Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Aug 24

Make Your Eco Holidays More Eco Friendly By Setting Your House To Work

Rather than leaving your home empty while you go off on your eco holidays - make it work for you - and for the environment.  I mean what’s more of an eco waste than an empty house?

Now we have all heard of ‘house swaps’ - but that means that you have to take your holiday in just the one place - and agree on how long for with the other person - but there are a few more options open to you while you are away.

1) Special Events:
If you live near a well-known location or event - why not coincide your trip to allow you to let out your home for a great price!

It’s not just about the ‘really’ famous places these days either as there a local festivals and events popping up all over the place these days.  Especially if you have a property right in the action - or far from it!

Peak season in the Lake District or the South Coast could be a great time to go away yourself.  Your home would be looked after, secure and making you some funds for next years holiday while you are still enjoying this years!

2) Your Front Garden:
Even before you go away, you could be finding a person who needs a parking space right about where you are living!

Thousands of people drive into work every day looking for that elusive safe parking spot where they won’t get a ticket.  What better place than your front garden!

If you can find a ‘tenent’ for your gravel before you head off then there is always someone visiting and leaving your home everyday while you are away - for added security - and you aren’t wasting that patch of land either!

3) Your Back Garden:
If you are lucky enough to have something great in your garden - like a tennis court, pool or riverbank or whatever - then why not consider ‘renting’ it out while you aren’t there?

Of course you could rent it out while you are at home too - but while you are away those resources are going to be wasted.  So share them out - either free or for a small fee if you like!

People also need a place to camp in small villages or remote footpaths - so maybe a small donation for your unused garden wouldn’t be too much trouble for you - maybe give a share to a neighbour who checks up on things too.

Obviously make sure that everything is safe and secure before leaving and that you are covered on any necessary insurance or health and safety things to cover yourself - as you sometimes need to these days!

Otherwise - enjoy your holidays knowing that they are twice as eco friendly as everyone else’s!

posted by Catherine on Jun 23

Try something different for your Independence Day Celebrations - July 2010!

Add a little green to your red, white and blue this year to make sure that not only can your celebrations still be as great and grand as last year - but also considering your environment, your neighbors and your pocket too!

How?  Well, just a little bit of forward planning can make all the difference here, and I have put together a few suggestions to help you make the change.

Decorations:
There is always going to be a 4th of July right, so don’t worry about getting hold of specific celebration novelties and flags - as if you pay that little bit extra for the longer lasting things and store them well - they will last you for years, reducing the need for replacements every year.

However, if you can - why don’t you choose flags, garden ornaments and posters with a changeable theme or plain colors that you can mix up a little for different events.  For example, buying separate red, white and blue flags can be more eco friendly than buying loads of Stars & Stripes one’s - as you can’t really use the latter for your birthday party!  But mix in a few yellow or green similar flags and you have Easter parties, birthdays, and yard sales all covered!

Fireworks:
Well, we know we need fireworks - but why all just have a few in your yard throughout the day. Smaller packets cost more, use more resources and can be more dangerous and polluting with all the rubbish every household creates - well you don’t go and pick up all your spent fire crackers and rockets do you?

So why not plan ahead with your neighbors and sort out a few larger displays in one yard or on common ground. That way, you can club funds together and get more for your money - and all the waste is in the same place!

Also, only your family (2-6) people can enjoy your fireworks and only next door (another 2-6 people) can enjoy theirs!  It seems that a lot of fireworks are being let off without many people to see how fantastic they are!  It almost seems a waste of bright colors and bangs!

And don’t forget you can get eco friendly fireworks too now - so you can make the event twice as good for the environment!

Food:
Let’s not forget our bellies!  We all love a variety of great food during the celebrations!  Whether it’s traditional food - or we are trying something a little different this year.

