Green Holidays

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The UK’s National Trust are offering 2 full days of free fun close to you!

This massive charity are hoping that they can offer everyone a great day out in one of their properties - and help everyone experience some goo old natural fun!

There are 100’s of properties available for you to explore, and they are all quite different.  Some take up whole valleys, others have a secret garden, yet more have aviaries, lakes, streams, caves and orchards! 

There is absolutely no shortage of habitats, architecture, famous faces and great history - so take a browse on their website and see what would suit your family day out.

Closest To You:
Obviously the most ‘green’ adventure would be to visit the properties closest to your home. 

Whether it a a huge world famous property or a tiny chapel, you can always make a great day out.  Many smaller properties still have nice gardens and landscapes and wildlife too.

And the smaller properties could take only an hour or two to investigate, so you could possibly fit 2 properties into the same day out.

The larger properties, of course, can entertain you for the whole day.  I have visited properties myself that I didn’t get all the way around as I was having so much fun on the way around!

Lawned areas are perfect for a picnic - so don’t forget to take some tasty morsels and a refreshing drink!

Getting Your Moneys Worth:
Of course, if you want to really take advantage of the National Trust’s generous offer, then you may well want to find the most expensive property and save even more money for the family.

Obviously, that’s what quite a lot of other people are probably thinking too, so you may well find yourself surrounded by 100’s of other people and children.

In terms of a green adventure - this might not be so rewarding.  A walk through the woods in these places won’t really be as fun as a quieter location as there will just be too many other people having a great day out and probably screaming, shouting and laughing!

Wildlife in the woods and around the lakes might be a bit harder to find too as they will just go elsewhere for some peace and quiet themselves!  However, the trees, plants and rivers aren’t going anywhere - so there is still some fun to be had!

A Specific Favourite:
There are plenty of properties that have a particular theme, from a photography museum, tame deer, huge portrait collections or even the home of a famous historical figure.

And many people have ‘been meaning to get to….’ somewhere for as long as they can remember.

Others have seen a property used as a film set for a recent movie or documentary and want to walk through the film sets and see all the related literature on site.

Possibly, your children are studying a particular topic at school or college and it would just be great to get them some ‘hand’s on’ experience of: how they lived, what they wore and ancient crafts of whatever period is on the curriculum!

Anyway, whatever reason you use to take advantage of this great weekend - go to the National Trust website, choose your favourite property and get your voucher printed out!

It’s snowing again! Will it ever stop?

Well, welcome back to Green Holidays and to another blog carnival for a great collection of articles.

So, lets start with every travelers tip of what and what not to eat with a useful guide to eating abroad with Should You Order The Hollandaise Sauce?.

And if you are thinking of having a great spring clean in the next few weeks and don’t want to just throw out your stuff, read these tips for passing on your unwanted goods and having a great day out too! So have a peek at Car Boot Sale Tips!.

Here’s a quick article on the importance of the Argentinian Tango: Save The Tango!

And another on green products that you might need in the cold!!!! So, take a look at How The Olympics is Going Green! | Guffly

And if you are thinking of taking the family dog on your green adventures but they suffer from travel sickness, have a look at these tips to make your journey better and your family complete with Do You Have A Travel Sick Dog?

So, enjoy your trips - and enjoy planning them!!!!!

Dogs love to chase, dig and run - so should we really let them into sensitive wild places?

Having been a dog owner for many many years myself I would love to say ‘yes’ - but having also been interested in wildlife and habitat management - it could just as well be a ‘no’.

The reason I think is because of the owner, not the dogs!  So make sure you consider the impacts of your little furry friends before letting them loose with wildlife!

Dogs In The Countryside:
Dogs have been designed by nature to run and run, and chase anything that moves.  So as long as they have been encouraged to run and run with other dogs only - and to chase only balls and toys - then feel free to let them loose over fields and valleys.

There is nothing better I think for the owner and the dog to have a really great run through different habitats, across streams, sniffing what has passed before and enjoying the sunshine.

And if your dog is ‘under control’ you can cross fields of livestock and wander through deer-friendly environments.  However, many people think that ‘under control’ means that at some point and sometimes after lots of shouting that their dog comes back to them - usually at the car!

