Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Dec 4

Walk your way into the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

We all have many pairs of shoes – but are we thinking about their eco impact? We buy Fairtrade clothes, eco friendly materials, organic cottons and the like – but what about our footwear?

Do you own any shoes that you could call eco friendly shoes?

Probably not. But now there are some on the market that you could buy – and they are by a well-known footwear specialist!

Timberland Shoes:
This outdoor shoe and boot specialist – with a high street name – have come up with the perfect eco friendly shoe and boot which could possibly be a first for mainstream footwear.

And it’s not only the shoe that is eco friendly – the box is too!

Plus – the sole of these shoes is totally natural and reusable – something that isn’t always the case in other eco friendly footwear (where the ‘upper’ is usually holding all the eco credentials!).

Yes – leather is technically ‘natural’ in all leather shoes – but with artificial and damaging dyes, glues and solvents used – they aren’t so good for recycling!

The sole of these shoes is a solid mass of natural latex rather than multiple layers or man-made materials glued together, and is filled with a spongy layer made of coconut husks to act as a natural shock absorber!

And as all 3 component parts are minimally treated – they will all decompose naturally into the environment if they are not recycled into new products.

Their Afterlife:
Not only are they great ecological shoes in the first place – but they have a very eco friendly after life too.

They have been designed to be taken apart into their basic parts very easily so that the individual bits can be used again if possible – for example to make new shoes!

By grating down the latex sole – new soles can be created and the leather can be reused for other products.

The coconut husks are also used for creating their unique ‘shoe-box’ unit that is a sturdy carrier for the shoes – as well as totally biodegradable if left in the right conditions. Being made of 60% husk and 40% latex – these boxes can be used for plant or vegetable trays which when planted out into the ground will naturally break down allowing the produce to root into the soil naturally.

Yes, the traditional cardboard will sort of do the same thing – but cardboard involves cutting down the whole tree – whereas both coconut husk and latex can be harvested while leaving the tree itself still alive and well!

Conclusion:
Well, you can now feel totally at ‘eco ease’ when buying and wearing shoes like this – not only will you eco adventure itself be eco friendly – but your shoes will have had virtually no impact on the environment at all!

Oh, and one last thing – by using the design of their shoes to it’s full potential – you can have shoes and boots in the same package!

Imagine the traditional loafer design with the threaded edge around the opening – now imagine ‘sewing’ on a high top that will instantly transform your shoes into a pair of boots! 

2 eco pairs for the price of 1!

For this new range, Timberland have joined forced with Po Zu – a well established ecological footwear specialist with a whole range of indoor, outdoor and convertible shoes, slippers, sandals and boots!

posted by Catherine on Nov 26

Should you use your waste cardboard and string for kids art sessions?

You often see people giving their kids all the waste packaging from their home to then glue together into ‘only a mother could love’ monsters, castles and flowers, covering them in glitter and ribbon along the way.

But this highlights a serious conflict between the 3 eco R’s.

There is also the enjoyment of your kids to consider, as they no doubt enjoy creating all sorts of things from nothing – and of course spending time with their parents and friends as a part of that.

But should their eco adventures be less wasteful?

ReUse:
Lets kick off with the reusing aspect of this.  Yes, it’s great that out of used boxes, birthday cards, toys, clothes and all – kids can create something that they like and want to give to their parents.

Rather than just throwing them out – your kids can have a go at creating something truly unique.  Maybe making a dress for your teddy out of an old T-shirt would be 1 of the better choices for a creative session, but it is more likely to end up just making a total mess of your dining table, with bits of paper, string, cloth and various pom-poms all over the place and a nasty looking piece of ‘art’ that you will leave on the fridge for a few weeks.

Recycle:
Now, how can you recycle all that perfectly recyclable paper, plastic, string and clothing when it’s all covered in glue, ink, ribbon and glitter?

You can’t.  You will have to throw it all away instead.

Unfortunately once you have added glue and glitter to paper and cardboard etc, you can no longer recycle them – and I doubt they would go down too well in the compost heap either?

They will have become landfill goods.

photo credit: nicksarebi

Reduce:
If you are trying to buy products with less packaging in the first place, then why would you be trying to save enough packaging to make creative monsters?

And why would you be keeping hold of loads of clutter in the home waiting for a creative day.  Why would you have too many old clothes or plastic bottles sitting around.

You could, I suppose, reduce the need for more practical things by designing new things out of old that actually have a practical use like a clothes peg bag from an old tea-towel.  Making a funny-shaped vegetable id peg out of old bottles, birthday cards out of old cards, or creating a brightly coloured draught excluder out of old socks and stuff.

As then it is helping to prevent you buying something new, rather than creating useless – but pretty – novelty!

It might sound a bit harsh to say kids can’t do these things – but just think about making something useful instead.  It can be just as fun designing something that is actually of use as it is to create something to be thrown away!

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 Jul 30

Why wash your toiletries into already polluted water ways when you don’t have to!

By investing in biodegradable toiletries and sunscreen etc, for your trip abroad, you can make sure that your hygiene regime doesn’t damage the ecosystem and that your travel products leave the area as naturally as possible.

I mean – why visit a beautiful place if you are going to ruin it!

What Does Biodegradable Mean?
Biodegradable products are those that will break down readily and quickly into virtually natural particles that can be used again by nature. 

These products also have to ‘break down’ readily in a natural environment – for example when mixed with water, buried in the ground or left exposed to the weather.

Products which are not labelled as biodegradable will also eventually break down into smaller particles – but their products will not be ‘natural’ by any means – and can usually not be used in any way by natural organisms.  And these products are normally harmful to the environment and the animals that live in it.

