Green Holidays

Could Supporting Local Bee Farmers Help Reduce Demands On The Environment?

We need to think big these days - and certainly look to be sympathetic to the developing world - who are living in conditions similar to those that we were only a few 100 years ago.

They are mainly subsistence farmers or herders who live on what they can grow and the little that they can sell.  They have to rely on resources that are local to them and are as good as free - just as those in the US and Europe did not so long ago.

Now, unfortunately - we are painfully aware that living like this is not going to be possible for the millions of people now currently living in the developing world.

The climate is changing to make herding and farming virtually impossible in some areas; the population has risen to ridiculous and unsustainable numbers making a few trees for the family firewood become a whole woodland for the expanding village; and the demands of the (comparatively) richer individuals are stripping whole countries bare of resources, taking land and water from local people and dumping waste in their backyards.

So - What Can We Do?
Well, as we know what is currently ‘damaging’ to our planet - we can use our buying power to make the right choices.

Just as back home - what you buy determines what manufacturers make - the same applies to internationally traded goods.  Although the honest truth sometimes slips by us:

If you keep buying illegally logged hardwoods (ie. by not opting for FSC approved alternatives) you are actively supporting the destruction of the rainforests and the extermination of orangutans, jaguars, and the endless number of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and plants that depend on them.

If you keep buying any old fish or seafood that you like the look of (rather than opting for MSC approved sustainable alternatives) you are actively supporting the extinction of many endangered species that are being over-fished.  You are also actively supporting the wasteful and destructive nature of bottom-trawling and long-line fishing that are killing off more than just the fish you get to eat; this includes all sorts of birds, mammals, other fish and sea creatures.

I could go on with this list - but sometimes we don’t think or the end result of our ‘easy’ food choices.

Alternative Living:
So back to the bees: They reproduce extremely fast, do all the hard work themselves and don’t need a huge amount of space to grow. What a great alternative to cattle and dessicated crops! But they need someone to buy the honey.

And so, if a family has chosen to ‘farm’ these insects rather than farm something illegal or damaging to the environment - then shouldn’t we support that?

All across the globe we are trying to help communities to become more self-sufficient and sustainable by introducing bee-keeping, fairtrade specialist products and co-ops so that they don’t have to plunder their local area just to survive. 

We are also helping to make sure that they have access to biomass heating, solar cookers, water purifiers and education and skills so that they don’t have to depend on limited rainwater, local forests, bushmeat and food handouts.

So, make sure that you support these efforts back home with your shopping choices.  If they are making something that you don’t buy - then they won’t be sustainable alternatives, will they?

If they are saving the rainforest and it’s endangered wildlife buy manufacturing fairtrade honey, organic coffee or FSC approved furniture - then you had better make sure that you buy it over the ‘not so eco friendly’ alternatives.

If not - then they will have to go back to living off the land - even if that means killing another tiger, clearing some lush forests or over-grazing their land with cattle.

Your choice!

How Practical Is It For Me To Live Without A Car?

I recently went a month without a car to find out what the real problems were with public transport, whether not having a car is a valid option for people like me, and whether green travel really is a practical option.

My circumstances are the following:
Part time job in the countryside working around 3 days a week.
Volunteering for several local charities and eco organisations.
Member of many national organisations (NT/WWT/EH/CAT/RSPB,etc)

Public Transport:
I love public transport in towns and will always use it when appropriate - but using it to get out of town is a challenge!

There is normally a bus running to every little village in the UK - but sometimes they go about the houses to get there - as I found out!  The bus to my work from close to my house travels around 50 miles to get me from A to B and takes 2 hours!

If I catch the train first (25 minutes), I get a choice of 2 buses: 1 takes me straight there every 35 minutes (after 10.30) but only in the holidays or at weekends, and the other is a 10 minutes walk from the train station, 25 minute drive and then a 30 minute walk from the bus stop and only goes once an hour.

So door to door public transport (if all goes perfectly to time) is: Option A = just over 2 hours; B = just over an hour; and C = 1.5 hours.

A car from home would go at any time and take less than 30 minutes door to door!

My Car:
Ironically, it is the people who go out of town who are the most likely to travel alone in their car as not many other people ‘go their way’ so car sharing isn’t really an option.

