ECOCLUB Blogs™

Mediterranean Immersion Workshop in Crete, GreeceJune 15 – 21, 2015Continuing Education for Food, Nutrition & Health ProfessionalsFocus: Mediterranean Lifestyle for Optimal Health A 7-Day focused immersion into the Mediterranean Diet and lifestyle designed to provide an overview of the culture, nature and cuisine of Crete. Emphasis is on cuisine in helping to maintain optimal health; food as medicine and developing strategies to implement the Mediterranean lifestyle when returning home. Join us for an informative and exciting workshop on the magnificent isle of Crete, the center of the Mediterranean Diet. Our base is in a region where olive oil and wine has been produced for over four thousand years. This historic region is bustling with small-scale agricultural production in communities striving to sustain cherished traditions. We’ll visit resident specialists at their “field offices.” Classes include private guided tours of archaeological sites, natural parks/botanical hikes, organic farms, markets, olive oil factories and wineries; presentations by healthcare and alternative medicine practitioners; as well as several amazing cooking classes. Space is limited to 20 Attendees. Advance registration is required. Organized by: Nikki Rose – Professional Chef, Writer, Seminar Director, Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries Network, an award-winning cultural-culinary education program for Best Practices in Responsible Travel. Chef Rose’s website: www.cookingincrete.com Jacque Tarlton...

The English translation of The Tai Daeng of Hua Phan Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic is now available at TAEC and our on-line shop. Translated from Thai into English by Linda S. McIntosh, this first book in the TAEC Ethnography Series gives historical background and documents the contemporary lives of the Tai Daeng in Laos. Sumitr Pitiphat, professor of Anthropology at Thammasat University of Bangkok, Thailand wrote the original book and has studied the Tai peoples of Laos, northern Vietnam, and southwest China. The book explores traditions and changes including this group's traditional belief system and their conversion to Buddhism and the external factors that have led to changes in their handwoven textiles. Translation of this book into English brings information about the Tai Daeng in Laos to a larger audience. We hope it will build greater understanding of the rapid change facing ethnic groups here," notes TAEC Co-Director Tara Gujadhur. The publication received support from the Henry Luce Foundation and Translation Project Group/AAS Southeast Asia Council and private donors. Receive a 40% discount off of the cover price of $25 if you purchase the book at our on-line shop before 31 March. Use the code TAIDAENG

A one-year project began in June 2014 as a collaborative programme between COMPACT (Community Management of Protected Areas for Conservation) and the Toledo Tour Guide Association. The project is snappily titled "Building the Capacity of Local Tour Guides for Responsible Tourism in Punta Gorda, a Coastal Community of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site." It aims to strengthen the capacity of the Toledo Tour Guide Association to promote responsible tourism practices among its members who utilize the marine resources for their livelihoods. This project builds on the success of previous projects funded with the main objective of providing an environment for the development of sustainable, environmentally-aware tourism in Punta Gorda and building tourism products in which community members can be employed in tourism as an alternative to traditional fishing. The project is based on the thematic area of sustainable livelihoods. The project will empower local tour guides who need continuous training and support. The project supports the following objectives of the COMPACT Thematic: (1) Improving sustainable livelihood practices, including reducing poverty among vulnerable populations; and (2) Civil society Empowerment, including expanding stakeholder networks, establishing partnerships and building capacities. The TTGA recognizes the importance of supporting training capacities for...

This year there has been a steady stream of self-congratulatory announcements of successes from the bloody "war on poaching" undertaken by security services led by merciful mercenaries, drone fleets etc. But conservation should not be inhumane or trample on human rights. Nor should it be used as a geopolitical pretext to put troops on the ground where there are not enough drugs or religious fanatics. As long as there is demand for ivory and rhino horn and as long as possession of such is legal there is no chance of stopping this trade. Some therefore propose to focus on demand. Tackling demand can involve education and peer pressure but it is very likely that the affluent and powerful buyers of such "works of art" are not so sensitive. Perhaps a global campaign to pressure key and powerful governments to make holding ivory (all ivory, not just "illegal") and rhino horn pieces illegal? Even including artefacts in museums, that glorify and thus perpetuate this abominable "art"? Perhaps! Even though governments (in effect the military-industrial complexes behind them) cannot agree even on small steps to combat climate change.   We should also realise that elephants and rhinos are not the only victims. The poachers...

