Green Holidays

Your actions alone can make the countryside a better place for yourself and others.

By sharing your adventures – I don’t mean inviting other people along to your picnics, dog walks or countryside rambles – I mean allowing them to have as much fun as your yourself would expect.

Your actions can directly affect other people who are within a few feet or even a few miles of you while you are outdoors – but they can also affect people who follow in your footsteps a few weeks or even a few years after you.

How you may wonder? But it is all quite simple.

The Countryside Shop:
Every inch of the countryside is owned and managed by someone. Whether it is a private landowner, a charitable body or your local council – someone is looking after the land and using it or maintaining it according to their needs.

You are however, permitted to walk through their land, fields, forests, glades and even gardens on footpaths (or for a small fee) if they are on a footpath, bridleway or other right of way. But you are only a visitor.

Imagine the countryside as you would a high street shop. You are allowed in – even welcomed in – but there are unspoken ‘rules’ – like a society code. For example you can just go in and break things, scream and shout, play loud music, drop litter, let your dog run wild, allow your kids to climb on display areas or run into ‘private’ areas or eat their food and scare of other customers.

Yet people do this in the countryside all the time.

What Happened Next?
Well, firstly in this shop – you would be seriously affecting their profits – and just like any business they react to problems and can’t afford to lose money.

But how can they make money if you are scaring off their other customers and have left the shop in such a state that they have actually spend money to fix things and replace broken stock. However, some things are irreplacable – so they may never have them in the shop again.

And secondly, they may well introduce a few rules to make sure that these things don’t happen again, like not allowing children or dogs, closing off certain areas at certain times, charging people to go in to get some money back and changing what they sell.

In the same way, landowners who suffer from vandalism, injured livestock and crop damage may put up extra fencing and funnel the ‘humans’ down a thin footpath rather than allowing them free access to the land.

photo credit: Crystian Cruz

Other Changes:
They may also be forced to lock gates, block entrances to farms and other buildings that aren’t actually on the footpath but were a beauty or were of great interest to walkers like yourself.

They may have to introduce entrance fees to car parks or other areas to re-coup some of their lost funds – which you will have to start paying if you want to visit the area – or maybe close off the ‘free parking’ that they had allowed on their land until all the rubbish that was dumped their was costing too much to have removed!

And damage to certain rare plants or wildlife species may be too much for that species to survive there anymore – so it will be lost forever just becasue you wanted to take that unusual plant home with you!

So noise and vandalism can affect more than just other walkers on that day – and carelessness, selfish actions and laziness can change the very landscape we love over time.

The countryside can’t keep going in its current state if we don’t do everything we can to preserve or improve it. If landowners can only run their business by shutting out humans – then that is just what they will have to do!

You might be dying to walk the Inca Trail – but you don’t want to actually die!

You might not believe that 1 in 10 serious mountaineers actually die every year from altitude sickness; so if they can be affected by this strange affliction – then what makes you think you won’t?

And as we all know – avoiding dangerous situations in the first place is not only the best way to keep your adventures as eco friendly and as people friendly as possible – but makes for a better holiday than having to call out the emergency services and spending a while in recovery or hospital!

First Steps:
The first thing to think of is whether you are at risk in the first place.

So if you are trekking anywhere under 10,000ft you are probably ‘OK’ – but when you start going above this height (places like the Andes, the Himalayas, Kilamanjaro and Mount Kenya) you should really know the symptoms of mountain sickness in yourself and your climbing friends.

This is expecially true if you are flying into this height from sea level, catching a train into the mountains or driving to very high locations as you haven’t acclimatised yourself to the different physiological challenges of less atmospheric air and the extra strains it puts on the active body.

The main thing to remember at all times is that altitude sickness can strike quite fast, may only have a few seemingly random symptoms, can affect even the most fit and experienced climbers or trekkers, and can and does kill people.

So take it seriously.

photo credit: discosour

How To Avoid It:
The best way to avoid getting ill from mountain sickness is ascending very slowly when at high altitudes – preferably acclimatising slowly on arrival.

Following recommended climbing ‘rates’ is also a good plan – at about 1,000ft a day – or as slow as your slowest walker. And of course this means after you have acclimatised to being at 10,000ft in the first place.

Not planning a ‘rush climb’ is another key factor, as most stories of problems are from people who ignored earlier symptoms as they felt that they ‘had to get to so and so before stopping’. As a result they pushed too hard and their bodies reacted badly.

And make sure you are planning for stops along the way, take frequent breaks and always know where your descents are incase you need to get lower. It is better to arrive healthy in 5 days than have to stop after 3 and get air-lifted to a hospital!

