Posted by admin on June 3, 2009
Voluntourism - it’s been a hot item in articles, tweets and blogs lately. We define it as travel experiences that provide the opportunity to contribute to local community projects and development initiatives with some time off to visit the highlights of that particular destination or country.
This kind of travel creates opportunities for greater interaction with local communities, so it’s essential that we consider the impacts these trips can have to ensure there are benefits for local people and their environments.
Our friends in the media need to be as concerned as we are because the health and welfare of communities and cultures can be at risk when purposes and good intentions go awry.
Planeterra Foundation (http://www.planeterra.org/), the global non-profit dedicated to sustainable community development through travel, challenges you to look closely at the following questions and insofar as possible, share our concerns – which we are sure you will be yours as well – with your audiences.
• When is my need to “do good” potentially a selfish act on my part?
• Am I helping or hindering by taking time and resources away from the community and project managers just so I have a “feel good” project to work on?
• Are valuable time, effort and resources being wasted and misappropriated just to prepare for and accommodate a voluntourist?
• Can I really make a contribution in a lasting, significant way in the short time I’m there?
• What is the optimum duration for a meaningful voluntourism stay?
• Is the project just a “front” for fundraising or attempt to generate exposure, creating contrived situations for my benefit and not really the benefit of the community?
Here’s how we at Planeterra think the growing voluntourism industry needs to address these concerns:
• Programs must be set up to engage the voluntourist in task-specific scenarios so people can see the tangible results of their contributions.
• Voluntourism programs are ideally no shorter than five days and optimally 14 days.
• It’s vital to have a designated tour leader or guide who helps facilitate the volunteer experience so that project staff aren’t taken away from running their regular programs.
• Designated projects are ongoing and sustainable; they are not simply there just to ‘entertain’ travelers. This being said, many of the activities would be taking place without travelers present, but it is because of the voluntourists that these tasks are able to be completed.
• It’s important for voluntourists to have realistic expectations; while they won’t change the world by volunteering for a few days, they will open themselves up to learn more about a local community that can be shared with others when returning home.
• There’s an overall need in the voluntourism travel sector to shift the focus toward sustainability. This enables projects to be taken over eventually by a community, thus minimizing dependence on outside help.
• Everyone needs to recognize that the end game is total community control and quite possibly the disappearance and solution of issues and conditions that brought the original need for the project – and voluntourists — in the first place.
Here at Planeterra, where there is a need, we recognize it, and we act quickly to meet it. Whatever the voluntour project Planeterra has the insight, agility and technical and financial wherewithal to successfully see it through. Our goal is to empower local people and communities to strengthen their well being while promoting long-term, environmentally responsible growth.
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Posted by admin on May 4, 2009
Managing Your Energy Costs While You’re Away
Often, while you’re away, your home is using more energy than it needs. This can increase your energy bill and cost you money. Here are some tips for managing your energy costs while you’re away on vacation.
These big users of electricity can have a significant impact on the energy your home uses while you’re away.
Heat pump or air conditioner – If you prefer to leave your heat pump or air conditioner on while you’re gone, set it between 85 to 90 degrees. For each degree you raise the temperature, you’ll save 2 to 3 percent on the cooling portion of your electric bill. Remember though, turning your thermostat to a very high setting may affect how hard your refrigerator and freezer have to work to stay cool.
Swimming pool pump – If your pool pump is not operated with a timer, it will run 24-hours a day while you’re gone. If you normally turn the pump off for a period of time each day, the 24-hour operation can result in a large increase in your usage.
Water heater – If you don’t attend to your water heater before you leave, it will continue to work to maintain water temperature. Turn it off at the circuit breaker. (Before you turn the breaker back on, run water from the hot water faucet to be certain the water heater still has water in it.)
Refrigerator and freezer – If you’ll be gone for a few days, turn your refrigerator’s thermostat to a warmer setting — 42 degrees for your refrigerator, 5 degrees for your freezer. If you’ll be away for as long as four weeks or more, you may want to clean it out and turn it off.
In general, you should strive to turn off as many things you don’t need as possible.
Don’t leave anything on that does not need to be left on.
If some items need to be left on for maintenance or preservation reasons, choose levels that will minimize energy use (such as for the refrigerator).
Information extracted from SouthWest.
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Posted by admin on April 25, 2009
I found Healthy Highways because of a mention by Kevin Gianni talking about it recently on his road trip.
Healthy Highways is a resource to find healthy eateries and natural food stores in the US.
I just pre-ordered the new book edition, so I’ll let you know more when I get it.
