Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Sep 18

Time To Find Out If A Change Really Is As Good As A Break?

Rather than wait until your vacations to have a break, why not try a few little things alongside your everyday life to make things a little less stressful and a bit more down to earth.

We all get a bit absorbed by the ‘every day’ things than we need to and sometimes just a little pause or a small change can give us something else to focus on a give our bodies a chance to relax and ‘catch-up’ with ourselves.

And why not give these little ‘daycations’ an eco twist!

1) Switch Off:
Literally switch off everything that isn’t your fridge!

This means anything connected to work, the internet, the tv or any music and DVD’s – switch off the lights, the radio, the kettle, the oven – the lot.

Give yourself a peaceful day by yourself or with your partner (as long as they are switched off too!)

photo credit: *SJR*

Imagine the home-made picnic in the park with soft drinks rather than coffees; the walk along the beach with a pub lunch; the evening in the garden reading a good book; and finally – the candlelight bath.

If you aren’t at work or on call – make sure that they can’t contact you for a really relaxing day; same with the social networking – do you really need to know that your distant friend has ‘had a great night out’ or has ‘only 3 more days’ until something they don’t tell you about?

2) Take Your Time:
Just because you have the weekend off, doesn’t mean you have to fill up your days with the boring things that you think you must do – find things you have always wanted to do but were always in ‘too much of a hurry’ to do.

For example; you always drive past that lovely farmers market in town, but then worry about the parking and where you have to be next.  Well, if you are taking a daycation – then go to that market, and make sure you have nothing planned afterwards.  Catch the bus or train in so the parking isn’t a worry and plan to make a day of it so you can really explore the place.

Go alone so that you aren’t tempted to go to places you didn’t really want to go, or keep stopping for drinks, or rush around as they have their own plans.  It’s your day – so do your thing.

3) Try Something New:
Take something small that you have always wanted to do or try and see how you can fit it in.

For example, make a point of going to Salsa lessons just once a week or volunteering at a local organisation for just a few hours a week.  If you plan something then it will make it easier to stick to.

Maybe there is a book you always wanted to read, language to learn, special meal to prepare or whatever – make a date real soon for it – and stick to it.  Once you have done it you’ll wonder what was ever stopping you before.

Many people feel that they haven’t got time for something new as they get home from work tired and feel that just crashing in front of the tv with a bar of chocolate or a glass of wine (or both) is the way they can wind down – but many people really do find that something different – even if really lively – can help you to forget work and feel great about yourself.

There is always more time in the day than you think – you just have use it wisely!

posted by Catherine on Sep 16

Travelling around Costa Rica on your next eco adventures couldn’t be easier!

Forget internal flights when you are visiting this amazing country (or any other country in Central or South America) – you need to be on the ground to see the best bits first-hand.

Seeing the top of a cloud forest from way up in the sky or a winding river out the corner of a window is no way to really get a feel for this luscious, verdant and wildlife-filled location. You need to be on the (probably bumpy) road or floating on a murky alligator-filled lake or river – interacting with the landscape!

From Experience:
Having spent a month travelling around this amazing country myself (can you tell I loved it?) I have decided that not only is ground transportation more eco-friendly anyway – but it gets you more involved with the country you are visiting in the first place and can lead to some one-off experiences.

Rather than the immediate (and cocooned) straight from A to B; indirect travel brought me the following:

1) Stopping off to find 6 semi-tame macaws in the trees above us,
2) Watching a boa constrictor eating a huge green iguana,
3) Finding a ginormous Leaf-Cutter Ant’s nest the size of my kitchen!
4) Viewing a grumbling volcano while powering across a huge man-made lake,
5) Having to ask for directions to a hotel in bad French (I asked a tourist by mistake),
6) Stopping to watch a family of 6 coatis (take their time) crossing the road,
7) Getting to eat roadside snacks and fruit from the fields whenever we felt like it!

Long Or Short:
It’s not just the short journeys that can be taken by road, rail or river – longer rides can be organised too.  Many buses head out of Costa Rica into Nicaragua and Panama – as well as the long-haul buses that start and end in Mexico.

You can choose local transport with every else crammed on with you – including local people, animals and other tourists (which are very reliable considering the roads and numbers of people using them) – however, if they are full when they arrive at your stop (and I mean full to bursting) – you won’t get a ride.  And some buses only come through once or twice a day!

However, we mostly opted for the semi-private buses (which varied from giant trucks to personal taxis) to get around.  Not only did these ‘buses’ collect you virtually from your accommodation, but they collected other people too and generally stopped at main hubs all over the place for food and sights.

