Green Holidays

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Do you know enough about both biodegradable products and biodegradable packaging?

I know it might seem obvious what they are when you just think abut the word ‘biodegradable’ as we all sort of know what this means - but what about behind the products?

When you think about biodegradable washing up liquid or shampoo for example, are you thinking about the product itself, or the packaging - or both?

And what exactly are the benefits of each - if any?

And is a product that breaks down even better than one that stays in it’s original form - chemicals or not?

Well, in this article I have put together a very basic summary of the good and the bad of both - so you can make a more informed choice when you think about your next purchase.

The Products:
Well, holiday toiletries and suncreams, etc should all ideally be biodegradable as otherwise your everyday shower is washing all these ingredients into the waterways and rivers of the village or vacation spot you are visiting.

This way, when you wash off your shower gel when in your hotel or out camping, it passes into the neighbouring ground or lake and gradually ‘breaks down’ with the help of bacteria, sunlight or water into virtually harmless little bits. 

Although it could still cause a bit of a problem in the first few days or weeks - it will eventually be gone - which is better than always being there for years and years no matter how diluted it is.

However would you be interested to know that there is no legal definition of ‘biodegradable’ for products in the US or EU - it’s just a vague assumption.  That assumption being that the product will break down more or less naturally into naturally existing particles in around 6 months or so.  However - it doesn’t have to do this at all to use the phrase on it’s packaging or advertising!

Needless to say - anyone can use this ‘claim’ on the product accompanied by a standard flowery or plant looking picture or image - and you can’t prove either way, you just have to take their word for it.

It is the same with the word ’natural’ on products.  This word has no legal right or wrong on packaging - and anyway, petroleum oil is natural and so is arsenic, so the word natural is a bit of a strange one anyway!

The Packaging:
Then there is the bottle it’s in.  It would be virtually impossible to not use plastic bottles when traveling, so you should really try to use biodegradable plastic bottles, right?

Well, there is an argument for and against strangely enough - and it’s all quite simple: if you buy a container that has been designed to degrade naturally over a period of time - then you can’t use it over and over again can you?

Buying a normal plastic bottle means that you can either recycle it or use it repeatedly for any product - but if that bottle is liable to start breaking down, then you certainly can’t use it over and over, it’s unreliable.

And of course, you can’t really recycle it either as otherwise the recycled products you make out of it will be unstable too and just as liable to break down as well!

So, it’s a tricky one really.

Buying biodegradable plastic bottles is encouraging continued plastic production - but is better than new regular plastic being made.  But if the demand for recycled plastic products drops as a result, then surely that is a bad thing; as all the existing non-biodegradable plastic will be left for ever on earth in dumps and floating in the sea!

And if regular plastic isn’t made anymore, then we won’t be able to reuse our bottles and tubs again and again forever - we will always have to buy new!

The End Result:
I can’t say for certain what is the better in terms of the whole plastic situation, but it certainly makes you think a bit further into the issue than just assuming that a biodegradable product is instantly better.

However, I certainly recommend seeking out products that really are made of safe natural ingredients and those which should not have a harmful effect on wildlife - as it means that they will probably not be harmful to humans either.

I mean using products on your body that contain man-made chemicals which are known to poison fish can’t really be that good for you either, can it?

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Should you avoid holiday destinations that require extra vaccinations or tablets?

I know it is only a small thing - but taking malaria tablets does have an impact on the environment as do specific vaccinations like Rabies and Yellow Fever - just like any medication or remedy.

Now I am not saying that you should travel to regions of the world that have these risks WITHOUT taking the necessary precautions - I’m just considering the option of not visiting those areas just for a vacation.

Taking a 2 week sunshine holiday in Kenya might mean 6 weeks of malaria tablets and a Yellow Fever vaccine.  All are using natural resources - all being used up for you here when a trip to the Maldives requires neither (nor the expensive Visa!).

The Maldives

If it was the safari you were after then consider Southern Botswana (Kalihari) and Lesotho (Drackensburg) which are both virtually malaria free.

