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Tourism employs around 9 million Europeans and accounts for 30% of total European Union external trade in services. (Taken from: Environment for Europeans)
The growth of the industry has taken its toll on the environment - the time has come to promote a more sustainable, eco-friendly approach.
It’s that time of year again when thoughts gradually turn to sunnier climes, where fun, sun and unashamed selfindulgence are the name of the game. Visions of sandy beaches, clear blue seas and hot summer days chilling by the pool drift into focus.
Now imagine the following: you’ve finally made it to your sandy beach, but all is not as it should be.
Flies are buzzing around overflowing dustbins. Cigarette ends, paper and empty cans are everywhere. You go for a swim to cool off. The water is more chocolate brown than blue. Suddenly a whiff of sewage fills your nostrils.
It’s not like this in the brochure. Still in a holiday mood?
Of course, idyllic happiness is never guaranteed, but such a scenario is more the exception than the rule. Thanks to
an EU Directive, 85% of Europe’s coastal bathing waters meet required standards and things are improving.
Sustainable Tourism
Tourism is a socio-economic phenomenon that increasingly concerns environmentalists. Every summer, Europe’s roads are log-jammed with cars and coaches belching out a cocktail of exhaust fumes. Litter builds up relentlessly. The environment - far from getting a well-earned break - has to take the strain. Clearly, there is a need for a more eco-friendly approach. Eco-tourism or sustainable tourism is the new buzzword. The challenge is to accommodate growth without damaging the integrity of our environment.
On the social level, sustainable tourism must satisfy the needs of tourists, those employed in the industry and the local population. Economically, sustainable tourism contributes to companies’ competitiveness. Businesses in the travel, accommodation and catering sectors are expanding fast to meet demand, providing more jobs and helping develop profits at local and regional level.
Environmentally speaking, sustainable tourism means safeguarding the planet’s natural resources. Nature and biodiversity are our universal heritage and must be protected. EU environmental policies focus on managing water resources, preventing pollution of coastal and waste waters,reducing air pollution, increasing energy efficiency, improving waste management and protecting fragile ecosystems and wildlife species.
Other international organisations, such as the UN and the World Tourism Organisation, are also committed to promoting sustainable tourism. Some companies in the tourism industry voluntarily apply more eco-friendly standards and offer certification to show their activities are environmentally sustainable. But it’s not just a question of bringing in legislation or changing industrial practices. Every individual has an important part to play.
How can we help?
What can we do in practical terms? Well, we could, for example, choose a tour operator that uses hotels with environmental certification. Where possible, travel by rail. Once at our destination, we can try to use public transport rather than drive. There are many other practical steps we can take to consume less and recycle more. We just have to be aware of what is at stake and act. Unless we do something now, our environment could be irreversibly damaged and those perfect beaches in the brochures will become a thing of the past.
Feel free to comment on any further suggestions on how we can help?
Happy Holidays
Fionnuala
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Current climate models predict global warming of between 1.4 and 5.8 °C by the year 2100.
Even a 1.4°C temperature rise over 100 years has never been observed in the past 10,000 years.
The Earth's climate is already slowly adjusting to past greenhouse emissions - climate records show that global temperatures have increased by 0.6 °C since the late 19th century.
The 1990s are likely to have been the warmest decade of the millennium.
Mean sea-level around the world has risen by 10-20 cm. Most of the rise in sea levels has been due to the thermal expansion of seawater. Melting glaciers and ice caps could also contribute to rising sea levels.
Other impacts of climate change, which were observed during the 20th century;
* Global mean sea level - Increased at an average annual rate of 1-2 mm during the 20th century
* Duration of ice cover of rivers and lakes - Decreased by about 2 weeks over the 20th century in far North
* Arctic sea-ice extent and thickness - 40% thinner in summer in recent decades. Decreased in extent by 10-15%
* Non-polar glaciers - Widespread retreat
* Snow cover - Global area decreased by 10% since 1960s
* Permafrost - Thawed in parts of polar and mountainous regions
* El Niño events - More frequent, persistent and intense
* Growing season - About 1-4 days longer per decade during the last 40 years
* Plant and animal ranges - Shifting polewards (geographically) and upwards (altitude) as plants, insects, birds and
fish seek cooler conditions
* Breeding, flowering and migration - Earlier plant flowering, earlier bird arrival, earlier dates of breeding season, and
earlier emergence of insects in the Northern Hemisphere
* Weather-related economic losses - Rising
In recent decades, an increase in precipitation has been noticed in mid- and high-latitude areas of the Northern Hemisphere (45 °N - 60 °N), as well as the tropics (10 °N – 10 °S).
