I’m planning my family’s summer holiday. We want to stay in the UK to avoid flying, and will probably drive in our reasonably fuel-efficient Citroen Picasso diesel to make getting around easy, and we’d like to camp partly to keep costs down, and partly for the adventure of it. Here is our short-list of 5 possible holidays:
1. Keveral Farm – Keveral Farm is an organic farming community near Looe in Cornwall. They have a small, sheltered campsite in their orchard (maximum of 6 tents) and they have yurts and tipis for hire. There is a compost toilet and solar shower, and the campsite is a car free zone. There are plenty of walks in the local area, as well as the beach, and a Monkey Sanctuary just over a mile away from Keveral Farm. Camping in August will cost you £4 per adult, £2 per child, and vehicles £3 per day. Please see the website for yurt/tipi hire prices.
2. Sharpham Barton Family Camp – For this year (2007) the Sharpham Barton Family Camp runs from Saturday the 4th of August until Sunday the 12th of August, on a bio-dynamic farm near Totnes in Devon. The camp happens once a year, and you are encouraged to camp together as families in small village groups around a large communal camp fire. There are workshops and activities for adults and children, as well as supervision for children while adults are taking part in workshops. The facilities are basic (toilet and hot and cold water, but no showers) and firewood is provided. The cost for the camp is £130 per adult and £70 per child over 2.
3. South Penquite Farm – We’ve stayed here before and can thoroughly recommend it. South Penquite is an organic sheep farm on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, with a low-density campsite and solar showers made from recycled plastic bottles and yoghurt pots. There is a lovely walk on the farm, and it’s ideally situated for cyclists. £5 per adult and £3 per child per night (under 5’s free).
4. Huntstile Organic Farm – An organic farm in Somerset with a small campsite (only 5 pitches) with solar shower fed from the stream. Camping costs £7.50 per night for 2 people, £2 per extra person. There are ECOTENTS available for hire through the summer in a separate car-free nature area complete with composting toilets, solar showers and purpose built wood burning barbecue area. ECOTENT hire is around £550 per week and each tent sleeps between 5 and 12 people.
5. The Big Green Gathering – The biggest, greenest gathering in Europe. It runs from 1st to 5th August 2007 and costs £110 per adult and £30 per child over 5. Green travel is encouraged, so if you are driving, make sure you lift share with others. There’ll be lots of entertainment and lots to do. Sounds like fun! Oh, I nearly forgot to say it’s near Cheddar and Weston-Super-Mare.
Discuss this post at the EcoStreet forum.
Save £10 on eco-friendly camping gear.
Popularity: 5% [?]
This is not as mysterious as it sounds. What I’m talking about is how to compost without a composter and how to compost without having a compost heap rotting in the corner of your garden. The method I’m suggesting is ideal for those of you who don’t want to have to see the composter/compost heap doing its thing. It’s a method used by many French gardeners. Here’s how it works:
1. Dig a hole.
2. Fill the hole with your organic kitchen waste, garden clippings and other compostable bits and pieces.
3. Cover the peeling/clippings etc. with soil.
4. Plant something nice on top.
5. Dig another hole and so on.
Simple, neat and very good for your garden.
Free, fun eco-living tips! Delivered daily via email!
There is 20% off Natural Collection’s kitchen compost crock until 30 June 2007.
Popularity: 2% [?]
In response to my previous post entitled 10 way to reduce food miles, Mary commented that:
We’re so focused on food miles, which is important, but also another important way to make your diet more climate friendly is to significantly reduce meat and dairy consumption. That’s why I was disappointed that this list mentioned the butcher and fishmonger.
Mary went on to cite research conducted by the University of Chicago on the impact of our diets on global warming.
A 2005 study by University of Chicago researchers found that eating vegetarian fare is more effective in reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions than replacing a gas-guzzler with a hybrid car.
Being Vegetarian Week this week, what more appropriate time to look at how we can make a huge difference in our carbon footprints by going veggie?
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock industry emits more greenhouse gases, mostly methane and nitrous oxide from when the cows “break wind”, than the entire transportation sector. So I think encouraging eating lower on the food chain has more of an impact on climate change than does the whole “Food Miles” effort, which I do think is worthy, I’m just pointing out that we should be focusing resources on the actions that have the biggest impact and eating meat is one of the most climate-unfriendly practices there is, even if it is local. A cow still emits methane, whether she is from your county or another country.
Good point, Mary. I agree completely with your sentiment. Even if we don’t completely give up eating meat, we should cut back consumption considerably, both for the health of our planet, and that of ourselves. Mary recommends the website www.HumaneEating.org for those wishing to find out more about how to save the planet by eating a plant-based diet. Here are some other resources:
Wannaveg.com – go vegetarian one day a week
The Power of Going Vegetarian – squidoo lens
Veggie for a Week – TerraBlog
Take the VegPledge
GoVeg.com – fight global warming by going vegetarian
Many thanks to Mary for her poignant comment.
Free, fun eco-living tips! Delivered daily via email!
Popularity: 1% [?]
