Travel Talk

New Alternative Travel Writing Class

2007-02-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how long its been since I last posted. It's been so long that the whole blog system I'm on had completely updated. I was still on the old. So now I'm up to date again! I'm teaching a class at the Loft this spring. Here's the information:

http://loft.org/ (The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, MN)

Alternative Travel Writing

Instructor: Deborah McLaren
Class: M49-2, 6 Week Class, Winter/Spring 2007
Date(s): Tuesdays, March 13 – April 17
Time(s): 9:30 – 11:30 am
Location: Open Book

Learn what it takes to be an alternative travel writer, from pre-trip research and note taking to selective observation. Discuss story ideas; create structure for your story; and turn recollections into a draft travel piece. Be prepared to write in class: choose a past trip or a familiar travel destination for your topic; bring notes, travel guidebooks, photos, postcards, journals, promotion material, clippings, and any other source materials. Be prepared to discuss ethics in travel writing as well as various forms of “alternative travel,” such as ecotourism, voluntourism, cross-cultural exchanges, off the beaten path. The class is fast paced: lots of reporting, writing, rewriting, and firsthand experience, and then writing about it. Each student can expect to produce at least one draft by the course’s end.
The following scholarships are available for this course: Full, Partial

Instructor:
Deborah McLaren has more than fifteen years of experience writing about alternative travel. Her book Rethinking Tourism and Ecotravel (Kumarian Press, 2nd ed. 2004) is a best-seller in its genre. Deborah is a contributing writer and editor of Transitions Abroad magazine. In addition to writing, Deborah has worked in community tourism development with Indigenous peoples from the Amazon to the Arctic, and as a consultant to UN programs in Bhutan and northern India. She has just completed a series of articles about community recovery after the 2004 tsunami in southern India.

An Elephant Escape: South India Deborah McLaren

2006-11-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

Transitions Abroad Magazine November/December 2006 Vol. XXX, NO.3

An Elephant Escape: South India Deborah McLaren

My son, Anil, is originally from India so going back to visit there is a fun priority for our family. One of his dreams has been to learn about and ride on an elephant, so we decided to do just that! Through recommendations, the internet, and ecotravel lists, we discovered Dubare Elephant Camp (part of Jungle Lodges, an Indian government-private partnership that runs a series of wildlife camps), as well as the privately run Elephant Valley Eco-Farm.

From Mysore, in Karnataka, we drove northwest to the Cauvary River, which was flooded due to the monsoon rains. When we arrived we were directed into a small motor boat which battled the raging, flooded waters to reach the elephant camp on the far shore. The camp itself set up as a free-roaming area for the elephants with separate areas for feeding and training, as well as tourist quarters and a lovely open air restaurant.

Our stone cabin was simple but extremely clean, interestingly decorated, and cozy. The head chef prepared delicious south Indian meals that included rice cakes (iddlys) and curries. We saw one of the fish used for our dinners being hand-delivered from the river to the cookhouse. In the evening, we watched films about elephant ecology, in particular the plight of the elephants at Dubare Elephant Camp. We learned one theory is that these lovely animals may have possibly evolved from whale-like creatures of the ocean.

Traditionally local tribal men were trained as mahouts – elephant handlers or drivers. Normally a mahout starts learning his job as a boy and is assigned a baby elephant to work together throughout their lifetimes. An elephant is considered part of the family, and the role of the family is to pass critical knowledge and skills needed from one generation to the next. The young mahout grows up with his elephant and together they develop a bond based on trust and affection.

Elephants are very social animals, having their own community rules and customs. Their large brains let them record memories and store experiences such as droughts, migration routes, and where the best feeding places are. Elephants are strongly bonded family units and appear to communicate over relatively long distances by means of infrasonic (low frequency) calls that we are not able to hear with our human ears. They have also been venerated in India for hundreds of years and are the carriers of Indra, the King of the Gods. Elephant festivals and ceremonies are common. The annual Ganpathi observance celebrates the elephant-headed God Ganesh and is one of the most important holidays of the year. They serve as the emblem of Buddhism and are prominent in the stories of the Buddha.

In the past elephants were used for primarily for logging the forests, hauling, military work, and in temples. However, elephants are not used much for logging any more. There are dwindling forests to log, along with efforts to protect elephants from work that damages their trunks and tusks. In addition, elephants have been brutally killed for their tusks to the point of becoming an endangered species. The large-scale poaching of elephants for ivory started in earnest in the late seventies and has been an on-going threat ever since. There are still many problems facing these amazing animals, mostly problems brought about by humans.

However, some elephants are enjoying less stressed lives as they have protection as an endangered species and are used more and more in tourism. And the local young men have renewed interest in working with the elephants, reviving the tradition of mahouts.

