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More Ways To Save The Planet

From The Chocolate We Eat To The Product's We Use...

So we have turned down our thermostats, which is great news for the planet, we have begun to say NO to standby, so now we can begin to look at other ways we can improve our lives and help safeguard our planet.

No sandals required, just a new and more positive approach to many of the things we take for granted, like our shopping, cleaning and eating habits and begin to think more about the global picture.

Top Tips To Living A Better Life...

Forget the plastic - Plastic bags are bad...so take your own!

Tell Your Friends - If you have saved money by implementing some easy energy saving tips you should tell at least one friend.

Share - Yes share.. from your many power tools that lie under a pile of dust to the toys that your children have long outgrown. It's not only better for the planet sharing makes you feel good.

If you don't need it...Don't buy it...

Make a difference, opt for buying presents that make the world of difference to others for some really great gift aid ideas try logging onto www.worldvision.org

Don't buy new! invest in antique, antique furniture is often cheaper than you think - it makes a tremendous statement and lasts a lot longer too.

Don't just bin it! reuse, recycle or donate it.

Organisz a clothes swap - Update your wardrobe by sharing - it makes perfect sense!

Tell Your Boss If by turning off your lights you saved X just imagine what we could save, if offices across the globe adopted and implemented these simple energy saving measures into their daily routine.

Switch - A great way to help reduce our global emissions is if we make a stand and switch to buying energy from a green energy supplier.

WALK - Yes walk - walking is not only good for the environment, it can dramatically improve your health! So hang up your keys and walk whenever you can.

Top - Tip When buying fish make sure that it has come from a certifiable source for more information about sustainability and fishing visit the Marine Stewardship Council http://www.msc.org

Shrimp Matters: Look to buy ecologically sound prawn/shrimp! We may all have come to love the sweet taste of it, but intensive shrimp fishing not only destroys many other marine species - shrimp farms have been directly responsible for the destruction of valuable mangroves!

Add a little or a lot of fair trade into your weekly shop.

Did You Know? Fair trade is GOOD for the PLANET and helps to secure the lives and the livelihoods of some of the world's poorest communities. So lend your support and help encourage more to do the same.

Consider - Making fair trade coffee and fair trade tea your drink of choice!

FACT: The Co-op supermarket in the UK was the first retailer to actively support fairtade and now stock over 110 fairtrade products!

BUY: Switch to buying from companies who are socially responsible and who place value on the planet's natural resources.

Did You Know? One in ten products that line the shelves of our supermarkets contain vegetable oils, including Palm Oil - The spread of palm oil plantations has had a devastating effect on the lives and habitat of the Oranutan.

FACT Almost 90 percent of the forest, home to the Oranutan has been destroyed.

Sweet Success: Buying chocolate with a high cocoa content is BETTER for you and far better for both the cocoa farmer and the environment.

Did You Know: We may all love high fashion, but we have to say NO to companies who still utilize sweatshops. So Check You Labels

BUY: Make sure that the paper you buy is either recycled or of a non-wood source.

Did You Know: To produce just 1 ton of paper requires 2-3 times its weight in timber!

FACT: Half of the paper in use today is for PACKAGING!

Ditch the packaging! join the growing number of consumers across the globe and say no to excess packaging!

Buy local - across the world more and more people are opting to shop locally

Did You Know: Farmers markets are booming - if you have one in your neighborhood support it -

Support: if you live in an area which operates one of the many fruit/vegetable and meat box schemes give it a whirl! say hello to the kitchen and stir up some real food.

For a comprehensive list of farmers markets in America try logging onto: www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets

Don't Forget: Buy whenever and wherever possible loose fruit and vegetables

Say YES to FREE RANGE

Switch to buying FOOD that is in Season & grown whenever and wherever possible locally - say NO to excess food miles!

Love your meat! Whenever you can buy meat from sustainable or organic farms

PAINT: Looking to brighten your home/office? make sure you buy VOC (volatile organic compound) FREE paint

FACT: VOC's emitted from paint are bad for our health

Bin the plastic cup - Get everyone to bring in a proper mug!