Some of the earlier symptoms of altitude sickness could be mistaken for something else, or ignored if people don’t want to ’cause a scene’ – but if you are at height, you should always assume that it is altitude related and consider stopping for the day or descending slightly until the symptoms disappear.

Bearing in mind the headache you get is your brain swelling up, and the cough is due to fluid flooding your lungs – I think anyone in their right mind should think about descending anyway!

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!

Green Travel keeps working even when you have stopped!

Now we all know that parking in town can be a complete nightmare at the best of times – and I suppose that is why we favour purpose-built car parks as a result.  They usually have clearly marked out car-size spaces for everyone to park in and arrows telling you which way to drive so you don’t bump into other drivers!

That way – we all know that they have worked out the greatest number of spaces that that particular car park can hold and everyone can fit in with no wasted space – or accidents!

However, not so for the country car park or the long parking bays with only the end zones marked out.

How is it best to park in these spaces when you first arrive?

Eco Friendly Parking:
Now you might not think that where you park could have eco friendly – or not so eco friendly – consequences, but it does.

Take for example the person parking infront of an entrance or right infront of a sign that says ‘Do Not Park Here’  You can tell immediately that this car could cause other people some trouble – wasting their time, their money and possibly causing an argument.

But can you see how they are also reducing the revenue of local services, decreasing visitor numbers for local attractions and businesses as well as possibly affecting the number of people that visit that location over the next 50 years!

Obviously these are scaled up problems – but if you arrived in a town or remote beauty spot only to find that you can’t park anywhere or others have been irresponsible – you might never return.

If you had to drive 40 minutes to visit an old church and you could never find a space there – would you keep going back year after year?

Or you just wanted to grab a quick snack and there was never a space outside the shop when you drove by – wouldn’t you just find somewhere else?

But what happens to those places when you decide to go elsewhere?  Who buys their products, uses their services or donates to their cause?

Think About It:
So, what can you do to make sure that you don’t affect your local services when you pop into town or drive into the countryside to walk the dog?

Firstly – think about how you can maximise the number of spaces in the place you are visiting.  Put simply – always park up to the edges or the spaces and close to any other vehicles on site.

photo credit: Blyzz

If there is a car in the middle of nowhere and you park away from it in the middle of nowhere too – how can you be sure that an exact number of cars can fit into the gap you have left? Surely you have been looking for a space before and thought ‘if only that car was a foot to the left it would create enought space for a whole car’.

Obviously nothing you can do about it while you wait – but very often when that person does move – someone else parks right in the same place themselves – just the 1 car instead of 2.

And those thoughtless people who park half a car away from the end of a bay!  I mean there was no reason not to park up the edge of the bay – leaving all the rest of the bay free for other vehicles – but they chose to just park wherever they wanted making sure that other people couldn’t park close to the shops/doctors/hotel/castle/seafront/etc.

Your Choice:
Now I know there are lots of different size cars on the road, and it seems a bit weird to park next to another car when the rest of the car park is empty – but it won’t always be empty.

People need to visit places to keep them there – and so surely, the more people that can park close to where they want to go, the more money they will spend there.

And it’s not all about using public transport either – I mean if I am on my way home from somewhere in my car and need to grab some bread or milk – I don’t want to have to walk miles to get them – I want to be able to pull up and park real close to the store and pop in and out in a second.  So, if I can’t get close in the car – I will go to another shop where I know I can.

Not everyone can walk a long way either and buses don’t go absolutely everywhere – so people do need to use their cars to get to places – and so rather than just pulling up somewhere are parking without a care for anyone else – think eco.

If you want that store to be there for your convenience – then you need to help it get as many customers as it can to turn a profit.  If you want to keep using that car park near the National Trust woodland – then make sure as many people as possible can park there are pay their money to keep it open!

If you park for too long in a space, take up more than 1 space or block other road users – you are harming the very services and locations that you are using yourself.

You might have driven there in as ‘green’ a way as you could – so don’t spoil it when you get there!

Why not try some new recipes to save money on the road?

There are plenty of new dishes you can try when you travel overseas – but when you are on a budget – or living in a remote location – you might need to try some new things!

There are a lot of new foods available in the countries that you are probably travelling through – so why not take advantage of them when you are working you way through a continent or working on a volunteer project.

Forget your normal ways of eating – and embrace the new!  Maybe this will involve taking a cooking book with you or just taking a few classes on cooking times and sauces!

The Standards:
Now, there are many combinations of foods that you could come across when cooking overseas – although to be honest most of them will be focused on rice!

However you might not have a fridge for most of it – so you need to be aware of how best to store fresh food – and how to limit what you buy in the first place!