Working in (or visiting) out of town places usually involves lots of extra stuff too - like wet-weather gear, equipment, lunch and drinks (as not many shops about) and plenty of other bits too - and we don’t really want to carry them on our backs all the time!

Therefore, people like me tend to drive a lot by ourselves - sometimes for miles and miles as we really don’t have a choice!

Trains are stuck on rails, and country buses don’t really cater for outdoor loving people with their restricted timetables and reliance on ‘office’ hours.

I know there might not be many people travelling on these buses, but if they don’t start until 10am and finish by 4pm - then countryside volunteers and walkers aren’t ever going to be able to use them!

A Practical Option?
In summary - No.  I don’t think that public transport for me this month is really a very ‘alternative’ option.

Not only did it cost me around £150 in 4 weeks to work a total of 60 hours - but it also took me an additional 30 hours in travel time!

And in those 4 weeks - I couldn’t do anything else I really love doing either unless I convinced a friend or family member to come with me! 

Without my own wheels, I had to forfeit visiting any local attractions, I had to walk an extra hour each way to get to the countryside from my home, I needed to walk to the superstore everyday to buy just a small amount of shopping each time and avoid buying anything too big or too heavy as I couldn’t get it all home on my own, and I couldn’t just nip over to a friends house or visit any family - they all had to come to me!

And I had to cancel any volunteering I had planned that I couldn’t get a lift to - and by the end of the month, I was really fed up with scrounging lifts of people to everything.

It’s alright me trying to survive without a car - but it only works if I have to rely on other peoples cars. And then I’m not really avoiding the use of private cars am I - I’m just using other peoples cars to spew out the carbon for me!

Maybe living and working in a town with no outdoor ambitions would suit a car-free life - but not my life!

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Visit a delightful little site at the foot of the South Downs with a historic water mill and stream.

This reserve is actually the SWT’s HQ as well, and is crammed full of old buildings and great habitats for you and your kids to explore.

Education groups are run here for schools and adults alike - with training courses run for countryside management and habitat surveys as well as general interest evenings and wildlife tours

Habitat Features:
The site is approximately 40 acres in size and is at the base of the chalk South Downs near Henfield.

It is mainly wetland pastures and grassland meadows, with a small area of dense bluebell woodland, a more open and coppice woodland and a variety of historic small waterways that used to power the mill itself (which is no longer in use).

The reserve is famous for its nightingales and has a huge number of newts living in its main dipping pond.  There are plenty of damselflies and dragon flies in the spring, as well as nesting kestrels and owls - and many overhead swallows and swifts!

The Reserve:
A walk around the reserve could take around 2 hours if you were just strolling with the family, but if you loved wildlife watching or photography, then you could easily be there double that time.

Woods Mill Sign Post

Entering the reserve is over the main water feed to the old mill where you can start seeing the insect life in flight - and you enter the main school group outdoor education areas (raised gardens, picnic tables, insect houses and main reception) -  but turning first left for a coutryside walk.

The main route is all weather and suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs and there are plenty of seats dotted along the way too.

This first path gives you a waterside walk where you will hear the famous nightingales singing in spring (good luck seeing one!) and brings you up to the reed beds.  Following on to the left is a grassland field where there are raptor nest boxes on the far side.

From here you can head out further along the raised waterway for long views over some wetland pastures and to connect with some wider footpaths and hiking trails outside of the reserve itself.  However, heading across the pastures you can walk alongside a small bluebell woodland - filled with stitchwort and other spring flowers - before heading into the coppice woodlands.

Expect to see common vetch, lords and ladies and cuckoo flower as you follow the woodland trails.  Log benches and willow sculptures can be found here - as well as some moss-covered ‘ruins’ throughout.  Thought to be from a demolished folly here many years ago - they certainly intrigue visitors as they lay where they were dumped all those years ago!

Overgrown Stone Ruins

The ponds are found here too, with larger ornamental ponds and a smaller dipping pond closer to the road.  Expect to see newt after newt rising to the surface here in spring - taking a gulp of air before heading back down to the murky depths! 

There is limited parking on site - but I always find a space!  Maybe check for training sessions at the site - which will usually attract more drivers as there is no train station close by and only a handful of buses pass by - and avoid those days!

