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 May 27

Well, some big names in conservation are getting together to promote it - so why is it so good?

It has always been assumed that catching fish ‘for fun’ was not in the Top 10 most animal friendly hobbies - infact some would say it is a ‘cruel sport’ and can lead to habitat damage.

But then, most of the best animal trackers and conservationists around the world today were once hunters - so maybe there is something in it.

What’s The Key?
Well, it would seem that although many people are aware of the ‘great outdoors’ and that it needs our help to be maintained and improved (or saved) - but it is really only those people actively dependant on that environment for their pleasure - ie hunters and anglers that actually make a difference.  The same could be true for active nature lovers, photographers scientists.

These are the type of people that will do all they can to protect and improve an environment.  A regular visitor to a certain river or woodland will, over time, be able to spot changes that others might not see straight away - and our waterways are seriously under threat.

So what better way than to encourage those young people who love fishing to stand (or sit) for hours beside rivers and streams and see what is happening to them.  Not many footpaths follow streams and major rivers - and even then most people just walk on by.

An angler on the other hand will get there at the crack of dawn, set up shop, and stay there most of the day.  The wildlife they see will be amazing and the peace an quiet will be worth getting up early for.

And, if the fish stop coming or there is obviously something wrong with the water - they will want to get to the bottom of it!  After all, they can’t be fishermen if there are no fish! 

There’s More:
Of course, you don’t have to waste the fish you catch either - you can either return them to the water (after a photo if you have to) or you can eat them - well, that really would be local food!

Obviously there could be issues with regards to endangered species along the way, but by monitoring and identifying the fish you catch, you can help conservation charities and organisations to monitor river health and other local wildlife.

Signs of otters and minks would be most gratefully received by the RSPB, PTeS or WWT, rare wetland birds could be reported to BTO, and pollution or fish deaths to the local council.

And obviously, if could be a great day out for just 1 or 2 people, like father and daughter, 2 friends, or grandad and grandson.

Peaceful day, great scenery, great conversations - and if you are lucky - a fish or two for supper!

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 Dec 14

This is the story of an amazing 20-month journey around the world without flying!

Nick Tuppin and Holly Gee decided that they were going to travel the world together, but not by buying a round-the-world plane ticket and bouncing across the globe in 6 months!

They wanted adventure - and they wanted it to be an eco adventure.  Whether it’s walking, cycling, buses, trains, or freighters - they will use it!  Talk about inspiring!

And they wanted to give back to the communities they were visiting as well, so they volunteered and worked their way around as well. Working in a school and helping to set up a website are just some of the things that they became involved in along the way.

The Route:
Starting out in France in September 2008, they passed through Spain and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.  On from there to Columbia and up through Central America, the States and finally out the top through Canada and Alaska in September 2009 to Korea, China and ending up in Nepal for The New Year.

In 2010, the journey will continue across Mongolia and Russia, then down south to Turkey and up across eastern Europe on the Danube river, then hopefully home for May 2010.

So far they are right on track and their latest blog posts show them in Kathmandu.  The articles are certainly detailed and shows how they are getting by - including an impromptu job interview!  It also details about the attempts of locals to get into the British Gurkha Army and their participation in a house blessing ceremony!

They have included some great photos of their journey - every step of the way.  They include maps and historic images along the way too - making you feel like you are part of the journey with them.

Although they do have a history of travel - they are just two ordinary people who had normal jobs and just wanted to make a difference.  So they got up and did something about it!

That could be you!

posted by Catherine on Nov 25

There is an opportunity on the horizon to get support for a mass tree planting session!

BBC Breathing Spaces is trying to break a Guinness World Record for ‘the most trees planted in 1 hour in 1 location’ - and they aren’t aiming low!  The current world record is 18,124 for this record - and they really want to smash it!

It is part of their drive for National Tree Week in the UK, but you can be from anywhere in the world to help them break a more individual record of ‘the most trees planted in 1 hour in any destination’ - currently standing at 653,143!

