Eco-Minded Skiers Take the Train
This ski season, if you’re planning to take a ski trip, skip the long, annoying security checks at the airports and take the train instead.
It’s no secret that air travel is less environmentally friendly than train travel. Eurostar train operators in Europe have decided to compete with airlines to transport travelers to The Alps.
Eurostar is the first operator in the world to offer ‘carbon neutral’ journeys for all its travellers – at no extra cost. Newly opened Ebbsfleet offers seven trains per day to Paris and five per day to Brussels. Trains travel as fast as 186 mph, making your trip as short as possible. And as economically friendly as possible to boot.
Eurostar plans to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions by twenty-five per cent per passenger by 2012 with their ‘Tread Lightly’ plan. A train trip with Eurostar generates ten times less carbon dioxide than an airplane trip. In addition to generating fewer emissions, Eurostar plans to offset the emissions they cannot eliminate. Travellers who travel with Eurostar may not realize it, but they are making the environmentally responsible choice.
‘We know that thousands of travellers want to be on the first trains on High Speed 1. We are expecting heavy demand from customers keen to enjoy even faster, shorter journeys to the Continent, and who want to see the stunning restoration of St. Pancras International Station,’ says Eurostar’s Chief Executive, Richard Brown.
Independent research commissioned by Eurostar has shown that a trip from London to the French Alps generates 24 kilograms of carbon dioxide per passenger. In comparison, a typical return flight London Heathrow-Geneva generates 191 kilograms of carbon dioxide while a round trip between Gatwick and Geneva generates 169 kilograms of carbon dioxide per passenger.
An increasing number of skiers are using high speed rail to ski in the French Alps. Since July 2006, more than 33,000 skiers, an increase of 43 per cent from the previous ski season, have used Eurostar to travel to the Alps.
Not only is it more environmentally friendly, it cuts back on transfer problems and lost baggage associated with flying. Travelling with Eurostar helps avoid lengthy coach rides and transfers travellers have to deal with when flying. Eurostar’s stations, located high in the Alps, require only a short bus ride to resorts.
For skiers convenience, Eurostar has travel packages that include round trips to The Alps. Some of their most popular travel incentive packages include overnight travel on Friday night to arrive Saturday morning, or Saturday trips that allow travellers to take in the beautiful scenery along the way.
Eurostar also offers select packages at a slightly higher rate. These select packages offer slightly more roomy accommodations, meals and drinks served at the passenger’s seat.
This ski season, weigh your options. The plane trip may be quicker, but then you have the worries of lost luggage, coach rides and transfers to and from the resorts. The train trip may take a little longer, but much less hassle.
Whatever mode of transportation you choose, have a safe and happy ski season!
Ski holidays in the Pyrenees and Andorra for this ski season can be found at http://www.yourandorra.com/skiing
Malta Hilton Crowned ‘Regional Energy Champion’
Next time you’re visiting Malta, be sure to stay at the Hilton Malta. The hotel was opened in 2000 and offers the highest quality accommodation you’d expect from a Hilton.
Hilton Hotels began a programme in January 2006 called “We Care!” This program was one of the first of it’s kind. It began with Wolfgang Neumann taking the initiative and sending a letter to 80 Hilton general managers in Europe and Africa. His intentions were to get others to ‘think green’ and reduce the energy requirements of the Hilton Hotel chain. His plan was to decrease energy consumption by five per cent in the first year then fifteen per cent over three years.
The program was a huge success. The results at the end of the first year were astounding! Mr. Neumann’s plan to cut energy consumption by five percent actually yielded a six-and-one-half per cent cut across the board after the first year. Hilton Malta alone saw just over fifteen per cent cut in energy per guest night.
Mr. Neumann’s plan, in less than 3 years, earned the Hilton Malta praise from many environmental leaders. Environment Minister George Pullicino has praised the Hilton Malta for paving the way for other industry leaders to provide the same level of environmental preservation.
The “We Care!” program has been an educational experience for hotel employees and guests alike. As an added benefit for hotel employees, each of the 360 employees received an eco-friendly mountain bike.
Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech congratulated Hilton Malta’s management and their employees for taking the initiative to promote and do their part to ‘think green.’
Over the years, management and employees of Hilton Malta have engaged in environmental awareness activities. Some of these activities include:
*planting trees in Mellieha
*donating substantial amounts to Heritage Malta
*investing in a programme to minimize air pollution
*treating waste water for irrigation
*implementing gas burners
*promoting clean air by not using diesel
*installing a reverse osmosis plant
*restoring a 400-year-old bastion wall
Malta is a densely populated archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The primary spoken languages are Maltese and English but due to the location of the small island nation, you may also hear French, Spanish and Italian.
Rich in history, Malta was captured by Napoleon while he was en route to Egypt during the French Revolutionary Wars in 1798. Then in 1814, Malta became part of the British Empire as part of the Treaty of Paris. King George VI awarded the George Cross to Malta in 1942. A replica of the George Cross appears in the upper corner of the Flag of Malta.
Malta is also home to the oldest freestanding structures in the world. Their name, Ggantija or Ggantia, means ‘belonging to the giants.’ Ggantija is a megalithic temple complex on the island of Gozo. The two Ggantija temples are notable for their gigantic Neolithic structures which were erected during the Neolithic Age, more than 5500 years ago.
Whether you visit Malta for its historical setting or simply on holiday, you’re sure to find something to spark your interest.
The Hilton Malta is one of the leading 5-star hotels on the island. Why not pamper yourself while enjoying the history of the islands and helping preserve the environment?
More details about the Malta Hilton are available at http://www.yourmalta.com/hotels
CFL Light Bulbs In Texas – Not The Brightest Idea?
