The Green Island on the Green Side

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Ireland is one of the most beautiful country I have ever seen and I have to say that its inhabitants are truly part of this beauty. I sometimes believe they have been cursed as they have produced an awful monster such a s Ryanair that tries by any means to bypass labor law ,get money out of their consumers and do not have any consideration for the environment.

And to be as straightforward (but more honest and not as loud) as Michael O'Leary, the CEO of the airline company, there are not the cheapest airline anymore (I mean when you are at the checkouts, not on the advertisment).

So I think that it is quite good that there are some website like Greenbox that have been for a couple of years showing how to go green in Ireland. And it is quite easy, as you can start by discovering the country by bike: as you travel more slowly, you take the time to enjoy everything around you (even the Irish rain and wind!!). Ryanair is probably not going to stay there forever, but the emerald island can be greener than before if we act responsively.

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Travelling ...Home. A New Form of Ecotourism?

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As I go home (northern France) for the weekend, I realize that in a sense I am travelling home. I have just been away for a couple of months, but I have to catch up with so many things that I will be busy going from one point to another one. There are so many manifestations happening all around Lille with the cultural events LilleXXL on Eastern Europe that, well , I am a slightly lost in the middle of this. And with this I become aware that we should add another definition to ecotourism: discovering and enjoying the place you are from!

Whatever the country or the region it may be, if there is one place we might know less about it, it is our home region. Because we live there, that we have access to everything at any time, we get lazy about it. But when you move to somewhere else and you get back for any reason, you look at the place in a different way and you realize why and how much you like it.

So before travelling to any place in the world, before launching any ecotourism plan on another continent, let's have a different look at what we have around us!

A Couple of Ecotourism Things

Hi everyone!

Just a few things in order to catch up on the ecotourism front:

1. I just realized that if you pay some attention to the hashtags #ecomonday and #traveltuesday on Twitter, you will find some great ecotourism news.
2. I found this great cartoon on the internet, and here is a link to the Flickr page of Lunchbreath, its creator. This guys has a very developed sense of humour and strike where it hurts, so we can only hope it will continue his work.
3. I just found a new travelling website that appears promising: Tripwolf. I really like the logo (I know it is not the core of the service but still) and the website is really user friendly and community oriented. Plus I do have the feeling that the founders will keep integrating innovation into it and they already offer Facebook Connect and iPhone application. So give it a try.
   

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Greenwashing and Ecotourism: Please Understand They Are not Linked!

Image by Shira Golding via Flickr

Greenwashing has been exposed again with Kmart sanctioned in the US for false advertising claims. Well, greenwashing has been around since environmental concerns gained prominence a couple of of years ago, but I feel it has never been so strong and so strongly fought by consumers. But I feel it might go too far.

I have read a couple of comments on Twitter, or even posts on blogs that ecotourism is pure greenwashing, that there is nothing really green in what it is.

Well, my first reaction is that one of the problem of ecotourism is that it has not been clearly defined, so there is no one but several kind of ecotourism. So when you have blur situations like this, of course some greedy people will seize the opportunity to make even more money with false claims. But as the truth will always come up, it is not going to last. Consumers will ask for higher environmental standards for everything, and at some point it will be something natural. And we at that stage we would be beyond ecotourism.

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The Power of Videos for a Good Cause

I would like to comment on two videos I came across over the last week. The first one is a short video on ecotourism and being eco friendly.

I find this video quite interesting as it shows the power of the image: in less than a minute you can convey a strong message and reach people with much more impact than with an editorial (but i think in some case they are complementary).

The second video is the new commercial for General Motors.

Even if I find a bit outrageous that the money of American taxpayers is used to rectify the management mistakes made by overpaid CEO, I have to admit that their advertising agency has done a great job. They quickly admit their mistakes and they spend most of this commercial making us think of what could be a green GM. And if a company like GM that used to produce tanks (excuse me but this is how I call this plague that you name SUV in the US), there is some hope for a greener car industry.

However, as I have heard and read several times that this economic crisis could be the opportunity to change our economy and adopt a greener and sustainable approach, but saw people being (legitimately) a lot more obsessed by jobs, I have become a bit sceptical. I fear that we might go in the "back to business as usual" direction and that the environment would be left behind. Please prove me I am wrong.

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World Ecotourism Conference in Vientiane? Sounds Like a Joke (and not a Green One)

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I just stumbled upon an article mentioning a World Ecotourism Conference in Vientiane. the first thing tat struck me (and I still do not understand it at some point) is why doing this in Vientiane? Why not doing it in Europe or in the US? I mean you have a lot more actors coming from places closer to any big conference hub around the world. I was like holding this UN summit on climate change a couple of years ago in Bali: flying everyone over there was not that green!