In the morning the manager of the camp escorted us through the jungle and provided us with details about the wildlife and history of the camp. A highlight was watching the camp men boil and prepared giant grain balls for the elephant’s breakfast. The hungry pachyderms gathered nearby for their early meal. Anil was quite taken by a young elephant that specialized in using his trunk to steal food right out of his elder’s mouths.

After breakfast we enjoyed a short elephant ride and participated in an elephant scrub bath! One of the ways mahouts and elephants enjoy a strong bond is through a daily ritual of bathing which allows the mahout to have an intimate understanding of his elephant and develop a bond of trust and affection that allows him to control the animal with simple verbal commands and touch.

A few days later we traveled to Elephant Valley eco-farm and cabins near Kodaikanal, a hill station in nearby Tamil Nadu. Spread over 100 acres, it is part eco-lodge, part nature reserve and part organic coffee plantation. Our cottage was built with local granite, reclaimed Burma teak and colonial art deco furniture from India. The privately run estate uses solar lights, kerosene lamps, and dry composting toilets. A huge organic garden and coffee estate provides local jobs and makes a contribution to sustainable development in the region.

The staff at Elephant Valley are involved in numerous efforts in vegetable gardening, seed sowing, transplanting, harvesting, composting, earth worm cultivation, eco-sanitation, nutrition, water and soil conservation, forest botany and cultural preservation. They also promote the conservation of genuine traditional varieties of vegetables through their organic farm where all types of fruits, vegetables and spices including coffee are grown by using traditional methods of organic farming. All of the food that is provided to the guests come from the farm and is cooked in traditional local Indian style. It’s one of the few places in India we were able to devour tasty fresh salads without worrying about getting sick. The farm often hosts programs for local schools including the nearby Kodaikanal International School.

Elephant Valley is situated on the edge of the forest and on an ancient elephant migratory route. While we did not see elephants during our three-day stay, we saw visible evidence of them as the estate manager and naturalist taught us how to track them. A path of squashed plants, bent trees, and fresh elephant dung allowed us to follow the tracks of a mother and a young elephant that passed by only a few hundred feet from our cottage.

Anil enjoyed trekking, especially a half-hour walk to the top of a waterfall, the point where the cascade leaps off a precipitous cliff. A longer, two-hour trek took us through jungle and hilltops where we saw Neolithic dolmens, similar to those in Europe. Their usefulness could have been as ancient rock shelters and tables or burial tombs. Placed at intervals close enough to watch people travel from one to another, some scientists argue that they served as a small protective fortress from wild animals for hunters and travelers. We were able to view a lot of wildlife, including a close (enough) encounter with a guar, or wild jungle bison.

Both Dubare Elephant Camp and Elephant Valley Eco-Farm were great learning experiences and a real treat to stay. We are already looking forward to our next visit and have been seriously inspired to learn more about Asian elephants in the meantime.

Resources

Jungle Lodges & Resorts Ltd.
2nd Floor, Shrungar Shopping Centre M.G. Road
Bangalore - 560 001, Karnataka INDIA
Email: info@junglelodges.com
http://www.junglelodges.com/
Lodges and Resorts was envisaged in 1980 and has since won rare accolades including the Government of India Award for Excellence for eco-friendly tourism, including several wildlife areas and various levels of accommodation (some are world class).

Elephant Valley Eco-Resort
Ganesh Puram, Vilpatti, Kumpoor Vayal (po),
Kodaikanal, 624 104 Tamilnadu, South India
Phone +91-454-2-230-399
Email: booking@elephantvalley.com
E-mail noel@elephantvalley.com.
http://www.elephantvalley.com/

Eco-Friendly Places to stay in India
A travel company that helps people get acquainted with beautiful places that are worth saving, and contributing part of the revenues towards their preservation.
http://www.travel-wisely.com/eco-lodges/thedune.htm

Sanctuary Magazine
145/146, Pragati Industrial Estate,
N.M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel,
Mumbai – 400 011 INDIA
Tel. (91-22) 2301 6848 or 2301 6849
http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/
A good magazine resource for India’s wildlife. Also publishes a kid’s online magazine /www.sanctuaryasia.com/cubonline/index.php

Wild Lands Elephant Corridor Project
Wildlife Trust of India
A-220, New Friends Colony, New Delhi - 110 065 INDIA
Phone : +91(011) 2632-6025 / 2632-6026
e-mail: info@wti.org.in http://www.worldlandtrust.org/projects/india.htm
The World Land Trust is working with the Wildlife Trust of India to create a network of forest corridors to enable the Indian elephants to move safely between protected areas to avoid human-elephant conflict and protect critical elephant habitat. This project benefits not only the wildlife but also villagers close to the corridors by reducing conflict through the creation of the corridors and by providing the financial capability and expertise to create alternative livelihoods to the ‘slash-and burn’ agriculture which has led to the rapid depletion of the natural forests.

