It’s a hotel I first learnt about at World Travel Market last year, when it won the ‘best accommodation for the environment‘ category at the Responsible Tourism Awards.

As well as using 65% solar power and buying produce direct from local fishermen and farmers, one of the innovations that really stands out for me in this video is a local paper-making project, where the hotel gives shredded waste paper to local craftswomen to be turned into guest stationery – which the hotel then buys back. A perfect example of a project that is both environmentally conscious and socially beneficial! Watch the full story of how this hotel is breaking the mould in the Caribbean here.

A Q&A with Anthony Climpson OBE, tourism manager of the New Forest

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Canoeing in the New Forest

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Exploring beyond the New Forest National Park

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Conservation volunteering in the New Forest

Primrose Valley is just one of the hotel’s featured on the St Ives tourist board’s new iPhone app. It features nine places to stay, lots of bars and restaurants, things to do and sites of interest, and lots of useful contact details for trains, taxis, boat hire and more – all pinpointed on the an interactive map.

Though the information is not exhaustive – there are lots more restaurants to choose from in St Ives – it is a very handy guide. The app costs £1.19

Read the full piece here

Inkaterra has some of the most exciting, sustainable hotels in Peru. It all started in the 1970s with Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica right in the Amazon jungle. Next were La Casona in Cusco, part of the super-luxury Relais & Chateaux collection, and Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel right by Machu Picchu. Inkaterra has now launched another sister brand, ‘by Inkaterra’, which is slightly more affordable but retains the same eco credentials.

The hotel group has its very own research arm, the InkaTerra Association, and employs its own scientists – guests can help out too while staying there.

All the guides or ‘interpreters’ employed to give wildlife tours are local, and real experts. I know what a difference this can make – when I went backpacking in Peru we got totally ripped off. The guides who took us into the rainforest didn’t have a clue what they were looking at and I had to point out wildlife to my friend.

Across its various properties, Inkaterra has been responsible for the discovery of many new species of frogs and orchids and planted countless trees and restored other habitats. Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel holds the record for the highest number of native orchid species found in their natural environment in the world!

With all this talk of sustainability, Bumpkin seemed a particularly appropriate choice for the press lunch – all of their produce comes from right here in the UK (except its olive oil – which we really do struggle to produce in this climate, apparently), right down to seasonal cocktails. I enjoyed a lovely duck breast with spring onion and tarragon cake. This does go against my Meat Free Monday efforts, but I didn’t have meat at all over the weekend so I reckon Sir Paul would forgive me?

Inspired by the lovely, locally-sourced salads on the menu at Bumpkin I came home this evening and vowed to have one more go at growing something for myself on the balcony. I know what I got wrong last time – the soil level was too low, so the lettucey shoots had to struggle too high to reach the sunlight and went all limp and wobbly and died. So I’ve topped the soil right up, and also sown just a fine row of seeds, as opposed to chucking in the whole packet like I did last time (also wrong, it would appear).

If it doesn’t work this time, those bloody troughs are going in the bin.

In other balcony news, we most definitely have some birds visiting the feeder now as the sunflower hearts have almost all gone. Wildlife triumph!

Despite a thorough explanation from instructor Derek on how to hold my paddle and how to slow down and change direction, I was still concerned about losing control and smashing up my kayak on the rocks. But Derek assured me the kayaks were practically indestructible. “You might hit into each other, though – the kayaks have got magnets in them,” he warned us.

I’d have thought magnets would make the kayaks heavier and slower, but didn’t like to question it; Derek Hairon is a sea-kayaking expert and wrote the world’s first book on the subject. His company, Jersey Kayak Adventures, has been guiding trips around Jersey’s rugged coast and nearby islands since 2004.

As we navigated through narrow gaps between rocks, I bumped apologetically into my fellow kayakers a few times but nobody seemed to mind. It seemed the magnets in my kayak were particularly strong.

The sea-level in Jersey rises and falls by up to 12 metres each tide, meaning you see different things each time you go out. Travelling by sea-kayak also means accessing whole stretches of the coast you never could on foot. Derek pointed out various bird species, and told us about Jersey’s natural history and geology as we paddled.

It was only as we peeled off our wetsuits at the end that Derek finally admitted he’d been pulling my leg about the magnets. I sensed I hadn’t been the first to fall for it.

But while he might joke about kayak magnetism, one thing Jersey Kayak Adventures takes very seriously is its environmental impact. Kayakers get a discount if they use public transport, and are encouraged to pick up any litter they spot and to drink from refillable bicycle bottles rather than buying bottled water.