FACT: In the UK alone we bin over 3 billion plastic cups a year!

Switch to buying from people you like!

Switch to buying organic cotton - not only is organic a far nicer product - it is far better for the environment.

Check out which companies have already signed up to the carbon down profits up campaign youll be amazed.

Make patio heaters a blast from the past - invest in one of the growing number of real fires or - invest in some brightly coloured blankets - snuggle up and get personal.

Recycle - Couldn't talk green without mentioning one of the biggest things we can do to help safeguard our planet.

Worried about waste? Buy a wormery a great way to get rid of your waste and great for the kids! check out the Green pages for some really great product ideas.

Car Share - As ominous as it sounds car sharing can work, provided of course the people you share with start and or end their journey where you do. Car sharing is also a great way of reducing the volume of school traffic - if you live under a mile away walk the kid's will love it!

Christine Farrell is the founder of http://www.climate-information.com the first web site to put the subject of climate change into a global context. Developed to help everyday people understand the role we play in the bigger picture.

Climate-information.com delivers timely, global information on climate change, deforestation, our diet, water, saving energy and much much more..

My husband loves playing golf and I am myself am pretty decent at the sport. So it was a given that we would be playing a few rounds in Orlando. We had a chance to sample a number of golf courses first-hand and got a personal appreciation of the great number and variety of golf courses in the Orlando area.

I had a chance to talk with Mike Jamison from golf Orlando to get a better overview of the extensive golf facilities that the Orlando area has to offer.

1. Orlando is not only the world's No. 1 vacation destination, but it is also called "Golf's Ultimate Theme Park". Please tell us more about that.

Isnt it interesting how sometimes the most obvious answer to a tough question is sitting right before your eyes, yet it takes you days, months, even years to see it?

Officials of the marketing co-op GolfOrlando realized that recently when they finally nailed the perfect marketing tag line for their 25-course organization.

For years the group had wrestled with various themes that might set Orlando apart from its competition in the golf destination wars. Then one day a member asked a question What is Orlando known for?

The obvious answer? Theme parks. Orlando is the worlds No. 1 vacation destination, and the incredible collection of theme parks plays the leading role.

It was at that moment that the perfect theme line crystallized GolfOrlando Golfs Ultimate Theme Park.

It is a nice fit not only because of the foundation of Orlandos vacation pitch theme parks - but also because it reflects the incredible diversity of the Central Florida golf landscape. golf in Orlando provides its own type of outdoor adventure.

2. Please tell us about the types of golf courses that are available in the Orlando area.

Looking for a taste of the U.K.? How about Royal St. Cloud, where every hole transfers you to the fabled courses of the British Isles, and where the 2004 and 2005 British Junior Amateur was conducted? Try a couple of very popular Ron Garl designs for a Scottish touch. Eagle Creek, located near the Orlando International Airport, offers open, rolling fairways, large, undulating greens and those dangerous revetted bunkers that dot the landscape in Scotland. Eagle Creek was recently ranked among the top 10 new courses of the decade in Florida by golf Travel & Leisure, and is the first par 73 course in Orlando and the first to use Mini Verde greens.

On the north side of Orlando is Timacuan golf & Country Club, ranked as high as No. 14 in Florida by one statewide publication. Its front side offers up a true taste of Scotland, while the back 9 takes on a more Carolinas low Country feel. Hole 2, a long water-dominated par 4, was recently named the 2nd most difficult hole in Central Florida by an area publication. Timacuan is a locals favorite.

A very similar routing by Arnold Palmer awaits you on the south side of town. The Legends at Orange Lake opened in 1998 and features a Scottish style front nine (The Links) and a tree-lined back nine (The Pines). The feature holes are the 610-yard 4th on the Links nine and the 432-yard 13th, called the Island Oak.