On the other hand, precipitation has decreased in sub-tropical areas (10 °N - 30 °N) during the 20th century.
As a result, the frequency and intensity of droughts appears to have worsened in parts of Africa and Asia over the last few decades.
IMPACTS IN MY PART OF THE PLANET - NORTHERN IRELAND
Northern Ireland enjoys a very mild climate.
It is buffered by the huge Atlantic Ocean – since water heats up and cools down more slowly than land does, our climate is fairly constant, and there are no great extremes of weather.
Long periods of snow and sub-zero temperatures, or sizzling heat waves are uncommon. Compare this to continental Europe and Asia, where the huge land masses and distance from the oceans make for great climate extremes.
(The Siberian town of Verkhoyansk may possibly have the most extreme climate in the world. It has been as cold as -67 °C in January, and as high as 37 °C in July!)
Given our mild climate, it is possible we may notice climate change slightly more slowly than in other areas of the world. This is not to say that it won't happen here though. Already, changes are being noticed.
Armagh Observatory measured the number of snow days and recorded that it has decreased over the 20th century. Less snow in Northern Ireland each year will have many effects: on roads, transport, wildlife to name a few. Climate models predict that summer temperatures are predicted to rise. What effect might this have on agriculture in Northern Ireland? The yield of potatoes here has varied with the mean summer temperature. (The yield is measured in kilotonnes per hectare, showing how successful the crop has been each year). There is clearly a link between summer temperatures and potato crop yield. In 1983 and 1995 the temperature was high, but the potato yield was low – this was because both these years had much drier than usual summers. This is an example of how climate change might produce some advantages. It is likely that in Northern Ireland, new crops may be introduced, which previously did not grow well here. It may be the behaviour of plants and animals which we notice soonest. Snowdrops usually bloom in January, daffodils in March, bluebells in May. The periodic timing of natural events in response to climate is called phenology. Plants and animals respond to seasonal changes in weather. Recording data such as the flowering date of plants, leaf-fall date of trees, or arrival dates of certain migratory birds is vitally important in monitoring climate change impacts on the natural world. For more information on phenology, or if you would like to take part in recording, visit: www.phenology.org.uk THE CHANGING CLIMATE IN NORTHERN IRELAND Climate models run by the Met Office have predicted what the climate is likely to be in the 21st century. Summary of predicted climate changes in Northern Ireland by 2080s * Temperature - Average annual temperature to increase. * Summer and particularly autumn to warm most.More record-breaking temperature years. * Precipitation - Winters to become wetter; summers to become drier. * Small changes in spring and autumn. * Cloud cover - Cloud cover to decrease slightly. * Humidity - Relative humidity to decrease slightly. * Wind speed - Wind speed to decrease slightly, especially on east coast. * Snowfalls - Large decrease in winter snowfalls Click Here if you know anyone who wants to help the environmentGod Bless and Keep Safe Fionnuala N Ireland http://pifbc.com/tag/Fionuala.htm http://ubiee.com/enviro/?tag=Fionuala http://fionnualafox.ning.com/profile/Fionnuala
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I just received this in email from my good friend Sara Blow and wanted to share with you.
YARD WORK - AS VIEWED FROM HEAVEN
(overheard in a conversation between God and St. Francis):
God: Francis, you know all about gardens and nature; what in the world is going on down there in the U.S.? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff I started eons ago?
I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought, and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees, and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of green.
St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are called the Suburbanites. They started calling
your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
God: Grass? But it is so boring, it's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, bees or birds, only grubs
and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures.
Do these Suburbanites really want grass growing there?
St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a little, they cut it....
sometimes two times a week.
God: They cut it? Do they bale it like hay?
St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
St. Francis: No sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
God: Now let me get this straight...
they fertilize it to make it grow and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
St. Francis: Yes, sir.
