Blue Sky Cafe

Libya has unveiled an ambitious ecotourism project know as ‘Green Mountain’. The project utilising a raft of renewable energy technologies, recycling, biofuels and environmentally friendly building development will also serve to protect the world renowned Greek and Roman architecture and a coastal eco-system described as fragile. The International Herald Tribune reports on the story in some more detail.

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Over the last couple of years we have been referenced by a number of international publications, national press and websites, achieved both print and television coverage and ranked in the top 20 ethical living websites in the world in Amazon.com. We receive 35 - 40,000 unique visits per month, primarily from UK based customers of middle to high income with an ethical and environmentally responsible outlook.The majority of our visitors are based in Europe with the majority based in the UK, however we have a worldwide reach with Australia and Canada offering a significant amount of our readership.

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Well here it is, a pig’s battle for sustainability… the meatrix

Who are the Shiwiar people? In their own words, “We are the Shiwiar people, enclosed by the Amazon jungle, living on the Pastaza river. We belong to the same cultural and linguistic tradition as the Achuar and Shuar. Our territory is one of the most pristine and isolated places in the Amazon basin, located near the Peruvian border and accessible only by air. Our primary forest is blessed with remarkable levels of biodiversity. Our population of seven hundred is scattered around nine different villages within the area. There have been few intrusions into our territory and we have only recently made contact with the western world (because of the Peruvian war in 1941). ”

Why ecotourism? “Oil was found on our territory during an exploration campaign made in the 1970’s.Thankfully it is still untapped, however we fear that it is only a matter of time before our territory is sold, exploited and destroyed. It is therefore imperative that our land is legalised. Our political representatives, the ONSHIPAE (Organizacion de la Nacionalidad Shiwiar de Pastaza Amazonía Ecuatoriana), together with the Pachamama Alliance, are struggling to obtain legal recognition of our territory, but it is a difficult and expensive fight. We hope that ecotourism will generate the funds, support and international awareness needed for us to succeed. We believe it will also emphasise the importance of our environment and cultural traditions to our people, and will generate hope and self respect within our community.”

What is the vision? “Our primary objective is to defend our territory from oil exploitation, preserve its biodiversity and our culture through self managed development. These are our objectives, initiated by our people, they have not been imposed by outsiders. The Ikiam Expedition is our project, initiated by Pascual Kunchicuy (a Shiwiar), the founder of “FUNSSIF” (Fundation Shiwiar Sin Fronteras). The initial impetus originated from the tribe itself, but the project only really took off in 2004 with the aid of Pascal Languillon (the founder of the French “Pascal Languillon”), who provided the detailed knowledge of the outside world and gave the project a distinct vision.

The project vision is to propose a new form of ecotourism, where the tourist is not just a tourist, but a real actor of its own adventure. We want to offer a different kind of tourism, not based on a capitalistic model but rather on responsible tourism principles. This expedition is for people who don’t usually like tours. Here you will not be seen as clients, but rather as friends who has come to help us out.

What we care the most about is to maintain the reality of our place. We do not want to perform cultural acts like shamanism rituals just to please tourists. We do not want folklore. We just want to show you our place and our current way of life.

To make this vision come true, we have decided to make you live this experience as if you were a Shiwiar. We will not provide a fancy restaurant nor expensive cabañas. We are not going to create a pocket of your world in the jungle. We believe the experience we are offering is far more real and far more valuable, because we are offering the genuine opportunity to experience our culture and our way of life. You will be invited to participate in daily activities as part of our family, from making ceramics and arrows, walking in the forest and swimming in the river. We have not designed a program for people who want a comfortable tour, we have opened our community to people brave enough to participate in it. To achieve this the number of visitors will be restricted to five per week, but as the project is still in its infancy you will probably be on your own.

The project has received some financial funding from the Ecuadorian CODENPE and the U.S Agency of International Development. We are however still looking for more financial and technical support. If you or your organisation is interested in helping please contact us, we will be grateful for anything you can offer.”

Bulgaria has grown concrned that the property earmarked for Bristish and Irish investors is not being taken up and is instead left for central and eastern european investors. What impact does this have? The concern in that the holiday apartments built with mass British and Irish tourism in mind may simply become just empty or cheap accommodation, without eco-tourism considerations. Full article from the Sofia Echo

… it had to happen

With sustainability becoming increasingly operational, managing it as a cyclical business strategy istrash key.