We were crammed on a minibus from San Jose, but on arriving at a half-way stop for yummy local food, we were divided up and we alone got onto a truck all the way up to the mountains.  The others headed off in their directions in other versions of transport.  On the way down 2 weeks later, we were with about 6 others, in the oldest mini-bus I’ve ever seen - but on splitting up at the side of the road (somewhere deserted), we got in the back of a lovely air-conditioned taxi all the way to Samara beach: perfect! 

Costa Rica Vacations:
In general, any trip to Costa Rica should be a travelling holiday!  It would be such a waste to just arrive in one location and stay there the whole time before heading home!

There are so many different landscapes and climates in this varied country that you need to move about a bit to see them all!  We had a month and visited 3 different regions – but we need to go back!

We don’t like name-dropping trips though (“I’ve been to A,B and C yesterday and whizzing through D and E tomorrow”) – we like to savour the moment – so “2 weeks in A, 10 Days in B and staying in C for a week” is more our preferred conversation.  D and E will just have to wait!

Hopefully not too long!

posted by Catherine on Sep 12

My Eco Adventures Review:  A Visit To Pulborough Brooks – West Sussex – Late Spring

I decided to visit this reserve after reading a lot about the RSPB and having known the lower parts of the River Arun for some time – but having never explored the higher water.

It was also summer and there were enticing stories about adders mating and butterflies galore on the website. And a new area of heathland being developed on site too.  So we packed a nice lunch and headed off.

My Walk:
Arriving in the ample carpark, we settled into the shade and gathered our bits together before heading into the main building.

There was a spacious shop inside as well as loads of information about the site and a delightful looking restaurant – however, we headed straight out into the reserve – heathland first.

So heading back out across the carpark, we followed a short footpath to a viewpoint overlooking the pine plantation and some barren looking land.  It was a sunny day, so we were hoping for plenty of reptiles and butterflies – but instead found young roe deer, messy squirrels and nesting wrens!

Circling a large area of fenced in plantation we found many plants – but it was all very same-same and very close to the road – so we headed up over the hill-fort remains and back into the main reserve.

Through the main building again and off towards an open area with a small church and houses to the side.  Inside the tiny churchyard we found orange-tips all over the place as well as meadow flowers knee-deep.  A great spot for lunch!

The short walk with full tums toward the flood plains was filled with butterflies – dozens of them everywhere, from painted ladies to large whites – and the sun was really shining now!  We sat next to the Highland cattle field with their ‘white’ calf for a while listening to bird song and practising butterfly identification ‘on the wing’.

Down into the dingly dangly dell was filled with passerines and cheeky jays as we headed towards the first hide.  We were virtually there all by ourselves as we scanned the horizon filled with shelducks, Canada geese and a few young herons!

Then came some people (!) so that was that for the waterfowl!  We headed back up onto drier land still with birds and butterflies all around – we really were making very slow progress here with so much to see!

By the time we got around to the ‘adder alley’ to see the sparring males – it was way past 3pm and the sun wasn’t so warm.  Maybe we should have come here first – or faster!

So after scouring the ground and the low gorse very closely we found none – but did view plenty of evidence of the large herd of deer that live around here!  And at the next hide we found the footprint makers!  About 50 of them all relaxing on the other side of the marsh!  What a site – apparently they were a domestic herd that escaped and found living here quite to their liking!

We headed back to the centre totally exhausted and thrilled with our sD card filled to the brim with great shots!

Site Name: Pulborough Brooks – SSSI – RSPB
This reserve is located in West Sussex just to the west of Pulborough village on the A283 and is on the River Arun (and tidal).

It costs £3 (or larger donation) per adult to visit the centre although there are plenty of free footpaths and bridlepaths leading from the carpark – and you can visit the restaurant without having to pay the entrance fee.  It has plenty of toilets, the store and membership desk.

The carpark is huge and the reserve is well signed from the road and there is a bus stop outside and Pulborough train station is a longish road walk or cycle away!

posted by Catherine on Sep 4

Can I really get through a month without my car?

I spent the past month using public transport instead of a car to see if it was a practical option for the outdoor types.

I was not adverse to traveling any routes, any time or any type of transport – but I needed to get to work and to a few outdoor events along the way.

I physically got rid of the car for the 4 weeks too so that there was no temptation, and told all my friends and family so they all knew my reasons.

Then it began.

The Scenario:
I currently live in Town A, and I work just outside Town B (which is around 10 miles away).  I live with my partner and we are both ‘outdoor types’.  A friend lives 25 minutes walk up the road, but everyone else lives in Town B.