Tribes Travel: Boycott of Legacy Hotels

2006-11-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE … PRESS RELEASE … PRESS RELEASE … PRESS RELEASE …

29 November 2006

Tribes demands that Legacy Hotels Group stops their planned huge
tourism development in a World Heritage Site next to Victoria Falls
in Zambia

Tribes, the Fair Trade TravelTM company, announced today, 29 November
2006, that it will boycott use of Legacy Hotels Group of South Africa
due to their appalling planned development in World Heritage Site of
Mosi-oa Tunya National Park in Zambia, which includes the Victoria
Falls.

Whilst the Zambian government have given Legacy a tourism concession
here, UNESCO has told the hotel group that their planned development
of a massive 18-hole golf estate including two hotels, 500 chalets
and a country club would be "irresponsible" and that they would mount
a worldwide campaign to discourage tourists from visiting the area.
Legacy themselves have apparently admitted that the development will
cause "irreversible ecological damage".

Mosi-oa Tunya National Park is one of Zambia's greatest natural
assets. It includes Victoria Falls – one of the seven natural wonders
of the world - as well as a fragile and hugely important area of
riverine rainforest, woodland and grassed areas, plus a section of
the Zambezi River from 5km below and 35km above the Falls. There are
about 400 bird species in the National Park and 30 species of large
mammal. It is environmentally and scientifically extremely important.

Tribes is a specialist UK tour operator which works on Fair Trade and
responsible travel principles. The company offers tailor made
holidays to Africa (including Zambia and South Africa), South America
and parts of Asia. They were the Global Winners of the Responsible
Travel Awards in 2005 and the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards in 2002.

Legacy Hotel Group is a South African company with a portfolio of
luxury hotels, resorts and bush lodges in various countries including
South Africa, Namibia, and Tanzania. Their flagship hotel, the
Michaelangelo is recognised as one of the Leading Hotels of the
World.

Director of Tribes, Amanda Marks, said: "We think that a campaign to
stop this development should begin BEFORE it gets underway, and the
prime elephant habitat on the banks of the Zambezi is bulldozed ready
for such a travesty".

She continued, "We very much hope that Legacy will think again about
their plans here, and make the right decision based on ethics and
preservation of a World Heritage Site, rather than simply on money.
Certainly it would be good for Zambia to have the income and jobs
which such a development would bring, but does it really need to be
IN Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park?"

-ends-

Notes to Editors:
1. Tribes was founded in 1998 by Amanda and Guy Marks.

2. For more detailed information, contact Amanda Marks on
Amanda@tribes.co.uk or call 01728 685971

3. Other travel companies in the UK currently backing the proposed
boycott of Legacy Hotels are:

Expert Africa; Rainbow Tours; Dragoman; Okavango Tours & Safaris;
Aardvark Safaris, Wildlife Worldwide

This list is increasing daily.

TRIBES
12 The Business Centre, Earl Soham, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP14 7SA.
Tel: 01728 685971
Email: amanda@tribes.co.uk
http://www.tribes.co.uk

**Overall Winner of the 2005 First Choice Responsible Tourism
Awards**
Global Winner of the 2002 British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards

To teach an alternative travel writers class at The Loft

2006-10-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

Recieved confirmation this morning from the Loft in Minneapolis (www.loft.org) that my alternative travel writing class proposal was accepted and I'm scheduled to teach next spring.

Tuesdays, March 13-April 17 from 9:30-11:30 am

Here's an overview of the class. Please help me spread the word!

Overview: Alternative Travel Writing with Deborah McLaren

Learn what it takes to be an alternative travel writer, from pre-trip research and note taking to selective observation. Discuss story ideas; create structure for your story; and turn recollections into a draft travel piece. Be prepared to write in class: choose a past trip or a familiar travel destination for your topic; bring notes, travel guidebooks, photos, postcards, journals, promotion material, clippings, and any other source materials. Be prepared to discuss ethics in travel writing as well as various forms of “alternative travel,” such as ecotourism, voluntourism, cross-cultural exchanges, off-the-beaten path. The program is fast paced: lots of reporting, writing, rewriting, and first-hand experience, and then writing about it. Each student is expected to produce at least one draft by the course’s end.

Through readings, written assignments and individual critiques, students will gain a practical grasp of these techniques.

Alternative travel writers introduce readers to places where they can experience something that is not mass-marketed and often promotes locally grown food and products, activities such as hiking and biking, birding, art events, touring farms and wineries, etc. What types of corresponding photographs or artwork, such as maps, can help promote your piece?

BlogsRHard

2006-10-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

So I started this blog in June before I left to travel India with my son. My last blog was on June 8th!!!!! Its been a long, strange trip. And India was FABULOUS. Especially meeting the fisherpeople in the coastal villages of Tamil Nadu. They are recovering slowly from the Dec 04 tsunami. Some interesting, magical things have happened there because of the tsunami. I'll try to write about that soon.