Our second Thai villa, Green Gecko, reflects traditional Thai architectural design, and equally enjoys a very private and peaceful setting in the Thai countryside. This Thai pool villa is centered around its own very private pool. Holidaymakers enjoying a family holiday in Thailand can relax to the utmost here, as daily breakfast, lunch and dinner are included - an excellent way to get to know Thai food. Many of the ingredients are grown organically on the grounds, from rice to fresh herbs and fruit and a wide variety of vegetables.   Like our sister property, Green Gecko harvests rainwater, has a recycling programme, and is involved in reforestation of old rice paddies.   The villa sleeps up to four guests on a full board basis.     

TrainingAid and Respondeco are hosting a free online training session "Keep It Real for Destinations: 7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Telling Your Destination's Sustainability Stories" on December 8th, 2014 (4pm GMT), sharing practical examples of why effective sustainability communications can benefit your destination, and how to avoid common sustainability communication mistakes. The session will be led by Dr. Davina Stanford, Senior Lecturer at Leeds Beckett University and a responsible tourist behavior and destination management expert.   This session is for anyone who's involved in promoting, marketing or managing tourism destinations, and we invite everyone - whether you can watch the live session or not - to share your questions about destination marketing and sustainability communications. Please post your questions by commenting here, or by posting them on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus with the hashtag #TourismTL.   We'll be monitoring the questions before and during the event, and will try to address as many of them as we can!

An exciting opportunity exists to create an ecotourism product on Miriuwung Gajerrong (MG) Aboriginal traditional lands close to Kununurra in the far north of Western Australia.   Tourism Western Australia (Tourism WA) is seeking interest from suitably qualified and experienced tourism operators with the capacity to develop exciting new visitor experiences in an essentially untouched area of the Kimberley. All interested parties are invited to discuss proposals with Tourism WA by firstly filling out the ‘Investor Response’ at the back of the attached brochure.   Kununurra offers a range of accommodation types for its more than 84,300 annual visitors and is a great launching point for extraordinary Kimberley experiences. A short scenic flight can deliver visitors to the awesome Lake Argyle and on to the World Heritage listed Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles), and the eastern gateway to the Gibb River Road is only 70km to the northeast of the Town.   The identified development envelope is a 19km or 12 minute helicopter flight from Kununurra. By road it is twice that distance with the last 9km being cross country and only accessible by 4WD.  Close to Kununurra but largely inaccessible, the area retains remoteness and intimacy with environmental and cultural...

In July, we opened the new TAEC Boutique on the main street in Luang Prabang featuring the Heirloom Collection of one-of-kind textiles and other handicrafts. Each piece is made of the highest quality materials by the most respected artisans of their craft.   We hope the Boutique will allow more tourists to support fairly-traded handicrafts from ethnic minority artisans, and discover the cultural diversity of Laos.   The TAEC Boutique is open daily from 9am - 9 pm.   In addition to reaching more visitors in Luang Prabang, TAEC made new friends and important contacts for future sales by sending Khoun and Alai to the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico last month. With over 150 artists from 60 countries and 20,000 visitors, this three-day event is the largest folk art market in the world, and we were pleased to participate in it once again.   For more details please visit http://www.taeclaos.org/

Dear All, Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT) welcomes its guest to participate in Broghil festival 2014. The event, which will continue from Agust 22-24, comprises of traditional cultural music, folkdances, folksongs apart from traditional sporting event such as buzkashi, yak polo and free style polo. Your participation is welcomed. Please view CAMAT's banner, which has been uploaded to this website. Thanks!  

PAKISTAN: Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT) organized a 6-day cooking training for selected guesthouse owners from Broghil—the beautiful plateau in the extreme northern of district Chitral—in a local hotel of  Chitral where 8 selected youths participated.   The training was arranged through the financial support of Aga Khan Rural Support Program’s Market Development (MD) section under its Employability and Leadership for Youths (EELY) project with CAMAT as implementing partner.   The purpose of the training was to develop cooking skills of the selected trainees largely focusing on better hospitality management and food services with improved hygiene quality in their indigenous guesthouses. This will ultimately lead to creating self-employment opportunities for youths in the said destination.   The training focused on cleanliness, better hospitality management and high service quality. The expert chef in Pakistan Tourism Corporation (PTDC) Chitral transferred his cooking skills through ‘learning by doing’ or ‘learning by cooking’.   At the end, the trainees expressed their gratitude for organizing the much-needed training for them and hoped that with this they would show marked improvement in service delivery, better taste and hygiene quality of their food, which will ultimately be instrumental in ensuring their share in tourism market.  ...