Wouldn’t it be great if your got together with a few families or arranged a community feast instead?  Rather than every home buying 20 burgers and buns, chips and a few bottles of soda and beer (along with all the individual trips to the store and all the individual packaging for smaller product packs) - why not bulk buy 200 burgers and buns, wholesale chips and kegs of beer!

Get the whole lot delivered to one place with one journey and share the cost!  All chip in some time to sort things out and get tables set up - and again - all the rubbish and all the people in one place, making everything so much more cost and energy efficient!

Maybe you could even get a local farmer to supply a whole hog for a great hog roast - or a bull depending on the number of people you are inviting!  If yu are using the local municipal grounds - why not get in some bouncy castles and adult games too!

Isn’t the whole point of July 4th to celebrate America?  Not just to sit alone in your own back yard!

posted by Catherine on Jun 2

If I raise enough money for charity - will it off-set the cost of the flight to get there?

A friend of mine is going to be taking part in a Charity Trek across Patagonia later in the year - but it made me think of the eco side of things - not just the ethical part.

Don’t forget that ethical holidays are all about the people - so raising money for a humanitarian charity and supporting the local population as guides and hosts along the way fit’s the bill perfectly.

But what about the eco friendly side?  Flying a group of up to 70 charity trekkers and all their equipment across the globe to the very south of South America isn’t really carbon-friendly is it?

So, can we justify these as Eco Holidays or Eco Adventures at all? They are for charity - and they all have responsible travel codes of ethics - but the flight is a bit of a sore point.

The Eco Side: 
Well, they certainly offer the particient something to remember - and the experience of another culture and meeting like-minded people in their group.  And no doubt, a large percentage of these people will be taking a holiday anyway - so why not make it count?

Added to this, they will have worked hard to raise the money, sharing experiences with other people and opening other peoples eye’s up to the charity they are raising money for and for the culture and country that they are going to be visiting. 

It’s not like they are going to be a drain on the country either.  There is no chance of my friend just sitting around the pool, eating all inclusive burgers and ice cream!  They will be out taking advantage of the natural world and eating local food cooked by local people - maybe even learning the language too!

Not So Eco:
Firstly, think of a group of up to 70 people all turning up in the same place at the same time.  This is certainly something that is avoided on very ethical tours. And for good reason.

Another friend went to Machu Picchu a few years back with a group of 75 people, and a second group of charity trekkers overlapped them in the same hotel - so that’s over 100 people all blundering around Cuzco at the same time, wanting the same things at the same time! 

All those people booking on to the same plane, creating all that waste - and possibly bringing foreign products into the local stores, just through demand.  And could it create a market for child beggars and child salesmen - taking time off school to make money in the markets?

And - what are you raising the money for in the first place?  If it is for an eco charity like WWF -  should you be using all those resources on your journey - including a flight - to raise money to help reduce the effects of carbon in the atmosphere.  I mean flying to the other side of the world to raise money for a company that is spending their donations on trying to reduce carbon emissions couldn’t be more ironic.

But - I fancy a long horse riding ’holiday’ across the Mongolian plains, living in local homes and eating yak butter - and that would be a great eco holiday if I went there by train.  Now, wouldn’t it be a good idea to raise money for a charity at the same time rather than just save the whole experience all for myself?

What do you think?

posted by Catherine on Apr 30

There is so much ‘greenwash’ about these days - how can you be sure you are choosing the right one?

Just searching for ‘eco friendly beach resorts’ or eco friendly family vacations’ on the internet can bring you up websites and resorts that are clearly not eco holidays at all!  They have just made sure that they use the ‘right’ words to get to the top of the search engines.

And even some websites that talk about eco lodges and responsible tourism might not actually have any proof of the ‘green ethics’ of the location.  It may be as simple as that they have recycling bins, wash your sheets less and heat their water using solar power - which is no real struggle if they are based in the tropics anyway!

So, How Can You Tell?
Well, just as with other products available today including electrical appliances, safety gear and organic food - there are certification programs to prove a company’s eco credentials - and to check the properly based on non-flexible criteria.