I am right next to a train station at home, but my work is 3 miles away from a train station, and there are various buses that travel within a 30 minute walk of my work from both Town A and Town B.

I like to volunteer in the countryside, visit a few reserves and go for lovely outdoor walks.  I also like to visit my friends across the county.

Problem 1:
Straight away there was a problem – I had to get to a work meeting for 8.30am – and there was no bus at that time – it seems that country buses work on a timetable that nobody can work out!  So favour number 1 came into action: borrow someone’s car!

In addition to this, I also had to travel on the trains during peak times – so not only was the train packed to the brim with business types, but I had to pay an extra £2 to stand up all the way there – while cowering under some gentlemans armpit for the 30 minute ride!

Problem 2:
I had a training day in the middle of nowhere for the Wildlife Trust.  And although the organisers were very happy to arrange a car share – I would have had to have caught the train to the nearest car to share – in rush hour, changing 3 times and costing £22 return!  Needless to say I decided to decline the event. 

It wasn’t the first event I couldn’t get to without incurring huge costs.

Problem 3:
Well, this was another big one, as everytime a friend wanted to meet up with me – we had to arrange to travel in their car. 

Whether I walked to theirs or caught a bus or train to a meeting place – they had to drive me around like a taxi.  And it didn’t feel too nice either.

It seemed as though I was avoiding using my car by using their instead!  Yes, we were technically car sharing – but we would have been doing that anyway when we met up!

Problem 4:
The shopping was beginning to become a hassle – and I don’t just mean the food shopping.

Yes, I could walk to town and get bit’s a bobs – but nothing too big, as I couldn’t carry it.  Planning the order in which I brought things also added an extra angle to shopping as I had to make sure I brought all the small things first leaving the heaviest things till last.

However, anything too big or bulky was out.  For example I was hoping to get a large fish tank from a car boot sale or the local paper, but there was no way I could go an collect it myself.

With all shopping there was the option to have things delivered to me by other people – but it all added to the cost and sometimes greatly increased the time it took to get to me. Sometimes too long or too much!

Problem 5:
We hadn’t really noticed this one until a few weeks in either – but we weren’t going anywhere for fun.

I had spent so long planning just getting to work and the basics, that we realised that we couldn’t even get to the places we loved.  Visiting a local nature reserve, castle, zoo or park was going to be a logistical nightmare!

Not only would we have to carry everything with us – like waterproof and lunch, etc – we would have to mix and match a chain of transport links to do so – and cut our day short as necessary to get home before the last bus!

And, I wasn’t able to combine journeys as before.  Going to and from work was virtually an A to B then B to A pattern.  Usually on the way home from work I might do the shopping or visit a friend, etc – this wasn’t possible anymore. 

My route to work didn’t really pass by anywhere of any use so either a separate bus ride or a long walk were needed to add anything on to the day – and it was already an extra 2/3 hours a day just doing the basics as it was!

Problem 6:
The money was becoming a key factor too.  I don’t mind spending a bit extra for the more eco friendly options – but over £150 a month just for work.

This obviously didn’t include all the days out I wasn’t having – but there was all the little extras spent on treating all the people who were giving me a lift here and there.  Well, I couldn’t just take lifts for free – so I ended up buying lunch for someone or offering them a few pounds here and there.

Infact, I even started walking everywhere to save money – putting myself out and adding hours onto my day to stem the endless trickle of money from my account!

Or declining lifts and days out with people to avoid having to ‘owe’ people favours!

Solutions?
Well the only way I am going to be able to survive without a car is if I change my lifestyle and get myself a different job!

Basically – the outdoor-loving lifestyle with a job in the countryside cannot work with extreme eco friendly travel – unless money was no issue and there were 4 more hours in a day!

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 Aug 4

You and you kids could help spread the word about green travel by entering these 3 competitions!

The best way to pass on information about something you are passionate about is to put pen to paper, talk to them about them or capture the image - and this is just what these competitions could help you to do.

The first is for under 18 year olds still in education and revolves around the future of forests, the second is for those over 18 about your most memorable travel moment, and the final competition is for you both to show what you see in the environment!

Young Geographer Of The Year 2010:
Have you got something to say about he way we are treating our forests?  About what your local woodland does for your community, your family or the local wildlife? Or just something to say in praise of trees!

Whatever your motivation for entering – it doesn’t matter – it’s what you have to say that counts.

And how you say it is up to you: written, taped, a short documentary or video, photographs – or a combination of whatever media you think will best pass on your meaning to others!