God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up
the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
St. Francis: You aren't going to believe this Lord, but when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out
hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
God: What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say
so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer.
In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep the moisture in the soil and
protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves become compost to enhance the soil.
It's a natural circle of life.
St. Francis: You'd better sit down, Lord. As soon as the leaves fall, the Suburbanites rake them into great
piles and pay to have them hauled away.
God: No way! What do they do to protect the shrubs and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist
and loose?
St Francis: After throwing the leaves away, they go out and buy something called mulch.
They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.
God: And where do they get this mulch?
St. Francis: They cut down the trees and grind them up to make mulch.
God: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine, you're in charge of the arts.
What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?
St. Catherine: "Dumb and Dumber," Lord. It's a really stupid movie about...
God: Never mind - I think I just heard the whole story from Saint Francis!
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Hope you like it as much as I did!!
God Bless
Fionnuala
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The Earthʼs climate has always been changing. However, for at least 100 years we have been aware of a serious problem with the way our activities on earth may be affecting the climate. Swedish scientist Svente Arrhenius first raised the issue in 1895, and since then Climate change has now become accepted as possibly the most serious threat mankind has to face. Tackling climate change is urgent – not only the causes of climate change, but also the effects it will have on our society. So that we can understand the nature of climate change fully, we will look at three terms which are used when discussing the subject: Climate Change, Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect.
CLIMATE CHANGE Weather
The weather is the changing conditions we see from day to day – in any given week (especially here in Northern Ireland!) we may see nearly all types of weather – sun, rain, wind, dry spells, warmth and cold. Climate Climate, on the other hand, is like a ʻweather averageʼ. Climate is usually based on long term weather records, over 30 years for example. Climate records could tell us that the average temperature in 2002 in Northern Ireland was 10.2°C, although there would have been many days above or below this temperature. Climate tells us the average weather conditions we can expect in a particular place at a certain time of the year. You will even have some knowledge of climate - why do temperatures differ between Summer and Winter in Northern Ireland? Climate Change Climate is associated with ʻaveragesʼ. We know what the climate is like in Northern Ireland, so we know what weather to expect each year. Question: Do banana trees grow outdoors in Northern Ireland? Of course, the answer is no – it is not hot and sunny enough here to grow banana trees. In other words, the climate is not suitable. Everything we know about the climate is based on how weather has been in the past. But weather records, particularly from the 1970s until the present, have been showing something unexpected. The average weather conditions seem to be steadily changing. This is Climate Change. Weather records have been kept at Armagh Observatory since 1840. In 164 years of weather records, five of the warmest years have occurred since 1990! ʻClimate Changeʼ refers to the rapid change in local weather patterns which are taking place around the whole world. Right at the beginning of this post I said that Earthʼs climate has always been changing – but it is now changing at a faster rate than it has ever done in the past. What is causing this change?
Global Warming
This is a term which describes how the earthʼs atmosphere is warming. It suggests that we will have higher temperatures. However, we now prefer to talk in terms of ʻclimate changeʼ – because warmer temperatures are only one type of weather change we will see. There are other ways in which the climate will change – summers will be drier, and winters more stormy and wet. Greenhouse Effect In a greenhouse, sunlight comes in through the glass and heats the contents, which then radiate infra-red energy back. Some of this infra-red energy cannot escape through the glass and stays trapped inside the greenhouse, so the temperature climbs - even on a dull day, youʼd be surprised how warm it can be! This is the so-called
ʻGreenhouse Effectʼ.
