The Office of Participation and Environmental Volunteers for the Tenerife government has looked back on the 2009 programme with some pride after 2,290 volunteers joined business backers to improve Tenerife.

The biggest project was a reforestation programme involving 750 people, this covered Finca La Orilla in Anaga National Park, Las Calderetas in El Sauzal, plus El Rayo and El Rosario. Some 2,500 trees of varying species were added to boost the natural scenery.

La Mar de Limpia is another long standing project that cleans up rubbish along the shoreline. Last year 470 volunteers removed 830 kilos of discarded rubbish from around the coast. Education was an important part of this initiative with talks about the coastal environment and the release of turtles back into the wild after treatment for injury. In Teno it wasn’t just the beaches that were cleaned up, teams of divers made sure that the sea beds were also made safer.

This years clean up campaigns are already well under way, the removal of rubbish addresses the immediate problem but informing people of the damage caused by discarding waste should help to cut down on further erosion of the coast and rural areas.

No chemicals are allowed in the mix at the farm but the councils of Santiago del Teide, Guia de Isora and Adeje are sending their rubbish from their parks and gardens to be added to the brew. The compost also includes stale beer and is left to stew for 3 months before it is ready to sell for farming and gardening purposes. The scheme is a winner all round and has solved a big waste disposal problem for many in the more remote areas of the island.

It took collective talent and determination to take a self sufficient dream and turn it into a reality 14 years later. March 19th 2010 will go down as a landmark day for bioclimatic houses, the worlds first village, containing 25 CO2 free and totally self sufficient houses was inaugurated at ITER in Granadilla, Tenerife. The original competition was thrown open to all architects worldwide and attracted 397 entries, this was later whittled down to 25 and the long process of drawing up plans and gradually blending the houses together on one sight began.

Key players in the project spoke at the inauguration about their part in the development and their hopes for the future. Ricardo Melchior was the driving force that started the ball rolling through the Tenerife College of Architects and then the International College in Paris. The Tenerife President has a strong background in engineering, he studied in Spain and Germany and holds an honorary doctorate in science from Ireland University and the National Order of Merit from the French government.

“I always felt we could use architecture to create environmentally friendly living conditions” the President explained. “It’s not enough to just position buildings facing south or north, we have to look into all aspects that can help and comply with international guidelines like the Kioto agreement. In five years time 90% of the worlds population will live in cities, hopefully what we have achieved here at ITER will become a template for those that follow.”

Introducing Dr Wolfgang Palz, chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy, Melchior commented that he had been greatly influenced by one of the Doctors early books 25 years ago. The German has a PHD in physics and was in charge of the European Union’s research and development of renewable energy for 20 years. “ ITER has a proven record in new technology, the largest producing photovoltaic plant in the world is here. Solar energy is a clean affordable way forward, France tried a nuclear breeder with disastrous results but here they only use totally solar power breeders.”

Manuel Cendagorta-Galarza, director of ITER added his views. “Domestic consumption now makes up 50% of all power demands so we must look at local solution that we can use on a global scale. Here at the bioclimatic village we have blended different ideas together in the 25 houses, we have to ensure we put no limits on the possibilities. The use of recycled and specialist materials can make a big difference, since the project began I have included some of these materials in my own home. In the years ahead we will carefully monitor these bioclimatic houses using sensors to evaluate humidity, temperature and wind, the lessons we learn will be shared openly through the world to help make a difference.”

One of the architects present Madelaine Fava from New York, led a team based in France and explained the process that led to her construction El Alisio. “I read the competition proposal 15 years ago in architectural journals and it fired my imagination. There wasn’t a big interest in ground breaking design in France so it seemed like a good opportunity.

After making contact with the organisers and getting the specifications I worked hard with my team to produce three sample panels to present. After that we had a mechanical engineer look at our plans to check them structurally and make sure that they were possible to turn into reality. The design work was carried out by the Daniel Faure company Adret, that means south facing slope”.

El Alisio combines three units representing water, sun and air. Although the building is complete it is not yet furnished and was not open for visitors at the inauguration. For Madelaine this trip was her first chance to see her work in its complete form. “ I’m pleased with how it has turned out but wish that maybe I had been able to be more hands on and closer in the development stages. My work takes me to Tahiti and the Caribbean as well as teaching in Paris so it is a question of balancing all if these demands. I’m very impressed by the tenacity and dedication of the team behind the bioclimatic village, it has influenced me a lot and now I find myself taking these considerations into the architectural projects I work on”.