Monkey Running From A Storm

There are 3 different categories depending on your age, and the closing date is October 2010.

PureTravel Writing Competition 2010:
Is there something you want to share with the world that you can tell them in under 500 words?  Something amazing that silenced you?  Something disastrous that made you speak up?

Something with some serious meaning that you think could impress the readers and judges and make a difference to your local area, some distant landscape, an endangered species or a threatened community – or just a funny story that you just can’t forget?

All articles will appear on the PureTravel website and the judges will pick 10 for the public to vote on before choosing a winner!  And your prize could be the inspiration for another great adventure!

WWT Photographic Competition 2010:
Take a moment to visit a wetland centre and try to capture what wildlife means to you today.

Whether it is a close up or a rare animal, a new way of looking at something we think we know so well – or to capture that strange moment in your life that might never be found again!

There are plenty of categories this year – including one that doesn’t have to have been taken in a WWT centre – so there is hope for everyone!  All ages, all themes, all places!

Whichever one you enter – I’m sure you will feel that yours is good enough to be a winner, and why not?  Every experience is real and can make a difference at different levels – whether it’s just in the way we think about things – or whether we manage to change other peoples way of thinking too!

Good Luck!

posted by Catherine on Jul 25

These free events on the very street of your holiday destination couldn’t be more real!

Most families take their kids out all day on vacation to a park or a zoo – then it’s home by 5 and off to bed. But what if the night was better than the day?

There are many local parades and free evening events happening all over the world and at all times of year. Just because it’s winter back home or there are no calender events in your part of the country – it doesn’t mean that there won’t be a great parade or celebration elsewhere!

Why A Parade?
Well, it is well known that many parades are run and organised by local people for the local community – and that’s great for your eco adventures; supporting the very place and people you are visiting!

If you pay to get into a adventure park or zoo and then have to buy all of their food and goodies – it doesn’t necessarily benefit the local schools and stores – but an event on the very streets of the town will go straight into the right pockets!

As you and your family walk through the streets, you will get a real feel of the place and be able to experience far more than during the day. As the event is planned in advance and has appeared in local advertising and other parade schedules – local people and businesses will be making a special effort to impress.

You will find store opening hours extended and new products offered – and maybe even free samples. There will be temporary stalls on street sides and in parks, face painting, local foods, musical entertainment from local artists and so on. You will get to be entertained by real people – not paid staff!

Parade Schedules:
So how do you find out about all these events? Well, there are plenty of websites about parade schedules – filled to the brim with parades all over the world – or closer to home – and you can make sure that you visit one if you are close by.

There are also other things to look for in local parades and that includes the route for forward planning, as well as the best hotels to stay in on the route – as well as the best viewing spots: as you could get an amazing view of it passing by from a few floors up!

Websites these days can tell you all about the event, the history of the event, it’s sponsors, and local supporters – so it is worth reading about the parade as well – so you get the best out of it and know who your donations are going to support and any charities involved.

Planning the whole holiday just for a festival is very common these days if the event is well known, like the Mardi Gras Parades – where you can explore the surrounding areas on the days either side, but the focus is on the evening entertainment!

But there are plenty of people who have planned their vacation already – and then manage to find out about a carnival or other parade while already there.

Either way is fine – and you really should make an effort to get to as many as possible, as they are such lively and interesting events – and each one has it’s own character!

And if you are worried that the kids might not like it – then maybe start with one of the friendly Disney Parades.  Although the eco credentials won’t quite be the same, you will know that the kids are happy and safe and at the same time find out about their likes and dislikes.  What if they don’t like certain fireworks, certain foods or whatever, you can’t know until you go! 

So, just click one of the links in this article to be taken to an information-packed website to get you started on your parade hunt!  And don’t forget your camera for some one-time-only photographs!

posted by Catherine on Jul 11

Just because you can go faster down hills – doesn’t mean you have right of way!

When you are riding your bicycle, you don’t want to keep stopping all the time to wait for a family to move over, or to get through a gate – but do you know you right of way ‘rules’ and when and where you can’t cycle?

There are different rules for different paths and routes – so make sure you plan your route and know your rights!

General:
Obviously, wherever you cycle, make sure that you are courteous at all times.  Don’t barge your way through crowds ringing your bell or shouting.  Sometimes other traffic has the right of way and if some cyclists are always grumpy towards others then it gives a bad name to everyone else on a bike!

You may come up against walkers, other cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair users – so you need to think ahead as to what is suitable behaviour.  And there may be many path users that are hard or hearing or partially sighted – so never assume that people will move out of your way at the last minute, and don’t rely on your bell alone to warn people of your approach.

