ECOCLUB Blogs™

PESHAWAR: Different non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have demanded immediate halt to the construction of community halls in the Kalash valleys in Chitral as they felt it would harm the local culture.Kalash Environmental Protection Society (KEPS), Frontier Heritage Trust (FHT), Institute of Architects of Pakistan (IAP), Civic Awareness Promotion Society (CAPS), Zareef Khan Foundation (ZKF) and Sarhad Conservation Network (SCN) in a joint statement urged the government to immediately stop the construction of new community centres in the three valleys inhabited by the minority Kalash community as the Kalash people resented the decision and considered it harmful for their culture.According to the SCN press release, the new secretary for minorities, Khyber Pakhtun-khwa, had sanctioned three community halls for women, one for each of the three Kalash valleys. But the local community in Rumbur, Birir and Bamburet opposed the centres. In Balanguru, they already have two Jestakhans (community centres) damaged by certain elements four or five years ago.“In Birir, the one built by Chitral Area Development Programme is, like all others, a concrete monstrosity which has iron bars and no glass at the windows and is used by animals,” the statement argued.The KEPS statement said, “It is a pointless venture as the people do...

I just returned from a sailing trip to Gwaii Hannas National Park in Haida Gwaii off British Columbia's northern coast. It is interesting to see how the Haida people are co-managing the National Park with Parks Canada. I had the chance to talk to some of the Haida Watchmen at the heritage sites; those times were some of the best parts of the visit. Hearing about the Haida culture from someone who is living it makes it much more powerful than getting it second-hand.I found quite a contrast between how we (non-Haida) and the Haida described the sites. We would call them abandoned but the Haida don't. They regard them as part of their living culture. If you look at this video you will see what remains. They give equal weight to the spirits and history as built architecture.http://www.14dd5266c70789bdc806364df4586335-gdprlock/watch?v=IaYLyYoNTzYAre you aware of similar comanagement agreements for parks or protected areas? Carol

Since I've been working in the fields in Crete nonstop for months, I had to catch up on food news. Here are highlights, some of which have prompted great comments on my facebook page and others, including the USDA's. USDA Web Post: "Yeast Genes Improve Shelf Life of Tomatoes" By Avtar Handa, Purdue University, July 6, 2010 http://www.usda.gov/blog/usda/entry/h2_yeast_genes_improve_shelf [Note from Nikki: what the hell?] Blue Ocean Institute: Connecting with Chefs on Sustainable Seafood Info and Sourcing: http://www.blueocean.org/programs/seafood/schooling-chefs [great projects!] And. where some people actually "get" their news. ColbertNation. Interview with Carl Safina of Blue Ocean Institute re BP-Gulf disaster. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/312631/june-15-2010/carl-safina      

The is a condensed version of a longer piece I wrote in June 2010.   http://www.cookingincrete.com/Articles-Responsible-Travel.html

Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Network Seminar:Historic Food and Wine Routes from the Minoan Period to TodayAvailable Dates:  June 6 to 14, 2011An 8-day program designed for professional researchers and serious enthusiasts of archeology, agroecology, botany and cuisine. Explore Crete's cultural and natural treasures with resident specialists. Enjoy low and medium-level hiking during the journey, just as our ancestors traveled. Stay in small family-run lodging in the regions we will explore to support community-based sustainable tourism. Discover a taste of Crete’s fascinating heritage while supporting important grassroots initiatives of the present. Our professionally guided tours, presentations and hikes are private and customized for our small group of 12 attendees.See our Schedule Page for more information and other upcoming CCS seminars: http://www.cookingincrete.com/CCS-Historic-Food-and-Wine-Routes-Seminars-2011.html

GILGIT, July 4: The territorial dispute between Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finally resulted into boycott of famous freestyle polo festival by GB and its team withdrew from the event. The two sides held discussions to work out an amicable solution to organise the festival but the dialogue between delegations of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held in Phandar valley ended without any result as none of the participants was ready to take a step back from the stated position, official sources said. Finance Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, Mohammad Ali Akhtar, who led the GB delegation, said that the delegation of KP was told in clear terms that they were no more ready to participate in the festival as guests as the territory on which the polo festival was held belonged to GB. He said that the KP delegation was led by Provincial Minister Salim Khan who tried to convince the GB team to organise the festival because it would promote tourism. The GB finance minister said that KP team was told that till settlement of the issue through boundary commission, which was already in place for resolving the contentious issue, the area be divided into two zones and every party to the...

Chitral -- With just two days left for the Shandur polo festival to begin (7-9 July), it is still not clear whether the Gilgit team would participate. CN came to know from sources that the Gilgitis were demanding equal rights over the ownership of the place and were not willing to participate as guests. A high level meeting between teams led by KP minister Salim Khan and GB minister Muhammad Ali ended in a deadlock putting the GB participation in doubt. However efforts are on to salvage the situation. The festival would go ahead as planned said KP organisers when contacted. It may be pointed out that that politics has even reached the Shandur playground at 12000 ft above sea level taking over from hitherto 'Polotics' found there. --(CN report, 05 July 10) Please visit the following website link to read the news from original source: http://chitralnews.com/News-5-7-10.htm Coutesy: Chitral News

See the World, Save the Planet Ecotourism on the rise Erica GossEucalyptus Magazine, July 2010Imagine spending the night in the ancestral home of a family in Sikkim, or harvesting fresh tomatoes in Crete, or diving off a remote island in Thailand—all while helping the environment. These are just a few of the options available to those who choose ecotravel over traditional vacations. Ecotravel is quickly gaining ground in the tourism business and offers rewarding alternatives for those who want to experience something more meaningful than lying on a beach sipping mai tais.The full article:  http://www.eucalyptusmagazine.com/Eucalyptus-Magazine/Issue-12-2010/See-the-World-Save-the-Planet/

[video:http://www.14dd5266c70789bdc806364df4586335-gdprlock/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0&feature=player_embedded 600x400] Animated version of Prof. David Harvey's speech "Crises of Capitalism" at the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures & Commerce, UK  

The Distortion of Hospitality - From Philoxenia to Philochrematia and back In Ancient Greece,  strangers / visitors  (the “xenoi”) were considered sacred (possibly gods undercover) and Philoxenia or ‘loving care towards strangers’ was a duty. This took the form of free hospitality and even gifts to the departing stranger, creating friendship bonds that would bind offsprings as well. Of course there were similar customs in many other regions and civilizations, until the industrial era. Beyond ethics, there were practical reasons for this too, as strangers (tradesmen, explorers, philosophers etc) were rare sources of information, knowledge and wisdom, not to mention that there were very few hotels! The above sounds surreal  considering  what today goes by the name of  ‘tourism industry’, characterized by the luring of clients, who will never engage in any meaningful dialogue with their hosts, to small boxes where they will be offered fake care and attention in exchange for money (‘chrema’). We have moved from Philoxenia to Philochrematia (loving care of money) We also have what can be called the ‘Pasha syndrome’: the belief that  a ‘hard-working’ global northerner is entitled (or was entitled until the recent crisis) to an annual or bi-annual installment of 2 weeks of...