Green Holidays

You know how to pack a rucksack properly – but what about save a life?

We all learn to pack our racksacks top heavy, learn which wildfood we can eat, how to get our tents back in their tiny bags, how to purify water and how to run away from a bear.

But what about help another human being?

When was the last time you took a first aid lesson? At school, in your teens or because your workplace told you to go?

Why do we wait – when our friends or family could get injured at any time!

Things that we learn on these courses could save other peoples lives – as well as our own, so why don’t we sign up in droves?
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What are you going to do?
Things change all the time in medicine and first aid – so some things your parents told you or that you learnt over 5 years ago might not still be current – like laying a person who fainted on their back with their legs raised. Wrong.

How about pinching the top of the nose and tipping the head back to stop a nose bleed! Wrong. Putting soothing creams or lotions on a burn – WRONG!

You don’t even check for a pulse anymore – there are better, more effective ways to save a life.

Obviously we all hope that we never have to deal with an emergency – but if you like to travel a lot – especially out in the countryside, emergency first aid could be your only chance of survival.

Call The Emergency Services!
It is all well and good to assume that the emergency services will come and save the day – but if the casualty isn’t breathing or is bleeding heavily – then 10 minutes is too long to wait. And you will probably be out in the countryside or up a mountain!

photo credit: Adam Tinworth

So, you could save someone by starting first aid straight away.

Immediate Action:
I can’t teach you first aid in this article – but I know that making sure that someone is breathing is more important that calling 999 in the first instance. The time it takes you to make the call is more time that they aren’t breathing.

By first checking the airways are clear and listening for breathing you could have done all that was needed to save a life. People who are unconscious and on their backs can suffocate on their own tongue – so by you moving their head to free the tongue – you can help them breathe again. Then, by putting them in the recovery position – and knowing that they can still breathe – you could have just saved their life.

However, if you make the call first; all the while you are trying to describe where you are for the emergency services to find you – they will be getting worse.

First Aid is about dealing with the most critical thing first – like not breathing. There is no point stopping them bleeding if they aren’t breathing, and no point moving them into a more comfortable place if they aren’t breathing either.

And an Emergency First Aid course can help you understand why things are important and when they are not. The course will help you gain confidence in your actions even if they seem rather odd and ‘different’ to what other people are saying.

You would have taken the most up-to-date course (to protect your friends and family) so it will be the best you can do for a stranger too!

And thank you for caring.

Have you ever put into words your close encounters or your love of the landscape?

Every year BBC Wildlife Magazine offer you the chance to not only be published in their magazine – but to win a wildlife experience in some far-flung destination desperately in need of volunteers and research.

All you need to do is write a short passionate story about something you love or have experienced that you want to share with others to help them see another side of nature – your version.

Whether you want to describe the fox family living in your garden, that one off encounter with a tiger in India, your hopes for conserving a small patch of endangered wildflowers or even your first-hand description as you witnessed a tornado rip through a field near you!

As long as it was something outside – and could appeal to anyone interested in the ‘great outdoors’ – then get your pen to paper and write out your thoughts!

The Competition:
Don’t worry if you can’t think of anything for this years competition (closing date 30th April 2011) – but you can start thinking about next years entry.

Nature writing normally means that you have captured your thoughts while caught in the middle of things – or that you have a lot of experience in your subject – so know it inside-out. Needless to say, you can’t just pluck such a story out of thin air.

They offer plenty of tips for your writing and you can read past winners tales too – but only be inspired by yourself.

The hardest part will be reducing your passion down to just 800 words – so don’t even worry about all the judging and the other people entering – get your story straight first.

photo credit: whyohwhyohwhyoh

(Click picture to play)

What If I Can’t Write?
Not everyone feels comfortable writing – so BBC Wildlife offer other competitions too – including poetry and photography.

Whatever your passion, experience, age or ability – they offer something that you can sink your teeth into!

Everyone is different – and their version of events or the way they can share their experiences and knowledge will be different too. By all means try your hand at everything, but some people are naturally just better at some things – but it can take a while to figure out what!

Visit their website for ideas and inspiration – and maybe I could be reading your story or admiring your photos on their website soon!

If you saw tree weighed down with Ivy – would you take action?

