Respect the Mountain

Seven steps to preserve the mountains

The aim of the campaign is to remind people to be aware of the delicate environment we live and play in and advises people to try and follow the seven steps:

• Be aware of your environmental impact as snowboarders and skiers
  Educate yourself about your environmental impact on the mountains, and what you can do to minimise it.
  
  
• Do not leave litter on the slopes
  When the snow melts, the litter will still be there. Bin it or take it home. Orange peel takes up to two years to break down, and cigarette ends up to five years. If you find litter on the slopes, do the right thing - pick it up.
  
  
• Respect the natural habitat of mountain animals and plants
  If you ride through trees, you can damage them by knocking off branches and killing young shoots under the snow. Take care. Many areas are out of bounds to protect the natural habitat of animals and plants - not just for safety reasons.
  
  
• Choose a resort which uses environmentally friendly practices
  Many resorts now use bio-diesel fuel in piste-bashers, solar panels for heating, hydro-electricity/wind energy for power and a host of other initiatives. Some resorts use the International Standards Organisation (ISO) 14001 as a mark of their environmental credentials.
  
  
• Encourage tour operators to adopt green policies
  Find out if your tour operator offers train travel as an alternative to flying, if they use paper from sustainable forests for their brochures, if they use, for example, low-wattage light bulbs in their chalets and bio-degradable detergents.
  
  
• Do your bit to reduce global warming on holiday and at home
  Re-use your towels each day, re-cycle household waste and switch off electrical appliances when not in use.
  
  
• Reduce CO2 emissions
  By flying fewer miles, or switching from air to rail, you can help reduce the volume of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. When possible, use your bike instead of your car.

Tree for all scheme

The generous donations made by the snowsports community will enable over 400 trees to be planted as part of the Trust's new Tree For All campaign. Tree For All is the largest children's tree planting initiative the UK has ever seen inspiring today's youngsters to become environmental custodians of the future. It is a bold campaign with the vision that every child should have the chance to plant trees. Over the next five years Tree For All will see:

• 12 million trees planted across the UK - one for every child under the age of 16 in the UK
• One million people, especially children, involved in planting trees through school planting events, public events and even in their own back gardens

Further information can be found at www.treeforall.org.uk