Visit Sheffield England For A Truly Green Holiday

This may come as a surprise to those that still think of Sheffield as an industrial city but it's officially the greenest city in Europe having won the Entente Florale competition, the international horticultural competition which has been running for more than 25 years. Sheffield is home to over two million trees - more trees per person than any other city in Europe - as well as over 170 woodlands, 78 public parks and 10 public gardens. In total, 61 per cent of Sheffield consists of green space.

What's more, Sheffield is the only English city which includes a national park within its boundary; a third of Sheffield covers the Peak District National Park which was designated a national park in 1951, making it the first in the British Isles. Located in the park are some of Britain's finest stately homes, including Chatsworth House, Haddon Hall and Lyme Park, which acted as Pemberley in the 1995 BBC television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

While the Peak District is one of the most stunning natural sights in Britain, conservation is an issue for both residents and tourists with problems such as footpath erosion and large-scale limestone quarrying. Conservation holidays are becoming increasingly popular with participants enjoying one of Britain's most breathtaking areas of outstanding natural beauty while doing something 'green' at the same time.

So how do you travel to the 'greenest city in Europe' to participate in 'green' activity holidays without increasing your carbon footprint - the measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels? Travel organisations dispense advice on how to offset your carbon footprint if you're planning to travel by aeroplane. Nevertheless, many are sceptical whether these schemes actually work, so it might be best to avoid flying altogether until Richard Branson's bio-fuel research is completed.

Travelling by coach is an altogether more 'green' option when it comes to travelling within the UK - you'll avoid the environmental cost of flying and even reduce the fossil fuels you would have consumed by driving to the city. What's more, travelling by coach also allows you to avoid laborious check-in queues at airports, and let's you skip the hassle of dealing with the overcrowded - and often late - British rail network.

Behind Green Hotels

There are many reasons today why hotels are deciding to go 'green'. In part because their business guests are demanding it, part because hotels are finding that going green saves money and part because they are getting more conscious about the environment and realizing it's the way to go. But why should you choose an eco-friendly hotel?

Hotel chains are becoming rapidly more environmentally conscious, people are talking about it all the time but not many are saying what's in it for you. So let me explain what it all means...

Here are some examples of what do hotels do to go green:

- recycling; they recycle all the paper, plastic, glass, light bulbs and batteries (that way they save thousands of kilos of waste from ending up in landfills, saving huge amounts of energy and millions of liters of water)
- all toilets are using a vacuum drainage system that uses only 80% of water that conventional systems use; water from sinks and showers is recycled for use in toilets
- all lights are converted to long-life and low-energy light bulbs and all the lightning is the building is controlled by a system that operates through your card key; it's turns off the lights when you're not in the room and other timing controls
- low or no toxicity paint is used through out hotel
- the bathroom toiletries are 100% natural for your skin and hair; the plastic bottles are recycled or there are installed refilling bottles
- hotels use biodegradable cleaning products (so you will no longer smell the chlorine or any other weird odour and the cleaning staff won't be sick all the time)
- food is organic and as much as possible local fresh produce
- bottled water is supplied from the local or near area
- linen is are recycled so they are not treated with chemicals
- new built hotels use sustainable/natural or recycled materials

Reading through the list of things hotels do to be more eco-friendly you can see that it's not something that will make your stay less comfortable or less luxurious. On the contrary, better food, fresh air, natural products and materials and all the other things that you maybe don't see at first but you certainly get positive thoughts about when using such a facility.

In the end, it's up to you to choose. Hotel officials today say that evidence of eco-friendliness is driving demand. It's high priority particularly for young people, who make up the growing percentage of business travelers. When you're travelling, it doesn't matter if it's a trend or not, it's you who matters.

Green Vacation, Lopez Island in Washington

This year, go green on your vacation, this is great for all kind of vacationers as there are many places you can go car-less and leave the carbon at home for a week or two.

One of those places is Lopez Island in Washington, it is the first stop made by the ferry in the San Juan Islands, which are located in the northwest corner of the state. The island is 15 miles long and eight miles wide. The ferry ride is 45 minutes from Seattle leaving Anacortes and arriving on Lopez Island, you can take your car, however, how about leaving your car at the ferry parking and enjoy the adventure of walking, biking and hiking in this wonderland of nature.

The whole island is accessible by bicycle, the main town is only four miles from the ferry landing and there are galleries, shops, restaurants and bakeries all within walking distance of one another. Then outside of town you can explore vineyards, farmlands, parks and natural waterways. Back to the shore you can take a slow pace of whale watching, fishing, clamming and crabbing.