As a newbie blogger, I should be in serious detention. Luckily there is no one to put me in detention and I basically just feel sheepish. Any advice to help get me blogging on a more regular basis would be great. In India I just never seemed to have the time when I had access to the internet.

Well, let's see if I can turn a page (take a different route?) here.

Tomorrow (Oct 12) is the Minnesota Magazine Celebration at the Loft in Minneapolis - check it out at http://www.mmpa.net/. I'm looking forward to that - to meet other writers, editors and publishers and to network with writers about some of the magazines I'm associated with - especially Transitions Abroad www.transitionsabroad.com/ and Tika for Children http://www.tikapublications.com/.

I hope to go through all of my emails and look up some of the most promising sutainable travel information I've recieved to post and discuss. It would be great fun to round up my local colleagues and organize a travel talk night in the Twin Cities this fall.

Stay tuned.... I PROMISE TO TRAVEL TALK MORE OFTEN!

Happy Trails,
Deborah

Looking for Amsterdam green info

2006-06-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Please respond/post if you have ideas about sustainable travel in the Netherlands, particularly around Amsterdam.

Deborah

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” -- Maya Angelou

Minnesota farm tours - yummy stuff!

2006-06-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

SOMETHING I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M GOING TO MISS:

CEDAR SUMMIT OPEN HOUSE
Dave and Florence Minar will host an open house at their Cedar Summit farm near New Prague, MN. Cedar Summit is a grass-based organic dairy farm which processes milk, yogurt, cream and ice cream right on the farm. For details, including a map you can download, see www.cedarsummit.com, or call 952-758-6886.
Date: June 17, 2006

Cedar Summit is the best dang milk in the world. It's made the old fashion way with healthy cows and cream on the top when you open the bottle. It's amazingly yummy! I'll be in India so I'll have to look for another Cedar Summit Open House in the fall. It's exciting to get SFA's newsletter because its loaded with information about green tours, healthy foods, family farms, and sustainability - and it reminds me how lucky I am to live here in Minnesota! Here are some more local tours here in Minnesota. - Deborah

FARM BEGINNINGS DAIRY TOUR
A Farm Beginnings public tour of a dairy grazing operation near Canton, MN. For the skinny, contact Karen Stettler in LSP's Lewiston office at 507-523-3366 or stettler@landstewardshipproject.org.
Date: June 3, 2006

SUSTAINABLE GARDEN TOUR
The annual Southeast Minnesota Sustainable Garden Tour and Supper will be held in the gardens of Barb and Martin Nelson of rural Winona. For details, contact Karen Benson in LSP's Lewiston office at 507-523-3366 or lspse@landstewardshipproject.org.
Date: June 3, 2006

DAIRY GOAT TOUR
Co-sponored by Wright County Extension and Minnesota Dairy Initiative. A tour of this organic goat dairy operation, followed by and Ice Cream. Social! $5.00 individual, $10 per family Contact: Brenda Postels, 763-682-7381
Location: Donnay Dairy Farm, Kimball, MN
Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm
Date: June 3, 2006

For more info contact:

Anne Borgendale
Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota
Communications Consultant
(320) 226-6318
www.sfa-mn.org

Things to think about

2006-06-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home." -- James Michener

Tourism and Climate Change Mitigation Conference

2006-06-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/tourism/mitigation/mitigation.html

Climate Change, the Environment and Tourism: The Interactions
11th -14th June 2006 in The Netherlands

An academic conference will take a look at the contribution of tourism to greenhouse gas emissions comes from (air) transport. Papers will be presented not only researchers from disciplines in tourism management, but also from transport management and technology, economy, climate sciences and other related disciplines. The abstracts and final papers will be reviewed and finally published in a conference book.

Climatic Research Unit
University of East Anglia
Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
+44-1603-592722
d.viner@uea.ac.uk

Pioneering Climate Change Research
International Centre for
Integrative Studies
Maastricht University
Netherlands
6200 MD Maastricht
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 43 3882659
b.amelung@icis.unimaas.nl

A final piece about air travel - excerpts from Jeff Greenwald, the Ethical Traveler

2006-05-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

I get that airplane emissions are burning up the sky, but I don't understand the details of how that happens. Can planting trees really off-set the problems? Is this simply a guilt-free band-aid solution? I searched and searched and googled and googled until I found Jeff Greenwald, Executive Director of Ethical Travel, and a travel writer. Please check out his whole article published in "One Earth" (by the Natural Resources Defense Council). Here are just a few highlights. I will invite Jeff to respond too, since he may have some updated information.

