ecoclub.com/blogs - news & views from ecoclub.com members

utopia found?

Marinaleda (pop. 2700) a town 100 km east of Seville, in southern Spain near Gibraltar, where:  - local people rent 3-bedroom-houses with garden from the municipality for Euros 15 per month - inhabitants successfully expropriated a 3,000 acre estate a Duke in 1991 enjoy near full employment in a region with over 20% unemployment, with 8 agricultural cooperatives, equal pay (Euros 47 per day) and 6 and a half hour working day! - Sánchez Gordillo, the keffiye-wearing, 54 year old mayor has been democratically elected every 4 years for the past 30 years! - there are no policemen - 'no need' according to the mayor - nor priests, as all have access to a modern health centre, schools, nursery sports centre, home services for the elderly, a pensioners’ centre, a large cultural centre, a swimming pool, a football stadium, a nature park and gardens, and workshops  from bricklaying to ecological agriculture. - Holy Week is celebrated every year as Peace Week with a 5 day partying attracting youths from as far as Madrid - Direct democracy and solidarity thrive, combining ecology & socialism. A Utopia? The town thinks so: its official red-green coat of arms clearly states “Marinaleda - a Utopia...

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Greece as a black hole?

You may be reading about the latest developments in the saga of whether IMF will 'rescue' Greece, the way they have 'rescued' so many countries in the past. The Euro is already under great strain from the weight of the Greek debt / deficit (real or imaginary), and theoretically at least, there is a chance for us to do some damage to the world financial system (the question is how :-)  Popular protests are a bit lukewarm by our standards at least (20,000 people marching in total yesterday, divided as always into many factions) and there is no short-term novel / alternative / constructive idea floating around apart from a 'NO' to the reactionary changes put forward from the 'Socialist' government to please the insatiable markets. In the mean time, real unemployment is estimated at about 18% and together with the steady rise of the far right and continuing mass immigration from areas 'liberated' and 'pacified' by  'our allies' is creating a dangerous cocktail. Er, the above should not put you off from a holiday visit, it is usually too hot for demonstrations in the Summer (things pick up again in September) and what are referred to as 'resorts' are invariably...

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Is Iceland open for tourism?

Yes, it is! Don't be fooled by pictures that show cataclysmic conditions around the volcano. While mother nature has put on a spectacular show and disrupted travel around the country, most Icelanders are going about their normal business.Gunnar Jóhannesson, a travel professional in Iceland, commented recently on reports that the current Icelandic eruption could be followed by another from a nearby mountain (Katla), "From the history, from settlement time around the year of 900, there have been around 20 (said 21 or 22) eruption in the volcano Katla. The last one was 1918. These are two times when Eyjafjallajokull (the one which is active now) erupted and then Katla just after. Some experts say that from the story, Katla has always erupted together with Eyjafjallafjokull. We can consider if two times of twenty is enough reason to “decide” that Iceland will have continuous volcano activity for awhile now." Gunnar also thinks this is a good year to visit Iceland, "From latest news, the eruption on Eyjafjallajokull seems to be slowing down. That is very good news and we do hope that from now Iceland has good spring and summer season." So now you have even one  more reason to check out...

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Listen, researcher!

Following a call for reviews, I came across a recent publication, provocatively titled and promoted as follows: "Sex Tourism in Africa Kenya's Booming Industry" Illustrated by in-depth empirical research from Kenya – one of the most popular country destinations in Africa for sex tourism – this book gathers much-needed statistics and data, and then critically examines the features of tourism and the sex trade, contextualizing this in relation to tourism development. It addresses the conditions which generate this 'social problem' and, while not taking a potentially problematic moralistic stance it questions whether this trade is exploitative in nature, particularly in cases of child sex tourism. It then critically evaluates the current policies in place to regulate the sex tourism industry and provides suggestions for future direction. The title must contain interesting data and such research is much needed to fully understand and combat the practice, however I wonder if it takes a whole book to "question" whether exploitation is exploitative?I sincerely hope that most tourism academics are against this - admittedly common - practice which represents the worst type of Tourism, and a modern form of slavery (and imperialism) and produce research which does not simply argue for 'regulation' and 'taxation'...

