Greetings,Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries is a finalist in National Geographic's Geotourism Challenge. The competition aims to identify innovations in tourism that sustain, enhance and preserve local culture and place. Competition winners are decided by public votes. So please vote for CCS and tell 2000 friends. Voting concludes on June 11. Voters are required to register first and select 3 favorite entries. Just make sure one of them is CCS.Here's the link: http://www.changemakers.net/node/2104/voteThis is a very important outlet to create awareness of the importance of community-based programs that help to protect Crete's significant cultural and natural heritage. Support of the practitioners is crucial. Please vote by June 11.All the best,Nikki

Sharing a message received from: Jennifer Moody and Oliver Rackham authors of "The making of the Cretan landscape", 1996 / "I Dimiourghia tou Kritikou Topiou", 2004Synopsis: Detailed information about the Cavo Sidero golf resort plans for Eastern Crete and petitions to block the project:http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Save-the-Cretan-landscapeThe court case is set for May 9th. Time is short.There is also a protest group in Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24105721480Links to articles in The Guardian and NY Times.http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/travel/19heads.html?http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008...dangeredspecieshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/05/greece.pollutionhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008...06/conservation

FYI,Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries entered National Geographic and Ashoka’s Changemakers Geotourism Challenge: Join the global search for innovations in tourism that sustain, enhance and preserve local culture and place.http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/5643You'll find that project managers also face the challenge of defining why their programs are distinctive and mandatory in their communities, when there is nothing to compare their work to...as in...standard travel practices that generally take what they can from local communities rather than help to preserve them.All the best,Nikki

"Greek Revival" by Eleni Gage, March 30, 2008 issue of the New York Times T magazine.Ms. Gage visits several organic farmers, ecolodge and agrilodge owners and others working on related eco-agritourism programs in Crete (most of which CCS collaborates with).http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2008/03/30/...ageName=30crete

Greetings,FYI, news from our fields in our *Greens* Report.http://www.cookingincrete.com/CCS-Newsletter-Lent-2008.htmlBest regards,Nikki

Greetings,Our CCS Winter Newsletter is up! It includes news from our fields, upcoming seminars and seasonal recipes.The link: http://www.cookingincrete.com/CCS-Newslett...inter-2008.htmlBest regards,Nikki

Greetings,CCS has posted photos from Crete on flickr. The link is here and also on Planeta's Rural Tourism page.http://www.flickr.com/groups/cretesustainabletravel/Best regards,Nikki