Our Philosophy | ECOCLUB

It is impossible to live pleasantly without living prudently and honourably and justly, and it is impossible to live prudently and honourably and justly without living pleasantly

Epicurus (341-270 BCE)

Ancient Greek Writing Tablet, Red figure Kylix by Eucharides, 480 BCE (U. of Pennsylvania Museum) ecosun ECOCLUB - International Ecotourism Club is a professional social network which aims to advance the philosophy & practice of genuine Ecotourism. Since 1999, we have been supporting, informing, uniting and promoting those practitioners and academics who make or aspire to make Tourism greener!

ecosun The ECOCLUB Ecotourism Criteria / Ecotourism Definition:

We understand Ecotourism as Ecological & Socially Just Tourism. Ecotourism providers, services, products and processes should meet or make a genuine effort to meet the following criteria:

1. Minimise their Environmental Impact.

2. Respect Human Rights, Labour Rights and Animal Rights.

3. Meet Real Local Needs and Help Eliminate Poverty.

4. Promote Knowledge & Intercultural Understanding.

ecosun The current global environmental and socioeconomic crisis (aka Global Warming/Climate Change), according to overwhelming scientific consensus, is unprecedented in terms of us humans endangering our own survival on this planet. Despite technological and medical progress, which has allowed the global population to expand greatly, environmental protection, as well as personal freedoms and social justice are still lagging. For Humanity to survive, let alone to progress further, we need, on the one hand, to constantly identify and oppose ecocidal aspects and actors of the global system, and on the other hand, to recognise and encourage emerging peaceful, open-minded aspects, currents and movements wherever they may occur.

Learning from the 20th century's many experiments, wars, suffering and mistakes and realising that business-as-usual will destroy our planet, in the 21st century, we have to move beyond know-it-all recipes, binary thinking and polarisation and aim for a global system which is as Ecological (= sustainable, democratic, rational, humanist, secular, multi-polar, socially just, liberal, inclusive, participatory and equitable) as possible. We should resist ignorance, violence and hatred, and in particular racism and ultra-nationalism, the regressive and deleterious recipes of the enemies of human progress. But at the same time, we also need to encourage and co-develop peaceful, voluntary, intelligent, rational and diverse paths to human progress. We believe these include genuine Ecotourism, which - although not a cure-all or without its contradictions - has a pivotal and multifaceted role to play in creating quality, meaningful jobs where these do not exist at all, and in opening hearts and minds, in greater mobility between nations and within societies and in contributing towards a more equitable re-distribution of wealth between and within countries without further harming the planet.

We have no time to waste, yet this will probably be an Ultramarathon. The full humanization of humanity (if it is ever to arrive - it could be that some cosmic accident or human-induced blunder puts an abrupt end) could take another 10,000 years (since the first settlements based on agrarian surpluses emerged) or even another 4 million years (since Australopithecus afarensis walked upright!). However, we should remember (Lao-Tzu) that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" and (Cavafis) that "when you set out for Ithaca ask that your way be long...". The simple truth is that, apart from inertia, nothing really prevents us from helping each other today and every day, from "living prudently and honourably and justly" and thus "living pleasantly", today and every day. This is exactly what ECOCLUB is trying to do, as a latter-day, virtual Epicurean garden: to unite and support open-minded people who share the above ideas and are or would like to become active in Ecotourism - join us today!

Our Logo: The colour (teal) combines green and blue, key colours of the earth and is one of a few colours named after an animal (a duck, the common teal, whose eyes are surrounded by this colour). The smiling sun symbolizes a pragmatic, positive, non-violent, non-sectarian, non-dogmatic, philosophical attitude to life which combines the Epicurean "LATHE VIOSAS" ("ΛΑΘΕ ΒΙΩΣΑΣ" = get through life without drawing unwarranted attention) and "ATARAXIA" (ΑΤΑΡΑΞΙΑ = tranquility) with the will to assist others, solve real problems, rise up every day, in a peaceful, daily revolution in all our individual and collective dealings; it also symbolizes solar power - renewable energy in literal and figurative terms and light - the light of science, enlightenment.

Our Philosophy: Ecology, Liberty & Social Justice through Tourism!

Join us today!