Save Eco Destinations

Parrots in the Amazon (photo by Orthopod1)

I am not a big fan of the World Bank, but maybe this time they’ve done something laudable: the bank has approved a $1.3 billion loan for the Brazilian government to spend on improving environmental management programs.

Given the environmental charge of the Amazon in the world (one-third of the planet’s tropical rainforests), this is good news! Maybe this effort will have a domino effect leading to less deforestation of the Brazilian rainforest. I’m hoping and hard, you better believe it.

The program focuses on forests, water conservation and energy efficiency. All aspects of the program will be involved in the climate change cause, e.g. deforestation leads to biodiversity loss and climate change, therefore, the program’s interests will include diminishing deforestation in Brazil.

Nice. After all, a better environmental management program really isn’t if ravaging deforestation isn’t dealt with! Honestly, I can’t help but be suspicious, even cynical at times. But Brazil does have a lot hanging on the Amazon, since it contains 60% of it, so their motivation lies there. Probably.

“This requires a commitment from all levels of government, whether federal, state or municipal, paying special attention to social programs, many of which include programs for sustainable growth,” said Guido Mantegna, Brazil’s Minister of Finance.

No sh*t. I mean, would we be that surprised if this money ended up being used on pseudo-green projects that would ultimately harm the environment? Anything’s possible with money, and if it were environmentalists who had it, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Plus, they had $488.6 million to spend on the environment and chose to fork it over to the military for “protection.”

To round it out a bit, here’s a related article you might be interested in: whether Obama should give Brazil $16 billion yearly to conserve the Amazon rainforests.

See you soon and don’t forget to add Save Eco Destinations on Twitter!

Nap on your hammock at Lapa Rios

As you might already know, Costa Rica has amazingly lush rainforests, waterfalls, an incredibly rich range of flora and fauna, heavenly beaches, and on and on-essentially, it’s one of those places you can go, look around, spread your arms wide and exclaim, “I am lucky to be alive and love life!”

Enter Lapa Rios.  Not only do you get to enjoy the amazingness of CR’s rainforests, but when staying at LR, you do so within 1,000 acres of private nature reserve. Talk about spoiled. Actually, this area comprises the only lowland tropical rainforest left in Central America.

So, wait a minute-CR is trusting its last remaining stretch of rainforest to tourism? (I don’t care whether it’s eco or not, ultimately tourism is tourism, right?) The fact, or purported fact, that the American owners of LR have good intentions makes me want to hear them out and, to some extent, hope you will choose them over the Hilton if you decide to check out CR.

Something that makes LR outshine other rainforest lodges is that no trees have been cut down to make room for its construction. *Applause* Read about its sustainability practices.  It was awarded Costa Rica’s highest sustainable tourism certification (CST). LR has won awards from around the globe celebrating its social and environmental choices. If only more eco hotels did, eh?

Makes me wonder about all the supposedly eco hotels who lack official certifications to prove it. (Thoughts?)

LR’s laudable practices: no AC, no hair dryers allowed (they have a minimal-capacity 24/7 generator), lowered water and energy consumption, educated community and staff about various green issues, support to local businesses and community, water is heated by the sun, manure created from food scraps creates the methane gas used to heat the (staff) kitchen stove, the wood used to build LR was obtained from sustainable forests, etc. Read more here.

The rates at seem exorbitantly high, but they do include guided tours, meals, and other items. Worth a second thought, in any case.

I am not into the fact that LR is in a private reserve. However, the thumbs up appear to offset the thumbs down. You be the judge.

Andrew Baker holds coral he wants to coax into teaming up with more heat-resistant algae

Remember all those awful news about coral reefs being on their way out? Here’s another thought: heat-tolerant algae might save them by helping coral adapt to climate change.

As we know, coral reefs are very fragile creatures. Tourism, sunscreen, and myriad other factors contribute to the reefs’ bleaching and death all over the globe. Global warming is largely thought to be, basically, a death sentence for coral everywhere.

But wait! Andrew Baker, a scientist at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, disagrees. He says that (1) corals can inherently adapt to rising temperatures and (2) we can help! (Let me explain the exclamation mark – I am excited about this!)