It describes how a closed system heats up by allowing more of the sunʼs energy to enter than it lets escape. Most of our atmosphere is nitrogen and oxygen, but a small amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is also present. The most important of these is carbon dioxide. GHGs ʻtrapʼ some of the infra-red radiation, so they act as a blanket, and keep the earth about 20°C warmer than it would be without them. Since the Industrial Revolution, man has been burning increasing amounts of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. This burning is needed to power our cars, produce our electricity, keep our homes warm and manufacture our goods. A main product of burning fossil fuels is carbon dioxide, which we know is a greenhouse gas. We are increasing the amount of this gas in the atmosphere, so we are making the ʻblanketʼ in our atmosphere thicker. As we produce more carbon dioxide, less heat is able to escape and the Earth becomes warmer. This is man-made global warming, and it is causing climate change. Other greenhouse gases Carbon dioxide is only one of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) which humans are responsible for in the atmosphere. Some GHGs are extremely powerful at trapping heat (for example sulphur hexafluoride is 23,900 times better than carbon dioxide). Also, some GHGs persist in the atmosphere for much longer (some perfluorocarbons can last 50,000 years in the atmosphere). However, carbon dioxide is the main contributor to climate change, due to the sheer volume which is emitted by burning fossil fuels. The next most important GHGs are methane and nitrous oxide. Carbon dioxide levels appear to have varied by less than 10% during the 10,000 years before industrialization. Since 1800 all 3 main greenhouse gases have risen by at least 30%. However, scientists agree that even if emissions of greenhouse gases are stabilised or reduced now, we will still see the effects of climate change due to past emissions. Scientists believe that these increasing levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere have led to the global temperature increases seen in the late 20th century, particularly since 1970.
Scientific knowledge of climate change and the greenhouse effect has helped to inform governments across the world. Industrialized countries signed up to an international agreement – The Kyoto Protocol – which says they will try to limit the amount of greenhouse gases they emit into the atmosphere. How can countries limit the amount of greenhouse gas they produce? Carbon dioxide is the largest contributor to global warming. Some ways in which governments are trying to reduce emissions involve: - Energy efficiency – if less energy is used, less fossil fuels have to be burnt, and less CO2 is produced. - Renewable energy – energy sources like wind and wave power do not produce any emissions. - Emissions trading – a scheme which encourages large power generators to cut emissions.
Till Next Time
Fionnuala
http://ubiee.com/enviro/tag/fionnuala
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Hi friend
Imagine that you are a prospect, One day you open your e-mail,
and there is a message inviting you to become a prospect.
The e-mail message is clear and concise, sounds like a best work form home, and you decide to join the new opportunity.
After joining the new business you receive a brand-new e-
mail message in your mailbox. This message is even better than
the previous message. This e-mail message makes a great offer, mentions Google so you decide to join the new opportunity.
Two weeks later you get another e-mail message in your mailbox.
Not only does it make a great offer, but it has a capture page
attached that gets you excited. You decide to join this new
opportunity.
Later, a well written e-mail message comes to your mailbox.
Not only does it have a great offer and a great image attached, but the message also sends you to a fantastic designed web site. You decide to join this opportunity because it looks so much better than anything else you've seen.
Do you see a trend developing here?
No matter how good your e-mail campaign, there will always be
another message that is even better. The first secret of
sponsoring over the Internet is this:
'It doesn't matter how you make the initial contact. What
matters is what you do with your prospects AFTER
you make the initial contact.'
Some experts say that the first thing you should do with
Internet prospects is to get them OFF the Internet. This means
to talk with them over the telephone, meet them in person, or
possibly send them written material.
You want to make a connection or a bond with your new
prospects. You want to quickly separate yourself from the
competition by creating a special personal relationship with
your prospects. You want your relationship to be so strong
that your new prospects will not be affected by the constant
stream of new e-mail offers coming to their mailboxes.
You see, it doesn't matter how many prospects you sponsor, it
is how many you KEEP that makes a difference.
You don't want to be one of those leaders who builds a big
organization, only to see your prospects disappear and leave to join
other programs. You want a permanent downline and therefore a permanent residual income.
Now that you understand that you want to bond with and keep your
new distributors, you want to know how to INITIALLY sponsor new
distributors over the Internet, right?
I would like you to consider this:
* What are you willing to do to bond and create a relationship
with your new Internet Marketing Prospects?
* Will you send them a personal e-mail welcome message?
* Will you give them a call over the telephone?
* Will you send them a flyer or a letter?
* Will you send them a regular newsletter or update?
Why not spend the next day or two considering how you are going
to bond and build a relationship with your new prospects.
Till next time
Best Work From Home
Fionnuala
http://fionnuala.veretekk.com
Skype - fionnuala19
Cell - 07849159113
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I'm literally rolling in dough now,
but it wasn't always that way. Not
long ago, I was out of work. My wife
had lost her job also. We sold our
cars and we were just days away from
foreclosure. That's when I saw this
website about...
You're not believing it are you?