And why having conferences. Why not using the internet and all the technological means we have to communicate at distance? I can understand that having a summit and meeting people in person can accelerate things, but still it does not sound right to organize something like this.

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New Ecotourism Tech Resources

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I would like to share with you two infos I just found by browsing on the web:

1. NileGuide has an iPhone application

I know it might sound completely useless for some people, but it can be of great help for others travelling Western Europe, Northern America and some parts of Asia. If you are on the go and you are looking for information on what you should see, it is definitely for you as they have different guides written by other travellers.


2. Another green websites worth looking at: Greenspot


This website offers green advice on travelling, more especially on Central America and the Western USA. The website is pretty user friendly and they have recognition from CondeNast, Rainforest Alliance and The International Ecotourism Society. I just regret they do not offer more social features that would have enabled users to participate and share content.


And you, what are the new websites/resources you came across?

Back on Ecotourism Track: Laziness, the Worst Enemy!

Hi everyone,

I have been away of my blog for some time recently but I am back. This post is not organized around one topic but more several thoughts or ideas I went through recently.

First I recommend you to have a look at 40 Most Useful Travel Website That Can Save you a Fortune. I know they are not all oriented towards green initiatives but it could be useful for travelling. BTW, where do you plan to go this summer? Has the recession affected your choice of destination?

The other thing is that I went to Finland and a friend of mine challenged me on ecotourism (well friends are here to challenge you right??): "What's the point of it? Is it not a big joke or a smokescreen?". My point is that it has already succeeded and that its ultimate victory will be its disappearance: already consumers are asking for higher environmental standards for their vacations and this, even if it is slowed down by the current economic crisis, will keep increasing in the future. So at some point the standards for the whole tourism industry will be so high that everyone will be, of course at certaint degrees, doing ecotourism.


However there is only one thing that worries me regarding this and that can at some point stop it. It is even more powerful than all the greedy corporations (I did not say oil companies...) that are lobbying against any stringent regulations. It is anchored in all of us: our laziness!! I am still shocked when I look around me and I see how people can be so lazy regarding recycling or taking their car whereas they could just walk. I do not know how we can win over the laziness of people, but we definitely need to think about it. Any idea?

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Greenwashing as Its Best or True Ranking?

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I just found a green ranking on oil companies. I do not know what to think about it: pure greenwashing or honest research on companies? I am completely biased on the topic as I just truly HATE them for everything they stand for, but at some point I think we will have to work with them to go towards a greener future. It sounds weird to say that, but they have the financial resources to invest massively into green energies (of course for money's sake, but better that than nothing).

What do you think? Do you think these dinosaurs of an era that must disappear to ensure our own survival can evolve into something new? Or should we fight them tooth and nail?

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Good News for Ecotourism

Image via CrunchBase

Some days are definitely better than others, and today is pretty unique for ecotourism.

First Nile Guide released a new version of their website. I am not going to comment on the details about it as Techcrunch has done it pretty well, but I think it is definitely something good for ecotourism as it enables people to share more information. And if travellers have more information on their next trip they can take better decisions, e.g. on their mode of transportation. At the end it will help to reduce the impact of travellers on the environment.

The second one is the decision of Barack Obama to develop high speed train in the US. At last!! This will not only have a positive impact on the environment but will create thousands of jobs in America. If he keeps going like this it is going to be "Yes We Did It" in four years time.








The last one is a bit more personal: an Article from Planet Green on eco-friendly countries. And after Costa Rica and New Zealand, they put France! France?? Well as a French person I have always thought that Germany or any Scandinavian country would have an edge over us, but it is true that with the high speed train railway network, the improvement on recycling policies all over the country and the development of renewable energies we are getting greener than ever.

So good news on the ecotourism front but the fight continue.

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Greater Yellowstone Geotourism Map: Could Be Better

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Yellowstone National Park in the US is the oldest natural park in the world and probably one of the most beautiful and famous ones. This preserved area is a perfect place for ecotourism and so I was delighted when I received an email about a Geotourism map.

"Much more than a road map, the new Geotourism MapGuide to the Greater Yellowstone Region and its companion Web site Yellowstone Geotourism share locals’ knowledge on everything from where to find the best huckleberry milkshake and great community events to where to watch rescued grizzlies and wolves in their daily activities. Nearly 1,000 map point nominations were received from the region’s residents, making the MapGuide a unique resource for the millions of annual visitors as well as locals seeking unspoiled outdoor places and authentic cultural experiences. The MapGuide will be unveiled in three events around the region: on March 27 in Cody, Wyo.; March 30 in Boise, Idaho; and March 31 in Helena, Mont. "

The map is very useful (and can be downloaded) and covers the whole area of the park, but I would have prefered an interactive one accessible online with filters and different others possibilities. For the next version I guess.