Sometimes a mature tree is so overwhelmed with Ivy that it is surely doing it some harm – and haven’t you sometimes found Ivy-covered fallen branches on the ground after bad weather?

And during the winter months a deciduous tree with none of its own leaves looks verdant with a heavy covering of large, dark green Ivy leaves instead!

And because the tree, or trees, are in what appears to be an untended area of woodland – isn’t it best that you take things into your own hands before the tree is damaged or gets pulled down under the shear weight!

Would you resolve to come back next time with some seceteurs or a small hacksaw?

Every Tree Has An Owner:
Many walkers seem to think that areas of land like woodland, grassland, hills and mountains are not owned by anyone – they believe that they can do anything they want on this land as it doesn’t say ‘Private’ on the gate!

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Every patch of land close to your home has an owner or a guardian – and you may well have rights to walk across that land – but that’s about it.

You can’t – as many people seem to think; cut down Ivy, dig up plants, bury dead pets, abandon cars, take wood for fuel, camp overnight or hold a party there.

Would you appreciate anyone doing that on your land or in your garden? No, I didn’t think so.

You can of course, speak to the land-owner or guardian about doing any of these things, but obviously they may charge you a fee and/or just say ‘No’.

They May Have Plans:
Now we have established that the tree – and the Ivy – is owned by someone, so it is pretty clear that you don’t have the right to cut them down. But what makes you think that they don’t want the Ivy to grow on their trees in the first place?

Had it not occured to you that the Ivy has just as many benefits – if not more – than just the bare tree itself?

photo credit: cdsessums

For example, Ivy is famous for its ability to live through the winter (and that is why it is in many a festive songs) – so it is one of the only plants which has food and leaves in the harshest winter months.

After all the deciduous trees and bushes have dropped their berries and cast off their old leaves by September – the woodlands should be empty of birds, insects and mammals. However, the wildlife in an Ivy-filled woodland can still feed on, and live in, the great swathes of rich green Ivy that remain on trees, even in the frost and snow!

A bare tree in winter is a cold and unwelcoming place in which to hibernate or to hide from the icy weather – whereas the nooks and crannies formed by decades old ivy stems are a perfect safe haven!

How You Can Actually Help:
If you are really interested in learning more about woodlands; plants, trees and wildlife, then you should consider joining a volunteer nature conservation group as well as doing some reading of your own.

Obviously you will find out that cutting down Ivy is actually detrimental to the woods and it’s wildlife – but you will also find out how to manage it for the better, which plants are signs of an ancient woodland, and which creatures you are likely to see there.

You also get to cut down plenty of plants that are not wanted in other areas – for example scrub on grasslands. Nature wants to gradually replace grasslands and heaths with trees and forests – however, these 2 habitats are vitally important for certain wildlife – but will not survive on their own.

By learning about natural succession and habitat management – you will be far more help to the environment than illegally hacking down Ivy plants in your local woods!

Found something strange – or beautiful – but have no idea what it is?

As long as you have a picture of it, then there is a new way to find out what on earth you have just seen.

It could be something common that you just haven’t seen before where you are visiting – or it could be a species that is new to your area (through land use changes or seasonal migration) and you have been one of the first to spot it.

Basically, the Open University in the UK has set up a database of images of everything in the natural world – as well as people who can tell you what it is.

Rather than just asking a few friends, searching through your field guides or just admiring it for what it is – you can now find out for good.

iSpot:
Not another iPhone application as its name insinuates – but a whole nature database online that can sort out the clustered bonnets from the milky bonnets, the brown bear from the black bear and the large white from the marbled white.

Basically, you can upload your pictures and some basic information about it and leave it to others to identify. You can have a guess yourself, and others will either confirm or deny this – basically like a forum.

You can also help identify other wildlife for photographers as well. It may be that you have experience in fungi – but have taken a picture of a strange insect on that fungi. You can find out what the insect is in exchange for identifying some garden waxcaps or woodland earth star!

photo credit: Marek Komorowski

It is divided up into categories including: mammals, birds, fungi, fish, etc and you can just look at some great shots, see different colour variants of common species (like white deer and black squirrels) or just use the labels to find out where these animals were seen so you can go and look for them yourself.

