Green Holidays

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If it doesn’t recycle or have solar panels - is your holiday cottage still a green choice?

I think it depends on your priorites and the area in which it is situated. For example, if it is a city, I think that the emphasis should be on the inner workings of the building. Is it reducing it’s energy use, are it’s appliances A rated, are it’s suppliers doing their part too?

Whereas if it is in the countryside, then I think the priorities can shift a bit to the outside world. Why focus all your attention on the inside of the building when it is the location that is more important. What good is a totally carbon neutral, self-sufficient eco lodge that has flattened all the woodland to build the hotel in the first place and to make a car park?

New builds are very difficult to assess as well, as why build from scratch when you could improve what’s already there without changing the whole location?

I Like Old Fashioned.
It is very difficult for me as a known ‘little-spender’ to see these trendy eco lodges in forests or woodlands that have everything an eco holiday needs but cost an absolute arm and a leg!

I’m all for paying to support my ideals, but paying some of these what I consider excessively high prices, is something that I cannot bring myself to do.

I would rather have the simple holiday with no frills than pay for the luxury of all the bells and whistles that are included in some of these places. Basically I would rather go without appliances for a few days than pay to use super, eco friendly, carbon neutral, low energy fairtrade alternatives!

I recently stayed on a working farm in a renovated 150-year-old barn surrounded by wildlife. And to me, this place was totally natural and a perfect environmentally sensitive location.

The farm owner had gone completely out of his way to preserve the landscape (his hedges are about 1000 years old), protect wildlife (he has banned hunting and doesn’t use pesticides), encourage wildlife (owl boxes and restoring grasslands) and helping animals (he’s released badgers and hedgehogs, rehomed battery-farmed chickens and taken on 2 rescue dogs and 4 feral cats!).

The Location.
This farm is in a protected historic landscape and it’s a shame that their criteria aren’t as strict as his!

I often think of the perfect eco lodge in my eyes, and it’s a bit like here.

I don’t need all the trendy furniture and attractions of what appear to be the only eco lodges out there - they are more like boutiques or top-of-the-range holiday resorts.

Yes, they look totally perfect and some of the locations are amazing - but I couldn’t think of anything better than a small self-sufficient unit in amongst the landscape and the wildlife. Ideally a protected warm indoor area that had some basic amenities and was right in the thick of it.

Basically, I want a camping experience without all the other campers, and I want a place I can stand up in which has running warm and cold water. Anything more is a bonus!

This place certainly had more, (well, it was a holiday cottage) but it was away from all the other ‘campers’ and it was right in the countryside. I could - and did - go out for a walk everyday - and sometimes within less than 5 minutes from my door, there were groups of fallow deer in sight, and the sound of a tawny owl carried on the wind.

On Balance.
Well, I know he won’t win any ‘eco hotel’ awards for his cottages themselves - but that didn’t seem to be his initial intention. I think he just wanted to enjoy the land and the landscape - and he has done just that.

There are many ‘eco’ things he could do in terms of the cottages themselves, as could we all in our own homes, but I really think that he has achieved some really wonderful things in terms of restoring the land to a more natural form. The wildlife are thriving and there is surely more to come.

I’m glad we found it, and we hope that he continues to make a difference!

If you are in the south of England and are looking for a holiday cottage - why not try here. Use this link to take a look at the place.

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Hello, and thanks for joining us again here at Green Holidays And Adventures Blog Carnival.

We have some very different articles for your this month, including on the road tips for cutting down your impact, to a school competition and on to a delightful eco resort in the south-west of England!

Handy tips:
So, beginning with Myscha Theriault covers some of the ways your choice of toiletries and accessories on the road can really lessen your impact and save you time and money to - so enjoy Going Green on the Road for these tips.

Then a rather analytical Brian Maxwell covers some great points for all you people out there who don’t know where to get started with the whole ‘eco friendly’ lifestyle.  Take a moment to read his pensive article on The Green Movement’s impact on Environmental Problems and go from there.

Local Trips:
Joshua offers up a selection of ideas on how to keep to kids entertained and close to nature at the same time - and all close to home!  Read his Tips for Learning during Summertime to get started.

And if you already have some great ideas for getting those kids out and about and enjoying themselves, then take a look at 00FF00’s article - which is a competition. Basically, you enter your ideas on how to Get Kids Outdoors and you could win a part of the £500 of prizes and an eco friendly computer for your chosen UK school.

Other Hols:
Cherie Ve Ard offers up a perfect example of how people can live on less and offer reason why a lot of people don’t!  Check out Excuses #5: Environmental Impact for a peek at how they do it.

Erika however, just offers a great idea on really getting into the heart of the earth on a low impact green holiday beneath the ground!  Here’s Going Caving in Mexico.