Rather than somebody reading Eco Friendly Hotel A’s website and then saying - ‘Oh, it’s lovely.  They take all your recycling away, cook only local food and have planted only native plants’, these certification bodies will actually go there and analyse those actions.

For example, they may say they separate all the recycling - but where do they send it and how?  What if they send it all down to their local tip (which may be a ruined piece of forest) or they just burn it on a distant patch of wasteland?

Then the local food could be a problem.  Are they growing crops that are ‘water demanding’ in a dry climate just to please the guests?  Are they catching rare wildlife for the plate, or fishing unsustainably in a polluted or degraded river or lake?  What species are they hunting and are they safe to eat?

By checking for these certifications you will make sure you get the real story.

Why Check For Certification?
Just as with membership to any exclusive club or society, association or certification with a well known responsible tourism or ecotourism body will allow your business to stand out from the crowd.

So, if a company, business, hotel or manufacturer can prove beyond a doubt that their products are certifiably eco friendly (having been tested by experts) then they know that they are among the best eco holidays out there - and have the backing of certification.

This obviously helps you as a consumer to choose the best holiday company or hotel based on your beliefs or desires.  Rather than having to research every hotels website looking for eco friendly attributes - you could just look for the logo that represents what you are hoping to find from your holiday.

For example, 1 logo might mean that the hotel is ‘minimizing their impact on the local environment and protecting wildlife’ (Natures Best), whereas others might be looking at whether a hotel is trying to ’reduce waste, energy consumption, water and facilitate use of public transport (Green Tourism).

Some countries have their own eco labels, whereas other certifications are internationally recognised.

How Does Certification Help?
Well, apart from reducing your holiday search from ‘all the hotels in Argentina that use the word ‘eco holidays’ in their search engine ranking’ to ‘Eco Logo A registered eco hotels in Argentina’, it also means that you will not feel disappointed with your choice of trip upon arrival in terms of responsible or eco traits - but also that you know that you are spending your money on something that really is making a difference to the location and the people that you wish to visit on your trip.

And, if more and more people start to ask for, or search for, those resorts and eco lodges that have these certifications - then more companies will want to become certified to improve their own business.

And, if a company are claiming that they are eco friendly or are ‘one of the best eco lodges in so-and-so’, then why wouldn’t they want to prove that by getting certified?  If they are doing all these things anyway - why not prove it?

Don’t be embarrassed to ask what their eco credentials are before booking.  I mean if you were a vegan and saw a tasty cake for sale - wouldn’t you want to check that it was free from animal products before you ate it?

posted by Catherine on Apr 24

Should we visit somewhere degraded but in desperate need of tourist dollars - or leave it to recover?

I was talking with a friend about the need to show (financial) support for locations that are in danger of being destroyed by construction or farming, etc - and that the best way to show that an area is worth money as it is, would be to take a vacation there and spend money on local services.

But then I thought, if the location is very fragile or in an area that is highly volitile - would it be better to stay away and let it recover before demanding tours and accomodation to be found (or built)?

Add to this as well, the fact that if you choose not to visit one of your favourite destinations or to see an endangered animal - it might have been your last chance before it is lost forever.

What I Want:

I myself am torn between visiting certain locations around the world as I am worried that my trip there and intrusion in the area could actually be supporting the very things that are destroying it.  But if I don’t go, I will have missed my chance to see something truly wonderful. 

Whether it is to experience the march of thousands of penguins in the frozen landscapes of Antartica, to marvel at the giant tortoises and marine iguanas in the Galapagos or the chance to see thousands of bats at dusk flying from a cave in Borneo - the very act of my ‘eco’ trip could put stresses on the wildlife or habitat itself by changing their behaviour. 

It could also help sustain or even create a market for hoards of others to follow afterwards or even affect the culture of the people who have lived there for centuries.