In Addition:
There are also links on the sites for further reading, related surveys, tips on identification and links to other useful id and specialist websites.

The OU have also recently launched a short course to run alongside iSpot and for all those people who haven’t taken a degree or had experience in the field before.

It’s called Neighbourhood Nature and can take you as little as 5 weeks or as long as 5 months depending on your other commitments. It allows you the support to run your own local field study relating to any area that you have ready access to and a keen interest in like a local woodland behind the houses, a nearby nature reserve or even a disused railway.

Nature is everywhere – and by working alongside your tutors and the experts on iSpot, you can find out what is living there and why – and anything you can do to keep it there or improve the number and diversity of plants and animals there.

So, if you have been meaning to get qualified in something ‘outdoors’ or to help brush up on your basic skills before embarking on a longer or higher level course – then maybe this course could help you out.

Also You Might Like To:
Obviously, signing up to volunteer with nature-related charities in your area will also enable you to experience nature first hand, access some great habitats, learn from experts and it could always lead to a larger project or a permanent job somewhere down the line.

And if anything, get a camera with a good zoom and an even better macro – and practice observing things – or take a basic photography course. Trying out the different settings is one thing – but knowing what to look out for is another.

You might take a great picture of a striking plant – but then get home to find out that you needed to find the berry, scratch the bark or see what other plants were around it to get a 100% ID. But until you make those mistakes and get annoyed with yourself – you won’t get any better at identifications.

It’s alright relying on others for rare species and all those ‘barely indistinguishable’ lichens – but you should really start to build up your basic id skills in the field if you are planning any sort of career based on nature.

So grab your camera, field guide and waterproofs – and get outside!

Think how much more you could achieve overseas if you were learning as you travelled?

Many of us seem to have a real passion for something – but have no certified proof of our skills in that area.  Take for example those of us who spend hours trying to get the best view of that elusive woodcock, or days collecting hazel nuts to find out if there are dormice close by.

There are many more examples of people who follow a passion without a thought for the amount of time and money it takes up – people like you.

Yes, we all have qualifications in this or that for our work, or have been sent a various courses over the years – but this is a means to pay the bills.  I mean who would have thought you could earn a living counting trees, weighing turtles or promoting bee-keeping!

But these days with the right experience – you can!

Why Study?
Well, you may well be taking some previous experience with you on your green volunteering adventure, but how much more could you offer your team if you were learning more along the way.

Imagine knowing bushcraft skills already before you start your volunteering in the Amazon – but then studying ecology or statistics in the evenings so to make better use of the data you collect.

photo credit: Speculum Mundi

Or you have listening skills that you put to good use working with disadvantaged families in Bangladesh – but then study teaching or life coaching skills in the evenings to further enhance the support you can offer.

Not only would you be offering them your existing skills – you would be increasing your worth 10-fold with these new skills along the way.

And many course and projects need you to write reports and complete projects – now what better way to get results than to actually be participating in active projects overseas – actually working hands on with an exciting and unusual project.  You won’t be writing about a new supermarket in your coursework will you?

Your Future:
As you can imagine when you add together the experience you will have gained volunteering in the first place with a certified course, diploma or foundation degree – you will have made very good use of your time.

Returning home could open up a whole new vocation window – and that’s if you even come home in the first place.  Why return to that office job in the city when you could be working in a jungle office, or returning to that tower block when you could be surveying under the ocean instead.

Working with people and animals really can pay the bills if you just turn your passion into a skill by quantifying it.

And then you could become the worker instead of the volunteer!

Could taking your kids to Karate lessons really be that green?

Have you ever thought about an alternative way to stop you kids leaving the lights on and playing computer games all night:  Make them do their homework? Give them household chores to complete? Nag them all day?

Or sign them up to a club like Karate, sea cadets, scouts, ballet, piano lessons?

Seriously, what better way to keep your energy levels down at home without getting into a constant battle with your kids!  Give them something to do outside!

Not only will it give you some free time, it will allow them a bit of independence, an excuse to make friends, learn new skills and gain some valuable social skills along the way!

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

Something For The Future:
I wish I had joined more clubs when I was younger!  I would so love to have played an instrument or learned to dance – but it all seems such a chore when you have a house to run – if only you could give your kids those opportunities.