However, under control should be taken to mean that at your instant recall, your dog stops whatever it is doing and returns to you immediately if you ask it.

If this isn’t the case, then the only way to have your dog under control is to keep it on the lead.  But unfortunately, people see this as ‘unfair’ rather than thinking that they could well have simply trained their dog to respond to commands then it would be safe off the lead.

Effects On Wildlife:
Dogs are all friendly and cuddly to us humans - but don’t forget that they are capable of sniffing out, chasing and even killing wildlife such as rabbits, birds and deer.

Just by letting your dog loose in a woodland, you could be responsible for lowering numbers of rare ground nesting birds, causing a deer to injure itself bolting away, scaring off shy species from breeding in the area and even spreading common diseases to wild mammals.

There is also the problem of dog feces as well.  As dogs are carnivores their waste products are not of any benefit to the wildlife, and can take a lot longer to decompose as a result.  They could also contain bacteria and worms too which are of no benefit to the environment or other dogs passing through.

Vegetarian stools (from cattle, horses, sheep and deer etc) are more natural as they only contain partly digested plant matter, and so they are easily absorbed back into the food chain by bugs, insects and earthworms.

Alternatives:
Maybe we should be getting our local councils to allocate large areas that are not wildlife sensitive for our dogs to play in in complete safety and without worry.

A huge fenced in area with woods, large grassed areas and plenty of doggy bins could be the best thing for local pet owners.  This would mean that there was always a safe place to let your dog run around to burn off that energy, a place to play with other dogs and people and no adverse effects on wildlife!

Who is your local councillor? - And what are they doing to help dog owners?

Going on a car journey for your holiday?  Got the spare spark plugs?

If you are heading off on a long journey as part of or all of your holiday, you might as well take some little things that can be the difference between a quick fix and a long wait at the garage - and that’s if you happen to run into trouble close to one,  rather than having to find one in the first place - and assuming on top of that that they speak English!

We all know that a spare tyre is expected and many people carry a torch, an ice-scraper, some oil and maybe a warning triangle, but there are many more little things that can really help out if you intend to be on the road for a while.

Now, you won’t want to weigh your car down with a huge amount of excess things, as it will use more fuel and allow less space for your holidays bits or family.  However, most essentials are only lightweight anyway.

Spare Stuff:
Things like headlights and brake lights are an essential safety feature of your car, so make sure that you have at least those 4 spare bulbs before heading off.  All the other lights are not really vital in stopping other cars bumping into you - Although the more you carry with you the better things will be for you.

Some spare fuel wouldn’t be the worst idea either.  You never know when you will start running out of fuel - and you never know when you will next see a fuel station if you are travelling in the middle of nowhere.

Spare clothes and blankets are something you might have already because of the journey anyway - but spare water for the car for cleaning windows, refilling the engine and rinsing things off could be worth having, as well as toilet roll, some plastic bags and rags are certainly things I have found worth having on my travels.

One time my car started mis-firing - (which turned out to be caused by me spilling oil on one of the spark plugs when I was refilling the engine without a funnel - now added to my list of carry-on things)) and all I needed was a replacement spark plug!  Something you don’t normally carry - but when your car starts chugging up a hill and only gets to 40 mph - you’d wish you had one!

Other Helpful Items:
It’s not just replacement items that could come in handy while travelling, there are a whole host of ‘grab’ items that could really make things run more smoothly.

Pen and paper isn’t a bad idea for on-the-road games as well as for taking details of directions and possibly names of hotels, tourist sights you hear of on the road and even for taking down number plates of vehicles that are involved in accidents or incidents along the way.

Maybe even a portable solar-powered battery charger is something you might consider if you have a mobile phone with you or even a laptop or iPad.  They take up hardly any room, yet could keep you away from civilisation for a lot longer if that was your plan.

A tiny bit further from the norm, but by no means worth ignoring is a basic first aid kit with iodine to make fresh water safe to drink.  If you want to have all eventualities covered - always think of the things that will be really annoying to you on a day out and prepare for it.  So would you want a headache all day?  No, take pain relief then.  Tummy ache?  Loose Stools?  No? Then have it covered as a basic.