Some 75,000  re-usable bags have been issued to customers for continued use, they can be used up to 15 times and even then, they can be re-cycled after they are worn out. The old style carrier bags can take up to 400 years to bio degrade.

Arona includes the tourist hot spots of Los Cristianos and part of Las Americas, so produces lots of waste on a commercial level. The council have a free collection service to take cooking oil from bars and restaurants for recycling. Smaller domestic users now have a municipal waste depot near Buzanada where people can take a diverse range of waste and leave it free of charge. This covers batteries, paint, wood, metals and aerosols to name just a few.

The example set by Arona is alreadt being picked up by neighbouring councils, all helping to improve the future of Tenerife.

There was a double shock along the east coast of Tenerife when 2 dead Sperm Whales (like the one pictured, from another incident) were found on the same day just a few miles apart. The discoveries happened at El Tablado in Guimar and Las Maretas in Arico.

The Guimar whale was  7 metres long and weighed 7,000 kilos while the Arico whale was slightly bigger at 11 metres long and weighing 15 tons. The bodies were taken away for examination to discover the cause of their deaths. Their are many dangers facing whales around the Canary Islands, such as pollution, shipping and sometimes sonar from military vessels. Tenerife environmental groups will be watching with great interest as they continue to try to protect these magnificent creatures.

It’s true that a lot of the glass comes from the large amount of bars and restaurants in this popular tourist town, around 48 per cent of the total, but it still reflects a strong commitment to the green policies adopted by the council. The grand total of glass given anew life last year was 802,740 kgs, up 41,000 kgs on the previous year.

Puerto de la Cruz has a very high profile with 166 glass collection points scattered around the municipality. It’s certainly proving to be a good economic and environmental measure from the council and is setting a good example to the rest of Tenerife.

The Canary Islands is at the forefront of cetacean care and research as a third of all species either live or pass through these islands. There is a huge appetite to see the beauty and grace of these creatures in their natural habitat, but it is impoertant that in doing so, we don’t cause distress or injury to the animals.

Reputable excursion companies have been keen to sign up to the guide lines and the distinctive Blue Boat flag, displayed on a boat, is your guarantee that they have promised to stick to the agreed proceedures to view dolphins and whales. These include safe distances to watch from and prohibited view points that could block the path of the animals. There are also time limits and restrictions on the number of boats that can be present in these areas at the same time.

The new leaflet is available to the public in Spanish, German and English at most Tourist Information points and several local cultural centres. It is hoped that if the public are aware of what is expected by their excursion boat, they can ensure that these rules are stuck to and if need be report anyone who flaunts the rules.

Used in a caring and responsible way, whale and dolphin watching trips can raise awareness of these animals and educate visitors to the dangers facing the cetacean population. It is in everyones interest to ensure that the Canary Islands continue to be a major centre to study, appreciate and conserve these majestic animals.

The new plant in the industrial zone near Barranco de los Torres is run by Ascan-Torrabonaf, who have considerable experience in mainland Spain. Since 2006  council cleaning services have dealt with 125,000 tons of rubbish, and as new residential areas open in Adeje, that total is rising. The new plant covers 10,000 square metres and has 2 large compacters to crush rubbish to a manageable size after it has been graded.

There are 250 points around Adeje, where rubbish can be put in different bins for paper and card, cans and glass. General rubbish is sifted through and added to the appropriate piles before it is passed on to El Rosario, Tenerife in the case of paper and card, the PIRS centre, Abona, Tenerife for cans, and Aguimes in Gran Canaria for glass. Gas oil can also be collected for treatment at the new depot as part of a free service. Ascan-Torrabonaf has 50 rubbish collection vehicles and employs 135 staff.

The Canary Islands are one of the home areas for the rare species, the deep trenches between the islands suits the creatures liking for depths of up to 1,500 feet. They are rarely spotted breaking the surface but the Ibero yacht, on a protection and preservation voyage, came across 3 males just 18 miles off Puerto Valero.

Gervais’ beaked whale is dark grey with a light underside and a white tip on the small head helps to make it stand out. The whales grow to 4.5 metres long for the make and 5.2 metres long for the female. The Canary Islands are a great place for whale and dolphin watching as a third of all the worlds species either live in, or pas through the island waters.