Lopez Islander Resort offers free parking at the Anacortes ferry landing and then free shuttle service from the ferry landing on the island to the resort, just make those arrangements when you make your reservation. The resort is a full amenities resort including gourmet dining, swimming pool, golf, and seashore activities, it is a vacationers paradise, and all the while you will be going green and being good to mother earth.

There is a farmers market every Saturday in Lopez Village, it is a must to put on your to do list, make a day of golf and then just relax and enjoy the pristine beauty of the island. If you are into bird watching you found your paradise, and if you are not into bird watching this place will definitely create an interest in it for you. Whatever you do don't forget your binoculars.

Make sure you take the ferry to all of the other islands, so you can experience all of their grandeur, and who know you may spot a whale or two along the way. When it is all said and done you will be glad you made the choice of leaving the car on main land and took the green vacation; what tales you will have to tell to family, friends and co-workers. To make all the arrangements for this memorable vacation you can have your personal website travel agent do all the arrangements and your vacation will start before the vacation.

Green Travel - Choose the Power of Responsible Tourism

The economic buzz of green travel creates both practitioners and impostors. Responsible tourism is not a fad. Good operators understand the issues and incorporate appropriate practices as part of their business strategies, not as part of empty eco-slogans.

For earnest travelers it's hard to decode all the eco-friendly green washing and determine what's really happening to natural habitats and surrounding communities. This is the dilemma for tourists wanting to choose green destinations without contributing to ecosystem degradation or disrupting local economies.

Tourism operators have a choice to make as well. The current model still supports the pre-Internet generation, when tourist information moved as slow as a lingering tropical day. Today, however, the lightening speed of global communications and a newfound sense of social responsibility urge travelers to make conscientious decisions.

Tourists are no longer just carefree and whimsical sightseers; they are savvy consumers. Instead of just grabbing a Lonely Planet guide and heading out, these days tourists log on, read website travelogues, discuss issues on forums and research potential sites like a corporate raider getting ready for a company takeover.

In the climate change age, travelers seek to use their quota of carbon credits on environmentally sound destinations. They don't want a journey spoiled by unsightly resorts where pipes spew sewage into beach front waters or plastic bottles, soda cans and wet waste smolders in a slow burn under a coconut tree.

"Resort operators have to stop thinking they can fool their customers," professes Yessy Hidajat of Alila Ubud Resort in Bali. "Tourists are very intelligent and they shop around on the web, so nobody will believe if you just claim yourself as green, people have to see it."

Tourists have ample choices on where to spend their holiday dollars. And the tourism industry is starting to get the message. More and more families and groups choose faraway vacation spots based on a mental checklist that includes preventing pollution, using recycled products, protecting nature and giving back to surrounding communities.

Green travel is about responsibility and taking control. When tourism includes local communities, helps distribute revenues throughout villages and promotes conservation of natural areas, then all parties - private resorts, local authorities and village residents - are in control of their resources.

Throughout Asia, resorts and ecotourism ventures are learning the lessons of going green. They understand that making the effort to be responsible is a winning proposition.

For travelers, now is the time to harness the power of choice into a more powerful green message.

Green Families Choosing French Tourism

Those who have invested in French property, particularly in the south of France, will be pleased to know that Brits are heading back for their summer holidays in their droves. This could be partly due to the "green effect" as the Brits absorb the effects of long haul flights.

According to the latest figures, the number of UK visitors to some French regions has pushed sales up by 36 per cent, with many families choosing camping trips or to rent out holiday homes.

Research by campsite operator Eurocamp shows that the regions of Brittany and the Pyrenees have shown the steepest rise in popularity this year.

'Boom' in Brittany and Pyrenees

French Property Investors look set to profit from the boom, which sees a change from more recent trends to head further afield for holidays.

Deborah Beckett, managing director of Eurocamp, said: "France is booming this season, especially key regions like Brittany and the Pyrenees."

The increase in the number of tourists spending their holidays in France was also noted by Brittany Ferries, which saw an increase of bookings for the summer months.

It is thought that many people are choosing destinations closer to home to reduce their carbon footprint created by long haul flights.

Green families choosing French tourism

Ms Beckett said: "Families are thinking much more carefully about the impact they have on the environment and the potential stress involved from traveling to their holiday destination and this could be one of the factors influencing their return to France."