Best Bits from Jen Page

Next month we’re going to be welcoming a brand new Ethical Travel columnist, who is all set to fill Jen Page’s shoes as our regular finger on the moral pulse of the backpacker. Until then however here’s a retrospective tribute to our longest standing columnist and all the hard work she put in on behalf of the charities and causes that really needed a helping hand.

Story Highlights

Starlight Foundation
Stop Sealing
Stop Poverty in the UK
A Lesson in Environmentalism
Lonely Planet's Annual Travellers' Pulse Survey

Starlight Foundation - January 2009 Column

Starlight Children's Foundation has granted the wishes of more than 500,000 seriously ill children, helping them to forget their pain and the fear of their illness. They provide hospital entertainment, experiences of a lifetime, unforgettable holidays and happy memories for seriously and terminally ill children, and their families. Starlight understands the importance of involving the children’s families so as to maximise the family bond during a very stressful time. By granting their wishes Starlight are able to distract children from their illnesses and bring them great happiness.

Visit starlight.org.uk and click on the How Can You Help link. From here check out the Sporting and Overseas Events where you can choose from any of the 2009 challenges and raise funds for Starlight.

Stop Sealing – November Column 2008

With a critical EU proposal in the pipeline to ban the trade of seal products, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) needs all the support they can get to see this through. After years of determined campaigning to end the annual Canadian commercial seal hunt - where more than 300,000 seals are clubbed to death or shot for their fur, the IFAW know the EU proposal represents the best opportunity so far to put an end to the hunt, once and for all.

By joining the Stop the Seal Hunt Campaign you can help IFAW to monitor and conduct critical scientific research, and continue to put pressure on the Canadian government to end the hunt. And of course you can make a donation to the cause on stopthesealhunt.co.uk Every last penny really is essential to this cause.

Stop Poverty in the UK – September Column 2008

It's an earth-shuddering word that usually grounds a conversation to a halt and makes people turn away - guiltily trying to think of a change in topic, conscious that they could be doing more to help. But poverty affects children and adults worldwide, in developed and developing countries alike. There's no escaping it – case in point the United Kingdom.

Four out of every ten children in London are suffering in relative poverty and with the current economic climate, this number is set to increase. The End Child Poverty - London Project aims to make people aware of the extent of child poverty in the city. By tackling the stigma associated with poverty and through successful campaigning, the scheme hopes to end child poverty in London.

A Lesson in Environmentalism – July Column 2008

With the scarcity of land today it is a waste to let it be overused, unprotected and under-nourished. Avoiding these problems and making the most of our natural resources can lead to an abundance of produce and help feed the world in a sustainable way.

Study Tours: Trekking to remote villages and beholding fascinating geography, Heifer make expeditions to visit people who are most in need of an agricultural education. A Heifer Study Tour explores the extraordinary life and daily activities of people around the world. Volunteers can join in and visit the farmers, and their families while also helping them to improve their land and their lives.

Lonely Planet's Annual Travellers' Pulse Survey – September Column 2007

With more of you travelling than ever before, it is a relief to find out that more and more of us are considering the environment in our travel plans. A worldwide survey by Lonely Planet has shown that travellers are keen to make major changes to the way they make a trip in order to travel sustainably - for example with fewer emissions being emitted.

More than 24,500 people were polled from 144 countries. Of these 84 percent said they would try to counteract their emissions in the future. In previous surveys only 31 percent made this promise so now this could mean a huge change to the future of our environment.

A huge 43% of those polled would support:

Boycotting flying for other less damaging modes of transport.
Airlines reducing the number of flights.
Increased flying costs such as a carbon tax.
The idea of everyone having an annual carbon allowance into which they must fit their travel.

- Jen Page

Do you want to join the travel writing team on the monthly St Christopher’s E-zine and have your words read by 135,000 backpackers with every edition? If your answer is a big fat resounding yes, then e-mail a sample of your travel writing mastery to editor@st-christophers.co.uk

No comments were found