Green Links

General Climate Change Links:

Pure: Carbon offsetting charity which buys and cancels carbon credits from emissions reduction projects that meet the high quality international standards of the Kyoto Protocol, thus limiting the amount of greenhouse gases that polluting companies are allowed to release into the atmosphere.

• puretrust.org.uk.

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA): the UK governments’ site with the latest environmental news; information on the basics of climate change; access to scientific and economic research on climate change; information on local and global action and on emissions trading schemes.

• defra.gov.uk

BBC Climate Change Guide: a clear guide to the basics of climate change, with great animations and videos explaining some of the fundamental processes.

• bbc.co.uk

Friends of the Earth: a registered charity focussing on raising awareness about environmental issues and inspiring people and organisations to take positive action.

• foe.co.uk

We’re In This Together: offers easy access to ideas and products for reducing your own impact on the environment, whilst keeping track of your progress to specific carbon-saving targets.

• together.com

Stop Climate Chaos: a registered charity that aims to form a diverse coalition of members, inspiring the government and individuals to take action against climate change, leading the ‘icount’ campaign.

• stopclimatechaos.org

WWF: a challenging, constructive, science-based organisation that addresses issues from the survival of species and habitats to climate change, sustainable business and environmental education. They have some great examples of simple green actions we should all be taking.

• wwf.org

Koyoto protocol: details of the international agreement which builds on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, setting legally binding targets and timetables for cutting the greenhouse-gas emissions of industrialized countries.

• unfccc.int

Ski Industry and Tourism Links:

Save Our Snow: run by Scottish ski journalist Patrick Thorne, this site is dedicated to providing impartial information on how global warming is affecting our planet's snowfall, ski resorts, glaciers and polar areas, as well as what the ski resorts are doing ...and what you can do.

• saveoursnow.com

Respect the Mountains: an organisation trying to preserve the Alps for their current and future inhabitants and visitors, by enhancing mountain awareness and increasing skiers’ and boarders’ appreciation of the uniqueness and importance of the mountain environment.

• respectthemountains.com

Mountain Riders: A great French initiative promoting respect of the mountain environment, offering a regular newsletter, a green guide to French resorts, videos, photos and information on many environmental topics.

• mountain-riders.org

Keep Winter Cool: site aiming to raise awareness of global warming in the ski industry in the United States.

• keepwintercool.org

National Ski Areas Association (NSAA): the NSAA is a trade association for ski area owners and operators in the United States of America. The climate change section of their site contains the ski industry environmental policy, environmental news from the industry, and more information on what skiers can do to minimise their impact on the environment.

• nsaa.org

The Green Room: database of environmental programs and practices exhibited by the ski industry in the USA, complied by NSAA.

• nsaa.org

Alpine pearls: the largest tourist cooperation in the Alps, offering low-carbon holidays in Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland by advocating “soft mobility” both to and within the resort.

• alpine-pearls.com

The Travel Foundation: an independent UK charity aiming to help the outbound travel industry manage tourism more sustainably, giving advice to both those working in tourism and travellers themselves.

• thetravelfoundation.org.uk

World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Forum: instigated by the Global Travel and Tourism Summit 2007, this forum aims to encourage debates within between industry leaders, experts, governments and other stakeholders about the issue of climate change and responsible tourism.

• globaltraveltourism.com

Ski Area Citizens: ranks the US ski resorts according to an environmental scorecard, promoting environmentally aware skiing choices.

skiareacitizens.com

Under the Sleeping Buffalo: a environmental research group based in Banff, Canada, committed to preserving the Banff National Park but also ranking the environmental performance of ski resorts in Western Canada, according to the Ski Area Citizens scorecards.

Alpine Environmental links:

The Alpine Convention: a framework agreement for the protection and sustainable development of the European Alpine region, set up in 1991.

• alpenkonvention.org

CIPRA (Commission Internationale pour la Protection des Alpes): this organisation is committed to supporting sustainable development in the Alps, through bridging the gap between research and practice.

• cipra.org

Patagonia: this outdoor clothing manufacturer is renowned for its environmental responsibility. It runs several very active environmental campaigns and always sources the most sustainable textiles for its gear, using recycled soda bottles to make their fleeces and organic cotton for their sportswear.

• patagonia.com

The Association for Conservation: an initiative from the European Outdoor Group aiming to protect the wild areas of Europe through funding of conservation projects.

• eogconservation.org

Pro Natura: Switzerland’s largest conservation organisation.

• pronatura.ch

Leave No Trace: an international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships. Leave No Trace builds awareness, appreciation and respect for our wildlands.

• lnt.org