There are other companies on Jersey that have shown a similar commitment. Jersey was the first destination in the world to gain Green Globe accreditation, and many hotels and attractions are signed up to the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS).

La Mare Wine Estate is the only Gold award holder on the island, with eco-measures such as using discarded cooking oil as bio-fuel for the mini-bus and giving visitors a 5% discount if they use public transport to reach the estate. Jersey is on the same latitude as the Champagne region of France, so it enjoys an excellent grape-growing climate. La Mare produces not just award-winning wines but also cider, apple brandy, its own range of chocolates and to-die-for preserves.

Animal magic

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, founded by author and naturalist Gerald Durrell, holds a silver GTBS award. The Trust is involved in species conservation projects around the world, and “zoo” is something of a dirty word. Species at the centre include Andean bears, lemurs, tamarin monkeys and gorillas – you may remember TV footage from 1986 when a toddler fell into Durrell’s gorilla enclosure and the silverback sat next to the unconscious body to protect the boy from the other gorillas.

I went behind-the-scenes with a keeper to help prepare food for the family of seven orangutans. The wheelbarrow of shiny onions, leeks and cucumbers grown in Durrell’s own garden looked more like the Best In Show at a village fete than the scraps I’d imagined the animals might get. And it put me in the mind to try some local Jersey produce for myself…

Suma’s, the less formal sister restaurant to Longueville Manor hotel, is located on the waterfront in Gorey, overlooking the iconic Mont Orgueil Castle. I was spoilt for choice with brill, seabass, Royal Bay oysters, lobster and scallops caught off the very coast I’d explored by kayak the day before. Jersey asparagus and a bowl of the first Jersey Royals of the season were also mandatory.

In the last few years, the island’s cuisine has become an important selling point, and it is proud of its two Michelin stars and many AA rosettes. Marco Pierre White is to open a restaurant on St Helier’s waterfront next year, and the tourist board has recently tied up with Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen. Jamie’s trainee chefs flew to Jersey to learn about oyster farming and growing potatoes, and Jersey produce was then featured on the menu in the London restaurant.

The island’s culinary kudos, coupled with an expanding choice of adventure sports and events, is helping draw a new generation of holidaymakers. “Jersey is attracting a younger crowd now, and short breaks are growing fast,” says Premier Holidays marketing manager Emma Coteman.

This summer in particular, the ash cloud and British Airways crises have raised the profile of any destination easily reached by ferry instead of flying. “Once people experience Jersey and how much there is to see and do, they get drawn back again and again,” adds Emma.

I wonder if it might be something to do with those magnets?

The National Forest has launched a new visitors’ website with a focus on ‘going green’.

The site emphasises eco-friendly attractions and places to stay within the forest, and encourages visitors to use public transport and explore by bike or on foot rather than driving.

The National Forest covers an area of 200 square miles in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, and 7.7 million trees have already been planted since the project began in 1991.

Low-impact accommodation within the forest includes the YHA National Forest, which has bio-fuel boilers and solar panels and collects rainwater to flush the loos. At Roliston Forestry Centre there are six sustainable-timber lodges, and visitors can camp at the Conkers Camping and Caravanning Club. The website also highlights hotels and guesthouses which have achieved a Green Tourism Business Scheme award.

Most of the National Forest’s visitors are day-trippers but the number of people staying overnight is rising, up from 4% in 2001 to 10% in 2007. “It’s an area that we’re really targeting because overnight stays bring more economic benefit to the destination and they have a smaller impact on the environment than the same increase in day visitors,” explains Penny Wilkinson of the National Forest Company. “Our job is to try to get them to use sustainable transport methods when they are here.”

Most visitors currently come by car, but Penny says they hope this will change: “We actively promote cycle hire and we’re developing more trails and facilities for cycling. We’ve supported several new off-road routes, for example, including over 20km of new and improved trails.”

There is a special family cycling route, the Conkers Circuit, and a further 14km of family-friendly off-road trails will be developed soon. Links to routes 6, 54 and 63 of the National Cycle Network are also to be promoted.

A ‘hop on, hop off’ open-top bus in the summer months helps people get around, and the forest hopes to increase groups visiting by coach as opposed to individuals coming by car.

The National Forest only has one railway station, Burton upon Trent, within it but visitors will be encouraged to use stations in towns like Loughborough, Tamworth, and Lichfield as entry points. Penny adds that expanding canal access could provide more ‘green access’ in the future.