And of course, don’t forget your toothbrush!

photo credit: Vinni123

Need a quick re-cap for 2010 on why we take green holidays?

Be Open To New Things
Remember that not everyone does things the way you do them - so make sure that you are wiling to give something new a go if asked. It will certainly allow you to experience a different culture - and you never know - you might really like it!

Be Fair To Everyone
Try to put money into local hands rather than the firms that run the big hotels and tours. By all means haggle for your goods, but a few pence saved by you getting the best price could mean the vendor having to settle for little profit - and having to sell a lot more for their money.

Be Aware Of Differences
Respect the culture and think ahead when dressing for the day. Should you be wearing shoes or not - covering your shoulders or your head. It is all very important to the people who live there even though it means nothing to you!

Be Respectful To Everything
Remember when taking pictures and traipsing across fields and ancient sites - that these places could be very important to local people and their culture. Don’t assume that everything is there for you to explore and take pictures of -and that include people and their homes.

Be Unique On Your Trip
Don’t just follow the tourist track and go to all the places in the guidebooks - use that as a starting point and go from there. Yeah - see the sites that made the country attractive to you in the first place - but visit at different times or in a different way - or maybe visit a sister site or one that is less explored.

Be Aware Of The Options
Make sure that you check tour operators, airlines, hotels, and other travel companies before you make a choice. Check their eco credentials before handing over any money and make sure that you write and tell the best and the worst why you will or won’t be using them this time!

Be Generous And Kind
Don’t offer kids and beggars money and sweets - as this can lead to all sorts of social issues. Take pens and other useful but possibly hard to come by items for the local people you meet to encourage education and entertainment rather than tooth decay and stealing!

Be An Ethical Tourist
Come away from your vacation knowing that you have not only visited an amazing place and experienced amazing things, but that you have left it as it was before you arrived, or possibly made it a little bit better!

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I counted in 3 different locations for the bird count, my mum’s, my niece’s and in my own garden!

And I was quite intrigued by the results, as I live in a village next to a small nature reserve, my niece has a huge lawned garden in the suburbs and my mum has a tiny garden in a town filled with greenhouses, pots and bottles for her allotments!

So who saw the most species?

Well, the species in all 3 gardens contained some common elements, but my mum’s tiny garden saw the most individual species - and was the only one to see a tiny wren!

The Counts:
I chose to help with them all as I can better identify birds than my mum and my niece is only just getting interested in nature - so what better way to help her learn some of the most common garden birds?

All 3 counts were in the afternoon, mum’s from 1-2pm on the Saturday, followed by a quick drive to my niece’s for a 2.30-3.30 slot.  My garden count was on the Sunday afternoon - I was saving the best until last.  Or so I thought!

I get all sorts in my garden with small flocks of long-tail tits raiding the orchard for food, jays screaming through the woods and blue tits virtually over-running the feeders - but they weren’t about when I did my count! Neither were the partridges or pheasants that often cross the lawn!

And I forgot that birds flying overhead don’t count, so that ruled out the gulls, buzzards and red kites that regularly turn up here.  Only things that land on the ground counted - and they needed to show up in that hour! 

Both Saturday counts took place from upstairs windows with the Sunday count from outside on the step - but this kept attracting to cats to come over in the hope of a stroke - not so good for birds!

The Results:
Well, there were some species that we all saw and as expected they were blackbirds, magpies and wood pigeons - all very common everyday, but I was quite surprised that both the urban environments saw collared doves and blue tits when my garden saw none.  Where had they gone for the hour?

My nieces garden had only 1 species that wasn’t found in the other 2 gardens, and that was a group of 20 (that I counted) rooks all squawking away in a great big fir tree!   The other 6 species were all shared with at least one of the other locations.

My mum’s urban garden brought up some great species including 3 song thrushes, a wren, 5 house sparrows, 26+ starlings and pied wagtail!