There is so much on offer out there today that it would be a shame not to encourage your kids to get involved – and maybe get involved yourself.

I mean if your kids are busy for 2 hours twice a week – won’t that give you the time to try out something new yourself?

Things like music lessons or language tutoring can be done at a time to suit you (rather than having to attend set classes) so while your kids are playing football you could be learning Spanish; or while your kids are learning a new dance move you could be playing the violin!

You never know what your kids are going to want to do in the future – but at least if they have tried all these things in their youth, they can always go back to it easier when they are adults.

Or maybe impress their work colleagues with as an unexpected skill!

Start Now:
There is no time like the present for anything you want to do.  If you make an excuse to put it off – it could be years before you try it and then find out you didn’t like it anyway and have to find something else to put off for a few more years!

Sometimes the actual thing you do doesn’t lead to where you wanted – so the sooner you get started, the sooner you can see where you will end up!

Kids often don’t know what opportunities are out there in the first place – so it is up to you to introduce them to all the clubs, groups and skills out there.

It could also be a way to introduce your kids to charity work and volunteering – and of course you can tag along if they will let you!  Why not get them out in the countryside working for the National Trust or Wildlife Trusts scrub bashing or footpath building.

Or helping out at organised events for local communities or those who need an extra bit of support; serving food, litter picking, cleaning up or painting the set for the church pantomime!

It’s not behind you!  Look to the future!

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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

Hello again – and welcome to another summer of green holidays and adventures!

I have been out and about myself on the allotment, volunteering for charities, holding stalls at carboot sales and basically enjoying the sunshine – but what have you all been up to?

Lets begin with a real green adventure leading off from my previous article (great minds think alike and all that!): Eco Living Advice offers up the idea of analysing your job and to try to make is into a more green alternative – now that really could be an adventure; so read on with his Green Careers article and get thinking!

Then in a similar vein, here is TravelCat’s quandry of Should I Travel Abroad To Raise Money For Charity?  These 2 really make an interesting read to look at the wider side of eco friendly activities!

Taking a step closer to home is The Nature Blog with a really touching tale of the opposite of nature watching – nature waiting.  Read this short article on the virtues of letting nature come to you rather than chasing it all over the woods or seas: In Praise Of Slow.

A shorter article here from Viviana Widjaja suggests some great Holiday Activities for Kids – Eco Friendly Holidays to inspire in advance for the weeks they have off school!

And another quickie from Wise Bread with their 5 Essential Travel Tools to not leave home without on your green adventures! And Linda@NHE offers advice on what to do if you encounter bugs there! So read on with Mosquito Bites Natural Remedies and save yourself some scratching!

This is followed by a lovely article – with pictures – to offer you the chance to take a pilgrimage as part of your green holidays, walking centuries old pathways in the footsteps of millions: 10 Amazing Religious Pilgrimages by Phillip Lopez.

Hopefully this interesting selection will keep you busy for a while – not just reading them, but thinking about the ways that these articles could change the way people think about their job, their family and they vacation.

Times are changing – and now is not the time to be left behind!

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Ethical jobs can be very varied – and don’t have to involve the rainforest or building schools!

When we think of ‘ethical’ jobs – we always assume it is helping people or places around the world – but ethics can just as easily mean working for your local community, your county, state or anything. And you don’t have to speak a second language or live abroad to make a difference!

And getting paid a tidy sum for doing so as well – it’s not all about volunteering!

There are plenty of jobs right on your doorstep that can make a huge difference to your world and the world of others – and you may already be more than qualified to help!

Ethical Jobs:
If you have ever used an Internet search to find your next job, then you will know how difficult it can be to limit your search without missing any potentially great jobs – as for example – administrative jobs can be found in all sectors, so you can’t just look in the ‘Office Work’ section.

This has it’s advantages therefore when you are thinking about changing jobs and maybe your industry. By this I mean that all companies need someone who can do a whole range of jobs not necessarily highly experienced in the ‘ethical ‘field’ so to speak.

For example, an ethical company may need a graphic designer or someone who has sales experience – regardless of their previous employer. For example I knew a retail manager from a supermarket who became a retail manager for a high street branch of Oxfam, and I know of many people who had a degree or other qualifications in economics, planning, sociology or statistics – all valuable skills when planning ahead for sustainability and community projects.

