Global Public Articles

This year’s ABTA Convention (ABTA is the Association of British Travel Agents) took place in October in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria - the first time ABTA had gathered on the island.

A major theme of the convention was the issue of innovation in tourism. But environmental concerns have taken center stage in world politics and business development with greater frequency over the past few years. Much of the discussion, both formally and informally, centered on eco tourism and sustainable tourism. This was especially true in light of a special address by Prince Charles.

The travel industry and ABTA in particular have been addressing issues like sustainable tourism for some time. In 2007 ABTA launched a program that directly challenged the industry called ‘Reduce My Footprint’.

The program encourages both businesses and individuals to determine their carbon footprints. The goal is to increase consumer awareness and lessen the impact of travel and tourism on destinations.

A special video address by Prince Charles was featured at this year’s convention. Prince Charles reinforced the need for eco tourism and the continuing development of sustainable tourism. The Prince is no stranger to issues involving the environment. He has long championed governmental and individual efforts in pursuit of reversing what he has referred to as ‘the greatest challenge to face man.’

The prince has led by example in this effort. His Home Farm in Gloucestershire produces organic food and drink, as well as a line of luxury body care products under the label of Duchy Originals. He is credited with producing one of the first brands to market organic foods in Great Britain. All of the proceeds from Duchy Originals goes directly to The Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation. Duchy Originals makes about a million British pounds profit yearly and is still growing.

Prince Charles echoed ideas he stressed in addressing business leaders a year ago. He likened the need to use innovation and creativity to combat global warming in much the same way that business leaders rose to the challenge of World War II. The Prince expressed enormous faith in big business and its ability to use their combined power to make a significant difference.

By inviting business leaders to rise to the challenge Prince Charles was able to enlist pledges from a majority of his 110 member audience to do more. For example the CEO of EDF Vincent di Rivaz pledged to reduce the utility’s energy use by 30 percent with another 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2012. Prince Charles hoped to generate the same kind of response from the tourist industry in his video address.

The agenda set forth at the ABTA conference was certainly in sync with Prince Charles’ address. The conference was set to debate the future of tourism over the next decade and a half. A key theme was change in relation to environmental issues and economic swings. ABTA is the most important yearly convention in the travel industry and always attracts participants from large and small firms alike. Several of the largest travel companies have already entered into a long-term agreement with Forum for the Future. Forum was co-founded by long-time environmentalist Jonathan Porritt, who was the former director of Friends of the Earth.

Eco tourism and sustainable tourism are all about lessening the carbon footprints that have contributed to the interruption in ecological and cultural growth. The challenge facing the travel industry is that until now eco tourism was a very small part of the market. More and more individuals and small groups do want to experience an environmentally friendly holiday, but it is hard to ramp up tourist visits to include large and continuous groups.

The things that attract people to the eco friendly tours are the very things that are put at risk when large numbers of people are involved even though they may be well-meaning. The combination of natural beauty and the fragility of the terrain will make it much harder to maintain when large scale tourism is thrown into the mix.

Judging by the ABTA conference, the travel industry seems poised to seriously address these issues. Industry leaders are well aware of what is at stake for their industry and seem determined to do everything in their power to come up with workable innovative solutions for sustainable growth. The buzz words floating around Gran Canaria in informal discussions definitely included eco tourism and sustainable growth. Tourists and booking agents alike should be paying close attention to the kinds of getaway holidays that will be popping up the near future in the wake of the ABTA convention.

It may be one measure of how serious industry leaders are about implementing ideas put forth at the convention and the direction that travel may be taking.

More information about the island of Gran Canaria is available with travel guide yourgrancanaria.net

A number of companies who can do late deals and cheap holidays in Gran Canaria are on-line, and at the other end of the travel spectrum are villa holiday companies.

The Gran Canaria guide also has todays weather and a five day Gran Canaria weather forecast

In many countries, a solar heating system can provide a very high percentage of domestic hot water requirements. In many northern European countries, combined hot water and space heating systems are used to provide 15% to 25% home heating energy.

A solar heating system is composed of solar thermal collectors that move the heat to its point of usage and a reservoir or tank for heat storage. The system may be used to heat domestic hot water, swimming pool water or for space heating.

In order to heat water using solar energy, a collector is fastened to the roof of a building or on a wall facing the sun. The collector could be made of simple glass topped insulated box with a flat solar absorber made of sheet metal.

The system pumps cold water to a collector to be heated. The heated water flows back to a collection tank. This type of collector would be able to provide hot water for an entire family.

There are three main kinds of solar thermal collectors in common use : Formed Plastic
Collectors, Flat Collectors and Evacuated Tube Collectors.