Reserve Details:
Here is a general summary of the site for the visitor as in Spring 2010.

Cost:      The reserve is free to visit.
Hours:    The reserve is open all hours - apart from 2 weeks at Christmas.
Carpark: There is a carpark for about 50 cars max.
Travel:     There is a bus stop outside the reserve - but no train station near by
Shop:      There is no shop on site - villages 5 minutes drive each way.
Eating:    There is no cafe or restaurant on site.
Toilets:   In carpark - open until 5pm each day.
Dogs:      No dogs allowed in reserve.
Kids:       Families are welcome and there is plenty for young children to do.
Other:     There is no playpark, cycling or horseriding on the reserve.

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Is that beautiful picture of a tiger really so beautiful?

Were you aware that there are animal farms across the world where ‘wild’ animal are bred specifically for wildlife photography?

Did you know that there are places across America and Europe where tigers, pumas, wolves and foxes are kept in small cages specifically to look ‘wild’ for a paying customer?

It happens all the time apparently to ‘get a great close up shot’ for a magazine or website - but is it infact just a lie?

Is the shot ‘perfect’ because it is of a beautiful animal regardless of where the animal was just 10 minutes before the image was created - or should the best shots only be of wild animals?

The Problem:
There has only really recently been a heavy discussion about this ‘canned’ photography since the winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 was proved to be a caged wolf that had been hired by the photographer and ‘made’ to jump the gate for the winning shot!

People were in uproar when it was discovered as it exposed the dark side of wildlife photography - and the lies of the photographer.

How many times he had made the wolf jump the gate to to get the right shot we will never know - but is the fact that he resorted to a captive animal good ethics anyway?

The Facts:
If you want to use caged animals for your photos that is your prerogative - and there are some really well maintained establishments that do this - but it really isn’t the way to get a ‘true picture of wildlife’ is it?

Knowing that the animals are caged - most of the time in sub-standard environments - should be enough to put nearly all true wildlife lovers off immediately.  But as these places still exist, we know that people have been using them an awful lot of the time and all over the world.

How many photos have you thought were amazing - but will never know that they were filmed in a ’set up’ location with a totally unwild animal?  Shouldn’t these images be clearly marked when published?

Baited Scenes:
However, where do you stand on actual wild animals being lured in to a ’shot’ with food?  Basically leaving out food to attract the animals to exactly where you want them to be.

We do it all the time for our pleasure with bird feeders and certain reintroduced species - but does it infringe on ethical photography?

Great Tit On Feeder

Should you sit around animal nests knowing that there are young inside - but potentially stressing the parents with your presence?

It all starts to get a bit confusing when you analyse the role a photographer plays in the landscape - as animals don’t just live where we see them - they live in the surrounding countryside, so you traipsing through it day after day to get a ‘good picture’ could actually be making different species move out of the area!  And feeding them could actually attract even more to the area.

But surely all wildlife photography isn’t that bad?

Well I say: stick to footpaths - and get a camera with an excellent zoom!

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It’s your chance to meet some inspirational people - and get your hands on some great equipment!

It’s not all about birds - but if you love birdwatching and great wetland landscapes - then I suggest you clear your diary for any day over the weekend of 20th to 22nd August 2010!

For only £10 entry - you could have the opportunity to ask Chris Packham for some wildlife-watching tips, listen to Mark Carwardine discussing endangered species and maybe watch a slide show of great wildlife moments from Simon King - not bad, eh?

The Show:
Basically, BirdFair is one of the biggest bird-watching and outdoor shows in the UK and is set in the most beautiful scenery to add even more to your day.

As with many great shows, there will also be the opportunity to visit the stands of all the local and international wildlife stands and ask questions about the work they do and how to become a supporter or volunteer.

Add to this stalls that are filled to the brim with the best photographic equipment to improve your photos and to increase your viewing range as digiscopes and binoculars of all shapes and sizes are on offer.  As well as a host of specialist manufacturers and users to help you decide on the best items for your needs.

Whether you are hoping to get some advice for starting out or whether you are looking to take the next step in your craft and hoping to increase your equipment collection to cover more wildlife and birds - it will all be there.

Using A Zoom Lens Can Get Great Images

And it’s not just about technical things - there will be a whole host of stalls selling outdoor clothing, camping goods, walking shoes, wildlife holidays, travel books, field guides, wildbird seed, nest boxes, wildlife art, and so much more!