By Susan Graff

Businesses are at different stages in operationalizing sustainability. They need practical tools and approaches to successfully manage the technical evolution required, with a sustainable business model that recognizes that the financial health of the firm is dependent upon the environmental and social health of our planet. As such, sustainability is the means by which performance goals are achieved.

During the past decade, we have regularly benchmarked some of the world’s largest companies, including Caterpillar and Unilever. From our experience, we’ve learned that companies start the sustainability path by focusing on the potential to reduce their environmental burdens from the extraction of raw materials, the production of goods, the use of those goods and management of the resulting wastes. The champion companies evolve industrial processes that go beyond waste reduction and eco-efficiency to mimic the cyclical ecosystem processes of the natural world, where waste is fuel or food. They also use a new accounting ledger that has a large intangible dimension—capturing the knowledge, skills and motivation of employees and the company’s external relationships.

Getting on a path to sustainability requires business strategy that includes useful tools at various stages. The path involves two cycles that lead to continuous, sustainable improvement while also having a positive effect on a company’s bottom line. After establishing a commitment to sustainability through business values and a sustainability framework, a company enters the first cycle by focusing on pollution prevention.

This cycle involves examining the inputs and processes of production, allowing for the establishment of cleaner production priorities.

In the second cycle, the company should take a broader look at design and production—from primary resource use to end-of-life. This would include evaluating product supply chains and vendors. This cycle involves developing procedures for continuous product improvement and new product development from a holistic, sustainable point of view.

Within these cycles, there are six clear steps, each with specific tools that comprise a roadmap to sustainability, which includes social, economic and environmental components that require appropriate engagement of community, industry and government stakeholders.

1) Establish a Company Culture and Align the Business Plan
Changing existing business practices to sustainable business requires executive management direction to develop a company culture that wholly supports sustainable business values that act as a compass to define actions, roles and responsibilities toward the environment and the community.

Environmental values may take the form of subscribing to established global principles or the company may adapt these to their existing values. A sustainability framework is a tool that enables a company to set policy, identify significant risks, implement changes, review successes and failures, and strive for continual improvement that enhances process efficiency.

Companies that have environmental management or business management systems already in place can build from these foundations.

2) Examine Inputs
The next step is to conduct a quick scan of the raw materials and resources required by your products and services from a process perspective and identify the major risks at a macroscopic level. Apply the 80/20 rule (80 percent of the impact comes from 20 percent of the process) to identify environmental aspects of the raw materials (i.e. non-recyclable packaging) and the process of making the finished product (i.e. excess water for coolant). Examples of major risks may include the amount of raw material and energy used, emissions, waste generation, noise, radiation and other significant byproducts. A more detailed environmental footprint can be defined using an abridged life cycle assessment tool, paying particular attention to carbon if the quick scan identifies this as a major risk.

3) Evaluate Processes
The “Material Balance and Process Flow Chart” has been identified as the most useful tools for process evaluation. The Material Balance analyzes the amount of inputs and outputs including materials, energy, air emissions, water and solids. To benefit business planning, the material balance is commonly supplemented with costs, federal/state/local regulatory requirements, potential substitutes and technological feasibility. The process flow chart identifies all possible sources of waste generated or excessive material consumed. A checklist of five components can be applied at this stage (product and technical modification, good housekeeping, input substitution and on-site reuse) that affect the volume and composition of waste streams and emissions. Initial uses of each tool are at a qualitative level, and as the company moves forward, a more detailed quantitative level may yield valuable results.

4) Set Priorities for Environ°©mentally Sustainable Production
At this point, the data becomes available to set longer term priorities. “Total Cost Accounting” incorporates tangible and intangible costs and includes both private and social costs of the product life cycle from extraction to disposal. It is a prioritization tool, where different improvements are identified and priority is given to those with the greatest value to business (cost savings, reputation/brand enhancement, customer appeal).

5) Evaluate Products
The responsibility of a sustainable business at this stage is to examine the activities of the companies from which it obtains materials and the companies that dispose of its wastes. The “Guide for Improvement of the Production Chain” tool considers the activities of the companies in the chain of suppliers and vendors from manufacture to disposal.

The focus also becomes product-oriented, focusing on the purpose and utility of the company’s own product, and substitutes for the inputs and product. Product Improvement Matrices rate potential product modifications based on the ecological impacts of materials choice, energy use, solid wastes, liquid wastes and gaseous emissions.