However, my needs I suppose are only for my own pleasure, unlike the people and the wildlife involved.  Just because ‘I want’ to do something, should I do it - even if the trip is ‘eco friendly’ and ‘responsible’?

The Alternatives?

If I decide not to go myself - how else could I help?  Well, finding a charity or NGO which was working in the area would be a great start, then donating money or time to them will be of endless help.

Don’t forget you don’t need to offer them directly for that specific location or creature, as all their time and funds are intricately linked.  So offering your spare time to them in your local town will ultimately help them spend money to work in the area you are rooting for abroad!  I mean if they are able to spend less money in 1 country, they can spend more in another.

And by creating other demands at home you can affect change.  Examples include the more obvious ones like choosing not to buy certain products, or products made in certain countries, or by subscribing to eco magazines.  Investing in certain energy suppliers or financial companies is another powerful way of showing businesses where you want to spend money and where you don’t.

Even creating a demand for cuddly toys might change future plans for charities and larger companies.  How?  Well, if more and more people start buying toys and products linked to rainforests for example, then it will be picked up as a national trend and things will eventually happen.

Take for example, the current demand for eco friendly cars.  They wouldn’t be making them if nobody was buying them would they?  If people were not so interested in the environment these days - the cars just wouldn’t sell - and as result, they wouldn’t make any more. 

Imagine if in the 60’s before we knew what ‘climate change’ was, they started making hybrid cars that cost more than ‘normal’ cars - would you buy one?  Do you think there would have been a successful business in the 40’s selling carbon credits?  What if someone today set up a charity to help save seagulls or raccoons - would you donate money to them?

Everything you do today, has a huge effect for tomorrow - so don’t rush into anything to quickly.

posted by Catherine on Mar 7

Going on a riding holiday can throw up a few uncertainties for you.

Rather than just book anything and turn up with just your suitcase, you really need to consider a few important things before cantering off along the beach!

So the following 10 tips might answer a few of your questions:

1) The Horses:
Make sure that someone you can trust has either been there themselves or has seen or heard about the horses used.  You really don’t want to be funding an organisation that doesn’t care for their horses as you would care for your own.

2) The Human:
Make sure that you haven’t over estimated your ability and comfort zones!  Could you really sit on a horse for hour after hour crossing mountains or rivers?  Can you keep up with everyone else if they are going to be galloping up hills and around the edges of volcanoes?

It’s not just the horses that have to be fit for these adventures!

3) The Weather:
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to check the weather for your destination as people do better in certain environments - and getting wet isn’t any fun either.

Will you get sunburnt the higher you go up a mountain?  Will you get sand blown on your eyes if you are cantering across a desert?  Will it be raining or misty when you head through the cloud forest?  Make sure you are prepared for it all…..

4) The Facilities:
Depending on where you want to go riding, there will be different facilities - and you need to be happy with this - as rather than releasing in a nice hot bath after 6 hours racing through the wilderness - you might only get a warm shower and a night in a tent!

And, make sure the clothes and toiletries you pack take this into account to - and throw in some extra first aid supplies too!

5) The Agenda:
If you are going to spend your money on your perfect holiday, then make sure you only settle for what you want rather than something that looks ‘ok’.  For example, if you want to ride from one accommodation to the next every day rather than returning to the same place day after day, then don’t settle for something else because the rooms are nicer or the price is cheaper.

You might only get one holiday like this for a year or 2, so spend the extra and get what you want out of it.

6) The Room Mate:
Is your accommodation going to be for just you, with a friend or with a complete stranger.  Maybe it is is bunk beds shared with everyone!

Check these things out in advance - as for a small amount extra you could plan alternative arrangements before you arrive.  However, if you don’t realise this until you arrive - it could be too late to make changes.

7) The Food:
If you have dietary requirements that stray from the ‘I’ll eat anything’ rule, then make this clear when booking your trip.

Most companies can be flexible with food and make vegetarian options almost as standard, but never assume anything and make sure you check the alternatives or nearby restaurants you could use instead!