And, to be ‘green’ the organisers are offering free transfer buses to the show from the local train station to save on all those cars on the roads!

Show Extras:
It’s not all about just being a show - there is so much more there than stall after stall.

For example, there is a grand auction selling a whole range of random goodies from paintings to one-off experiences - all donated to the show specifically to raise funds for this years fundraising targets.

There are also 3 different agendas for events and talks throughout each day and kids events as well for the little learners!  Bushcraft skills, art and education are the themes you can find here in the several big tents on site.

And, your entry ticket gives you free access to the nature reserves here too - so after you have brought that new camera you have been promising yourself - or upgraded to a better digiscope - you can get straight out there are try it for size!

If you plan to go for the day - make sure you get there early and plan to do a lot of walking, and you won’t regret it.  If you know you love this type of show then make sure you stay for the weekend as you might not get to see everything on just the 1 day!

And this only happens once a year!

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The streets of London are now filled with 500 new community bicycles!

As with many cities in Europe, UK’s capital is now promoting the use of city bikes - a simple hire system for local people, commuters and tourists.

Whether you need to get from A to B without the fuss and congestion of the roads or the sardine-like underground system - or you want a leisurely cycle ride through the Royal Parks - this system could be for you.

The Scheme:
Put simply, there are bikes parked up around London that you can borrow for any length of time (albeit the longer you have them the more it costs).

You can sign up online and ‘pay as you go’ so to speak, or soon you will be able to pay with your credit card at a paypoint on the street and take a bike there and then - with your card being charged at the end of your hire period (24hrs after taking the bike).

It is all very simple once you know the limits of the system and the basic charging periods: basically you pay 1 fee for the bike in the first place (for 24hrs) and a seperate fee for the length of time you use the bike for in that 24 hours.

And the fees vary considerably. If you sign up online for annual membership, you can pay less than 12p a day for a bike - paying on the street for it will cost you £1 a day. For the usage fee it varies from Free if you dock the bike within 30 minutes of use - all the way up to £50 for the full 24 hours (and a lot more if you forget to return it before that time!).

Needless to say - as with most things - the more you plan to use it, the cheaper it becomes. What a great incentive!

The Bikes:
The bicycles will be spread all over the City at docking stations - secure lockable bike racks around the streets. All the bikes are identical, suitable for basic riding for over 14 year olds, and all fit into the docking stations perfectly!

The number of bikes at each site will vary, as will the popularity of others - so it is a work in progress to find out how the bikes are used and when.

There are currently over 12,000 registered users and only 500 cycles - so it will be interesting to see how it goes from here!  In theory people will use them at different times for different lengths of time - but the data collected in these first few weeks will be all important in shaping this great scheme for the future.

There is of course always the chance that you turn up at a docking station and there are no bikes for hire - or you arrive at a docking station to find that there is nowhere to park your bike!  Ideally, their maps will help you find the closest alternative - but you could lose time in the early days!

Obviously, for some people this is a much better and cheaper way to travel - as using the bikes for less than 30 minutes is free - so could save a few £’s each way over the bus or tube, and in the summer it will be all that more of a pleasure!

The Future:
Well, I am hoping that the rise in the use of bikes around the busy London streets will make headway for a more pedestrian and cycle friendly destination.

Why do pedestrians always have to have their path blocked by metal railings and have to walk well out of their way to cross a road while congestion-making drivers crawl past in straight lines? 

Why do people and cyclists have to stand in the rain waiting for traffic lights to change to cross the road while polluting drivers are in the dry?

Shouldn’t pavements and cycle lanes have priority over traffic?  If we want a people-friendly and green city - then surely this is the way to go. 

And the more people supporting cycling in the city - the sooner this could happen!

Have you ever wondered where you can watch bats from your own front door?

Well, I have put together a short list of some bat watching holiday destinations where they virtually guarantee you a sighting or 1 or more species every night - and are working for the bats best interests!

Now, although you yourself will not be allowed to touch the bats or disturb their roosts, by going out on an adventure with a bat specialist you may well get to use highly specific equipment on your trip.