In need of drama? How about Diamond Players Club in Clermont, where the elevation changes are so spectacular that the track is often referred to as Floridas mountain course. Youll need to buckle up when tackling Mystic Dunes green complexes. They offer up slopes that drop as much as 10 feet, and you might find an elephants trunk poking out of a few serious mounds. Also, several of the fairways feature whiskey barrel bunkers as guideposts. This Gary Koch-designed course personifies the word adventure, as does Highlands Reserve, a roller coaster-like golf experience with elevation changes of 120 feet and dramatic scenery. Further south on Highway 27 is Steve Smyers Southern Dunes, another course that features elevation change uncommon in Central Florida. Combined with the abundance and creativity of the bunkering, it is easy to understand while Southern Dunes is ranked among the To 100 Modern Day Courses by Golfweek.

Excitement? Falcons Fire by Rees Jones has a couple of thrillers, especially its cape hole, the par 4 13th. This one dares you to bite off more than you can chew, and while it is tempting to rip a big tee shot toward the green, the money play is to safely land your ball into the slender fairway utilizing a more forgiving angle and a fairway wood.

If you are a traditionalist, the options are boundless. Shingle Creek is the newest of the traditional Florida layouts, bordered by dense oaks and pines in a backdrop along historic Shingle Creek. Location is another benefit as it rests near the major tourist areas. Harmony is a Johnny Miller design that falls into this category. Its strength lies in the greens complexes that feature angular bunkering creating a variety of challenging pin placements. Ridgewood Lakes provides a beautiful cruise through the hardwoods off Highway 27, and tops off the journey with an awesome finishing hole.

How about a stroll though nature? Stonegate golf Club, designed by Ron Garl, rests upon 3,300 acres of pristine wetlands, woodlands and 100-year-old oak hammocks, and places the emphasis on the short game. Mike Dashers North Shore looks as if it should be located deep in the country as it sits comfortably amidst lush surroundings, yet it is conveniently located seven miles from Orlando International Airport. Diamondback, a Joe Lee design located in Haines City, was carved from 240 acres of virgin forest and offers dramatically rolling fairways bordered by dense trees, pristine natural wetlands, and well-positioned water hazards.

If convenience is important, MetroWest could be the perfect choice, as it is located near Universal Studios and the International Drive tourist section. It is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. masterpiece that features wide fairways and challenging approach shots. Nearby just off International Drive next to Sea world is Grande Pines, a recently renovated Smyers design that features a number of outstanding risk/reward holes. Celebration golf Club, located near Walt disney World, was designed by father Robert Trent Jones Sr. and son Robert Trent Jones Jr. and places emphasis on approach shots.

Is notoriety important to you? ChampionGates two courses play host annually to the Office Depot Father/Son Classic, a favorite among dozens of PGA and Senior PGA Tour players. Orange County National has twice hosted the PGA Tour Qualifying School Finals on its two tracks, Panther Lake and Crooked Cat, They offer diverse tests that are good enough to challenge and determine tomorrows professional stars.

Some folks enjoy walking out their hotel door straight to the first tee. Orlando offers several choices for stay-and-play buffs, including Hawks Landing. Attached to the spectacular Marriott world Center, Hawks Landing recently underwent a complete renovation by Robert Cupp. It has water on 15 of the 18 holes and it features its own version of Amen Corner holes 12, 13 and 14.

That small taste gives you an idea of the diversity available through GolfOrlando, truly Golfs Ultimate Theme Park.

3. Please inform us about the golf practice facilities and the teaching professionals that are available in the Orlando area.

Some of the game's most respected teachers - David Leadbetter, Mike Bender, Rina Ritson, Bill Madonna, Brad Brewer and Fred Griffin to name a few - do their magic in Central Florida.

Orlando is home to some of the nation's finest practice facilities. The Faldo Institute and Orange County National offer more than just practice tees and greens. The landing areas on their driving ranges resemble true targets and hazards that are found on courses. Tremendous short-game practice areas help better players fine-tune that key part of their games. But the crowning jewel in Orlando are the courses. From top to bottom, Orlando offers the best quality golf of any destination in the world. Nearly every exit off I-4 leads directly to a memorable golf experience, regardless of which side of Orlando you are on.

4. Some of the Orlando area golf courses have achieved top ratings from various golf publications. Please tell us more about that.