8) The Equipment:
It is always recommended that you take your own riding hat, as although these will be supplied by the riding centre, they may not be certified to your home countries high standards if you are riding abroad - but even riding at home could mean wearing a hat that isn’t quite the right size, but was the best fit at the time!

Your own riding clothes and gloves are essential for your own comfort, but crops, reins and spurs may or may not be accepted.

9) The Insurance:
It might be worth checking out the riding centres insurance policies with regards to any injuries to the horse.  If you are riding a horse when it becomes injured, are you free from all costs - or should your insurance cover this? 

Have you even checked that your holiday insurance covers horse riding without exclusions?

10) The End Result:

 Make sure that this is really what you want to spend your money on!  There will be a lot of things to consider on a vacation like this, so make sure that you want to even start with a long trip, especially if a) you have never used this company before, and b) if this is the longest horseback trip you have been on in a while!

Use your holiday time and money wisely, and you can make even a great holiday even greater!

posted by Catherine on Feb 13

Eating out when abroad needs a little extra caution than when eating at home!

You can’t always trust other peoples cooking and levels of hygiene especially when you are in a different country - as they have different levels of acceptable practices.

Even if you find a restaurant that seems clean out front and has other customers in there you can still act with caution on certain foods as they are more likely to cause your tummy a problem!

Ask For It Rare!
If you are ordering steak that is ‘well done’ how do you know that it wasn’t an old steak that had already been cooked some other time, and by overcooking it for you, you will never know!

Monday Munchies!
The first day of the week will normally mean that ‘fresh’ ingredients like fish will not be that fresh as there are not usually deliveries over the weekend.

And most of the popular ingredients and wines will have sold out over the busy weekend so may not be available on the Monday leaving you to eat what wasn’t so popular!

The Food Of Love?
Ordering oysters may be romantic or ‘exotic’ but the bacterial gut infection you are likely to get from eating them is neither!  People who have to deal with the result of their consumption never do!

I Don’t Like It!
Never send something back to the chef just because you don’t like it.  If the chef has made a safe and hygienic meal for you and you personally think it is too spicy or whatever - you can’t expect him to accept responsibility for it.

And asking him to cook it for you again or if you order another dish, he may not be too pleased to serve you up his best - and the waiters will get the brunt of his comments about you!

Wash Your Hands!
If you are in a pretty decent restaurant, but the toilets are disgusting - think about what hygiene they expect in their kitchens!

Some smaller cafes and out-of-the-way places don’t even have toilets - so just look at the people going in and out of the kitchen and think if you would like them to touch your food and plates!

And The Sauce?
It is well known that sauces and gravies can be used to cover up the appearance of foods, so do be careful when ordering creamy or stew-like dishes.

And the Hollandaise sauce and others that need refrigerating back home could really let you down abroad.  And many sauces are not made to order so have been stored somewhere and in something.  Can you be sure of the hygiene of either?

Bon appetit!

posted by Catherine on Feb 7

Last time you went on holiday - did you inadvertently encourage animal ‘tourist attractions’?

Sometimes it’s a fine line between having the opportunity of seeing a rare or unusual animal and having that animal abused or used in some way that isn’t natural or has caused the death or injury of others of the same kind.

You probably think that it is easy to tell the difference - but not always.

Take for example the dolphins used in ‘friendly dolphin events’ across Mexico and many other countries.  Yes, they are in a nice beach-side enclosure, seem ‘happy’ enough to swim around you and are fed by the keepers - but were they wild caught?  And separated from their family pod?

What about ‘pets’ in hotels and lodges around the world?  Yes we have parrots and lizards as pets back home, but were theirs taken from the wild at the cost of the parents - or the habitat itself!

The Obvious Ones:
However, sometimes it’s all too obvious that an animal is suffering.

A monkey chained to a tree, a bear made to dance or small donkeys made to carry tourists around a historic site!

