Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Dec 8

Responsible Travel in association with Virgin Holidays have announced the winners for 2009!

As always, r:travel magazine is being distributed to everyone to let us know which travel companies are exceeding the standards for eco holidays, eco tours and responsible tourism.  Helping you choose a better holiday - and making sure that those companies that make a difference are recognised!

Here is a sneak peak at some of the winners - or go to their own website for more details:

Best In A Marine Environment: Whale Watch Kaikoura - New Zealand:
Offering some of the best whale watching tours - totally staff and owned by the native Maori population.  Not only have they grown this company from nothing for themselves, but the tours are all low impact, and the money has allowed them to purchase some of their ancestral land!

Best Low Carbon Transport And Technology - Alcatraz Cruises - USA:
This small company are really striving to make their tour boats as eco friendly as they can, investing in new technology to reduce nitrogen and carbon emissions - and they have created the worlds first hybrid ferry boat which uses solar energy for power!

Best Volunteering Organisation - People And Places - UK:
Rather than a large scale operation for everyone to choose where they want to go for their volunteering, this smaller company match up your skills to where they are most needed and will be most useful. 

This ensures that your time is well spent doing things that you enjoy and are good at - and you get the results for the community that they desperately need as you are a perfect match!

Best Destination - Cape Town - South Africa:
This destination has been chosen as the best overall location for eco friendly travel and tourism.  Building up for the 2010 World Cup has seen many companies and organisations here investing in huge eco improvements and schemes with support from the Cape Town Responsible Tourism Policy & Action Plan.  Making sure that important eco policies are adopted from the start of projects through to the end.

Hope it helps you choose your next eco holiday!

posted by Catherine on Dec 4

If you have ever wanted to become an eco travel writer and broadcaster - here is your chance!

Every year, the Royal Geographic Society (RGS) offer someone the chance to win the Journey of a Lifetime award, to go travel to and write about a pressing and inspiring story from around the world.

The Award:
The RGS offer a prize of UK£4000 to someone who want to communicate their story - their passion - to the world.  Someone who wants to investigate a location or an event that they feel needs to be brought to a wider audience.

Whether it is about a local village close to your home or on the other side of the world, a small family-run enterprise or a global event, whether it affects a few people in one place or thousands across a continent - it doesn’t matter.

Its your version of ‘their’ story - and they help you make the most of your time too - they offer you radio and broadcasting training from the BBC so that you can best create and record your journey - even recording it for a Radio 4 documentary.

And of course the winner will feature in their own magazine Geographical - with last years winners article in the December 2009 edition.

The Details:
You only need visit the RGS website to read the guidelines for applicants - and you can also learn about previous winners stories and watch their video diaries.

Basically, you need to let them know the outline for your independent journey - and why it needs to be you that tells the story!  And you need to pick somewhere to go that is different to the norm - and some aspect of that journey that makes you unique and your story unforgettable.

You need to be at least 18 years old - and it could be you alone or you as part of a small group of travellers - but it must be something you alone are doing - it can’t be part of a tourist trail or charity event organised by others.

The guidelines make it almost look too easy to apply - there is virtually no previous experience needed to apply, and the first stage is just to send them a brief overview of what you are thinking of covering.  There are interviews later down the line and the 2 finalists play it head to head for the winner - but that is a long way off.

Just put pen to paper now - and it gives you virtually a whole year to think about the final details - the closing date isn’t until September 2010!

If you are enthusiatic about something - this could be the best way to explore it and share it with the world!

Certainly something to think about.

posted by Catherine on Nov 28

I can’t tell you how much it will improve your experience and enjoyment of your vacation!

I was always one to accept what I saw with the naked eye, and to enjoy just that.  I could identify the basic species where I lived and would hazard a ‘best guess’ at the others.  Until I borrowed my friends binoculars!  They were only 8×25, and nothing too fancy or expensive - but what an amazing difference they made!

The ‘muntjac deer’ I saw at the woods edge was actually a hare!  And another muntjac was actually a ginger dog!  What have I been doing these past few years?

I mean, the habitat was right for the munjac as I had seen then hopping away - which a lost dog simply wouldn’t - but I had assumed what I saw was actually what I thought.

Now with the binoculars, I have become a new wildlife enthusiast.  I want to see the different colour beaks of the 2 similar birds in the tree, I want to know if it is a house sparrow or tree sparrow by looking at the cheek patches - I want to know!

A Changed Person:
Also, as I see a closer image of the wildlife - I am learning the things to look out for when trying to tell similar species apart - for example the white wing colourings on the back of the great spotted woodpecker is a downward band, whereas on the lesser spotted woodpecker they are horizontal.