Great stuff for such a small space and so close to so many other houses.  Maybe it was all the containers and buildings that had attracted insects and other delicious invertebrates that were irresistible to these types of birds.

My garden had some equally interesting species that included a great spotted woodpecker, a pair of bullfinches and some jackdaws. 

But I still thought that my mum’s garden had more life in it than I thought it would - and that’s what made the count so much fun!

Go to the RSPB website and send in your results, and you make a difference!  You might have seen all my ‘missing’ species!

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I had 2 weeks booked off work to spend on days out - and I was very disappointed!

There are 2 main reason why planning a day out in the UK at this time of year can be a bit difficult - and it seems that when you do decide on where to go, it can let you down a bit too.

Planning:
I decided to look at houses and gardens for some day trips - and I don’t mind driving a few hours to get to them if they are going to be a full days entertainment with plenty of photo opportunities!

However, a lot of properties are closed for the winter either for cleaning and maintenance, or because the expected number of visitors won’t raise enough money to pay the staff that they will need for wardens, guides and ticket office staff.

Both of these are fair points when looked at on a personal level, but it doesn’t really go towards helping to keep holiday makers in the UK:  ‘It’s cold here and half the places are shut - let’s go on a cheap sunshine holiday instead!’

Most of the place I found open were ‘free entry’ landscape and beaches etc - so going there can be done anytime you want - so not worth making an effort to go and see while on your holidays!

Arriving:
We finally selected an ornamental gardens, with woodlands, water features, long walks and a special butterfly event in the glasshouses apparently with butterfly experts on hand to discuss wildlife tips and the butterflies themselves.  It also had a great garden centre attached so we could be sure of a full days fun.

Wrong.

Firstly, there was no butterfly expert on hand, there really weren’t even that many butterflies - and half of those in the glasshouse were still in a state of inactivity, having only just escaped from their chrysalis.  So they were hanging lifeless from branches with their wings all wrinkled up.

Secondly, most of the grassed areas and many of the large plant beds were closed off for re-working and planting.  Quite a lot of the beds from autumn were completely gone with just earth in their place, and many new projects hadn’t started yet, so were just fenced off.

I wasn’t expecting full beds of bright flowers and beautiful bushy shrubs - as I like plants in winter - but closing off these areas was a bit of a disappointment in my eyes.

Thirdly, we left an hour or so at the end to look around the garden centre and to take away some plants and seeds as well as a great cactus for a birthday pressie - but it was closed!

They hadn’t even told you this on the way in, or on the way out or even at the start of the path to get there.  You literally had to walk all the way to the doors to find that it was shut. 

After standing there for a minute or 2 in shock from this, you then walked back down the path past all the other people still walking up to the door to find out the terrible news for themselves!

The Result:
It’s a shame when you are charged the full amount for entry to somewhere, when they don’t tell you that around a 3rd of the attractions are closed!  I mean, there are plenty of other gardens out there - and you want to feel that you got value for money.

If that was the first time I had been there, it is possible that I wouldn’t return!  The butterflies were enough to make the day not a total waste, but having known about the closed plant centre, and the fenced off areas, we may have gone somewhere else that day and come back here another time.

I know the bosses won’t want to be turning people away, but if this one entry fee from Family A is all they ever get from them - then it wasn’t worth it.  But if Family A turn up and have the best day ever - then Family A may be coming back next holiday - or may even become members.

We won’t be!

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Welcome to the first Blog Carnival of the new year - and welcome to 2010!

As expected, everyone has been very busy with the whole festive period - or have been trapped indoors for weeks with all this snow - so there are only a few articles for me to share with you today.

Lets start with some essential reading - especially after I started watching the BBC series ‘Survivors’ the other day where you really need some basic outdoor skills - and of course it helps to be able to take care of yourself outside of the city!  So lets join Dorrie for some reasons to think of Camping: A Valuable Reminder On Survival.

And surviving as a vegan while travelling can also be a bit tricky - so have a peek at 20stravel’s guide to Top 5 Tips for Eating Vegan On the Road for some inspiration.

Regular writer Guffly gives us not only: Best Eco-Friendly Getaways | Gufflyfor the new year, but also an insight into their eco friendly travel Green Products. Take a look yourself if you are planning a trip soon.