Mercury is poisonous, yet it’s a critical part of most compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), the kind that environmentalists and some governments are pushing as a new way to cut energy consumption. Mercury is probably best known for its effects on the nervous system. It can also damage the kidneys and liver, and in sufficient quantities can cause death.
There were an estimated 150 million CFLs sold in the United States in 2006 and, and Wal-Mart alone hopes to sell 100 million in 2007. Some scientists and environmentalists are worried that most are ending up in garbage dumps. U.S. regulators, manufacturers and environmentalists note that, because CFLs require less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs, they reduce overall mercury in the atmosphere by cutting emissions from coal-fired power plants.
But some of the mercury emitted from landfills – in the form of vaporous methyl-mercury – can get into the food chain more readily than inorganic elemental mercury released directly from a broken bulb or even coal-fired power plants, according to government scientist Steve Lindberg.
“Disposal of any mercury-contaminated material in landfills is absolutely alarming to me,” said Lindberg, emeritus fellow of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The mercury content in the average CFL — now about 5 milligrams — would fit on the tip of a ballpoint pen, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and manufacturers have committed to cap the amount in most CFLs to 5 milligrams or 6 milligrams per bulb. To prevent mercury from getting into landfills, the EPA, CFL makers and various organizations advocate recycling. Besides commercial recyclers and some municipal waste collection services, some retailers accept used CFLs.
IKEA, the Swedish home furnishings chain, has free drop-off programs at all of its 234 stores, 29 of which are in the United States. Now advocacy groups are calling on Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other big chains to get involved.
One problem with recycling is that it isn’t cheap. The value of the metal, glass and mercury reclaimed from recycling fails to offset the cost of the process. Costs can range from 20 cents to 50 cents per bulb – not a paltry sum when some CFLs sell for less than $2 at Wal-Mart.
But, compared with the overall lifecycle cost of buying and using a bulb, recycling would be less than 1 percent. Another obstacle lies in the fragility of the bulbs and their mercury content.
The U.S. government has no single recycling plan in mind. Among the alternatives are special curbside collections by municipalities, mail-back programs by manufacturers and drop-off programs at various places, including retail stores that sell CFLs, he said.
Some methods lend themselves to certain geographic areas more than others, because of differences in population density, transportation infrastructure and proximity to recycling sites.
State laws are also a factor. Federal regulations mandate recycling of fluorescent lighting, while exempting households and other small users. Some states, however, are strict. For example, California no longer allows anyone to throw CFLs in the trash, while Massachusetts requires manufacturers to implement recycling programs and meet certain targets.
As technology advances, however, mercury could become less of an issue, at least as far as light bulbs are concerned. Last month General Electric Co. said it was working on doubling the energy efficiency of incandescent lights and eventually developing versions comparable with CFLs. These bulbs, which the company hopes to begin marketing in 2010, will cost less than fluorescents but they won’t last as long.
Meanwhile, some environmentally minded consumers in Dallas, Houston and throughout Texas are embracing CFLs and doing their best to dispose of them responsibly.
Pat Carpenter writes for Precedent Insurance Company. Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at http://www.precedent.com
How We Can Change Our Lifestyles To Preserve The Rainforest
We should all be concerned with saving the rainforest, and we can do our part by making small changes to our lifestyles. If everyone chose to do so, the results would be amazing. Trees offer us beauty and shade of those hot summer afternoons. Trees also help reduce the effects of carbon dioxide. Planting more trees is a very easy way you can help the to preserve the rainforest.
You can help reduce the amount of waste by recycling, especially recycling paper. The number one reason why rainforests are being destroyed is to provide more wood for paper. Another reason is for building homes and businesses. There are plenty of other types of materials you can choose from so that the rainforest can be preserved.
Other products produced from rainforest trees include rubber and lumber. Take a good look at how much of these commodities you are using. Try to limit the use of them to only necessities and look for alternative materials when it comes to luxury items.
Do you drink large amounts of coffee or use spices each time you cook? If so, you can be damaging the rainforests. This is because the demand for coffee and spices are so high areas of the rainforest are being cleared away to grow them.
Americans contribute to 25% of the pollution worldwide. This is due to the fact that they consume more fossils fuels for their vehicles and factories than any other country. There are many changes you can make to cut down the amount of pollution you contribute on a daily basis.
Consider taking public transportation or carpooling to and from work. There are also many great models of hybrid vehicles that can operate for long periods of time on electricity. This is a good investment for the environment as well as to save money on the cost of fuel.
Each animal in the rainforest is important to the balance of its ecosystem. Make sure you report any illegal hunting in the rainforests as well as the illegal sell of animals that are removed from that natural habitat and sold as pets. The most common ones are parrots and iguanas.
Individuals need to realize that purchasing the parts of poached animals in the rainforest or these live pets encourages that behavior to continue. If we all do our part to make sure there is no market for such activities, then the financial motivation for doing so would be gone.
Write letters to Congress to encourage the government to place stricter laws on those who hunt illegally and remove animals illegally from the rainforest. You also need to write to encourage them to restrict how much land in the rainforest a company can clear as well as require them to plant new trees in the location afterwards.
Children need to be taught from a very early age just how important the rainforest is to our well being. They need to learn what they can do to protect the rainforest as well as to appreciate how it helps keep the air clean, affects our water cycles, and affects the climate around the world.
Children need to be educated both at home and at school. With the rainforests being completely cleared away at the rate of 6,000 acres per hour, we need to make some serious changes. Taking the right steps in our own lives and teaching our children to do the same will help ensure the rainforests and the animals that have a home there are able to survive for future generations.
The rainforests are essential to our well being. The trees produce oxygen that we need to breathe. They also help keep the air clean, and we need that due to the chemicals, emissions, and pollution we put into our environment.
Learn about Conservation & Preservation Initiatives at http://www.paradiseearthonline.com/