These are the ones that need to be dealt with - but the frightening part is that these cruel acts are only to be found because they are making someone a lot of money.  And that means that there are tourists across the globe that are paying local people to show them or photograph them with (maltreated) exotic animals.

Think about it - if a local man traps a young bear and spends months training it to dance to music but no-one gave him a single penny for his troubles - I doubt if he would bother to do it again.

And if every tourist visiting that historic site told the man with the donkey that they would not pay to ride one of his donkeys as they could only really carry the weight of a child - do you think he is going to keep buying more donkeys and standing around in the street for days on end for nothing!

What Can You Do:
There are plenty of organisations out there who are striving to protect these animals and to try to stop their abuse and you could help them to achieve their goals.

The International Primate Protection League would like to help stop abuse of monkeys and apes with their campaigning and the rescue of mistreated animals.  They can send you a small form that you can complete if you ever see monkeys or apes being abused, containing details on location, time, date and possibly with photographic evidence to help them identify the species and the abuse.

You can of course just donate to their efforts without ever seeing an abused animal - and your donation will help make sure that you never do!

Donkeys have got someone fighting their side too with The Brooke amongst others, that are trying to make sure that donkeys, asses and mules used to help people make a living are kept in god health and looked after.

Because equines help to earn a living for their owner - they are sometimes put though a hard time or made to work through injuries just to earn more money.  So, to make sure that these animals are still helping their owners without getting hurt or abused, charities like the Brooke give advice and support to their owners to help them make better use of their resources (and less stress for the donkey!).

It’s not just these species that are used, I have seen baby anteaters, baby elephants, tiger cubs and even sloths that have been waved infront of tourists to try to make some money.

Have you paid to see one of them?

posted by Catherine on Feb 1

Use the MOT test requirements to check your car’s road worthiness for your vacation!

The annual MOT car test for cars covers a whole list of things to check that make your car safe to be on the road. So you can use this before heading off on a long journey like a vacation to make sure that you and your family will be safe.

Obviously, there are parts of the MOT that are not something you can check - like you cars emissions - but that isn’t a safety feature anyway…….

So here is a quick checklist of things to do or look out for on your car before heading away from home (and away from car mechanics, garages and motor stores!):

Seat Belts:
Make sure that all seat belts fit securely into their holders even if you are not planning to use them - as you may need them at some point! Make sure that when sharply pulled they jam up as they should. And all seats should be able to be secured in the upright condition to allow the seat belts to work properly.

Mirrors:
All the mirrors in your car are clean and not cracked. It is not illegal in the UK to drive with a damaged or missing passenger mirror, but obviously inhibits your ability to drive as normal, and could cause you to look behind you when driving to check for other cars.

Boot & Bonnet:
Both of these need to be able to close securely as do all the doors on the vehicle - which also need to open freely as well for exiting the vehicle safely.

Lights:
Check that all your lights are working either with a friend watching in the evening, or by reversing close to a window or mirror in the dark to see that everything is in order. If someone can’t see you are braking or want to turn left or right, they could come right into the back of you!

Windscreen:
Obviously there needs to be nothing on this that restricts your view forward and the windscreen wipers need to clean the entire windscreen and the washer fluid must exit freely. Obviously, a large crack in the windscreen on the drivers side is very dangerous - and that a small crack left untreated could cause the entire pane to crack at any time!

Tyres & Steering:
Your tyres have a minimum tread allowed before they are illegal and too little tread will mean that they will not grip the road safely, especially in difficult weather. So make sure that they are fully inflated as per your guide book and that they have ample tread depth.

If tyres are not properly inflated they will make steering a little bit harder and will also damage the tyre itself and the frame itself. Steering can also be a problem if there is too much ‘pull’ to one side or the other when driving at speed, so make sure this is all checked before you head off on the motorways.