How to Fly the Guilt-Free Skies
http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/05win/livgreen.asp
by Jeff Greenwald

Aircraft pollution affects climate in several ways. Nitrogen oxides in engine exhaust contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer. Jet fumes also contain other greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide....[And] jet contrails, clouds produced when jet engines pump extra moisture into the air ...[that] trap the earth's heat in regions where air traffic is heavy.

Carbon dioxide and water vapor make up the bulk of airplane emissions. According to the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management... an average commercial flight in the United States releases nearly 1,800 pounds of greenhouse gas, per passenger, into the atmosphere. This seems like an impossibly large number, since a commercial airplane carries only some 10,000 pounds of fuel. But when those exhaust molecules mix with oxygen, the impact soars.

[Okay, I'm starting to understand, what can I do? - Deborah]

Hydrogen is often touted as the only clean and potentially viable alternative fuel for aircraft, but don't expect to ride on a hydrogen-powered airplane anytime soon. The technology isn't there yet, and... won't be possible for at least 30 to 40 years. In the interim, Boeing is developing a fuel cell that will convert hydrogen into electricity and may replace backup power supplies in traditional aircraft, but ... isn't likely to be on the market before 2015.

The biggest thing you can do as a consumer," says Rich Kassel, an NRDC senior attorney who served as project coordinator for its 1996 report Flying Off Course, "the only thing you can do, is to buy carbon offsets."

At least three Web-friendly organizations offer ways to help balance the greenhouse emissions of air travel. [T]he nonprofit group American Forests will plant 10 tree seedlings in a damaged forest on public land. An average tree... can absorb some 26 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Future Forests, a for-profit company based in Great Britain, has a similar strategy for making air travel "carbon neutral." Its online calculator tells me exactly how much carbon dioxide my flight from San Francisco to Shanghai will produce: 2.2 tons. I can offset those emissions by paying Future Forests to plant three trees, or to supply three energy-saving lightbulbs to a community in a developing country...

The most ambitious of the lot is probably the Better World Club, which... aims to compete with the car-happy American Automobile Association. Like AAA, the Better World Club offers travel and car insurance (so far, only in California and Massachusetts). Better World balances emissions by retrofitting oil-burning boilers and water heaters in public schools. For club members who book tickets through Better World agents, the organization will offset two flights a year for free.

SO FRIENDS, It seems like buying carbon offsets is something we can do now as travelers. Please note the other resources listed yesterday. If anyone else has links or comments, please send them in!
Thanks,
Deborah

Yoga Journal promotes green travel, More on air travel

2006-05-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yoga enthusiast and good friend, Dave Lacey, sent the following article about the Inn Serendipity in Wisconsin (see link to Yoga Journal below). Check out "Trees for Travel" which is mentioned.

You can catch Dave's radio show "Any Old Time," an ecclectic, if not eccentric, program on KUAC in Fairbanks, Alaska at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuac/. I've been a guest on the show a few times and loved helping out on a "70s Tulsa Music Review" featuring Leon Russell, Gaillard Sartain, Jesse Ed Davis and more. Thanks for the info Dave!
---------------------------------

Green Acres
Help renew the environment on your next vacation.
http://www.yogajournal.com/travel/1797_1.cfm?ctsrc=nlv206

By Mary Bolster
If you spend a weekend at Inn Serendipity (www.innserendipity.com) in Browntown, Wisconsin, you can tell your friends your vacation actually helped renew the environment. Owners John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist have thought of everything: They'll even purchase a certificate for you from Trees for Travel, which will plant a tree to offset the CO2 you used to get to their place via plane, train, or automobile.

Although the business isn't making the owners millionaires, it is allowing them to take exceptional care of the land. "We're a new kind of farmer," Ivanko says. "We're more concerned with the stewardship of the land and the health of the soil than with what we're making per acre." Ivanko is now helping others go green. He and Kivirist wrote Rural Renaissance, a book that tells you how to make the move from urban to rural (www.ruralrenaissance.org).

Today there are more sustainable inns than ever, a trend that can be tracked at www.greenpages.org, a directory of socially and environmentally responsible companies that includes listings of eco-friendly B&Bs.

----------------------
Trees for Travel (from)
http://www.treesfortravel.nl/

Why Trees for Travel?
Trees for Travel is neither a tour operator, travel agency, nor booking office. You just make reservations and fly with the company of your choice. As an extra, with Trees for Travel you can contribute a modest amount per flight that goes towards neutralising the greenhouse effect... Trees for Travel Stichting is a Dutch foundation; but because the greenhouse effect is a world-wide problem and is not covered by the Climate Treaty, people from all over the world also need the opportunity to do something about it.