Well how about this one:
The other day I was out in the yard
planting new flowers. My neighbor was
getting his mail and came over and asked
me, "I've just got to ask you--it seems
like you're always either on vacation in
Hawaii or you're at home playing with
your kids. You just got that new Porsche,
so I've just got to ask, did you win the
lottery or something?"
And then the story goes on to say how I
started a new Internet business and left
my job within a month, making more now
than I did at my job...
You know, I guess that kind of thing can
happen, but it's certainly not the norm.
It is certainly not that fast and easy to succeed on the internet.
It takes work.
I want to warn you what to look out for in
a personal story so you don't get spammed.
Copywriters will tell you that nothing gains
trust faster on a website than a personal
story. Let the visitor know that you're just
an ordinary person who found the right
information at the right time.
So what do website owners do? They make
them up!
I once found a website where the website
owner spoke boldly about how he had made
hundreds of thousands of dollars in a few
months on the Internet. The guy must have
been daft because he gave his actual street
address and phone number so people could
call or write to him directly.
I didn't call, but I was so incredibly
curious that I looked up his address on
one of those websites where you can see
satellite images of people's houses. Well,
let me just say that after I saw where he
lived, I can tell you he wasn't making
hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
What a ditz!
If you're going to lie, at least cover
your tracks!
And at least be somewhat realistic.
What I've got to tell you is simply this:
Be wary when you see a personal story.
The intent is to gain your trust. The
tragic thing is that some websites will
tell you a lie to gain your trust! How's
that for craic?
That's just the nature of the Internet
unfortunately and you have to be aware
of what is going on.
Let me give you an example of a personal
story that is real. Tom Prendergast runs
Veretekk, his site is the number 1 on the
Internet in terms of membership. Take a
look at his personal story on his webpage:
http//fionnuala.veretekk.com. It's upbeat, but it's real.
He makes it clear that you won't make
millions overnight working online.
He talks about hard, and developing your knowledge and skills
over a period of time is a reasonable expectation.
You gotta give credit to a guy like that. He's not
overselling his website. I think that's
why he's number 1 in the market.
So just be wary of personal stories. The
intent is to gain your trust. Put up your
guard when you see them.
Fionnuala
p.s. If you haven't taken a look at Veretekk before go check them out. I've seen several online companies come and go, but
Veretekkt are still the leaders.
Here's their site:
http://fionnuala.veretekk.com
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Work from home is a relationship business; helping people build a business or focusing on your customers or your products and services. Best work form home really is an unseen business and it is all about sales.
Best work from home is a selection of businesses in which anyone can invest a small sum of money and through consistency achieve staggering levels of financial reward and personal freedom. But it requires education based on market tested results.
Best work from home is very popular with the Home Business group, according to the Direct Selling Association (DSA) and Google, over 13 million people in the U.S. alone are working in the network marketing from their own homes.
The best work from home / MLM industry has a very shady reputation. Many people feel it is a scam and in many ways they are justified, but you can make a difference with the way you market your business.
Let’s look at the two types of businesses that you could be involved in or approached with:
Best work from home - Multi-level marketing (MLM)
MLMs costs much less to get involved with usually a few hundred dollars, this allows more people to become involved. Generally the commission structure is less up-front than the direct sales companies, but it has a benefit of building residual income.
Best work from - Direct Sales Companies
DS Companies are known as seller-based and they market high priced, one time sale items. The benefits are you make higher commissions but practically no residual income. Therefore, if you stop working so does your income as you only get paid for what you sell.
This type of Marketing costs more to start, usually in the thousands of dollar range, again limiting you on the number of people you recruit.
Best work from home - Affiliate programs fall under the direct sales company and they can produce a good residual income if it is a service based product.
If you are looking to get started in a work from home business, check out the free training on http://www.fionnuala.veretekk.com before you take any action.
When people first start looking for a best work from home business, they usually do a search on google. Capturing this audience is cruical to the success of your work from home business, to learn how to do this you really need to tap into training from day one. Most marketing companies today only teach you to how to recruit, but there is so much more to learn that at times you will feel completely overwhelmed.
If you have a genuine interest in building a work from home business then the training offered here is definately for you.
Fionnuala Fox
http://www.fionnuala.veretekk.com
Marketing Advisor
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