And you can tell the sexes apart too - for example the female common kingfisher has an orangey bottom mandible whereas the males is all black.

I always get well versed in a guidebook, so I can learn what key features to look out for when using the binoculars - there is nothing worse than getting a good look at a key feature of a creature - like a stripe on the face - and you get back to the guidebook and it says ‘did it have a dark or a light spot next to the stripe?’  Too late - it’s gone.

A Perfect Team:
Binoculars, guidebook and planning.  The perfect team for increasing your wildlife enjoyment 100-fold!

posted by Catherine on Nov 10

Going into caves that support beautiful wildlife could actually be destroying it!

We all know that many animals live in caves, whether it’s the obvious bats or the not so obvious creepy crawlies, but could we be damaging the very environment that they evolved to live in?

I recently read a report on the fact that groups of people who pay to go into giant caves to see the nesting bats are actually driving the bats away and making the cave inhospitable to other creatures as well.

What Is The Problem?
For a start, many ‘in demand’ caves are fenced off or boarded up so that you can’t go into them yourself without paying the fee.  This alone not only restricts animal movements, but prevent wind and rain (along with seeds and insects) from entering.

Many larger caves have also added lighting and footpaths without any consideration for the wildlife at all - let alone the increase in traffic on the journey to the cave in the first place.

It is obvious then that this will affect both the food chain and the delicate habitat that you may well have been paying to see!

Since cave tourism was implemented in one cave in China, the fruit bat population has plummeted from around 5000 to less than 2000 in just a few years.

And Humans?
Although this industry stops a lot of things from getting into the caves - it also lets in more dangerous things - basically humans!  Lots of humans.  All that exhaled CO2 can be devastating to the micro climate within these environments.

Picture it.  A large group of tourists have just walked some distance, possibly up a hill to get to the cave.  They are breathing heavily as they enter the cave, talk a lot to each other and possibly get out of breath while exploring, leaning on walls and slipping on plants and guano.

Many of them will be dripping with sweat from this or the increased temperature inside the cave, and they will possibly trample in areas that are not suitable for walking boots.  As most tourists are generally selfish, no doubt they will break things, drop things and probably have food with them.

All three of these could destroy wildlife or bring disease to the cave.

Then, when they have had their monies worth, the door is locked shut, trapping all that nastiness inside until the next tour.

Please think before you enter any environment that is widely advertised for tourists or touted on the streets.  The people who pay to go on a spur-of-the-moment trip to somewhere different are usually not the least bit interested in the longevity of that location.  It just looks fun right now.

So, think before you join them.

posted by Catherine on Nov 5

It doesn’t have to be an Eco Holidays Show - but there are people there to answer your questions!

These large-scale travel shows are a fantastic place to get some real info on eco holidays and adventures! But also to get some opinions out there.

Not only will you have all day to wander around asking all the eco questions you ever wanted to ask, and to buy some fantastic gifts or equipment at discount prices, and to speak to people who have already been there - done that, but you will be able to make one huge contribution to the eco holidays movement!

What’s that you ask?
Well, if all the big names in holidays are here in one place, listening to consumers and offering their services - then what better place for you to voice your opinions and concerns about the way holidays impact the environment, tours affect communities and the way profit is spent!

If the companies at the show hear person after person asking about their eco credentials and how their packages and tours support the people and wildlife they visit - they will start to improve on those areas to keep the customers?

Imagine if a person approaches ‘Company A’ and asks them whether or not they employ local guides on their tours. If they don’t, then they will find themselves in a sticky situation, but could still answer you politely enough for you to carry on at their stall and that might be the end of that. No one else gets to hear of it.

But what if 50 people ask that same question?

How will that company feel after a day of saying ‘no’? I’m sure that there will be some serious re-thinking of their tactics for the next day - and I can almost guarantee that this feedback will get back to the people who make decisions. Hopefully spurring some change.

Now imagine the positive buzz around those companies that can answer ‘yes’ to that question.

We all know that the companies which survive are those that offer what their customers want or need. So, if they offer holidays that encourage eco tourism, habitat conservation and community development - they will get your eco dollars!

If they can’t answer your questions positively or they blatantly offer tours or cruises that offer no benefits at all to the destination - then they won’t see your money - and hopefully they will have empty seats on their trips!

If people don’t ask for things - they won’t get them.

So, get your questions ready and make a difference!

posted by Catherine on Sep 30

Staying on a working farm that promotes wildlife has got to be good!

I recently stayed in a holiday cottage in the Weald in Sussex, England for 2 weeks, more out of urgent necessity than anything else (we needed to move in tonight!)