And finally Tamara gives us a short interview with the owners of an eco resort in the UK’s West Country - a very picturesque region where I often take vacations myself.  So read Eco-speak with Trevenna’s Jonathan Rowe to learn more about it.

Thanks again for your time and thanks to all those who offered their articles.

Planning Your Green Holidays in Yucatan, Mexico

Mexico is always a great destination for sunshine and beautiful scenery.  A perfect destination for all seasons. 

If you are planning to head to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico for your vacation and want your accommodation to be more responsible for it’s actions, then hopefully these eco resorts may appeal.

Where To Start:
However, if you are going to enjoy your green holidays, then you need to look beyond the standard brochure.  Many companies will cater for your every need in Cancun and around the Caribbean coast - but what if you want it to care about the needs of the environment and local people too? 

Forget the shiny brochures from the travel agent who cram everyone into the man-made hi-rise resort of Cancun.  Forget the cheap package vacations that include everything except the local people, and start looking elsewhere……

I have been looking around for you and have found 4 vacation spots all in the Yucatan peninsula, and all offering a ‘green’ alternative to the standard resort, and have detailed their eco credentials. 

However, the search isn’t always easy - as many resorts have information of ‘ecology’ meaning that there are animals and plants there, rather than ‘eco’ in our sense of the word, meaning that it actually cares for that environment and those creatures and plants.

The Hotels:
All are in different locations to offer you a taste of something different, but are all within easy reach of international airports and Mexico’s ancient Mayan Sites.

When making yur decision on the best green resort, remember to check their eco-credentials based on what they have to work with.  If they are catering for green alternatives in towns and cities then they are limited as to what they can achieve and it will take a more reduce:reuse:recycle approach.

When searching for isolated eco-lodges surrounded by beaches or forest, they are playing to a whole new set of rules.  Look out for alternative energy sources, low development footprint and how the accommodation fits in to the environment.

Eco Paraiso
This new-build eco-hotel is in Yucatan State, close to Celestun on the Gulf of Mexico coast.

It was designed around the nature on this coast and was set back from the beach itself to maintain the delicate dunes that protect the coast and is also home to rare plants and nesting turtles.

The actual buildings on the land only take up just over 1% of the total land owned by the resort, leaving nature pretty much as it was.  Any areas that needed replanting or protecting were filled with only native plants and trees.

They buy locally and in bulk to save food waste and catch and treat both rainwater and grey water from the rooms and kitchens to water the gardens.  They even desalinate their salt-water well and treat to make potable for guests rather than import bottled water.

Other attributes include solar-heated pool, low voltage bulbs and no individually packaged toiletries and goods.  They also offer extensive literature for guests to find out about their ethos and the local environment and community.  They even offer short course on eco living and sustainability!

Genesis Retreat
This vacation spot is located inland, just north of the town of Valladolid - close to Chichen Itza.

Based around a local village in the ruins of Ek Balem, this hotel is closely knitted together with the local people.  Most of the activities are guided by the locals and they welcome you into their villages and homes.

The hotel uses all local food and services and the local tours and wildlife trips are all close by.  Any further away is catered for with a healthy supply of mountain bikes.

They say that their gardens were designed to attract local butterflies and birdlife and have a small area that houses rescued native birds that cannot be released.  Their outdoor pool is chemical free and bio-filtered to reduce it’s impact on the visiting wildlife.

The management will automatically send you detailed information regarding their eco-credentials and community programmes on booking with them, as well and any other details you request on top.

Hotel El Rey Del Caribe
Located in the very heart of downtown Cancun (the original town) and so has different pressures on it’s green approach.

It welcomes you with Mexican flair and authentic design and you will probably see it’s sheets drying naturally on the roof!  Their main focuses are reducing and recycling and they are proud of the composting toilets in many of their rooms and the rainwater and grey-water recycling and reuse.

They say that they are constantly learning more ways to improve what they have, and work with local environmental NGO’s to support local projects as well as further their own developments - including their solar water heater.

They are also only a Bed & Breakfast, therefore encouraging visitors to go and explore the heart of Cancun and use local services and enjoy traditional foods.

Papaya Playa
This final hotel is really to the extremes of a green holiday and won’t be for everyone!

Close to the beautiful coastal ruins of Tulum, this complex has few rooms.  All were built with local materials using traditional methods and resources.

The rooms are very basic and sleep as many as possible in double beds to reduce individual waste.  Many go even further with shared bathrooms for some of the cabins to prevent wasted plumbing and ease of water capture and heating!  It goes without saying that they are showers only…

Expect almost nothing electrical in the rooms as there is only power generated between dusk and 11:30pm and so you need to rely on the traditional windowless design of the cabins and the natural ‘gaps’ in the slatted walls to keep your room cool throughout the day.

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