For example, the organisers may well lend out night vision goggles, bat detectors and know specific roosting or feeding sites that you can stake out from a distance. And of course - being experts - they will actually already know how to identify the species you see in an instant, making your experience even better!

1) In The UK;
Many of the buildings that are managed by the National Trust contain bat roosts - and many have had camera installed too. Dunster Castle and Arlington Court have both installed viewing and information for visitors - and even do late night bat events throughout the year.

And other nature charities like the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and various Wildlife Trusts offer night-time events through the year. There are 18 species of bat found in the UK - although not all in the same place - some can be quite location-specific.

The Bat Conservation Trust also offers a range of free or paying courses to get you closer to bats and their habitats.

By offering up your time to train as a volunteer or if you pay for a introductory course - you will certainly get close up and personal to bats in their natural environment - and willl be taking a huge step forward in studying them and identifying bats day to day!

2) EcoTours Hungary Bat Tour:
If you are a bit more serious and want to really see a huge variety of bats, then maybe this bat watching holiday in the Bükk and Aggtelek National Parks in Hungary will impress you - with 26 bat species to choose from!

They virtually guarantee you will see 15-20 of these as standard - and that adding on a further 3 days and another location could help you see even more. You may also see beaver, lynx and wolves as well as many other unusual species along the way.

The tours offer all safety precautions for you and the bats of course, with a little waiting around sometimes to allow only small group to intrude into roosts at a time. Obviously disturbing the bats is the last thing they want!

There aren’t many great - or green - bat watching holidays, but there are plenty of ways to see some great wildlife without over-running their habitat or destroying the very things you went to see!

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What a great summer we have been having here!  I have been out and about almost every day!

I have taken a few eco courses with some local charities and helped out and attended several green summer carnivals and general fairs with the family.

There are a few more on the horizon as well and maybe some educational volunteering at a local wetlands reserve for me too!

So, what has everyone else been up to?  Well, lets take a look……..

One Family enjoyed some hiking in the woods for the day - so join their story - with great photo’s - for Enjoying Yosemite Valley with Kids – A Trip Report. Amazing!

And if that puts you in the mood for the great outdoors and you are thinking of camping for the first time to save some money, then take a look at Beata Antoszek’s quick post with 6 Tips for Camping on a Tight Budget.

Or, will you be on the road this summer? If so - is your car prepared for the journey? Look in on Jena Ellis’ article for a list of 10 Essentials for a Car Emergency Kit, and then hop over the Eco Holidays for a quick guide to help you Check Your Car For Basic Safety. 

On The Road

This way you can be doubly sure you don’t get held up by some stupid basic problems instead of enjoying your trip!

And what about your clothes? If you need new travel or camping gear - make sure you read Eco Living Advice’s tale of whether natural or man-made materials are more eco-friendly - and as usual it is not as straight-foward as you might think! So open up Eco Clothes and see both sides of the debate!

But if you want to get away from where you are for a while - or for ever - then maybe take a look at The Investor’s information with some help Researching moving abroad.

Whatever you decide - do take plenty of photos!

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Have you ever wanted to know what that beautiful orange butterfly was? 

You must have been sitting in the garden, or walking in the countryside and watched the most delightful and brightly coloured butterfly waft past you on a breeze.  But what was it?

Or maybe you followed it as it hopped from flower head to flower head, fanning it’s wings open and closed. And we have all tried to photograph them only to have them flutter away on a breeze.

So, why not take part in a survey this July (2010) to help identify some of our most common butterflies here in the UK - and get to learn what they are for your own benefit at the same time!

Butterfly Identification:
There are plenty of very distinct butterflies in the UK - but there are plenty of similar species too - so when trying to identify any butterflies, you need to be looking for key details like the placing or spots or the position and amount of white on the wings for example.

There are also more expert ways of identity - such as the shape of the wings, the coloring of the underside of the wings (normally totally boring compared to the the top) and which plants they are settling on.

Butterflies are very specific in the types of plants that they will eat and so this can sometimes be the key difference between two similar looking species.

Best course of action for the butterflies (as with all species id) is to start learning the most common species in your area and get these 100% right. Only then is it worth learning all the other similar species.

Butterfly Id Guide:
It is always great to have a simple colour guide to these common species that you can carry with you - and then refer to immediately you see the butterfly.