Formed Plastic Collectors consist of panels through which water is circulated and heated by the sun’s radiation. This is suitable for extending the swimming season in swimming pools and most suitable for heating an open-air swimming pool where heating the pool with non-renewable energy sources is not allowed. This inexpensive system offer an ideal solution. The disadvantage of this panel is that it is not suitable for year round uses to provide hot water for home use.

A Flat Collector consists of a thin absorber sheet backed by a grid or coil of fluid tubing and placed in an insulated casing with a glass cover. Fluid is circulated through the tubing to remove the heat from the absorber and transport it to an insulated water tank or some other device for using the heated fluid.

Evacuated Tube Collectors are made of a series of modular tubes mounted in parallel. This type of collector consists of rows of parallel transparent glass tubes, each of which contains an absorber tube. The tubes are covered with a special light-modulating coating. In an evacuated tube collector, sunlight passes through an outer glass tube and heats the absorber tube contained within. The simplest type, pumps a heat transfer fluid through a U-shaped copper tube placed in each of the glass collector tubes. The heated liquid then circulates through a heat exchanger and gives off its heat to water that is stored in a storage tank.

Because technical innovation has improved performance, life expectancy and ease of use of these systems, solar hot water systems are very popular, apart from in the U.S. also in Austria, Germany and China. In Israel and Greece, installation of solar hot water heating has become the norm. It is fast spreading into other countries as well.

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The decision by European states to plead poverty at this weeks Climate Change summit in Brussels and try to back away from agreed limits is a cause of great concern

The meeting was held to confirm the previously set goals on climate change as agreed by European Union member countries. These goals were aimed at cutting the carbon gas emissions, to help safeguard our environment, by 20% by the year 2020. Pollution caused by car exhaust gasses was high on the agenda. Being the E.U., to ratify any agreement it needed a unanimous decision, in the end all it revealed was greater splits among its members.

This week was also momentous for another reason; it was the week Britain made the decision to save the big banks of this country from financial disaster with a blueprint that may be followed by countries around the world to help halt the turmoil in financial markets.

The two subjects above, climate change and financial market turmoil, have produced one single confirmation, that is that there is NO unity in the European Union among its member states regarding climate change and even with the worlds’ financial system in near meltdown there is indecisiveness among major players which certainly should not be the case at this point in time.

Nationally we have Poland and six other eastern European countries, who were in the very last batch to join the E.U., putting forward a motion against their full participation in the climate change programme and demanding that Britain, France and Germany shoulder more of the burden. Some unity here eh?

Talking of unity, prior to the banking crisis we had the very serious problem with sky high oil prices. In recent days we have seen the price of oil tumble to a price of below one pound sterling per litre for unleaded petrol (= $1.57 per litre).

With this lower priced fuel one would think that us motorists could look forward to using our cars for what they were bought for, driving, not a chance; we now have the real oil barons, OPEC, threatening to turn the screw on us. They have banked extra billions out of the oil crisis, now that we have arrived at a turning point affecting their unimaginable fortunes they are threatening to cut back on oil production thereby limiting supplies to world markets in order to get the price of oil up again. Some world unity here eh?

World banks have had hundreds of billions promised to them to try to overcome the lack of liquidity and confidence in world money markets, figures so huge it makes you wander where governments can so suddenly get their hands on so much of the filthy lucre. There is only one way for them to obtain this money, through taxation; and where does this taxation money come from, you and I of course.

For years and years ahead we will have to surrender more of our hard earned cash to help out the very people who caused all this havoc, what appreciation do they show us in return? Nothing.

The banks and investment institutions will actually continue to pay those obscene bonus’s each year. The government having given them all this money, and with a rate cut to help stimulate and revitalize the markets, how do they repay us the public?

What else do you expect the banks to do except ignore us poor taxpayers. Not only ignore us, but most of these financial institutions did NOT pass on the rate cut to help us pay less for our mortgages, how sick of them is that, to bite the hand that not only feeds them but saves them from extinction too. Some unity there eh?

Bill is now retired but as a keen motorist has driven on most continents of the world and has a keen interest in environmental issues, these account for only a couple of his many varied interests. For further info on the Water4gas fuel conversion system please visit..http://www.the-car-hub.co.uk/

Scientists, celebrities, and everyday people have been trying to justify and understand the nature of global warming. Controversy is rampant and the intense debate increases as time goes on. The debate is worldwide, the subject is profusely discussed and very intense around the world . Since conclusions drawn could affect you profoundly, you may want to know some basic facts about the topic of global warming.