The Big Planting:
Basically, they will need your group of at least 100 people (and up to 100 helpers) to aim to plant around 20,000 trees (around 3.33 trees a minute) in the specified hour (between 11am and 12 noon on the 5th of December 2009) - so you will need the land (over 5 hectares) and the trees (all suitable for the environment) already planned!

The great thing is that Breathing Spaces will offer advice and support through the whole thing - so if your local group were planning to improve a woodland or parkland, then now would be a great time to do it.

There are of course strict rules governing your planting attempt - as it is a World Record after all - but you will get all the publicity and advice that could make a real difference to your community or local group.

They have prepared a list of guidelines for larger groups to answer all your questions etc, and they would love to help you break the record!

Not Quite So Big?
If you think that 20,000 trees is a bit too much for your group or community - you can still take part in their main event - planting however many trees you want to plant in the same hour.

This way, if you can only plant 500 trees, 50 trees or just 5 trees, they will all count towards the record attempt anyway - without the stress of the full on planting frenzy as described above!

It’s all about improving the environment and encouraging biodiversity - so literally every tree can make a difference. They would rather you plant 10 trees that you could maintain and would improve the environment, rather than rushed in and planted 50 trees that didn’t all survive or were too overcrowded.

So, get yourself onto their website, read all the guidelines and advice - and get pledging!  So far they have had pledges to plant 263,669 trees - way off the current record of 653,143!

Help make a difference - sign up for Tree O’Clock 2009.

posted by Catherine on Jun 2

Seriously - think of you favorite wild animal - and then ask yourself the question: What am I doing to keep them alive?

Many people love pandas, tigers, penguins or even great white sharks - but many of us don’t really make a difference to their fight for life on this planet.

What Can I Do From Home?
Watching a documentary about them on TV does actually help believe it or not. If the TV ratings for a show on African Hunting Dogs gets top ratings - they see money they are making and go out and make another one. But to film these creatures, they need to make sure that they are healthy and their habitat is kept safe.

Buying specialist magazines or books can also make larger companies aware of an interest in certain wildlife or habitats so that they focus more on them and possibly invest more money in research and/or protection.

Similarly, you can join a charity or wildlife group that is helping to educate local people to live with dangerous species (as with the lynx), train specialists to protect endangered animals (as with gorillas) or just stop people chopping down their home (as with orangutans)!

Some charity organisations also sell ‘gift’ packs for certain animals or habitats - such as the WWF. This allows you to buy a gift for a friends birthday/wedding/event that actually sends fund directly to your chosen destination!

Your friends get a cuddly toy, information and magazines all about the dolphin or turtle or whatever - and they get to help protect the wildlife! Rather than buying some consumer gifts and throwing away loads of packaging and sticky tape to haunt future generations - your gift will be keeping those habitats alive for future generations (and yourself) to enjoy!

What Can I Do Abroad?
Obviously joining a charity vacation abroad to actually work with the animals or local communities involved will be a great help. You will be there first hand to help protect your favourite creatures - and learn so much more about them.

You could even just take a vacation to the country that they live in and just support that nation in terms of tourism - maybe booking a tour specifically to see those animals in their habitat. By telling your local hosts and native tour guides that these animals and this habitat were the only reasons for you trip here will make sure that they are aware of the importance of preserving that.

If you went to India and didn’t pay to go see the tigers - why would they bother to help keep them there? Tourism runs like a business - if the tea plantation makes more money than the tiger reserve - guess what might happen? The reserve is taken over by tea!

Make sure that you also tell tour companies the reason for your holiday - I mean if you (and 100’s of other vacationers were asking for a whale-watching holiday in Mexico and they didn’t offer one - I’m sure they would start looking into it!

You must be active in telling companies why you are or are not booking with them. If they don’t know what their potential customers are wanting - they can’t offer it. Don’t just leave them to guess - make the choice for them - make them support your cause.

It may even have a multiplying effect as some people who aren’t so active may book an alternate holiday instead - but if they saw a new wildlife trip on offer in the brochure - they may book it themselves, sending even more funds and interested people to your favorite location or to see your favorite animals!

Basically - you need to get active and show your support for the things you like. Just like you favorite store: if you don’t support it - you could lose it!