Peacock Butterfly - With Obvious Large Spots

This way you get to learn their patterns much quicker, For example the Peacock butterfly (above) and the Small Tortoiseshell (below) can both appear quite a reddy-orangy colour to the novice as they flutter about - but they are so different when you see them in display.

Small Tortoiseshell - With Distinct Patterning

So by knowing to look out for stripes on the one and spots on the other can make all the difference when trying to identify them. Then if a Painted Lady appears, you will be able to tell it apart from these 2 as well rather than getting all 3 muddled up!

Painted Lady Butterfly

Download the Butterfly Identification Guide off the Big Butterfly Count website and start practising!

The Butterfly Survey:
What a great opportunity to get outside and away from the busy town than to plan a walk or a picnic out in the countryside or local woods - than to go count butterflies!

Butterflies are a key indicator or damaged habitats and changing weather patterns as they depend on only a handful of specific plants for their lifecycle.

So a drop in numbers of one species can mean a drop in the numbers of the other species that live in the same area - including the mammals and birds that feed on the missing butterflies!

All you have to do for this survey is spend 15 minutes in the sunshine (and it has to be sunshine otherwise the butterflies won’t be flying) and log your sightings!

What easier way is there to help your local wildlife and have a great outdoor adventure at the same time!

Big Butterfly Count - Takes place between: 24th July and 1st August 2010

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What’s the difference between an SSSI, a SNCI and an AONB?

There are plenty of acronyms all over the countryside and in wildlife literature, but what are they and what do they actually mean?

How could they affect your green adventures closer to home - and which are the best for wildlife, best for families or best avoided!

Well, I have found out about the main contenders in the UK - and details of what they are about:

NP - National Park
These are large areas of the country that have been chosen to be preserved and improved for the enjoyment of people and for the safety of local plants and wildlife - or ways of living/heritage.

Most of the land within National Parks is privately owned and so there are certain areas that cannot be visited by tourists - and this can also lead to conflict with local businesses and excessive congestion in the ‘best’ places.

Parts of a National Park can also be designated as any of the following as well, for example the South Downs National Park is dotted with SSSI’s and smaller Nature Reserves.

SSSI - Site of Special Scientific Interest
This is the name given to areas in the UK that have special features which need to be protected, and fall into either biological SSSI (mainly habitats like peat bogs and cliffs) or geological SSSI’s (which have been chosen to represent a specific geological or visible feature of a landscape specific to the UK).

Pulborough Brooks - Sussex - SSSI Nature Reserve

They do not need to be on public land, and in fact many are in private hands and cannot be visited by the public, however National Charities and Organisations like the RSPB and Wildlife Trusts run them as Nature Reserves.

The SSSI’s do not need to a beautiful places to visit - they just contain certain elements or are in certain locations that should be protected.  They could just be an old field by the side of the road!

AONB - Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Only covering abut 10% of land in the UK, these areas are given special protection with regards to development and housing - so that the areas cannot be destroyed or divided by roads and buildings.

These Areas are normally smaller than National Parks and are more or less places to roam freely.

NR - Nature Reserves
These are totally different from National Parks as they are specifically run to protect and preserve the habitat and wildlife - rather than as places for people - although many are open to the public. 

They can be either a National NR (NNR) and ‘run by Natural England, or they can be a Local NR (LNR) and run by non-government groups or private owners.  They could also be Marine Nature Reserves (MNR) a and protect the coastal edges or the UK. 

It is often created in an area where a particular species of plant or animal is endangered, and so by protecting the area and restricting access and development, the species may survive and thrive.

CA - Conservation Area
These areas do exactly what they say - they are created to protect a species or landscape that would otherwise be lost to development.  They are usually quite small and are part of or all of a LNR.

They tend to have a variety of names as they are run by the county, so a Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) is virtually the same as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC)

CP - Country Parks
These are just areas of the countryside that have been set aside for human pleasure - with no particular interest in conservation.

They are usually large areas of managed woodland and open space with extensive and well marked trails for people on foot, on horseback and more recently on mountain bikes.

The park may well have a campsite and other facilities (cafe/shop/toilets/play park) on site, and there may well be a charge for the car park!

So, now you can plan your trip to better suit your needs - and you will know what to expect when you get there…….