One example would be a plastic carrier bag.  Yes, it will eventually break up in bad weather or if buried under the ground for a few years – but it will only break down into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic until they are so tiny that they can’t be broken down any further.

So in theory, plastic bags are ‘biodegradable’ in the sense that they won’t be plastic bags for ever!

But, obviously this is not what we mean when we think of biodegradable products – so you really need to rely on manufacturers to tell you that their products are made of natural (or near-natural) ingredients.

The Perfect Rainforest

Biodegradable Labelling:
As with so many assumed categories – there is no specific laws that govern the use of the word ‘biodegradable’ on a product. Basically anyone can use it.

In general the term is used for products that will readily break down into natural particles within 6 months of disposal – and even this is a bit vague.

AND as biodegradable products rely on the natural effects of weather, bacteria and sunlight – eliminating these by incorrect disposal can render them trapped in their complete state!  For example without air – only anaerobic respiration can be used to break products down; and photo-degradation only occurs in sunlight.

Take the human body.  It is made of natural particles and will break down naturally in the environment in most circumstances – but bury in under peat, desiccate it in a desert or trap it in a thick layer of ice and it will be virtually intact thousands of years later!  And we have found entire humans with intact skin and hair all over the world because of this.

So, really you need to aim for more ‘natural products’ – but then again, there is no legal definition for labeling a product as natural!  Oil is natural after all!

The Result:
You can see that the theory of using biodegradable products is 100% eco friendly and can help to reduce our impact on the planets waterways and oceans.

However, the practice part is a little more difficult!

The best you can do really is to think about reducing your dependence on excessive toiletries in the first place.  I mean do your need to remove your nail varnish in the middle of the jungle?  Or style your hair so it doesn’t move all day when trekking up a mountain?

And secondly, look at who is making it.  If a big chemical company is making it – then it probably isn’t the most natural product – no matter what they say!  They know that there is no legal definition for certain things so try to ‘trick’ consumers with flowery pictures and ‘natural sounding’ words.

Basically, if it’s a household name and is found in virtually every supermarket – it won’t be good for the environment!

posted by Catherine on Mar 21

How To Reduce The Impact Of Your Eco Holiday:  Toiletries.

I’m not talking about refusing to wash for months and growing dreadlocks – I want to discuss some effort free ways to make more of an eco-impact on your chosen destination.

People travelling today don’t want to have to lower their standard of living to be environmentally friendly – there are of course many people who are happy to live out of a rucksack and wear the same clothes for days on end! 

However, if you don’t want to lower your standards to help save water and become more eco-friendly – then take a look at some of the following tips  – and they don’t include the well-repeated ones like ‘turn off the tap while brushing your teeth’!!!

1) Try to source biodegradable toiletries.  This way you can still have your luxury thickening, gloss-inducing shampoos and your extra invigorating shower gels – but you know that they won’t wash off you and into a sensitive water course affecting wildlife and landscapes.

2)  Make sure you locate yourself some biodegradable suncream too- as this is likely to wash off of you and straight into the sea and rivers – now there’s a nasty thought.  There are many adventure parks and natural waterways (like the cenotes in Mexico) that will check your sun cream before entering – making sure they are biodegradable!

3)  Find yourself a brand of leave-in hair conditioner that you like.  This will save plenty of water as you won’t need to use water for the rinse part.  Many people leave the shower head running while rubbing their normal conditioners in before rinsing – wasting even more water!  Why not leave the product protecting your hair for longer as well as making a difference.

4)  And why not leave all other toiletries at home that aren’t essential.  Do you really need to be moisturising your fingernail cuticles while trekking through jungles?  Or changing the color of your toenails midway across a desert (after using nail polish remover!!!)?  No you don’t.  Take essentials only or buy multipurpose products to do the same jobs.

5)  It’s a great idea to save small bottles during your everyday life especially to travel with.  These smaller bottles are perfect for travel toiletries without taking up too much room in your luggage – and you will use them again and again rather than dispose of them abroad. 

Many people take half empty larger bottles from home, planning to dump them on vacation and make room for souvenirs on the way home!  This may well put too much pressure on your destination and could rule out a return visit in the future….

6)  As a man, why take all your shaving paraphernalia if you are travelling about?  Why not grow yourself a beard while you are away and keep a photographic record of it’s journey with you!  Maybe get on a social networking site and have your friends see you like never before – I mean could you keep your job at the bank with a great big bushy beard? 

No such fun possible for the ladies – but why not let your hair go natural if you normally tame it down at home.  Ne need for straighteners and anti-frizz potions – just get yourself some great head scarves or bandanna’s and change your look for the vacation.

7)  Another one for the ladies would be personal hygiene.  Make sure if using towels or tampons (non-applicator of course) that you use the lowest possible protection to reduce the amount of waste created.  By using products designed for ‘extreme conditions’ when there is really only a need for ‘standard protection’ requires a larger product and more resources – it also means more ‘rubbish’ to be disposed of by your hosts.

Never flush anything like this down the toilets (even back home) as most developing countries ‘sewers’ barely work with just toilet tissue in the first place.  Make sure you dispose of them carefully and hygienically and warn you hosts if close contact may be encountered!  Don’t dispose of them outside either as they will attract vermin and dogs.

8)  Another thing never to throw away or flush down the toilet are medications or any sort.  They could poison not only wildlife – but people as well.  Always take unwanted medicines, treatments and contraceptives to a chemist who will dispose of them safely.  Try not to take too many with you in the first place – generic named products are available almost everywhere you go – and are probably cheaper anyway!

9)  And finally – try to find an alternative to every-day disposable contact lenses!  The waste involved in this is not good for any environment – but especially not in developing countries – unless you bring them all home with you.  Decide on an alternative that suits you, either monthly lenses or your old-fashioned eye-glasses!!

Now get packing……