Brakes:
It goes without saying that your brakes need to be responsive to touch otherwise your vacation could be cut very short indeed - so judge for yourself if they could do with being checked before you head off - as a car loaded up with people and belongings can take a lot longer to stop at speed than and empty one!

And finally…..

Recovery Services:
Ideally before you set out on a long journey or if you drive regularly, you should make sure that you a a member of a roadside and recovery company. That way if anything you can’t check for above goes wrong - someone will be at hand to help fix it or to take you to a garage that can!

posted by Catherine on Jan 11

Have you decided that this year is going to be the year that you make some changes to your eco life?

I mean, it can be hard to start something new when everyone else is talking about presents, eating and drinking all your favourite things and not working!

Well, now it’s all over, it’s a great time to think back over what we did last year and put together some great ideas for your new year ahead.

It doesn’t matter if you make a great list with loads of stuff on it - even some quite outrageous claims can be on it - as long as it inspires you to try something new and to get out there and challenge yourself to do things you may not ordinarily do.

Things that require a little extra effort from the norm - and aren’t across the other side of the world. 

Why can’t you spend an extra few hours a week training for a charity walk? Are you really to busy to put aside a few hours a week for teaching a skill to others at your local college, or a few hours a week volunteering for a local charity?

Just like saving money - if you plan far enough ahead, then you can find the time to do anything you want, and on my list this year there is a little bit of everything. 

Even I know that a year has only got 365 days in it - so there is a limit in that sense - but most people forget to use all the time off they have.  There is also a frightening number of people who don’t claim their full holiday entitlement from work!  Why would you want to be there any longer than you had to when there are so many other things you could put your hand to.

Any Ideas?

How about some of the following to get you started:

Little Effort:
1) Join a local charity that does work or has a centre near you, like a wildlife sanctuary or children’s hospital.  Maybe you could plan to visit every other month and learn about what they do.

2) Join a national charity that interests you, like the National Trust or the RSPB.  Take part in some of their surveys or activities, and maybe volunteer at a site close to home.

3) Subscribe to a new specialist magazine about something you have always liked but never excelled at, like digital photography or outdoor adventures - maybe find some courses that you could attend to get that ‘hands on’ experience too.

Medium Effort:
1) Put yourself out for others and get involved in more community activities.  Find out when the local wildlife groups are going to clear rubbish or scrub from a woodland or beach near you and join in.  Find clubs that help the elderly or disabled which need volunteers for coffee mornings or the like, or set one up if you are feeling brave!

2) Re-home a pet this year.  Why not see if you could help the numerous animals that are abandoned each year by taking one (or more) into your home.  And it doesn’t always need to be a dog - I once took in something as small as a hamster from a shelter and gave him a great home!

3) Teach your family (and yourself) something new this year by taking a short course.  Whether it’s a new language, a new skill like cooking or woodwork, taking on an allotment (or your own back yard) to grow veg, learning to identify wildlife, or many of the other courses that are always available at your local colleges and schools.

Huge Effort: (but worth it!)
1) Sign up to a charity trek somewhere challenging like crossing the Sahara or climbing in the Himalayas - and raise money to make a real difference to something you care about.  You can choose your charity - but you will need to work out how to raise the several thousand pound you will need to partake - and put some effort in to getting fit enough to complete it.  They are very rewarding though!

2) Start changing your home into a more energy efficient and green home by finally researching your eco friendly options for all things new.  Starting with your energy suppliers which you can switch to green without too much fuss, and working through your supermarket choices, cars and travel options, cleaning products, electronic products, home furniture and even clothing to replace the old with the new.  Now I’m not suggesting change things for the sake of change - I’m just suggesting that when something needs replacing - look for the greener alternative.

3) Change your job to one that is more satisfying!  Big old heave-ho here - but why spend day after day in a job just for the money when you are so miserable every day that you never feel like doing anything outside of work!  There are many jobs with eco friendly companies, charities, green energy and overseas that could really turn your life around.

Any of those take your fancy?