Taiping is among the top 3 most sustainable cities in the world, according to the 2019 Sustainable Top 100 Destination Awards, right behind Ljubljana, Slovenia and Vancouver, Canada in the “Best of Cities” category!
ITB Berlin hosted the most prestigious Awards Ceremony for Sustainable Destinations. This event is dedicated to recognizing innovation and good practices in tourism management: islands, towns, regions and whole countries. The award winners have been selected by a Jury representing 12 international organizations.
Taiping rated as one of the top green destinations.
The town’s Municipal Council president Datuk Abd Rahim Md Ariff received the award.
Taiping Municipal Council president Datuk Abd Rahim Md Ariff said, “This is the first time we received a prestigious international award. This achievement is due to the hard work of the community and all relevant governmental agencies.”
“The council always works hard to make Taiping a popular tourist destination,” Abd Rahim added.
The “Best of Cities” category of the awards recognizes cities that show leadership in urban sustainability and in avoiding disruptive over-tourism.
Taiping is the second largest town in Perak after the state capital Ipoh. The town also is known as the wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia. Its unusual rainfall has also blessed its Lake Gardens with a fertile and splendid collection of flora and century-old rain trees. Itis characterized by aging buildings and clear blue skies with high chances of rain.
Green Destinations, a non-profit organization that focuses on the efforts of creating sustainable tourism, leading global cooperation between experts, listed Taiping on its 100 Sustainable Cities list in December 2018.
Taiping used to be a thriving tin-mining town that lost its luster with the rise of Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur as cities.
Taiping has previously been recognized as the Best Destination Manager 2016 by the Tourism Promotion Board for the Asia Pacific; besides having received the Malaysia Tourism Council Gold Award 2017 in Best Heritage and Eco Travel Destination Category and Malaysia Tourism Council Gold Award 2018 for the Best Tourism Promotion Campaign.
For those who have not visited Taiping, it is time to consider visiting this beautiful city!
New Zealand is a “clean, green” adventure-playground with some tourist destinations being nature areas such as Milford Sound, Abel Tasman National Park and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and activities such as bungee jumping or whale watching. Read our post about Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in New Zealand to learn more about what you can see.
From glaciers to beaches, whale-watching to wine-tasting, New Zealand has so much to offer.
Trying to See Too Much
New Zealand is a big country – don’t try to see it all on your first trip. Most people make the mistake of trying to see too much due to their limit timing and instead of enjoying the trip they get really tired at the end.
Driving Over the Speed Limit in New Zealand
The speed limits in the country are set by the New Zealand government. The speed limit in each location is indicated on a nearby traffic sign or by the presence of street lighting. The default urban limit is 50km/h. in some of these areas, there are speed cameras that issue speeding tickets by mail. Police also use handheld laser speed guns.
While the speed limit in freeway-like is 100km/h, the conditions are more dangerous than freeways as there is no barrier separating you from oncoming traffic.
Buying Wine in a Restaurant
You can Bring Your Own Wine into a restaurant and pay a corkage fee! This way you can take a wine of your choice instead of only tasting what a particular restaurant may serve.
BYOB or BYO is an initialism and acronym concerning alcohol that means “bring your own bottle” or “bring your own booze”. In Australia and New Zealand, the term “BYO” (Bring Your Own) emerged to describe business establishments that offered corkage.
Traveling in High Season
The High season in New Zealand is during the summer from December to February. During that period the weather and prices are higher during this time. One of the main misconceptions is that traveling off-season in New Zealand is not a good option. Actually, you can still get warm weather and you’ll save money and avoid the crowd.
Campsites and areas on and around lakes and beaches tend to become very crowded when Kiwis are on holiday.
Some parts of the country such as Central Otago do experience extreme temperatures during summer and winter. During the Christmas and New Year period, almost all businesses shut down for a couple of weeks.
May and early June can be seen as the low season. Northern Hemisphere you’ll get cooler temperatures the more north you go.
Time
A big mistake is not using your time in the country wisely, or not spending enough time in New Zealand. It’s a big country and there is a lot to see.
Not being friendly
People in the country are very friendly. New Zealand along with Denmark are number one in the world of having the lowest corruption rates. Racism levels are very very low in New Zealand.
They are open people and have an open mind to new people, new cultures.
The sun isn’t that strong
It’s a misconception that the sun isn’t that strong in New Zealand. Make sure you wear eco-friendly suncream at all times when you’re outside!
Not keeping the nature safe
While enjoying the outdoors is suggested to don’t remove any plants or other natural resources and always pick up your garbage.
Not going off the beaten path
Off the beaten track you will discover some of the most beautiful, untouched and rugged areas and hidden treasures. If you want autonomy in your trip, you can’t go wrong with New Zealand.
Explore New Zealand and see parts that you don’t see in the guidebooks.
Sights
New Zealand is renowned as a beautiful country, but you don’t realize just how beautiful until you get there! You will be down away by its beauty.
Some of the pollutants slowly trickling into the oceans are the chemicals in many sunscreens. As swimmers jump into the sea, their sunscreen washes away and filters into the water. Scientists who have become aware of the dangerous effect these chemicals have on coral reefs have developed the best reef-safe sunscreen brands to protect you and the ever-important marine life that inhabits our oceans. Knowing coral reef safe sunscreen information will help keep the sea beautiful and alive.
“Eighty-five percent of the Caribbean coral reefs died before 1999 or 2000. That wasn’t global warming. It’s pollution,” says Dr. Craig A. Downs, Ph.D., executive director of Haereticus Environmental Laboratory.
Making an eco-savvy choice, therefore, and using reef-safe sunscreen matter. And not only for the corals.