Therefore, my eco wants and needs were rather pushed to one side with the need for somewhere to sleep in the south-east of England with Internet access!

We called one place that looked adorable but was full for most of the 2 weeks, but the owner very thoughtfully and totally of no gain to herself, recommended a friend of hers that was just starting out so would no doubt have spaces! 

I called them hesitantly, knowing that my first concern was the Internet, then availability then price.  In that order.  (Some of the cottages are so highly priced that even if they came with free food the whole time you were there and a complimentary pony, it wouldn’t be worth it!)

Anyway, I called up a friendly man who answered all my questions and gave me his website address to view the cottages.  We had been viewing others and had found that a great many were just large sheds in some-one’s back garden - not ideal really in terms of the freedom to wander about and come and go as you please without the curtains twitching!  However, his cottages were in the middle of the countryside and a delight to look at, so we called back and said we’d be there by 5!

The Cottage:
It turns out that these 3 cottages are part of a rescued 150-year-old barn on the farm (now a fully functioning equestrian center), and had been very thoughtfully renovated up to a high standard and carefully furnished.

They all had a countryside feel to them, with paintings and pictures or the local art and landscapes.  The inside was spacious and showed the beams of the roof space and had a mezzanine bedroom on top.

There were some eco features including a half-bath, reclaimed furnishings and furniture and all modern appliances including an efficient microwave, condensing boilers, gas stove, nicely they had limited electronics but plenty of books magazines and board games instead!

And it turns out that the cottages aren’t the only thing that the landlord thinks are important.

Nature Comes First!
Since taking over the farm, the owner has focused on keeping it preserved.  Based in the Weald - an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) - and with centuries and centuries of history behind it, there was a good basis for him to start from.

His ancient hedgerows divide his 80 acres of pasture and woodland, and many were almost 1000 years old from my estimations of noticeable species present (oak, hawthorn and ash to name a few).  He also leaves a good 6 feet of untreated land on each side of the hedges to promote their use as a wildlife haven and hasn’t removed any of them at all - I found his farm on a map from 1880 and they were all still there today.

He had also banned hunting on his land - which has got clear traces of pheasant farming and many a spent shot gun cartridges from the past.  In fact he does the opposite - he helps release animals back into the countryside from his farm. 

He has already released whole families of badgers and hedgehogs, has re-homed a flock of battery-farmed chickens (of which he gave us plenty of tasty eggs from) and has re-homed 2 lovely dogs and 4 feral cats into his clan!  However the 2 owl boxes in the main barn haven’t yet been used permanently - but the pair of tawny owls in the woods make up for that!

A Work/Life Balance.
Being a working farm, he has of course, got plenty of farm machinery all about the place and no doubt his isolated location brings many large vehicles some distance from towns to run a successful business - but I think it is worth it.

Most guests here no doubt never traipse around the countryside like we do, and so all of his land hardly gets disturbed by man - and how frequently we saw fallow deer and how close we were able to get to them before they crashed off through the woodland shows that they are at home here - they like it here!

He has created a veritable British wildlife reserve here, and so what if he hasn’t got composting toilets or a wind turbine?  He has ’saved’ this little piece of the countryside for the next generation, creating a safe corridor for wildlife travelling around this area which include Ashdown Forest to the north and the South Downs National Park to the south.

And anyway, does ‘eco’ have to mean completely self sufficient?

If you are in this area and want a great place to stay for wildlife and peace and quiet in a beautiful landscape then use this link to get more information on this farm stay.

posted by Catherine on Sep 16

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You can make sure that your big day is remembered in more ways than one!

If you are getting married away from home or abroad, then you really need to consider the eco friendly tactics of all your service providers.  Is the caterer using local foods for your dishes?  Is the building using green suppliers or preserving it’s local environment? 

And, equally importantly, is your green wedding photographer helping to buy areas of rainforest with the World Land Trust as a wedding gift to you?

The Whole Package:
There can be many environmental concerns about the digital processing of your pictures and of course the electrical equipment itself and it’s energy use - but with an eco friendly wedding photographer - there is one less thing for you to worry about when you should be enjoying your big day!

I am sure that there are a whole range of wedding photographers from those who are using the most ethically credited equipment, using only the most environmentally friendly rechargeable batteries and only printing on recycled paper, right the way to those that just still use whatever materials and equipment they have always used regardless of it’s environmental impacts.

But you need to be happy that all the actions of the people you employ for your wedding are as green as you would like them to be.  So if you are arranging an eco holiday to a conservation area or getting married at home in a ruined castle or are travelling by train to the event rather than flying - the last thing you want is for your photographer to be the only weak link in your planning.