The Holiday:
If you are just after a holiday somewhere warm with a few interesting sites to visit then there are plenty of places to choose from around the world where you are at no risk of malaria or other diseases.

Take the Seychelles, the Bahamas, Cuba, the Canary Islands, Japan, Hawaii and anywhere in Australia and New Zealand - all free from Malaria and Yellow Fever - and nearly all of these are rabies free too!

Not only are you limiting the initial purchase and use of very strong medications - you are also planning to not use any more in the future - as opposed to exposing yourself to the disease in the first place and having to have follow up treatment for months or years to come afterwards!   

The Green Holiday:
However, if you are planning to help out either paid or voluntarily abroad for a specific cause - then you might not have such a choice in the matter of destination.

And depending on what you are doing, you might need to have extra vaccinations or medications, so why not make it worth while by staying for longer and/or visiting the same locations over and over again. For example, if you have had all the vaccinations to work with animals in Asia - then keep doing so.

Planning Ahead:
The same goes for all sort of other medications - including headaches tablets, antiseptics, after sun remedies and even anti-diarrheals!  Try to avoid the reason to use them.

Don’t sit in the sun unprotected - and wear a hat.  Use natural insect repellents and wear suitable clothing.  Don’t drink untreated water or eat uncooked or unknown foods. Avoid excessive alcohol and unprotected intercourse.  And on and on….

All these obvious things can reduce your requirements for routine medications and lotions, and keep chemicals away from delicate habitats.  As they all get urinated out or washed off - by reducing your reliance on remedies and therefore using less product - you will help to reduce the concentrations of pollutants in community drinking water and wetland habitats as well.

And don’t get me started on packaging and transporting these things around the world in the first place!

Think. Plan. Prevent

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy!

How would you cope without cold drinks and your cell phone in the jungle?

There are times when we will be travelling to places where there isn’t any electricity and depending on how long you will be without this ubiquitous power, there are things you can do to keep things a little bit ‘normal’.

So whether you are camping for 1 night or roughing it for 2 weeks, here are some great tips to help make everything seem better!

1) Cold Drinks:
Now after trekking through mountains or even spending the night out in the open - nothing is more pleasing than a cold, fresh drink - but where will you find on in the jungle or in a remote village?

There could be one in your own bag - a thermos flask.  Normally thought of as something to keep coffee warm - these delightful caddies can also keep things ice cold!

We recently brought a small thermos that keeps things ice cold for up to 24 hours - thats long enough for a fresh morning drink wherever you wake up - and it really works.  Nothing tastes better than cold water when you are parched!

2) Facial Hair
Take a wet shave razor rather than an electric one where ever you travel.  Not only will you save electricity wherever you go - but when the power isn’t quite up to scratch you need not fear.

Alternatively, give up with the whole shaving thing and grow a beard!  Not only will you save the effort of carrying around all the associated toiletries and things - you could better spend that time seeing the sights rather than hunched over in front of tiny mirror and bowl of cold water!

3) Dabble With Dynamo’s
There are loads of products now that are dynamo driven rather than battery powered - making your journey lighter and more eco friendly.

Just a few pumps of the handle and my little dynamo torch will always shine - no worrying about it running out of power when there are noises in the bushes!

And a few winds of my neat little dynamo radio and I can listen to the local news and weather or just some relaxing local music when I am all alone!

4) Let The Sun Shine:
It isn’t only the power of your hands that can generate free power - the sun can too.  Even if the weather isn’t hot the sun can still work for you.

Chargers are available in all sorts of sizes and for all manner of electrical goods.  So whether you are taking your cell or your laptop - as long as you have the right attachments - you can charge them up while you laze about by a beach or you can even do it while walking with backpack mounted panels!

5) And For What’s Left:
There may well still be a few things that cannot be adapted for lower power inputs or don’t have compatible adaptors - so they still need batteries.  But that is just fine.

There are plenty of solar powered battery chargers out there, so buy the best strength rechargable batteries and get going!  (NB: Not all batteries are the same I recently found out and some are so feeble that you barely get any use out of them before they need charging again - so ask a retailer before buying).

Join me for more green holiday tips in Part 2 in a few days……