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The International Ecotourism Society Revamped Website

I really like the International Ecotourism Society as this is an organization that has brougth a lot to ecotourism. But to be honest I did not like their website as I found it a bit old fashion and not very user fiendly.

However time have changed. I just saw the new version of the website and my first reaction was: "Whaoooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. What happened??". It has everything that any good website should have: clear background, instant identification of where you have to go, relevant sections, continuous animation (but not annoying or distracting at all). They also offer you the possibility to embed one widget, which is a pretty cool features for bloggers. I hope that this indicate a bigger use of social media tools, thing that would be my only reproach to this new design/website.

Have a look and let me know what you think.

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Interested in Eco-Lifestyle? Try Ecoki

To bounce back on my previous post and to add more optimism, I would like to talk about a website I just discovered, Ecoki.

I find it quite interesting as it constitutes a one stop for all website regarding green topics: travel, design, food, health, fashion, etc. The website is very user friendly as it has a simple architecture (basically all the sections are on the bar). There is a limited number of writer at the moment but as they are looking for authors I guess this is to change quickly and more content is coming. Have a look and let me know what you think.

Ecotourism: the Scepticism Threat

Image by sointula via Flickr

I know it might be hard at the moment to be optimistic with the current economic crisis, but I feel scepticism towards ecotourism and green policies generally is growing.

I could include myself into that as I have been very cynical towards the earth hour initiative. It aims to show politicians our commitment to protect the environment by switching off our lights for an hour from 8:30-9:30 pm (local time). Even if I have lots of respect for the people organizing this event, I just do not see the point of it. What's going to happen after this hour?? Are we all going back to our parties and keep polluting and being lazy, e.g. in recycling?? I know people need striking examples to be shaken, but honestly I prefer "the good old way" of lobbying combined to social media mobilization (but to be honest the earth hour mobilizes social media quite efficiently).

Beyond this initiative I have felt scepticism towards ecotourism becoming stronger (and sometimes for good reasons). With an article called "Can Ecotourism be more than illusion ?" , the Guatemalan Times points the fingers where it hurts: people flying thousands of miles to spend their vacation in a eco-lodge. Not really green. The website Ecotourism Caring for Mother Earth shows with the following video that ecotourism has been perverted as it is not precisely defined, which has enabled some people to call their project eco friendly whereas it does not respect the basic principles of the concept.


For Immediate Release.net goes further then that by asking the question "Can green be good for business?". I am not really a fan of Big Business, put if there is no economic incentive, no one will ever enter the green economy. If our good intentions were sufficient, we would live in a very different world.

However, as we only need one candle to fight the darkness, I have found some good reasons in all these article to keep hope. I could say that it is summarized in the article of the Eco-Club, "Ecotourism in Time of Crisis". As we are rethinking capitalism and what we want in terms of society, this is a unique opportunity to take new directions socially, politically, economicly and culturally speaking. And all these sectors could include a green component that would allow us to put sustainability at the core of our way of life. That might be long. That might be painful. But this is the only way.

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Costa Rica and Ecotourism: the End of the Honeymoon?

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Recently I have found a couple of bad reviews/articles about the overall state of Ecotourism in Costa Rica. Even if the country is still ahead of many of its neighbours and other countries willing to adopt ecotourism for their tourism industry, several voices have expressed their disagreements/disappointment on the directions the country is following. The most striking post I have found is on Tico Times in a blog post named "Ecotourism, Corporate Greed and Development". You get the point.

There are two main questions in this post and they have been haunting ecotourism since its inception. Is tourism in itself a viable activity? How can we truly adopt ecotourism as an official policy when are our governments are obsessed by GDP growth and could be bribed(I mean every country look at the scandals in Spain)?

Well to answer the first question, I would say tourism is viable whatever its form is when you put some limits on it and have a long term vision. Unfortunately the second issues usually prevents government to have this long term vision. So how can we do something? Well we live in an internet era, which means information spreads fast and you can mobilize people easier than ever. We clearly have to monitor and review the choices made by our officials in terms of development and preservation as they rarely put their actions where their mouth are. As Margareth Mead said: "A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has". So even if we are a small number of people, if we are determined to promote our eco-agenda and preserve as much as possible, we can do it. And to the sceptical one I would say "Yes, We Can".

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