Every Bit Counts:
It may be that you have other constraints on you for your planning and events which can restrict your ability to find the service and the eco credentials you want your service provider to adhere to - but of course sometimes the finances can control the final outcome.

Even if you only do one thing - it is better than nothing - so take this into account when you are researching.  I recently found a wedding photographer in Nottingham, England who has made some of those important steps towards being one of the most eco friendly photography companies in the country based on changes to his lifestyle.

They have a small section on their website detailing their ‘Green Pledge’ making visitors to their site aware of the steps they are taking in their quest including the reduction of the use of gelatin in traditional celluloid processing to make their products less dependant on animal by-products.

They are, more importantly, reducing to very low levels the amount of paper-based advertising materials to promote their business and focusing on more digital advertising and other on-line advances to reduce wasted printing and printers!

They also send out their sample pictures for you choose from on a disc rather than actual hard copies - again reducing materials used that are only going to be thrown away.  If for some reason you do require them printed before your final selection, this company are beginning to offer these on eco friendly paper.

And the final eco bonus is the fact that they work with the World Land Trust by pledging to buy acres of rainforest for each couple - different sizes depending on the wedding package chosen - for which the couple receive a ‘Thank You’ certificate for.  They can then find out about that area of woodland that has been preserved for ever on their behalf!

So if you are going to get married in England, plan yourself one of these Nottingham weddings.  That way you can make a difference to the world by just saying ‘cheese’!

posted by Catherine on Sep 10

Here I continue with some other areas where I found it difficult to remain green while on vacation…..

On The Buses:
The buses ran very frequently and we didn’t want to hire a car so we stuck with public transport - however - there was a slight problem.

All the buses were churning out black fumes as they trundled along the badly laid streets over-filled with us tourists. Some said ‘12 standing’ but we were hanging out the door alongside another 20 or more people holding on for dear life.

There was no chance at all of us walking anywhere due to the excessive heat, but we were not going to be the only ones waiting for a newer bus to come along to satisfy our eco-needs!

The Hotel Itself.
Now this should have been a safe bet as we had searched it’s details before booking - but they don’t write everything down!

The towels were needlessly replaced everyday even though we followed the instructions to ’save water’ and hung them on the rails, and there were other little things that were not in the description.

For example the giant plasma TV screen in the reception lounge and dozens of little ones dotted around with hotel advertising on them. Then the total reception ‘re-furb’ where they replaced all the furniture overnight!

The main hotel had 3 separate lifts even though it wasn’t that big, and also had 2 separate buildings - each with their own lift too! But when you had got back from a day out and were sweaty and exhausted and with bags of shopping - did walking up to the 5th floor seem a sensible option! I can see why they put them in - or why people don’t like it when they aren’t there.

They also didn’t supply some of the basics needed for a kitchenette, so we had to go and buy all the missing things. So rather than the hotel buying bulk washing-up liquid for example and decanting it into the rooms when you arrived - they didn’t offer this - therefore forcing everyone who came here to go and buy their own.

Now, there were 41 self-catering rooms in our building and some people stayed for a few days, a week or 2 weeks. So it is possible that in the 2 weeks we were there over 100 visitors have had to go and buy washing-up liquid and scourers, etc…… And of course - the containers are too big for such a short time, so did people throw them away when they left!

So, Finally:
It’s alright to say that we should mention these things to our hotel or the stores involved, but many of it falls on deaf ears as I found out! Many hotels cannot afford to make the changes and many see no need as we readily accept what is there.

Over the years people have learnt to expect certain things and accept certain things, and so for a few decades yet, things won’t change. Unless you specifically book into a newly built eco lodge, energy-saving and environmentally advantageous things won’t be as standard. (And why visit a new-build when there were plenty of existing hotels about in the first place?)

Some things won’t change due to accessibility laws: for example, the lifts will have to remain for those with prams or wheelchairs; and the air conditioning for those who are old or young or otherwise unable to tolerate high temperatures.

We need to make some things ‘dirty’ like dropping litter and smoking in restaurants have been to make more people a bit more thoughtful when it comes to using the resources in hotels.

The National History Museum in London has put signs on their lifts suggesting, in a very polite way, that healthy people should really be using the stairs instead. A great start.

posted by Catherine on Sep 6

How can you stay healthy abroad when you try to be eco friendly?

I recently returned from a trip to somewhere a lot warmer than I was used to and I found that I broke nearly all the normal rules of eco friendly living!