It contains:
State maps and local directions guide you to 2,800 healthy eateries and natural food stores throughout the U.S. Plus travel tips, dining advice and other useful resources.
1,000 NEW listings!
Healthy Highways contains 2,800 vegetarian and healthy eateries and natural food stores in the US. All listings verified.
Unique state maps and directions guide you to each one.
Get your copy by clicking on the link/image below.
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Posted by admin on January 19, 2009
All About Green Travel
What exactly is meant by a phrase like Green Travel? Green Travel can mean anything from environmentally responsible motor cars to eco-friendly transportation fuels, to responsible eco-tourism options, sustainable travel or stays in hotels and facilities that are environmentally conscious.
Read on to find some great options on the Internet where you, the environmentally-responsible traveler, can enhance your knowledge and continue to seek the smartest, most planet-conscious choices available when you travel.
Why Green Travel Matters
Tourism, in contemporary times, is a tremendously growth-oriented industry, and is among the world’s largest, with spending figures estimated at over five hundred billion per year in recent years. Because of the overwhelming size of the industry globally, millions of people are employed within its ranks, and are therefore of great concern when it comes to responsible, eco-conscious decisions.
Such lofty statistics all begin with local, individual choices - where people spend their money when they travel, during their travel and the message that their actions send out to global populations. The impact of global travel, when geared toward the positive, can be terrific - including when tourism’s dollars go to the enhancement of local populations, or when travelers return home with a fresh take on other cultures, communities and environments, for instance.
How Tourism and Travel Become “Sustainable Tourism and Travel”
WTTC Associations such as the World Travel and Tourism Council in London, England, offer world travelers a wealth of information on sustainable and green tourism. The mission statement of the organization speaks to their goals: “Raising awareness of the importance of Travel & Tourism, promoting synergies between the public and private sector, generating profit as well as protecting natural, social and cultural environment [these] are the fundamental components of [their] mission, as outlined in the Blueprint for New Tourism.”
Whenever you travel, do what you can to extend the extra effort to ask questions about the businesses that service your trip: from hotels to tours to restaurants and more. Find out what you can about the impact of their businesses on the environment, in terms of both the physical and cultural aspects. No set of universal standards or guidelines currently exists to ensure that those in the travel and tourism industry world-wide operate according to environmentally conscious principles.
So What Is Ecotourism and Can It Help?
With a greater emphasis placed on the environment in general, travel and tourism has also felt the weight of the green revolution. The travel and tourism industry has sprung up in places where the natural environment remains in tact and available for one to experience first-hand. At its best, ecotourism is essentially nature travel - tourism of and cultivation of appreciation for the unadulterated vistas and landscapes of the planet.
Resources Available for Green Travel
ResponsibleTravel
At Responsible Travel, find “A hand picked directory of 1000s of stunning eco holidays run by 265 specialist tour operators and 100’s of accommodations. Use the site to contact the specialists directly to request more information. Book direct with the specialists to get the best price.”
The International Ecotourism Society (ecotourism.org)
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) offers that through “Uniting communities, conservation and sustainable travel,” they directly “promote responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.”
PlanetA
Debuting in 1994, PlanetA is a pioneering website that provides tips for travelers and locals who share a vision of eco-friendly, people-friendly and place-friendly travel. They take a dynamic wiki view of the Web and appreciate their viewers’ helpful editorial suggestions and offer a yearly World Travel Directory.
Sustainable Travel International (sustainabletravelinternational.org)
The organization Sustainable Travel International has the following for its mission statement: “Promoting responsible travel and ecotourism, supporting sustainable development, and helping travelers and travel providers protect the cultures and environments they visit.”
Google Green Travel Search (services.google.com/earth/green/)
At Summer of Green, Google’s now legendary map service is powered to help Green travelers find what they need to in the way of environmentally conscious global travel, through the work of Earth Day Network. Find tips on traveling green this summer with keyword searches like “environmentally friendly hotel” rather than just “hotel.”
Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance says, “With more than 800 million people traveling each year, tourism is a growing source of revenue for people living in areas that are especially rich in plants and animals - and threatened with destruction. While tourism can lead to problems such as waste, habitat destruction and the displacement of local people and wildlife, it also has the potential to provide incentives for conservation.” Find out more through the tourism arm of their website.
Matty Byloos writes and manages the Green Blog known as: Easy Ways to Go Green, as well as the Organic Food Blog: Organic Eating Daily
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matty_Byloos
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Posted by admin on January 16, 2009
Here you’ll find green travel tips, green travel destinations, eco tours and anything related to traveling green.
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