The most obvious thing that can be said about global warming is that the earth is getting warmer. Specifically, the temperatures near the surface of the earth and the temperatures in the ocean are rising. Since 1990, there have been 10 years that have been hotter than any others in recorded history.

The greenhouse effect is said to be responsible for global warming. The greenhouse effect causes certain vapors and gases to form a sort of blanket that covers and warms the earth. Water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, and several other trace gases make up this blanket.

The greenhouse effect itself is not disputed. No controversy exists on this point because the greenhouse effect is recognized as an inherently beneficial process. If all the energy that struck the earth was reflected right back into space, no one could live on earth. This is what would happen without this blanket that is caused by acceptable levels of global warming.

However, global warming is not all good. It can cause the earth’s covering to increase in density. With a denser blanket over the earth, less of the heat is reflected back into space. This upsets the delicate balance between heat and cold that is usually maintained on earth. It traps more heat inside the earth’s atmosphere.

Although there are people who argue against it, there seems to be a change in the climate in recent years. Climate change to a warmer climate is the result of excessive global warming.

There has been an overall rise in temperature of a little over one degree Fahrenheit during the last century. The figure for this century is expected to be more like seven degrees. It is this type of global warming that can lead to dire consequences if left unchecked.

People, their activities, and their industries have caused global warming to reach the levels it has today. Burning fossil fuels, powering electrical plants with coal, and irresponsible land use can all contribute to global warming. Carbon dioxide is produced by these activities, and global warming is perpetuated.

Global warming could result in rising sea levels and flooding. There could be more powerful storms. Heat waves could become intense. Droughts could severely damage the world’s crops and cause shortages of drinkable water. Extinction of species could become a problem because of changing habitats and the suitability of the climate for the animal.

The good news about global warming is that there are ways to slow the process down. Each person can take responsibility for doing their part in protecting the earth’s environment. With everyone helping, emissions of greenhouse gases can be cut drastically. This will give the earth a chance to begin to regain its balance of temperature. Knowing about global warming can make you a better citizen of the world

Jim Woodall has 49 years business exp. and does internet marketing. Visit the Global Warming website at http://jwoodl.com/global-warming a very controversial Also visit http://freegiveaways.jwoodl.com/index.html get three free mktg ebooks no obligation .

Recycling bins are often thought of as nothing more than a container that sits in the corner collecting unwanted materials. For nonprofit organizations, youth groups, and other programs in need of a unique fundraising idea, recycling containers offer a few options. Unlike selling chocolate bars or a magazine subscription, these ideas have effects that go well beyond the cause. The environment gets an added boost, the groups gets the money they need to reach their goals, and others are encouraged to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. In the end, everyone wins.

Selling Recycling Bins

Everyone should have recycling containers, so why not provide an opportunity to support two good causes at the same time? Even communities that already have programs in place can use this idea simply by selling smaller and more aesthetically pleasing versions of the ‘green bin’ that fit easily into homes and business. You can add a small fee on top of the original price tag. Because your group would be purchasing a large amount at one time, some companies may give you a better deal than standard retail stores.

Corporate sponsorship is another option. You can have businesses help to purchase the recycling containers that you can sell to the public. In return, you might have to mention the business’ name, hand out a brochure, or you can have the company’s logo and contact information printed on the side of the bins. Combining this fundraiser with other events is a great way to multiply the money made from your fundraising efforts.

Use Recycling Bins To Collect The Junk

In many areas, items such as cans and bottles can be returned for their deposit. Often called ‘bottle drives’, fundraisers help others get rid of some of their unwanted materials and your organization can collect the profit free and clear. This is particularly great for restaurants and other establishments since they can be issued a receipt that can save them money on their taxes.

Communities that do not have organized pick up can use help. The elderly and the sick need help getting their items to the center or outside cans. Some people don’t recycle just because of the inconvenience. Why not offer to pick up and drop off their items for a small fee on a weekly basis. For organizations that operate year round, this provides them with a consistent cash flow.

Go On An Earth March

The garbage strewn across the world’s ditches and green spaces are not only unpleasant, but bad for the environment. Get your group together and collect sponsorship to clean parks and ditches. This can be decided on the amount of area cleaned or the pounds of refuse that is picked up along the way. After the cleanup is complete, you can sort it into bins and have it hauled away.

The more the public get used to seeing and using recycling bins, the more benefit to the environment and the happier the world will be long into the future. Using recycling containers for your next fundraiser gives the organization the opportunity to interact with the community and benefits the entire globe while still allowing you to reach their goals.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information Recycling
Bins, visit http://www.wastewiseproducts.com/.