This year Baker set up a project to research the relationship between reef-building coral polyps (a relative of jellyfish) and their symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae. The algae seek shelter in the reefs, and in return, the algae feed the corals sugar, which corals turn into energy. The problem with higher temperatures is that they can destroy this give-and-take relationship between the algae and the corals: they make algae leave the corals, depriving the reefs of the sugar they need to remain healthy. Without this source of energy, the corals become very weak, and often die.

What Baker wants to do to prevent these coral deaths is inoculate corals, or make them immune, with the help of a different kind of algae that can resist heat better. Once these algae are administered, so to speak, to the corals, the reefs adapt and can live in higher-temperature waters.

Apparently, some corals have always attracted algae more tolerant to heat than the typical zooxanthellae and therefore became more heat-resistant themselves and resisted bleaching, e.g. in the Persian Gulf. Sometimes corals switch from zooxanthellae to heat-resistant algae during hotter seasons. That’s pretty neat.

The downside – humans have been tinkering with nature for, hmm, ever. And most usually the results are catastrophic. Some people think Baker’s idea, thus, shouldn’t be taken seriously out of fear that it may harm corals instead of help them.

But Baker says, screw it, it’s worth a try. I think I agree. After all, the plan is to introduce corals to a more heat-resistant type of algae, not to inoculate them with pharmaceutical drugs (a plan that, unfortunately, wouldn’t surprise me).

Read the whole, detailed article at the Christian Science Monitor.

Rape has been used as a weapon of war in both the First Congo War and Second Congo War. (Picture by USAID/Leah Werchick, 2001)

In the ecotourism microcosm and the green world in general, we speak a lot of green transportation, greener choices, polluting less, and so on. Switch to a hybrid, offset the carbon footprint of your flights when going on vacation, and so on and so forth.

We’re lazy.

Honestly, some of the best things you can do are:

(a)    Stay home!

(b)   Walk

(c)    Ride a bike, rollerblade, skateboard, and so on

(d)   Swim-and always leave the motorboats and jet skis in the store (think of the coral reefs, sea turtles, etc., whose populations are diminished yearly by these machines)

(e)    Did I mention stay home?

Think of what would happen if we actually stuck to these principles. Because, you know, it’s we who are polluting and ruining the planet. We-privileged, middle-to-upper class people with access to the internet and enough education and spare time to inform and educate ourselves about ecological issues. We are the ones with enough money to travel and the resources that allow us to choose how and when we will do it.

Not indigenous tribes in Venezuela, in the Amazon Forest, the sort of people who coexist harmoniously with their green surroundings. And we can’t ask the poor women in South Jordan to switch to energy-saving light bulbs, the raped women refugees in eastern Congo to implement low-flush toilets, or those left homeless in Tartagal to incorporate solar panels into their homes when if they get to rebuild them.

But we can ask our friends to be more conscientious in their choices-because they have choices-when they shop, travel, use electricity, eat, discard, and even when they vote if we spread the word about key bills and laws and work together to support or protest against them.

Pick up trash if you see it in the street and take it home to recycle or at least toss it in a trash can. Reuse containers instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Cut down and eventually abolish meat and animal products from your diet. Get your lighting fixtures taken care of if they don’t take energy-saving bulbs. Stop buying Cif and bleach and switch to vinegar, baking soda, and alcohol for all your home cleaning needs. Turn off and unplug all appliances when not in use.

And on and on.

If you, who gets to choose and make changes, don’t, then you can’t complain when, several years from now, you find yourself having to move out of Florida and into a home farther from the coast and higher and higher than sea level. And don’t even start about how first class has gotten more expensive-focus on what’s important. Green travel is no travel unless it’s on foot, bike, or by other ecological means.

Let’s help people walk the talk.

Your life will be cleaner, greener, simpler, cheaper, healthier, and better.

Read a compelling article about this at Worldchanging.

What tips do you have?

What do YOU think?

GVI volunteers carrying out the weekly plankton sampling at L’ilot for Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS). Photo by Jon Bilbrough

Have you heard of Global Vision International? GVI’s been around since 1998 and works to develop sustainable development through research, conservation, and education. It provides services to charities, NGOs, and governmental agencies around the globe through promotion, donations, and volunteering.

GVI is neither a political nor a religious organization. It sends 2,000 volunteers out per year to aid-reliant projects in over 30 countries.