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Jashan-e-Qaqlasht 2010 Concluded

Chitral - Jashan-e-Qaqlasht, the calendar spring festival of the people of northern Chitral was concluded yesterday after continuing from May 15 to 18. The festival has a history of about two thousand years, but was abandoned after Chitral’s status as a separate princedom came to an end in 1969, to be revived in 2003 through the intervention of a range of civil society organizations including Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT). The festival consisted of sporting events and cultural music i.e. folksongs, folkdances, music of reed instrument and that of pure Chitrali sitar.   The objective of the festival was to protect the indigenous Kho culture and to highlight and market it as tourism product so that maximum national and international tourists would be attracted to the region that could help reduce poverty by providing tourism-related job opportunities to the locals apart from promoting cross-cultural understanding and harmony.   To begin with, the inauguration ceremony on April 15 was performed by Sikander-ul-Mulk, who is Chairman of CAMAT as well as Jashan-e-Qaqalsht Committee, and Rehmatullah Wazir, DCO Chitral, who opened the polo match in the afternoon. Talking to the gathering, he reaffirmed the commitment and support of district administration in organizing...

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Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries, Success Story on UN's Convention on Biological Diversity

The International Year of Biodiversity is built on celebrating and communicating the examples of communities, governments and organizations that have been able to achieve the 2010 Biodiversity Target at different levels. Their stories will themselves become messages and models for future policy and action. They will be presented in a way that highlights their economic contribution to the lives of communities. The particularly important role of Indigenous and Local Communities will also be highlighted. Other examples of “2010 Success Stories” will be the work of the scientific community; the latest developments in biodiversity science. http://www.cbd.int/2010/stories/

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Crete*s Culinary Sanctuaries Seminar: The Magnificent West

CCS Presents The Magnificent West:  Wild Nature, Organic Food Production, Cooking Demos and Hands-On Cooking ClassesAvailable Dates:  September 27- October 2, 2010Join us for an exciting seminar in Western Crete focusing on food from the ground up.  Our base is in a small village in the foothills of the magnificent White Mountains.  We’ll spend a week exploring the region and enjoying the superb fresh and local cuisine.  Before we head to the kitchen to cook with great local chefs, we’ll meet people that produce traditional and organic ingredients in the region, which is the foundation for culinary delights to come.We’ll travel to organic farms to discover how high-quality olive oil and wine is produced and taste the results.  Along the way, we’ll stop at traditional bakeries and artisan food shops. Throughout the week, we’ll meet people involved in cultural-natural heritage preservation projects, enjoy the fresh air during walks in the countryside and relax in peaceful villages.  Accommodation is in beautifully restored cottages or apartments in the village with private balconies or gardens. The full program is here:  http://www.cookingincrete.com/CCS-Magnificent-West.html

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Global Sustainable Ecotourism Course July 12-16, 2010

April 8, 2010 - Burlington, VT USA Megan Epler Wood, the founder of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), is initiating a new short-course, Global Sustainable Ecotourism Development, at the University of Vermont, July 12-16, 2010. This course is being launched in honor of the 20th anniversary of TIES. In the past 20 years, ecotourism has emerged as one of the most dynamic and discussed tools for sustainable development. In the last 10 years, the field has been enriched by a vast array of disciplines, particularly economic development and social/pro-poor development techniques. Its broad and successful application as a rural economic and sustainable development tool is based on a set of methodologies that all students and development practitioners require to be successful. This course will look at ecotourism as a business model first and foremost, which requires a complex series of business approaches to deliver sustainable development benefits. It will review the big picture of tourism development impacts and strategies to deliver high quality, low impact results. It will teach a holistic approach to planning and tourism development that reviews governments’ and international donors’ role in rural land development, stressing bioregional planning as a key tool to move rural areas into a...

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solar 'bicycle' takes off

Surely a milestone in the quest for environmentally-friendly travel, 107 years after the first successful flight, the first take off from a Swiss airport of Bertrand Piccard's "Solar Impulse" a one-seat solar glider is a reality. From afar it looks like a strange craft flown by the Wright brothers, but it is really huge, with a wingspan as wide as that of a 747  carrying 12,000 solar cells. It travels as quietely and - unfortunately for v.i.ps with no time to waste - as slowly as a bicycle...  Among other things, Piccard is a psychiatrist, a baloonist, and a UN Goodwill Ambassador. Air travel carbon offsetters & hot air speculators: take note, take cover, do something.

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Thanassis is Free!

According to reports  Thanassis Lerounis has been freed! Lerounis had been working for over 15 years with the Kalash communities of Northern Pakistan, when he was abducted last September. (Background ) He is said to be in good health and back in Chitral.

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