The ‘going green’ section of the new website also encourages the purchase of local produce, with a 12-page guide from the National Forest Food Network, and highlights forest activities like planting trees, woodland crafts and llama trekking.

New features elsewhere on the site include downloadable maps for short, medium and long walks; an expanded cycling section with maps; and more comprehensive information on the other attractions and activities available in the forest.

• If you’re interested in cycling, see greentraveller’s selection of cycling holidays in England

Survey results released this week as part of National Ferry Fortnight (organised by the Passenger Shipping Association) reveal why passengers choose to travel by ferry instead of flying.

The convenience of taking their own car came out top, with 55% saying this was an important factor. The lack of luggage restrictions (i.e. the convenience of piling your car high with buckets and spades) was very important for 44% of passengers. I presume the Passenger Shipping Association didn’t have any green travellers onboard that day, as carbon footprint wasn’t mentioned at all!

This got me thinking about the convenience of travelling by ferry as a foot passenger and – since I’ve just visited Jersey and Guernsey – travelling from Poole to the Channel Islands in particular.

Car-free on the Channel Islands

It’s fairly easy to go car-free once you’ve reached the Channel Islands. The ferry terminals on both islands are a short walk from the town centre so you can easily hop onto a bus; there are comprehensive bus routes and timetables online for both Jersey and Guernsey. There are also bike hire centres just a few minutes walk from the ferry terminals on both islands, like Zebra Hire on the Esplanade in St Helier, Jersey.

My experience onboard both Condor Vitesse and Condor Express was excellent: both clean and fresh, with a small duty free shop, a kids’ room with TV, and a cafeteria. There were all the usual comforts of ferry travel over air travel, but travelling to and between the Channel Isles was a particular treat in terms of scenery – as we came into Guernsey’s St Peter Port at 7pm it was like a sunset island cruise.

The terminal on Jersey was impressive, with a good little restaurant, outdoor seating, and a souvenir shop/newsagent before you pass through security. Guernsey was less developed -  the shutters of the snack kiosk remained resolutely down the whole time we were waiting so we couldn’t even buy a drink. Still, playing pool while we waited was a novelty.

The most frustrating part of the journey as a foot passenger, however, was not on the islands but in Poole on the mainland. The transfer from Poole train station to Poole ferry terminal was a 20-25 minute walk which was no fun with heavy luggage and a short time-frame. We ended up having to jump in a taxi across town instead, costing an extra £7 and adding to the rush-hour traffic across the city.

Poole can’t help the fact that its station and ferry terminal are not closer together, but in Southampton they get around the problem by providing a free shuttle bus from Southampton Central train station to Red Funnel’s Town Quay ferry terminal.

I’d like to see the authorities in Poole show a similar commitment to helping people reach the Channel Islands car free.

Ferry travel may well be the convenient choice for those travelling by car – but how about making it easier for those of us who want to go on foot?

CEO Guido Bauer revealed the difference that a Green Globe certificate can make to a hotel’s bottom line: having the certificate lets hotels increase their room rates by 3-7%, reduces their operating costs by 3-11%, and adds 1-3% to the property’s value.

It’s great that they have proof of the financial benefit – in a cash-strapped economy like the Caribbean, a financial incentive for greening your business is particularly necessary.

I’m a little sceptical about such certification schemes though. Firstly, Green Globes are like several other schemes in that hotels pay to join the organisation which can’t fail to at least slightly compromise their impartiality.

Secondly, a hotel does not need to meet all or even most of the list of criteria in order to pass: they must satisfy just 51%. Some of the criteria are extremely difficult to satisfy (the newest criteria is PVC-free room keys) but you’ve got to ask – what about the other 49%?

I also had trouble with Guido’s comments that Caribbean countries are the most advanced region in the world in terms of sustainability, ahead of nearest contenders New Zealand / Australia / France.

Having stayed in countless hotels in the Caribbean which do not recycle, which turn the air-con on in my room while I’m not there, and which fly in food and beverages from around the world, I found this hard to believe.

Doubly hard after the lecture I attended in December in which Kristian Teleki of SeaWeb told us that outside Europe and North America, 80% of sewage enters the coastal ocean untreated – including in the Caribbean. Tourism is by far the biggest industry in the Caribbean so if 80% of its sewage is untreated, some of this must surely be coming from the hotels. Hardly sustainable!

I put this to Guido Bauer but he said he won’t accept that this is the case with the Caribbean…. I’m going to see if Kristian can point me in the direction of some further info.