Depending on how far away from stores you are – your menus will vary immensely.  I mean if you can get you hands on fresh veg almost every day, then buy as little as possible each day – but when you only get fresh supplies every so often – then you need to get creative!

Storage Skills:
Something in the kitchen almost as important as the cooking is the storing!

If you don’t look after your ingredients or use them in the right order – then you are wasting them.  So you need to think ahead as soon as you get raw materials.

Thinking of basic recipes can really help you – but learning how to create new recipes and to store things to get the best shelf-life out of them is key to making you food go further and saving on waste.

Food doesn’t normally come with more than a few days freshness when picked and left on the kitchen table – especially in tropical climates.  And even in the fridge, dairy products and watery vegetables don’t pass the week really.

So you need to work out which things can be used fresh, which need cooking before storing and those which can be treated in some way to preserve them for many months – and many of these things you will find already in use by the local people.

photo credit: andrewrennie

Local Skills:
There are many ‘specialist’ foods that have evolved not due to their great taste – but because they are locally found foods and this is the way they need to be cooked or stored to best serve the communities they are found in – and learning a bit about them won’t do you any harm!

For example ‘stir-fried’ food was used in China where they didn’t have a lot of fuel for cooking over a long period of time – so they invented a food that took just minutes to heat up. 

Many colder European countries needed to grow all the root vegetables they needed for the year in their short growing season – so they learned to pickle a huge amount of them to last them through the cold winters when nothing would grow – like sauerkraut!

And if you didn’t have a car or supermarket – or a lot of money – wouldn’t you eat things that was found close to home and that you could make last a long time!

Stores where you visit might sell brands from back home – but you don’t need to buy them….

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!

If you are planning any wild swimming – read this carefully…..

There are many waterborne illnesses and diseases carried in rivers and streams – so you should really be aware of the risks of each and their symptoms.

Being safe in the countryside is obviously something you need to think about – but it can sometimes seem like a chore or something that makes your trip ‘less fun’.

For example, ideally you shouldn’t swim or splash about in river water – and you certainly shouldn’t drink it – but how much fun would wild swimming be if you can’t let the water get on your skin, up your nose or in your mouth?

However, these are the very things that could put you at serious risk from Leptospirosis and Weil’s disease.

Waterborne Concerns:
There are of course, plenty of things that could happen to you if you submerge yourself in fresh water, lakes and ponds; ranging from diarrhea, through to infected cuts all the way to the more serious diseases like Typhoid and Cholera.

And you can get really ill or die from infected water – which could appear to be very clean and fast flowing.

Needless to say, if you can reduce the chances of becoming submerged, swallowing water and getting water up your nose then you can reduce your risk.  Also, making sure you don’t cut yourself in the water and cover any existing cuts with a water-tight plaster can be a huge help in lowering the chances of infection.

And vaccinations against the serious culprits will be an advantage.

The Symptoms:
Knowing what to look out for in terms of symptoms after infection can also be a worthwhile pursuit as spotting an illness early will greatly increase the chances of the treatment working and so your chances of recovery will be greater.

Keeping a log of your outdoor adventures will be helpful as sometimes you might not feel ill for around 3 weeks after you entered the water – and finding out where the water you are swimming or rowing in comes from in advance can also help – as cows can pass on diseases in rivers and streams that they have access to.

photo credit: AnnieGreenSprings

Many waterborne illnesses result in flu-like symptoms or upset tummies - which really doesn’t help you much when on holiday as you may get these even if you stay on dry land - so tie it in with your river adventures and act on it. 

Yeah, you might just have a few headaches and stiff joints due to lack of sleep or over-work – but if you had fallen in water in the past few weeks – then maybe get it checked out and tell your Dr where you have been to get a better diagnosis.

An hour of your day for a wasted Dr’s appointment is far better than 3 days in hospital seriously ill!

So, go have fun on the water – but know the risks!

If you are wondering where you plan your first great green adventure – then look to London!

The Outdoor Adventure Show 2011 promises to be even more of an inspiration than ever before with over 60 amazing (and free) workshops in 6 different theatres, including both photography and writing seminars.

With so many experts on hand over the whole weekend and advice from people who have already been traveling ‘green’ for years – you can’t go wrong with a trip to experience it all.

Step 1:
Buying your tickets online in advance can be your first step – as they are £2 cheaper! 

Not only does this mean that you are leaving more money in the jar for your trip – but you can plan ahead what seminars you want to see and if you want to book up on one of the photography courses which will have limited spaces.

Also, you can plan how many days you need to attend for – as the seminars run all day every day in 6 theatres – so you can only see the rest of the stalls and companies and stop for lunch when you aren’t taking part in a workshop or listening in to the tips fo an expert!