Orange County National, host of the 2003 & 2005 PGA TOUR Q-School Finals, was the recipient of golf Digest's 4 1/2 Stars for 2000 to 2005. Southern Dunes is rated among the top 100 contemporary courses in America by Golfweek. Orange County National's Panther Lake is rated 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest. Award-winning Southern Dunes was voted "Top 100 courses in America" by Golfweek 1997 - 2001. Celebration Golf Club was rated 4 1/2 stars and in the top three in Central Florida for service and in the top two for course conditioning by golf Digest's "best Places to Play" 2004 - 2005.

Diamondback golf Club was recently awarded four stars by golf Digest's "Places To Play". Victoria Hills golf Cub open end in 2002, and was recently named by golf Magazine as a "Top 10 You Can Play." Royal St. Cloud golf Links was rated in the Top 5 Most Underrated golf Courses in the Orlando area and hosted the 2004 and 2005 British Junior Amateur. Eagle Creek golf Club was recently named among the Top 10 New Courses since 2000 by Travel & Leisure Magazine.

5. What major golfing events are held in the Orlando area?

The region hosts its share of major competitions two PGA Tour stops annually (the Bay Hill Invitational in March, hosted by Arnold Palmer; and the disney Classic at Walt disney World in October), one LPGA Tour tournament, the PGA Tour Qualifying School Finals, the Buick Scramble National Finals, The Office Depot Father/Son, and a variety of mini tours. A

6. Please tell us about some of the famous golf architects that have put their mark on Orlando golf courses.

The groups 25 layouts boast the names of a majority of the worlds leading architects Tom Fazio, Rees and Robert Trent Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Ron Garl, Steve Smyers.

7. What about affordable golf in Orlando?

8. Who are some of the famous golf professionals who have made the Orlando area their home?

Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Annika Sorenstam, Sergio Garcia, Se Ri Pak, Arnold Palmer, Jim Thorpe, Chris Di Marco, Mark O'Meara, Scott Hoch, Nick Faldo, John Cook, Stuart Appleby, Charles Howell III and dozens of others have planted their roots in Central Florida. There is a reason for that, beyond tax implications.

9. In addition to golf, what else does the Orlando area have to offer?

Lets face it no region in the country does adventure as well and with as much diversity as Orlando, the worlds No. 1 vacation destination. Theme parks, theme parks and more theme parks. Walt disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Kennedy Space Center and others have created the face that smiles upon the vacationing world from Central Florida.

The nightlife and restaurants rival those of any other region in the country. Tourists gather at various pockets around Orlando Universal City Walk, Pleasure Island and International Drive among them. But if you want a feel for how the locals entertain themselves, take a trip to Winter Park Village on the north side of town, where terrific restaurants and clubs will fill your tummy and your night.

10. What about the weather year-round? What about getting to Orlando?

The weather is conducive to golf year-round. Average high daytime temperatures range from 72 in January to 89 in July. Golf can be played and practiced 365 days a year, many of those days featuring clear blue skies, lazy breezes and cool, comfortable nights.

Another significant reason is the ease of travel. Orlando International Airport welcomes direct flights from most major airports around this country and the world. And it is quite simple to drive to Orlando from in or out of state, thanks to a well-planned series of major highways.

11. What accommodation options do golfers have in Orlando?

12. Please tell us a bit more about the golf vacation packages that are offered in Orlando.

13. Some key golf organizations make Orlando their home, please tell us more about that.

The one and only television network devoted 100% to the sport - The Golf Channel - is based in Orlando. Golfweek, a leading trade publication, moved to Orlando about 11 years ago. Meadowbrook Golf, one of the largest golf course management companies, is located here, as is the industry's leading golf travel company, Golfpac. The industry's only media/ business networking organization, the International Network of Golf, is also based in Orlando.

Thank you, Mike, for providing a great practical overview of Orlando as a first-rate golf destination.

This entire article including photos is located at http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/orlando_golf.htm

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of http://www.travelandtransitions.com, a web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html FREE ebooks about travel.