Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Jan 6

Your empty car could cause charities to lose money and reduce visitor numbers!

Thinking about what your car can do when you aren’t using it is one of the first step towards eco friendly living and the right attitude.

Anything that limits the chances of other people enjoying their day or makes them have to try twice as hard to get to where they want to go – isn’t very eco friendly.

And in the case of your car – your decisions can make all the difference.

Let’s say that you parked your car in a local viewpoint car park – but you only noticed that you were taking up just over 1 space after you had got out the car. There weren’t many other people in the car park, so would you leave it there or would you move it?

If you aren’t going to be there long, you might be inclined to leave it there – but how do you know what might happen while you are away? What if you are longer than expected or it suddenly fills up. You are preventing someone else from parking where you are.

photo credit: Blyzz

You might be having a lovely walk out there – or a delightful picnic with friends – but there could be a whole family wanting to do the same – but instead they are left in the car park staring at three-quarters of a parking space and no doubt a little bit annoyed as well!

Long Term Effects:
Yeah, that might only be a one off for you as you live close by and go there all the time – but what if that person you prevented from parking had come a long way to see your local coastline or woodlands – and they never got to see it because of your actions.

What if they were going to spend their holiday money in the area – your area? But instead they drove off to a town further down the way and spent it there. Their loss or yours?

What if the car park was a pay and display car park funding the very location you love to visit – and you just lost them some money as well – paying once but using 2 spaces and driving of another customer to boot!

And do you think those people would recommend your viewpoint to their friends back home who are planning a road trip or will they just say ‘there wasn’t enough parking’. How can they tell them about the beautiful countryside near you if they didn’t get to see it – they will just have to say how wonderful the other place they went to was instead.

Your loss again I think!

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 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?

posted by Catherine on Feb 10

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For a great eco adventure – why not consider joining a charity trek or cycle.

Many companies and charity offer great tour holidays to destinations across the globe where you raise some money for your chosen charity and then start training for some tough challenges!

Finding the Right Trip:
Firstly, you need to decide whether you want to do one closer to home, or whether you are prepared to travel by plane to a distant location. Depending on the charity you choose, the type of trip and the impact on the destination, only you can decide whether you think you should travel that far.

Find out about the company that are organising the trip (not the charity that are advertising it). This way you will be able to read up on their eco policies and company ethics regarding tourism. Many companies have been running for years – but their success is no guarantee of their eco savvy! Make sure you are happy with the way they plan to do things.

Choose Your Charity:
Make sure you pick a charity that you believe in. Not only will this make your funds go even further for you, but it will also help you to raise the money in the first place, and make you feel better about the whole trip and your reasons for wanting to do it.

If you find an advertised trip you like, but the charity isn’t one you would support, then find an independent company like Discover Adventure. This company organise trips all the time for large or small groups – and you can choose any charity you want to donate your money to – even a small charity local in your community that isn’t internationally famous. It doesn’t matter to them – it just needs to matter to you.

Raising The Money:
Before committing to anything, make sure that you are prepared to raise the funds and/or chip in yourself. Some tour holidays require you to raise up to £3500 – others will obviously cost less. Can your employer help? Are you friends with a local restaurant/bar manager or can a local school help you?

How much of the raised funds actually go to the charity? What happens if you can’t raise it all in the time given – where does the money go? Can you extend your stay at the destination therefore making the flight less of an impact? Can they suggest any volunteer work out there for you to move on to after the trek?

Preparation:
Does the trek offer you advice about health and training for the trip or do they just assume you will manage to train yourself. Remember that if you aren’t fit enough for the adventure – you may not enjoy the trip at all, and possibly injure yourself.

Do they offer you information about the culture you will be experiencing and tips on learning a few words of the language and some customs of the local people? Make sure they advise on the dos and don’ts for the trip and you have the right equipment for the terrain and weather you will encounter.

The Trip Itself:
Make sure you enquire about the impact that your trip is going to have on the people and the wildlife you are going to encounter. Will the trek be employing local people as guides or porters – if so are they getting a fair deal out of it? Will the hotels or other accommodation be locally run, and the food locally sourced?

Will you have a chance to speak with local people and get to experience their communities and culture? Many offer several days in the location before or after the trek/cycle to taste the country or region. Make sure that you try local dishes and drinks while there as well – using local transport and spending local money.

Enjoy Yourself:
By all means sign yourself up to one of these trips – either a short cycle in your local area, or a full 2 week trek in some far-away destination – but make sure you do your homework first.

Don’t just go for the one that is heavily advertised and accept whatever comes with it – make sure you are happy with their ethics and they practice responsible tourism. Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions that concern you – remember their are dozens of companies competing for your attention, so make sure you let them know how you feel by voting with your feet.

By choosing the most ethical trips with the most eco friendly companies, you will be helping to weed out the worst and improve the competition – and of course have the best time on your eco holiday and adventure!