Planting forests throughout the world
With your contribution, new forests will be planted, and the restoration of forests that have suffered heavily from acid rain and unmanaged logging will be financed. The Trees for Travel program invests, among other things, in projects in Uganda, and Ecuador. In practice that means: ·

*Planting native tree species, which are capable of withstanding local conditions well.
*Involvement from the local population. The work has to be carried out by local experts and in co-operation with local and regional organisations.
*Ecological forestry: no use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides.
*A long life for the forest. The manager has to be able to guarantee that the forest will stand for at least 50 years. For that, income from tourism, for example, or from forestry, is necessary. That way the forest creates employment opportunities, which gives the local population incentive to maintain the forest.

A bit of the world comes to visit us this week

2006-05-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

The past week or so has been a reverse tourism process. I get so much energy from friends visiting us from various parts of the world - without having to board a plane myself.

First, one of Rob's dearest friends from their Indian childhood, Karl Riber visited us with his wife Sarah and 11-month old darling, babbling baby, Emmy.

Both of their families have deep roots in India. I believe Sarah's family has been in India since the 1600s, along the coast of Andhra Pradesh. She's lived back and forth between England and India, including a stint as the theater teacher at Kodai international school - - where she chanced to meet Karl. He had returned to India after years in Australia. Of course they fell in love and have been wandering nomads since, most recently nesting in Australia where they can live on one half-time salary and raise their child.

Currently they are on a half-year sabbatical in Kodai and traveling, of course (actually Karl is a very hard-working pediatrics nurse). We are looking forward to meeting up with them again next month in India - at the Elephant Valley organic farm & eco-resort and also at Kodai (both in Tamil Nadu).

Karl sent us a message after leaving Minneapolis. "I'll never travel Northworst Airline again! Two hours outside of Gatwick the overhead baggage compartment came loose and fell on our heads. Luckily we sheilded Emmy but had to spend the last two hours of the flight sitting among broken airplane parts and wires hanging from the ceiling." Apparently Northwest only gave them 6,000 miles to redeem later. Pretty lame!

Shortly after Karl & Fly left, his brother Johnny Riber, wife Louise and son Jordan stopped in for a visit. Johnny and Louise met in India in kindergarten and married after high school. They have three children, the oldest is Jordan, who only popped in overnight and had to leave the next morning to fly to Utah for an internship at the Sundance Institute (http://www.sundance.org/) where he's mixing.

Jordan is an intense musician, learning the art while growing up in Harare. He's also been involved in his parents film company and is now managing some of their work in Tanzania. Jordan, his younger siblings Krista and Sterling, and our daughter Kelly have been together at school at Fairhaven College, Western Washington Univ. in Bellingham. It is interesting how the generations flow together around the world.

Jordan learned a lot from his parents, John and Louise, who moved to Africa after graduating from school in India (via a college in the US and a decision to pursue a film career). For more info see http://web.mit.edu/course/21/21f.853/africa-film/0526.html). In east Africa they raised their family and developed several film companies which tend to deal with social issues, including AIDS. Johnny is an independent filmmaker and Founder-Director of the Media for Development Trust (http://www.mfdi.org/). Louise helps run the company as an editor, producer and mother. They produced and directed the film Shanda, about Oliver Mtukudzi (Tuku music).

For some downloads and more info about Tuku:
http://www.music.org.za/artist.asp?id=84
http://olivermtukudzi.calabashmusic.com/
http://www.worldpress.org/Africa/1039.cfm

His music is available at record stores and Amazon.com.

The world of African music contains some of the most naturally gifted musicians on the planet. Husband and wife filmmakers John and Louise Riber are well aware of this fact, and in 2002 they set out to document the mercurial talents of Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mtukudzi.

Shanda
The exuberant, life-affirming music of Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi flows through this fascinating documentary portrait of a man, his times and his music. Tuku’s music talks to audiences everywhere, in Africa and beyond. Through the film, his personal choice of 10 favourite songs takes us on a musical journey spanning three decades. At it’s heart is one man’s intimate relationship with his beloved homeland, Zimbabwe. From the days of the liberation struggle, war and unemployment, through the sunburst of independence, and along the often-bumpy road since, Tuku renders the joy, anger and heartache of the human experience with legendary wisdom and compassion. The musical anthology reveals Tuku’s rich voice and beautiful compositions, like never before, from the early days of his first band, The Wagon Wheels, to his internationally acclaimed Black Spirits. Filmmakers John and Louise Riber capture the story and spirit of this incredible musician, live in township clubs and beer halls across Zimbabwe, among his endearing fans. “SHANDA is a wonderfully engaging look at the life and music of one of Africa’s most important and legendary stars. Oliver is inspirational a person as he is mesmerizing as an artist. I love this film!” –Bonnie Raitt (2002)