And – unless it is legally adapted for doing so – you cannot ride with a passenger on your bike!  No ‘backies’ or other seating arrangements are allowed on the UK roads (or pavements).

Footpaths:
You cannot cycle on a Footpath.  Only foot travellers have a ‘right of way’ over the land that makes up most Footpaths – and so cycling on one is against the law.

Footpath Sign

Therefore if you use a Footpath on your bike (or are even pushing your bike – which is still technically illegal) make sure that you are uber courteous to any walkers you meet and make their journey past you as easy as possible by either stopping or waiting to one side!

Bridleways:
These paths are usually wider than Footpaths and allow walkers, cyclist and horse riders to pass along them.  However, a cyclist must give way to the other 2 in all cases.

Pavements:
You cannot cycle on a normal pavement – and you can legally get an on-the-spot fine from an enthusiastic (or particularly picky) police officer.  You can however push your bike along by your side on the pavements and of course can cycle in a specific and well marked cycle lane on a pavement surface – but you must stay within the lines.

Roads:
You are allowed to cycle on all roads except motorways (or any other road that is signed as such) - and you must follow the highway code in terms of road signs, junctions and traffic lights!

At night there are rules about how you light your bicycle and specific colour reflectors on the pedals and the bike itself.  And it is recommended that you should always be wearing a safety helmet for your own safety.

It is also recommended that you make yourself as visible as possible on the roads, whether that is by wearing bright clothes, bright accessories, adding further reflectors to your wheels and accessories.  It’s obvious really, but the easier you are to see, the less likely you are to be hit by a car.

Public Transport:
Don’t always assume that you can get your bike onto a train or a bus either! 

Some trains have ‘bike specific’ times – or only allow those city fold-up bike on board as a space saving initiative.  And many country buses just don’t have the space for a mountain bike as they are fully seated inside.

And even attaching your bicycle to your own car needs to be thought out in advance and you need a specific bike rack to be correctly fitted to a suitable vehicle for driving on the road yourself.  Flailing cables and spinning wheels could draw the attention of a traffic officer!

So take care out there!

posted by Catherine on Jul 8

Is it about getting the great shot – or about the welfare of the animal itself?

There is hot debate at the moment in the world of wildlife photography that some ‘wild’ animals are being farmed in captivity to make for ‘better’ wildlife shots!

It is sadly true that there are cages and cages of foxes, wolves, pumas and lynx all just pacing back and forth waiting for someone to pay to see them ‘running free’ in an enclosure.

The irony of it!

So, are there some wildlife guidelines you can follow to make sure that your are not scaring or stressing the wild animals you are photographing – the most obvious being: Don’t pay an established animal farm to use their wildlife for photography unless you completely approve of their housing and handling!

But if you want to keep it natural out in the field, try a few of these tips:

Treat Them As Wild:
The animals you are trying to get an amazing picture of are wild and are therefore potentially dangerous to humans – especially if they are mating or have young close by.

Therefore the best practice here is to get yourself a very long lens and watch from a distance!  Of course you can stalk out the animals in advance to find out where they will be and when to get yourself in position.

Getting To Close:
Just because an animal is letting you get really close – it doesn’t mean that it wants you there.

A very hungry animal may remain near it’s meal while you creep closer and closer because it has tried to catch a meal for so long.  It won’t give it up easily – but it will eventually if you hound it for long enough!

Same goes for mothers with young or an injured animal – they don’t really want to have to move so will let you get closerthan normal – but they will still be very stressed about the whole thing.

If an animal is staring at you – then you have disturbed it or got too close – either way, it knows you are there.

Any Closer And I Could Spoil The Meal

The Wider Angle:
Don’t forget that animals and birds don’t just live in the one spot you just saw them in – they need the wider environment to be successful.

So, don’t thunder through the woods or fields to get to your ‘best ‘spot as you may well have disturbed all your animals prey species out of the area for the rest of the day!  Or scared a predator right into the face of your target species!

Breaking branches, trampling plants and moving things around ‘for a better shot’ can also affect the very animals you have come to see!

The Results:
Well, there are some great cameras out there than can reduce the distance between you and the wildlife to such a great extent that you needn’t disturb wildlife at all.  I know they may cost more than a normal camera but it can be the easiest way of getting a great shot without causing the animal itself any stress.

And by staying away, you can appreciate the wider environment too.  I have found that sitting still is a great way to get animals to come closer to you as you become part of their landscape rather than marching through it.  They will feed and act as normal within feet of you if you were there first!

Great for some perfect wildlife moments!

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!