6) Set Priorities for Sustainable Design
Design for the Environment, Demat°©erial°©ization, and Biomimicry are tools that lead to a wide range of innovation. “Design for the Environment” offers a systematic procedure of environmentally driven product improvement that includes pilot project planning, environmental analysis of the product and environmental priority setting, inventory and prioritization of improvement options, product redevelopment, implementation, and evaluation. The dematerialization tool focuses on using less material and energy inputs to obtain a product; for example, telecommuting and using recycled materials.

The biomimicry tool helps designers imitate natural systems and takes inspiration from nature’s designs to create new products.

Susan Graff is Founder and Principal of the sustainability consulting company ERS.

Camping holidays have witnessed an upturn in popularity during 2007 and are quickly becoming the ethical holiday of choice, according to Discover Leisure.

Caravanning and camping holidays explicitly assist local economies according to the organisation, with 47 per cent of campers aiming to only buy local produce while on holiday and a further 48 per cent indicating they would buy local where possible.

Three quarters of holidaymakers said they recycle while on campsites and modern locations provide facilities to promote this.

Green energy was also important, with 83 per cent of campers stating they would consider solar panels for their caravan or even a tent.

And as fears for the environment grow, camping is becoming a viable alternative to foreign holidays.

Up to 12 million Brits fly to Spain annually, each emitting 0.26 tonnes of CO2 gas. Camping closer to home provides an alternative to this.

Kate Plummer, Marketing Manager at Acacia Adventure Holidays comments: “We’ve seen a 20% increase over 2007 towards the charitable or volunteering aspects of our tours. We feel that the high profile campaigns for example, ‘Live 8’, have had a real impact on the choices people make where holidays are concerned, and people readily identify with their musical icons who are highlighting issues relevant to Africa. There’s a fairly even split between both sexes in terms of these sorts of trips and this relates to singles, couples or groups of friends – the common denominator being that they want to give something back to the host community they are visiting.”

“We’ve also coined the term for a new phenomenon in the market, that of the ‘mini-gap’ – where people want an alternative to the gap year that offers a similar experience. Volunteering is sound option for this group and while these adventurers might have been considering the longer gap year option, knowing that we can package something similar, on a value for money basis and in a shorter time frame often makes sense whether the traveller is between studies or taking a break from their career.”

Adventurers on the 8-day Tanzanian Trail itinerary now have the option to participate in a further 6-day volunteering holiday. Travellers will gain an insight into the Amani Project in Moshi – a charity that aims to help the growing number of street children and kids affected with HIV/Aids. Day to day activities might involve helping the kids in their lessons, assisting with odd jobs, labouring or working in the home’s kitchens, but afternoons are free to explore the local area. Participants can enjoy various activities including, horse riding around the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and swimming in the Kikuletwa Hot Springs (a location which also doubles as a great picnic spot) or alternatively volunteers can simply chill-out and take in the scenery from the NEW Coffee Tree Hotel – (no doubt taking it’s name from the fantastic locally produced coffee) which offers first rate views of the mountain. Volunteers are also free to spend their afternoons having an energetic kick about on the makeshift football field with the kids, leaving the evening free to check out the local bars and Moshi’s live entertainment. (£795pp + local payment from £304pp with year round weekly departures). The price includes all tour highlights as listed on the website, transport, road tolls and taxes, camping and cooking equipment, most meals, services of tour leader and driver, transfers to and from the project site and shared accommodation at the Amani project (based on two people sharing). Excludes return international flight, visas, departure taxes, transfers, and flexible local payment excursions.

Highlights on the 8-day Tanzanian Trail include, Lake Victoria, the Serengeti, the Olduvai Gorge and the Ngorongoro Crater.

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Contact Acacia Adventure Holidays on 020 7706 4700, email info@acacia-africa.com or visit www.acacia-africa.com for further information. ATOL No.6499 and ABTA No.W4093 PROTECTED.

Acacia Adventure Holidays offers 180 different adventures throughout Southern, Eastern and Northern Africa – these include overland tours and small group adventures. Acacia’s holidays are particularly suited to those with a young adventurous mindset – the essence being that people get truly involved, from cooking and cleaning on tour to meeting the locals, and of course, enjoying the destination. The majority of adventures involve a tour payment and basic local payment covering food, accommodation and a least one major game park. The latter relates solely to money that is being redirected to Africa, not the tour operator. Acacia Adventure Holidays is tour only and the tour operator does not sell international flights