By Charlotte Nicol, Most Curious Tours

Findhorn is an eco-community located in the North of Scotland, next to the small village of Forres and just off the Findhorn Bay of Moray. After visiting this Winter I was amazed at the possibility of living a carbon neutral lifestyle on such a large scale. It is the largest single intentional community in the UK, an eco-village since 1985, and has an ecological footprint that is half the UK national average.

By Tara Harrison and Samira Said

The UK’s Unseen Tours volunteer group has launched a socially sustainable tourism project to bring together the homeless and visitors to London in order to showcase the city at the ground level. Training, pay, and recognition has helped some of those who are out of work and out of home find a way to support themselves. The project has been so successful that numerous other countries are looking to launch similar initiatives.

Through practical steps facilitating and enhancing the natural regeneration of trees, Trees for Life works to re-establish areas of healthy young forest scattered throughout the barren, deforested glens. As these new trees reach seed-bearing age they will form the nuclei for an expanded natural regeneration in the surrounding area. “The Caledonian Forest originally covered 1.5 million hectares of the Scottish Highlands as a vast primeval wilderness of Scots pine, birch, rowan, aspen, juniper and other trees. Today, though, just 1% of the forest remains.”

“There are plans to build an incinerator in St. Dennis in Cornwall. We want people to stand up and protect Cornwall and its beautiful countryside!” Due to the dioxins that would be released from the incinerator in St Dennis, no one in Cornwall will be able to grow organic produce within the next seven years, if these plans are executed. Good is Planet Earth is collecting as many names as possible to support this cause until Saturday, March 14, 2009. The petition will be submitted to the Prime Minister, requesting an immediate cessation of the planning, building and commissioning of the waste incinerator.

TIES encourages you to reduce your carbon emissions by minimizing energy use, utilizing alternative transportation, and choosing low-impact activities. There will always be unavoidable carbon footprint of your travel. Contribute to a credible carbon offsetting program to support conservation, renewable energy, and other energy saving projects. For those travelling to and within the UK, here are some useful information on measuring the carbon footprint of your travel, and how to travel consciously as you select air travel, local transportation and lodging options.

We recommend these great travel books for those considering visiting the UK for the first time or returning to the UK and looking for new experiences. Encouraging travelers to “enjoy life at its slowest,” this guide celebrates fascinating people, fine architecture, history and landscape. Go Slow England is the first in a series of “Go Slow” guides, featuring stunning colour photography and interviews with the owners. Imagine sitting in a bath looking out over a beautiful Welsh bay from the comfort of a tiny eco cottage, knowing that you won’t be polluting the sensitive coastline.

Looking for amazing rural destinations and traditional experiences? Learn from Sally Broom, Founder, Your Safe Planet: “The UK is not well known for being an ecotourism destination and yet we have some of the most beautiful rural areas in Europe. On the border of beautiful Wales is Shropshire where ‘Eco-cabin’ is located costing just £90 a night for up to 4 people! From there you can head to Mid Wales which is an ecotourism haven. The Lake District offers the chance to stay in traditional tepees and yurts.”

Officially named the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the UK is an island nation comprised of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Consistently among the top 6 international destinations, and boasting 27 natural and cultural UNESCO world heritage sites, there’s no shortage of awe-inspiring places to explore in the UK. Consequently, travellers continually repeating similar tracks puts a heavy burden on the natural and built environment, and motivates visionaries in the industry to find solutions to manage tourism in a sustainable way.