Planning Your Move:
Obviously, to get a job for an ethical firm – you need to find out which firms are ethically run in the first place, and what skills are required.

There are many resources you can use to scale your companies for in terms of whether you want to help communities, reduce pollution, improve cityscapes, teach children, raise money for projects or working in the areas of law and finance.

And you need to find out where they advertise their jobs and what they advertise for. So go job hunting well in advance and take a look at their criteria way before you need it – and add it into your 2, 3 or 5 year plan!

For example training and interpretation roles now include a huge graphic and marketing element which wasn’t the way a few years back – so if you find that many such jobs ask for this skill – then start getting that experience in advance or sign up for a course to improve your chances.

Getting in through the bottom is always a great strategy if you are worried you don’t have the right skills, but want to learn. Volunteering is one of the entrances, as it a part time admin or PA job – but there are many other ways you can get involved in that company and meet the right people along the way.

Types of Ethical Roles:
There are 3 types of ethical roles if you narrow it right down, and they are 1) Campaigning: Getting things done in person – and with all the facts (and a touch of politics and funding)! This would suit a very pro-active person and can involve travel, confrontation and media work.

2) Personal Work: Actually working on the front line talking to individuals and working slowly towards a result. This include social work, working with disadvantaged people and communities, one to one rehabilitation and the like. Very personal – and very rewarding for the right person.

3) Ethical Business: Working behind the scenes – making the right thing still turn a profit and get the relevant funding. There is no point starting a project if you can’t make it work long term – and that’s where the business team come in. Without admin, accounts, marketing and research – the whole project could fall apart!

The Fourth Role?
There is always the hope that this special 4th type could be one of the most important: and it could be you.

Why not take it upon yourself to make your current role – and your current employer – think and act more ethically? Could you find some small areas of your business to make a difference? Could you help your boss put practices into place that can benefit wider communities or individuals?

I think you can – and I think you should!

If you think about how amazing trees can be – you will want to help plant them!

I recently read a leaflet from a charity called Tree Aid - who fund, train and support communities in Africa to give them the skills to use their trees to the best advantage – and saw an amazing list of the ‘Gift of Trees’ which made me stop and think for a while.

I had always been amazed by the growth, resilience, uses and beauty of trees – but had never really thought of them as holding the key to a community’s survival.

So take a look at the list below of all the things that a tree, or group of trees could achieve. 

Some are more obvious – but others seem totally unrelated.  So maybe you too could see trees in a whole new light too!

As Wood To Build Homes.
Also schools, hopitals, warehouses and much more – including furniture and farming tools.

As Fuel For Cooking.
This also includes wood used for making cooking utensils and storage pots for food and water.

As Food Suppliers.
By farming tree-grown crops – a community is self-sufficient through the year.

As Food Attractors.
Trees are the perfect home for bees – and bees means honey!

As Animal Attractors.
Woodlands and even single trees attract benificial wildlife to an area, for the ecosystem and for food.

As Habitat Protectors.
Trees help to create the perfect environment for other plants to thrive and grow.

As Shade Makers.
Trees create the perfect place for people and animals to escape from the heat of the sun!

As Rain Makers.
Trees and their roots can help create micro-climates and generate rainfall – and prevent run-off.

As Soil Makers.
Trees products can help improve the fertility of soil and well placed trees can prevent it blowing away!

As Outdoor Chemists.
Many plants and trees contain ‘medicines’ that communites depend on for their health.

As Pet Stores.
Many trees can be grown specifically to feed livestock, or to build fencing and housing.

As Bank Loans.
Sales of produce and/or wood can be used to reduce poverty and buy new seeds or equipment.

As Education Givers.
Profits earned can put children through schooling – and will allow them the time to attend!

As Freedom Givers.
A productive livelihood can empower women and change the lives of the whole community.

So, next time you get the opportunity to fund or partake in charity events that help communities learn more about trees and farming – think of what you will be helping to support – and continue.

And we all know that young trees are a great way to ‘trap’ CO2 from the atmosphere – so think about the effect you could have by helping to plant just a dozen or so each year.