We all know that it is not always possible to act as green as you usually do when away from home - but I found myself slipping up on holiday with many basic health issues. And I am a hardened eco girl!  However traveling with no-so-eco people made it harder.

Cold Drinks!
No matter how well prepared we thought we were, we nearly always needed to buy cold bottled drinks when we were out.

We had taken a thermos flask to keep our own drinks cool which we prepared in the rooms before we left - but we were not able to ever carry enough cold materials. This then resulted in us buying bottle after bottle of ice cold drinks.

This had more than 1 thing wrong with it as well.

1) It had to be cold otherwise it wouldn’t stop us from over-heating - so therefore it had to be kept chilled in the stalls and cafes we brought them from.

2) It was nearly always a small ‘handy’ size bottle as they tended not to keep or chill the larger bottles.

3) The stalls didn’t offer many brands that were not international brands. Some were bottled in the country but most weren’t - so we were feeding global companies.

4) There were very few recycling facilities by these stalls so once drunk (straight away as we were so hot) if it wouldn’t fit in our bags - it had to be thrown in the normal litter bin.

Air-Conditioning:
I know how bad using the air coolers are - and I rarely like to use them anyway - but other tourists have demanded them over the years and so they are ever present.

Annoyingly as well, retail customer service also seems to entail that stores leave their doors open to seem ‘welcoming’ so allowing all the cool air to flow out into the streets. Additionally, stores that didn’t have air-con were chilling all the western foods like chocolate (in mini but open fridges) so that we would feel more at home.

It felt awful to have been a part of creating that. However, it was virtually impossible to avoid stores that were using too much energy as nearly every store was doing so - and walking to a more environmentally conscious store to make me feel better would have physically made me feel worse - as it was so hot!

And no doubt I would have had to have brought another cold drink on arrival and then risk my shopping being ruined or melted by the heat while I walked home!

What To Eat?
While we did try our hand at the local foods and the local restaurants, we were self-catering and so had the opportunity to eat what we wanted - however not being at home or having the luxury of our normal kitchen equipment, we found ourselves buying small packets of pre-packed items rather than larger and fresher bulk items.

We also ate out a few times, only to find ourselves looking for the most frequented destinations - which happened to be filled with other tourists.

And to a certain extent the local products had no ethical buying chain that I could check out. I mean buying a locally made pizza slice could have a whole ‘bad’ process behind it.

For example, I had no way of finding out if all the ingredients were imported and if so where from. How were they cooked, stored or transported? How were the animals treated before they were used for my topping? Was it better to buy a western brand that I knew was flown across the globe but had acceptable preparation standards - or buy unbranded foods that could have been created with meat that was not ethically sourced, for example?

My Eco Dilemma continues in a few days with Part 2

posted by Catherine on Aug 14

Welcome to the second part of this article - so I’ll get straight on with it.

Now, think about the alcohol.  What if half the people on your plane were carrying a 2 liter bottle of alcohol they had brought cheap at the airport to drink on holiday?  Just imagine the extra weight involved for the plane to take off. 

And - as people expect to be able to buy duty-free on the plane as well - the airline will be carry liters and liters of the stuff themselves - just in case!  Make sure you aren’t the people who buy it from them - it only means that they will keep supplying it.

Anyway - it would probably only cost people a few extra $’s at most to buy brand name or generic versions of their favorite alcohol at their destination (helping the local economy as well - rather than the global airport firms). 

And most travellers probably haven’t even thought that the extra cost in fuel will no doubt be added to costs elsewhere on the flight - or onto the airline ticket prices for the following year!

So, to help the planet out, follow a few simple guidelines here.

1) Don’t buy your duty free goods on the plane - that way airlines will stop carrying it.  They won’t carry things that never sell.  It just doesn’t make good business sense.

2) If you need to buy your alcohol or perfume before your trip - then buy them at the airport instead.  Then you are not encouraging the plane to carry them - and so in the future - only the drinkers themselves carry these on board rather than the airline carrying enough for everyone!

3) Many airports offer a service where they hold your purchases at your departure airport for you to collect on your return.  This will save you carrying fragile bottles around the airport with you there and back.  Think about using this service for anything you buy duty-free unless it is vital to your vacation. 

4) Some airports even have a tax-free store on the arrivals side - so you can buy your cheap products just as you set off for home - having carried nothing all the way.  Not every airport does this and they don’t hold as many items - but if you research your airport before flying you could save all the agro of carrying everything on the plane - as well as the extra fuel.

Multiply these ’savings’ up to the other 500 passengers on the plane - and we are getting somewhere!

Add this to the other 500 planes that leave that day - and we will start to see some real changes, and you could be a part of that!