Air travel is burning up the skies

2006-05-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to ecoslogic@yahoo.com (who I think is Mark Moscio from Greenway International. A private firm working on agenda 21 issues) for posting his comment about how air travel is unsustainable. I agree and hope that there will be more discussion and posting of resources about this issue here on my blog. I've done a little internet search myself to learn some current info/advice. There is such a thing as "Emissions Calculators" that individuals can use to find out how much it would take to offset the resources used during their travel. Here's an example where you can estimate your costs related to your lifestyle (air travel, cars, etc).

http://www.ecoplan.org/general/responsibility.htm

Also, the Climate Care website http://www.climatecare.org/index.cfm helps you figure out how much you personally damage the atmosphere on your flight. For example, my upcoming flight to India turns out:

Your emissions from this flight are: 3.62 Tonnes of CO2
The cost to offset this CO2 will be £ 27.15

When you buy a carbon offset through ClimateCare, your money is used to fund projects that reduce emissions on your behalf. As well as making savings in greenhouse gases, the projects also have wider benefits to the local communities and environment too. They have three types of projects:

Renewable energy - replacing non-renewable fuel such as fossil fuels
Energy efficiency - reducing the amount of fuel needed
Forest restoration - absorbing carbon as the trees grow

For example, here is a project they fund in India (my destination):

India: Schools

Greener stoves cook tastier chapatis

Project partner: Nishant Bioenergy

Ashden Awards Winner, 2005.

Background

In the Punjab, as across India, schools cook their food on expensive LPG, a fossil fuel. Meanwhile, people who made biomass briquettes are struggling to make a living as there is little demand for their fuel. At the same time farmers are burning their crop wastes in the fields – which is wasting a valuable energy resource.

The Project

Enter Ramesh Nibhoria a local engineer and entrepreneur who solved three problems at once. He has developed the Sanja Chulha - literally, 'combined cookstove' – which is specially designed to run on briquettes made from crop waste left over from the harvest. These cut CO2 emissions (the crop waste is a renewable source of energy), cut schools’ fuel bills and give a new income to the farmers, who can now sell their waste to the briquette makers
Ramesh builds the stoves and sells them to the schools on a "hire purchase" basis. As the briquettes are half the price of LPG schools pay Ramesh back from the money they save and own the stoves within 18 months.

Climate Care’s Involvement

The problem that Ramesh faces is that he cannot fund a new stove until he has received the money back from the school – so his production was limited to 3 stoves a year. Although he has a large order book the banks have not lent him any money. Climate Care has provided a capital sum as a “revolving fund” which means he can gear up production to 50 units a year. Ramesh uses money from the fund to buy the materials he needs and to pay the wages; the fund is replenished as the schools pay back their loans – meaning the monies used again for more stoves.

Benefits

Not only does this project reduce CO2 emissions through replacing fossil fuel with biofuel, it also benefits farmers through extra income and schools through lower fuel costs. The stove has also proved popular with the pupils. As one school cook explained: "The chapatis taste just like the ones they have at home - so now they always want more!"

Monitoring

Climate Care has commissioned MITCON Consultacncy Services Ltd. to write a third party report and on this project and to monitor the emissions reductions it acheives.

http://www.climatecare.org/projects/countries/index.cfm?content_id=33C26EB4-01E8-0F75-7F19BE1B330AD0BA

Travel Planning on the Internet

2006-05-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

I've been planning a trip to India and have spent a lot of time in cyberspace. It's amazing how some very small eco-farms in rural India have managed to get on the internet. Obviously being part of a larger network that can help spread the word is helpful, and some are mentioned on the state government's tourism website. Another way is to get bloggers or travelers to write in their personal comments and experiences. A few of these sites are listed below. Please feel free to send in more tips!

http://www.elephantvalley.com/ - yep, we've just made reservations!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/
http://www.travel-comments.com/
http://www.epinions.com/
http://www2.tocoo.jp/english/submenu/comments/index.html
http://www.freetraveltips.com/
http://www.onlinetravelreview.com/
http://www.google.com/Top/Home/Consumer_Information/Travel/

Today Rob and I celebrate our eighth anniversary (Bronze and Pottery for those interested in such things).

More on travel planning and the internet next time.
Deborah

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~St. Augustine

How do you like my travel talk artwork?

2006-05-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Centro Eco Akumal in Mexico

2006-05-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Just got their latest enewsletter. I have visited this village in the past. It's the oldest resort village on the Yucantan, south of Cancun. They have worked hard on their environmental problems, yet still have to work on their cross-cultural relationships with the local worker population. They seem to have another "worker" village across the highway that's not nearly as nice. Anyway, take a look at this newsletter if you are interested in how one resort village is tackling a lot of issues quite successfully. They have a good certification/labeling project. CEA has helped the village develop with a focus on long-term sustainability and protection of natural and cultural resources. Use their directory to find eco-friendly places to stay, restaurants, shops, and things to do. Ratings based on members’ participation in recycling, protection of coral reefs, water conservation, turtle protection and eco-bathrooms.

http://www.ceakumal.org/

Centro Ecologico Akumal, a non-profit organization, provides academic studies,
ocean research, marine studies, environmental education, cultural exchange,
coral reef research, sea turtle protection, hydrology and geology studies, ocean
pollution education and eco-tourist activities in Akumal, Mexico.

