six years ago.

Best Ways to Take Puerto Vallarta With You (For Free!): If you are reading this, chances are Vallarta Lifestyles is among your favorite sources of information when it comes to Puerto Vallarta and its surroundings.

Worst of Vallarta: Misrepresentation by International Media: It seems that no matter where you turn these days, the media is painting all of Mexico with the same brush, issuing travel advisories and portraying the entire country as a war zone plague by drug-related violence.

Best New Trends for Sports Fanatics: More Sports-Viewing Options: Whether you’re a fan of NHL, NBA, NFL or a soccer fan who wants to join the locals to cheer on the Guadalajara-based Chivas soccer team, it seems that more and more venues are providing quality big-screen TV and the requisite beverages and snacks to keep even the most enthusiastic sports aficionado satisfied.

Best New Trend For Food Enthusiasts: Micro Cooking Schools: Vallarta is known around the globe for fine cuisine, world-class restaurants and festivals such as the annual Vallarta Lifestyles’ Restaurant Week in May and Gourmet Festival in November.

Art Walk and Restaurant Week: A Marriage of Affordable Indulgence: As the 2008/2009 Puerto Vallarta Old Town Art Walk season winds down, the Vallarta Lifestyles Restaurant Week 2009 will be going strong, creating the perfect opportunity to indulge in fine art and delicious food while strolling the streets of El Centro.

Sylvie Laitre: This native of Quebec, Canada, planned to learn Spanish to complement her French and English before beginning post-graduate studies. Laitre is currently the director of the extremely successful Mexico Boutique Hotels. Over the past seven years, she has increased this collection of premium properties from 28 to the current 47.