And how about this final article from Tyler Tervooren who spends a lot of time explaining the concept of the StayCation - and it really had me intrigued so take a look yourself at The Art of the Staycation and see if he convinces you……

Enjoy!

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Which charity should you donate to, to help the Haitians get through this terrible natural disaster?

Well, that is the point of the DEC - the Disasters Emergency Committee which have been working hard for humans since 1963 - basically they join all the main humanitarian charities together to fight one cause.

These humanitarian agencies include Save The Children, Help The Aged and the British Red Cross, and in times of emergency - like the earthquake that recently devastated Haiti - they join together to make big things happen - and fast!

This way funds, supplies and more importantly - information, gets passed to the right people at the right time  - rather than having all of the 13 single charities all trying to ‘do their bit’ to help separately but at the same time basically treading on each others toes!

It makes perfect sense to organise emergency relief this way - otherwise there will be too many people all on the same place at the same time all using valuable funds to do the same thing.

The DEC makes sure that none of the funds are wasted and that every charity can work in it’s area of expertise without wasting time deciding who is going to do what.

Your Donations:
By donating directly to the DEC, you can save even more of these funds by limiting the administration costs (and wasted time) of transferring money to Help The Aged, who then have to process and bank this money, only to then process these funds again when working with the DEC.

And, donating directly to the Disasters Committee means that that is exactly what your donation is going to be used for.  It isn’t going to pay wages for charity workers who are not directly helping the victims of the earthquake; it is going straight to the problem - and fast!

The DEC can also call upon huge international broadcasting agencies and distribution companies to help spread the word and facilitate collections and direct action - like free-phone numbers and televised broadcast appeals.  Your money makes this possible - and gets results.

Emergencies:
No one can plan for such emergencies, so these ‘on demand’ appeals are the best way to get the publics attention and to get one-off donations from companies and individuals.  These disasters don’t happen every week - so treat them as a rare event that you can help out with.

I mean, no-one is going to become a member of the DEC and get newsletters from it - it is an instant decision charity, and everyone can help by lifting the phone or getting online.

If everyone in your street gave just £5 that could be over £500 raised - multiply up your close neighbourhood - and it rises to £3000+. 

It might only be a small amount to you - but it soon treats thousands of wounded people - feeds hundreds of families and eventually helps to rebuild homes, hospitals, schools and cities.

Have you donated your £5 yet?  Donate Now.

If you think that ‘green’ issues are just personal choice - then try dropping litter in NYC!

The police force there have an Environmental Conservation department who don’t take kindly to pollution, litter or protected species amongst other things.  And won’t be shy in telling you so either.

Apparently there are 20 officers currently dubbed ‘green police‘ working in the city itself and they will respond to anything that breaches current eco friendly incidents like polluting vehicles. 

One such reported incident got the driver of the truck a $700 fine - raising to $1300 if the truck wasn’t upgraded to meet current emissions regulations in 30 days!  The officers have portable monitors they just hold on the exhausts - so there is no second chance once pulled over!

Now that is what I like to see - positive action that really hurts the offenders!  No one is going to stop speeding for fear of a small fine - but throw $700 at someone - and I bet they won’t make the same mistake twice!  Hopefully green offenders will start to get the message too - and buck their ideas up.

And For The Animals:
The police also look out for wildlife law breakers too.  The wider arm of the green police work throughout the whole state of New York, taking care of hunting and fishing licences and regulation - and this extends right into the city.

Fish markets and butchers can all be investigated by the officers looking to spot endangered species amongst the tonnes of produce reaching the restaurants and vendors on the street.  They also know about the acceptable sizes for catches too.  Many species can only be kept for food if they are mature adults and above a certain size.

Shellfish too are monitered with juvenile sizes and protected species not boding well for the trader!  Registration and records of sources for these things are also checked for - and woe betide anyone that can’t prove where they got their products from!

There should be more of these people about - so make sure if you are a resident; you support them to keep them on the streets - and if you are an offender; you need to green up your act - fast!