Dr. Downs and his group began taking a gander at particular synthetic concoctions and found that oxybenzone and octinoxate are the principle guilty parties. The reason they are so generally utilized in sunscreen is that they assimilate the unsafe UV beams. For humans, oxybenzone and octinoxate are chemical sunscreen ingredients that keep harmful UV rays from penetrating the skin, killing cells, and causing a burn. However, they have the opposite effect on coral reefs. These reefs, which are generally bright colors, end up bleaching to bone white under the harsh rays of the sun when they come into contact with these chemicals.
Oxybenzone, for example, is toxic in four different ways: it causes damage to the DNA that may lead to cancer and developmental abnormalities, it is an endocrine disruptor, it causes deformations in juvenile corals, and, lastly, it leads to bleaching.
Dr. Downs points out that certain preservatives found in sunscreens are also toxic: parabens such as the commonly used methyl paraben and butyl paraben, or phenoxyethanol
Another safe alternative to oxybenzone and octinoxate is non-nano titanium dioxide. Before purchasing your next bottle of sunscreen, also check the list of for any of the toxic preservatives we mentioned.
Hawaii is planning on banning certain sunscreens in 2021 that contain harmful compounds. In addition to oxybenzone and octinoxate, read the label on your sunscreen to see if it contains any of these other destructive chemicals: homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, avobenzone, dimethicone, parabens, BHT, nanoparticles, propylene glycol, and retinyl palmitate.
Here are five reasons why your choice of sunscreen matters.
Sunscreens washed off into the ocean each year change the chemical composition of the water and make it a thriving place for viruses and bacteria. Some of these viruses attack corals, causing them to expel their life-giving algae, a situation that causes coral bleaching and the viruses spread to the surrounding coral communities.
2. Chemical Sunscreen Ingredients Can Bleach or Kill Corals
Besides viruses, research has also shown that some ingredients in chemical sunscreens can cause coral bleaching and potentially kill these organisms.
While most countries implementing sunscreen bans fight against oxybenzone and octinoxate alone, scientists have identified that butylparaben and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor can also have a similar action.
Using a sunscreen free of these ingredients is essential if we want to preserve the integrity of the marine ecosystem.
3. Chemical Sunscreen Can Harm More Than Corals
The compounds that cause coral bleaching can also affect other forms of marine life. Fish are also affected by oxybenzone and octinoxate.
Here is one example from Dr. Downs, who was on a working visit at the Bahamas, he was conversing with an administration worker at supper who shared how much he loved the coconut kind of the neighborhood angle they were eating on.
“We solicited the gourmet expert what kind from flavoring he put in it, and he stated, ‘simply salt.’ The coconut was some recombinant aroma of sunscreen. That is a substance aroma. It’s a terrible, dependable scent that will amass in life forms thus we were tasting it in the fish,” Dr. Downs explained.
So what can you do next time you hit the beach to prevent further damage? First of all, forget about aerosols.
These substances act as hormone disruptors and induce feminization in male fish. This leads to the interruption of their sexual activity, affecting the reproduction of many species
4. Sunscreen Pollution Threatens Local Economies
The death of coral reefs leaves many species of fish and crustaceans without a habitat; a situation that leads to the death of this marine wildlife. Combined with the affected fish reproduction, chemical sunscreens contribute to the extinction of many fish species.
This has two important consequences: famous diving spots become sterile and unattractive and less fishing possibilities for local businesses who base their subsistence on fishing.
5. Chemical Sunscreens Affect Humans Too
Chemicals in sunscreen are not only bad for the environment. They are bad for humans too. Besides rashes and allergic reactions, researchers also investigate the carcinogenic effects of both oxybenzone and octinoxate.
Other chemicals typically used in these products also act as hormone disruptors and can affect both fetuses if used by pregnant women as well as infants and toddlers.
Considering the negative impact chemical sunscreens have on both us and the environment, changing our habits and using an eco-friendly approach matters.
Photo credit: XL Catlin Seaview Survey/AP
Natural mineral sunscreens are undoubtedly a better choice; furthermore, you can use other eco-friendly ways to protect yourself from the sun while also safeguarding the global economy and our ecosystem.
Another option to help preserve the environment is to purchase sunscreen safe for coral reefs. Badger Balm is a family-run business that is committed to creating effective sunblock powered by nature to protect the world. One of the best reef safe sunscreen brands, their rigorous standards for their products makes it safe for children, adults, and the ocean, slowing the killing of coral reefs. In addition to other natural body products, they offer kids, sports, active and daily sunscreen safe for coral reefs so that no matter when you put it on, it’ll protect your skin and the environment.
Raw Elements was founded by an ocean lifeguard who daily watched beachgoers slather on chemicals that would wash off in the ocean, killing coral reefs. This set him on a journey to create sunscreen safe for coral reefs. To further protect more of the environment, they offer some sunscreens in plastic-free packaging to reduce the amount of waste that pollutes the land and sea. Their natural sunblocks are designed with safety and nature in mind at every step of production.
Raw Love sunscreen is made using coral reef safe sunscreen information for people who love jumping into the ocean to swim, dive, or surf. With all-natural ingredients, their sunscreen will protect your skin from the damaging effects of sun exposure, in addition to protecting the ocean. While they don’t offer the range of sunblock options as other best reef safe sunscreen brands, their product is both effective and safe for humans and marine life.
Having coral reef safe sunscreen information can help you make informed decisions when it comes to purchasing sunblock for your beach vacation.
Remember to double check the sunscreen ingredients and the label – each of our decisions matter to save the coral reefs!
