ECOCLUB Blogs™

The Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Join fellow dietitians, students and University of Missouri Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Department faculty member, Candy Gabel in Greece! When:  May 14 – May 26, 2012 What: The Greece location of the Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle study abroad course provides an ideal setting for a two week overview of the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet and way of life. You will study different aspects of the Mediterranean diet through activity-related experiences, including visits to archaeological sites, organic food markets, farms, traditional tavernas, olive oil factories, and wineries as well as participate in food preparation classes. You will take a guided botanical hike to learn about the native vegetation that is incorporated into the diet. And will finish your experience in Athens where you will learn about the research focused on adherence and behavior change related to the Mediterranean diet. Where: This course will be held in the town of Heraklion and the villages of Archanes and Vamos on the island of Crete as well as in the city of Athens. Who: Learning opportunities will be provided by MU Nutrition and Exercise Physiology faculty, Chef-Author Nikki Rose, Founder of Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Network and Mediterranean...

Wish you all the ECOCLUB friends a very happy new year 2012!

Free Webinar: Register Today!  Experiential Travel: Differentiating Your Destination  While Spreading the Benefits to Communities Hosted by tourism experts Judy Karwacki and Nancy Arsenault Jan. 10, 9am PST/12pm EST:  Register by clicking here. Note: This webinar is designed exclusively for destination development, marketing and communications professionals. Set yourself apart from the competition by making the shift from delivering great tourism services to creating exceptional visitor experiences. A new business opportunity is emerging worldwide for destinations and tourism businesses, driven by travelers' desire to fully experience the destinations they visit, while making personal and intimate connections to the culture and people they are visiting.   This evolution is taking place now, as travelers move from traditional mass tourism with low levels of cultural and personal interaction to experiential travel -- which brings a higher level of community interaction, garners a higher price point and, when done well, leaves people with memories to last a lifetime.  Join international sustainable tourism expert Judy Karwacki (Small Planet Travel) and Dr. Nancy Arsenault (The Tourism Café), Canada’s leading expert on experiential travel, to discover how your destination and business can benefit from the increasing demand for experiential travel. You will learn about the sustainable, authentic, experiential tourism market and how experiential...

  When we first read it we thought it was a holiday joke, no it is serious. In one more victory of “The Markets” over common sense, airlines have been cleared by America’s aviation regulators to use twin-jet aircraft (notably the Boeing 777 and 787) over the North Pole, supposedly saving fuel costs and the environment and allowing non-stop flights from Europe to Pacific destinations such as Fiji or Hawaii. It is easy to comprehend the joy of the airlines and of the aircraft manufacturer oligopoly, but what about the effects on passenger and crew safety: there increased ultraviolet radiation in the polar regions, not to mention how many will survive an emergency landing even if it is successful. And how would frequent crossing of the poles impact on the already decreased ozone concentration in the Arctic, which by the way also suffers from radioactive contamination from the tests of the 1960s and 1970s. The commercial and geostrategic scramble for the polar regions (oil extraction, new shipping lanes, search for rare or precious minerals) is gaining speed, and the sensitive arctic ecosystem is bracing itself. With possible temperature increases of up to 10 Celsius during the next fifty years, the resulting...

Wish all friends a happy Merry Christmas!

Uncontrolled and ever-expanding packaged tourism and coastal development, along with overfishing in the Mediterranean is taking its toll on resources and what still survives of the marine wildlife.  [video:http://www.14dd5266c70789bdc806364df4586335-gdprlock/watch?v=jm_Uf0vNh84 640x360] Above is a pleasant to watch, yet informative video aimed at resort staff (but also suitable for schools) in coastal resorts popular with nesting sea turtles, so that the adverse impact of mass tourism can be somewhat reduced. It was produced by the Travel Foundation (UK) and distributed in Greece through the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET). The NGO carries yearly assessment of major nesting areas such as Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Kyparissia in Greece, Akamas in Cyprus and Akyata, Dalyan, Kazanli Patara and Samandag in Turkey, and submits these to the standing committee of the Bern Convention at the Council of Europe, so that respective governments are forced to respond and take action. In their annual assessment on Zakynthos Medasset highlight the ongoing threats to the National Marine Park of Zakynthos which was set up to protect one of the most important nesting grounds of the logerhead turtle Caretta. Major threats include an illegal dump, illegal parking lots for tavernas, long-delayed payments of park staff, illegal bars, rent...

  Eco-Friendly Foodies Explore the Birthplace of the Mediterranean Diet Eco-Friendly Foodies Explore the Birthplace of the Mediterranean Diet by Jennifer Hattam Treehugger / Living / Travel November 26, 2011 http://www.treehugger.com/travel/culinary-ecotourism-crete.html

  Bethesda, Maryland, December 11, 2011, 12:30 - 3:30 pm: Presentation at Bethesda Green by Chef Nikki Rose, Founder of the award-winning Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Network and author of “Crete: The Roots of the Mediterranean Diet, enjoying the benefits of one of the world‘s healthiest cuisines wherever you live.“ Presentation followed by book signing and brunch at Yamas Mediterranean Grill. Space is limited. Reservations required. (301) 312-8384.  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  In September 2011, the Planeterra Foundation released an important video on the role of tourism in developing countries.   In the video you will learn that tourism support 10% of all economic activity on the planet. It supports 8% of all global employment,  and 1/3 of all commercial exports in the world. Please see this video!  http://www.14dd5266c70789bdc806364df4586335-gdprlock/watch?v=c5kLmcqHA_g

  EVEN Cartographers have inside jokes. For in the country of Ecuador, in its Amazon basin lies a town that when I arrived in 1984, on the shores of the Napo River, was so pustulent  and  forelorn, that the whole pueblo seemed to teeter a bit under the weight of its  conquistatory name: FRANCISCO DE ORELLANA. In fact, most people just called it Coca after the nearby Coca River, as if to alleviate some of the cargo caused by its official name.