There is no point turning up for 1 day for the show only to find that you couldn’t get around it all in just a few hours as you were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of advice crammed into that 1 exhibition hall.

I’ve been to a few of these myself – and you can never get around everything in a day – and you certainly won’t come away with anything really helpful if you do rush about!

Step 2:
Open up a file on your computer and start jotting down your ideas.  Only when you actually put them down in writing can you start to put together a real green adventure!

There are always so many things that appeal when you are at work, or watching the rain lash against your windows – but when you try to make a solid plan they don’t always fit together – such as on a round-the-world trip.  I mean there are only so many times you can zig-zag about in 6 months!

What if 1 thing is totally nowhere near the others?  What if you just can’t get to one place without flying?  What if the things you want to see will take too long?  You won’t know this until you make a rough plan.

So you need to make this plan.

Step 3:
Take it to the experts!  Once you have a better idea of what you actually want – you can run it by a few people that can tell you whether it is feasible or not!

Until you have travelled a certain way or through a certain place – or more likely got something completely wrong – you don’t know how to do it properly!  Experts have this experience!

They could make your simple plan a reality by adding greatly to it and save you time and money along the way – or they could let you know that your plan will never work – and offers suggestions for alternatives or how much more time and money you need to complete yours!

Step 4:
Spend some money and get things moving!  By coming away from the show with something set in stone will really make your trip a reality.

Too many times you leave a show on a real ‘I’m going to do it’ high, and by the time you have sat on the train al the way home in the rain, got back to your house in the dark and fallen asleep with a cold – the trip moves onto the back-burner and another year will pass by before the show comes around again and you get all ‘inspired’ again!

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Use the sun, a few bits of wood and some string – you could create something amazing!

Did you know that virtually all megalithic structures (like stone circles, henges and long barrows) found through the UK and northern France use the same standard measurement? 

And that this measurement is found to be virtually identical across thousands of miles in 100′s of different locations – so how did they do it?

Well, there has been a lot of research into how and why these structures were built – and it all seems to come back to the heavens.  We assume that these are all astrologically motivated structures – to watch solstices and such – but now it seems that they were all built using these observations in the first place! 

What Is This Tool?
Well, it is called the Megalithic Yard (MY), and is a measurement tool that helps people to build great structures that can channel the light of the Sun, Moon or Venus onto specific places at specific times of the year.

Rather than just make loads of copies of the original 1 and send it miles in each direction, the ancient builders found a way to create this tool wherever you were – and it would always be the same size and show the maker the direction to face their structure.

It was rather like a set of instructions for megalithic builders across the north-west of Europe which people took with them and passed on by word of mouth – well, they had invented these great structures, but hadn’t got around to a written language! 

According to several books and notes on the Internet, this measurement is also still to be found today – as the MY is linked to the modern ‘mile’ by use of the ‘old-fashioned’ measurements of ‘rods’ or ‘poles’ – and those of us that have allotments will know all about ‘rods’!

And, using the MY for weight and mass also creates some well known measurements – like the imperial pound and the imperial pint!

How To Make It:
Before you get started – this process does take a while to set up and then at least one whole clear night to complete – and does involve a bit of maths!

But, what great fun it is to sit out under the night sky in summer and take yourself back to a time when people really needed to work this out!  You are sharing your experience with some of the greatest builders of our history. 

I mean, their structures are still standing today – and mystifying scientists!  These people were dragging massive stones across counties – and sometimes countries – to build their structures.

And as you know they are all built in open areas to make full use of the night sky – so you need to find a largish open space with a clear view of the horizon.

Then, you need to gather together the following equipment and a torch (and hopefully some friends, and you are ready to go:

• 2 thick poles about 6ft long each
• 1 shorter pole of around 10 inches with 5 equal notches
• 1 long washing line cord (around 40 ft)
• 1 shorter string (around 5ft)
• 1 small symmetrical weight with a hole in the centre
• 1 sharp blade

It would certainly be wise to print off the full instructions as there are a lot of numbers involved in setting up the poles and counting time – but the general pattern of events involves calculating a megalithic degree (of a circle) and then setting up a start and a finish post on the arc of your circle.

You will then need to count the time it takes a bright star to move from one pole to the other pole by using a pendulum.  The pendulum needs to swing back and forth 366 times between the star passing the first pole and then passing the second pole.  Luckily there are plenty of bright stars in the night sky to give you a few attempts to get it right! 

And hopefully, plenty of tasty food and drink to keep you going until you do! 

If you want to read more about megalithic builders and their astronomical beliefs and actions, then take a look at the book ‘Uriels Machine’ by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas.  It certainly made me think differently about our Stone Age culture – and maybe you will look at them in a different light too!

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.