ECOCLUB Blogs™

University of Missouri and Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries Study Abroad in Greece: The Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle 10-Day Accredited Program May 20 – June 1, 2013 A comprehensive experiential learning program designed to provide an overview of the culture, nature and cuisine of Crete. This program is designed for teachers, students and professional researchers of nutrition, cuisine, sustainable living, tourism, and agricultural practices. Explore Crete's cultural and natural treasures with resident specialists. Experiences include private guided tours of archaeological sites, organic farms, natural parks/botanical hikes, food markets, olive oil factories, wineries, as well as demonstrations by artisan food producers, and food preparation classes. Presentations are exclusive to our small group of 20 attendees. This course will be held in several regions of Crete and in Athens on the final day of the program. Learning opportunities will be provided by Chef-Author Nikki Rose, Founder of Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries and her network of over 30 residents-teachers, and MU Nutrition and Exercise Physiology faculty, Candance Gabel, MS, RD, LD. Space is limited. Program Details:    http://extension.missouri.edu/hes/studyabroad/Greece/   Contact Nikki Rose Nikki Rose Founder & Director, Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Network Educational programs celebrating Crete’s cultural and natural heritage An award-winning program for best practices in...

  While (and perhaps because) geopolitics are getting messier each year in the post cold war era, it is the grassroots, empowered and emancipated by information and communications improvements that may take humanity a long way forward during this century. Here are two random, seemingly unrelated, developments, we spotted today:  The reopening as worker-run of an, abandoned by its owners, metal factory, "Viomihaniki Metaleftiki" factory is taking place today 12 February, in Thessaloniki, Greece. In a country where unemployment has already climbed at 30% following the austerity, neoliberal policies imposed by IMF and the EU., such are obvious and necessary solutions.   And the discovery of a simple-to-use method for diagnosing cancer, which costs just 3 cents (and may continue to do so unless/until big pharma get their hands on it), by 15 year Jack Andraka old who following the sudden death of a close family friend decided to search for answers online. As Andraka says: "through the Internet anything is possible...but instead of posting photos you can change the world!" So true, so how about supporting the Vio.Me workers with an online donation at www.viome.org ?    Related film by Brandon Jourdan of globaluprisings.org

    Earth Sea and Sky 2013 - PRESERVE, RESCUE and INFORM - With the help of the Sea Life Centres in England we have taken many steps to save the Loggerhead Turtles and Marine Life of Zakynthos. We want to preserve this very special and rare animal so our children’s children will learn and cherish them in their time.   The Caretta, caretta (Loggerhead) Turtle has existed since the dinosaurs, gets older than humans, as heavy as 100 kilos and even grow to 1 metre in diameter. A fully grown turtle has almost no natural predator, only we humans are the biggest problem to them.   So before coming on holiday get some information from our website how you can spend a ‘turtle friendly’ holiday in Zakynthos and, once on the Island, make sure you find time to come and visit our Information and Rescue Centre at Gerakas. Also take a look at our new DVD on the following link: http://youtu.be/z8Z86zbIZuA   Since our last newsletter we have come on leaps and bounds and are very happy with where we stand today. We would like to thank everybody who has contributed to all this either by donations or sponsorship or those of you just sharing your holiday time with us at the Information Centre.  ...

Food for Thought Symposia: Cretan food and wine event December 10, 6:30 pm, Baltimore, MD The Inn At The Black Olive, The Institute for Integrative Health and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, introduce the Food for Thought Symposia: A return to the ancient Greek ritual of gathering to partake in good food, fine wine, and communal discourse which, when shared together, provide sustenance for intellectual and cultural growth. Internationally known advocate of Cretan food and lifestyle, Nikki Rose, will be autographing her book Crete: The Roots of the Mediterranean Diet. http://www.examiner.com/article/food-for-thought-symposia-cretan-food-and-wine-event

Non-ostentatious, quickly-built and modest enough so as to be missed by the law in the 1840s, today fortuitously missed by many high-season tourists fixating on the Acropolis: the Anafiotika neighbourhood, right below the massive Acropolis rock, on its shady, north-eastern slopes, offers a surreal and serene aegean island experience just 1 km from the political (and occasionally literal) battlegrounds of Syntagma Square; this tiny quarter is not-to-be missed by serious travellers.   Its island architecture is an authentic product of builders from Anafi, an island east of Santorini - one so poor and barren that it was a place of exile during the turbulent 20th century. The first two houses (two rooms really) were, allegedly, built by G. Damigos, a carpenter and M. Sigalas, a stone mason, for their families over a few nights, with the fear of police arriving as this was a no-building area, protected since 1834, due to its high archaeological value. When police eventually arrived, the semi-legend continues, they did not have either the desire or the ability to arrest them, due to an old Othoman era customary law which forbid the demolition of newly-built homes. Contradicting laws exist to this day in Greece, and sometimes, as in...

While international tourist arrivals are falling for a second consecutive year and accommodation rates slashed to bargain levels, the government’s neoliberal agenda includes the long-lease of at least 40 “uninhabited” islands for “tourism development” ignoring the fact that most are considered important bird and marine conservation areas and some are actually located within marine protected areas. In fact some in the government, dreaming of billions of euros in proceeds, would have liked to sell these islands outright. However, for the time being this is not quite legit / allowed by the constitution (money - launderers beware) - although exceptions exist such as a few small private islands (famously Skorpios and Spetsopoula) owned by heirs of shipping magnates, lesser known but richer industrialists and some others incredulously claimed by heirs of traditional goat herdsmen-boatsmen perpetually looking for gullible buyers.

Domestic tourism in particular has taken a big hit, reflected in - among other things - the large losses of ferry operators and the huge number of hotels of all sizes which are for sale and up for grabs by foreign investor funds, offshore schemes and assorted money-launderers.

Other government plans include the abolition of the unemployment benefit paid by the state to hotel workers - the tourism season in most Greek destinations is just 3 months long and hotel employees are usually laid off in October to be rehired the following June - and the selling-off of large state-owned properties for tourism development such as the Afantou estate in Rhodes and the area of the old Athens airport in Elliniko.