Local Minnesota Sustainable Tourism

2006-05-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

I get excited everytime I recieve a copy of the e-newsletter of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota. The newsletter is edited by Anne Borgendale and always has a lot of exciting local, green tours info. To get your own copy, go to: www.sfa-mn.org. Here are a few examples.

A DAY AT CHAN'S DANCE BARN
Join us at this 1918 dairy barn that was used for dairy operations by day and hosted local dances by night during the Depression years. The special program includes local historians, preservation and restoration specialists, staff from the Pope County Historical Society, blacksmithing, old time musicians, and more. Limited availability -- pre-registration required - lunch/beverages included. Members: $30, nonmembers $40. To register, call 507-732-7799 or 612-338-BARN (2276). Note: A ³No Charge Open House² open to the public begins at 1:30 p.m.
Location: 12975 236th Avenue, Glenwood, Minnesota (on the south side of Lake Reno - Pope County)
Time: 10:30 am - 3:30 pm
Date: May 20, 2006

WILD FOODS SUMMIT - MAPLELAG RESORT
This is a two-day intensive workshop on identifying, harvesting and preparing wild edible plants is open to all interested in learning about the free and nutritious foods oftentimes found out your back door. There is a $10 registration fee that covers meals. For more information or to register contact Sunny Johnson (yeehawsunny@yahoo.com), Stephanie Williams (swilliams@wetcc.org) or Steven Dahlberg (sdahlberg@wetcc.org) or at 218-936-5620.
Location: Maplelag Resort - southern end of the White Earth Reservation
Date: May 22-23, 2006

FARM BEGINNINGS DAIRY TOUR
A Farm Beginnings public tour of a dairy grazing operation near Canton, MN. For the skinny, contact Karen Stettler in LSP's Lewiston office at 507-523-3366 or stettler@landstewardshipproject.org.
Date: June 3, 2006

SUSTAINABLE GARDEN TOUR
The annual Southeast Minnesota Sustainable Garden Tour and Supper will be held in the gardens of Barb and Martin Nelson of rural Winona. For details, contact Karen Benson in LSP's Lewiston office at 507-523-3366 or lspse@landstewardshipproject.org.
Date: June 3, 2006

DAIRY GOAT TOUR
Co-sponored by Wright County Extension and Minnesota Dairy Initiative. A tour of this organic goat dairy operation, followed by and Ice Cream . Social! $5.00 individual, $10 per family Contact: Brenda Postels, 763-682-7381
Location: Donnay Dairy Farm, Kimball, MN
Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm
Date: June 3, 2006

Blogging Day 2

2006-05-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Nice feedback! I sent a link to several people about this new blog and got some instant feedback. Sounds like local travel news people here in the "Sin Cities" as well as in other parts of the country are interested in the pub gathering idea. I'll look into it more and post a date and venue later. Thanks Sue for the blog tips. I'm a newbie and appreciate all advice about this writing format.

We did a little world travel last night! Rob, Anil and I went to the Zakir Hussain concert last night at Orchestra Hall. The hall looked to be sold out and people were certainly riveted! Zakir is a master in connecting the spiritual essence of drumming with righteous grooves. It started with a honoring of Lord Ganesha, the God of drumming and incorporated martial arts drummers, contemporary electric drums, stringed instruments (I've never heard samples of "The Pink Panther" on a sitar before) and playful challenges between all the musicians as they followed each other in rounds. The most fun was watching them enjoy themselves so much. Zakir is a master or percussion and a master teacher to everyone in his audience. You simply cannot walk away without being touched deeply by his (heart) beats. There is a good description of Zakir's current tour at http://stage.variety.com/review/VE1117930436?categoryid=34&cs=1. It certainly added to our anticipation of our trip to India this summer. Thanks to Pangea, IMSOM and KIDS AID for bringing it to Minnesota!

Omigod, its a BLOG!

2006-05-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Well friends, my husband talked me into this. So here goes! I've been writing about travel and traveling about writing for years. Time for a blog I guess. I have a few ideas about getting together some travel writers/photographers/documentarian-types this summer to start a travel tales group. Perhaps at a pub - where we can discuss travel writing and share our work. I'd like to invite friends to send me ideas, poetry, whatever they are working on. Who would like to shoot for an August rendezvous somewhere in the Twin Cities? Any ideas about venues, especially a place where they wouldn't mind a regular meet-up and might even have dvd equipment available. I'll be in town for another month before heading to India for a few weeks. Would like to use this blog to generate some ideas and stir up a buzz.