If you’re not looking to go tan on yet another beach and take more of the same pictures, check out the conservation and humanitarian projects at GVI. You can browse through GVI’s volunteer options, destinations, and more to find something that suits you.

I know that even when I am exhausted and think “I need a vacation!!” more than two days doing nothing will jar me. If I can go somewhere beautiful, enjoy a radical change of scenery, meet new people, and do something that will help others, I feel more rewarded than if I had just spent a week getting sunburned on some beach.

Don’t get me wrong-I love the beach. But after a few hours kayaking and swimming and reading, don’t you get bored? It’d be cool to go somewhere on vacation and know that whenever you got bored or tired of it, you could go on to volunteer somewhere in the area.

GVI even offers responsible holidays of one week or more. For example, the Mexican Marine Expedition in the Caribbean Sea, where they teach you diving to contribute toward coral reef research in the area. (Remember that green sunscreen!) Or you can teach English to Buddhist monks in Laos! There are some awesome options in there, stuff I wouldn’t have thought of.

With GVI, you get training and career development opportunities through the trips and volunteering, so you could even view your time with them as an investment, depending on your future goals.

I think within the next several years, I will go volunteer somewhere for several weeks. Build homes for the homeless, teach English to people in secluded areas, help research for nature conservation. It’s scary–what will happen to your job when you get back, right? True. But when there’s a will, there’s a way.

The Philippines, where almost 26 million people (30%) currently live in poverty, has been brewing up big, green plans to help boost its economy. Its goals are to instill socially and environmentally responsible, ecologically sustainable, and community-friendly methods and projects to create more jobs and draw in tourism.

As Ecotourism Philippines tells us, the following statement by the National Ecotourism Congress in Bohol got the ball rolling: “The State shall develop and promote ecotourism as a tool for sustainable development to support the development, management, protection and conservation of the country’s environment, natural resources and cultural heritage. The state shall establish an integrating system to focus greater efforts to sustain the viability of ecotourism development in the country.”

The Philippines provides many options for eco activities: trekking/hiking/mountaineering, bird and other wildlife watching, diving and snorkeling, caving, kayaking/canoeing/rafting, and surfing.

By exploring the jungles you will find the kinds of tribesmen you see on National Geographic documentaries, waterfalls, cliffs, pure forests-a lot of unharmed nature lays in the Philippines. For example, Lake Danao in Leyte has been “the cleanest body of water” in the area for three years now.

Another example is Olango Island (located 5 km. east of Mactan Island) becomes the home of thousands of migratory birds from February to April each year. The Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary is a 920-hectare area composed of “extensive coralline sandflats, mangroves, seagrass beds, and offshore coral reefs.” It’s a universally recognized wetland known for its unique faunal and floral biodiversity.

And as far as eco hotels in the Philippines, I found a few. Many participate in green activities, but not many are green themselves, offering constant AC and other traditional amenities.

One that I found is located in Manila, Edsa Shangri-la Manila, but only got 2 out of 5 eco-friendly branches ($169+). It is the only eco hotel listed in Green Travel Hub. A high-end, eco-hotel is Cacao Pearl Island in Palawan.

Another place to search for travel ideas, packages, and hotels is Responsible Travel.

Fly to Cancún and drive 90 minutes SW and you will find the Hacienda Chichen Resort & Yaxkin Spa. It almost sounds like Hacienda Kitchen, but it’s not (although the stay does sound delicious).

Let me preface the post by telling you that they have a huge pool, wi-fi access, and AC-they have a ways to go still. But the resort has a lot of things going for it, regardless. Read on.

At the Hacienda Chichen Resort you can go on a jungle tour in their Maya Jungle Conservation Reserve with a Mayan guide (makes sense, right?), check out their protected Bird Refuge, archaeological sites, various eco-cultural activities, and get a massage with coconut oil, cacao (pronounced ca-cow) butter, and raw sugar (is this making you hungry, too?) at their spa when you return. Then, feast on organic fruits and vegetables grown in the resort’s own garden; they offer a gourmet fusion menu.

They use a state-of-the-art eco-friendly septic system to manage their waste, which purifies and recycles water through bio-digestible tanks and artificial wetlands. The resort uses biodegradable amenities and cleaning products. They have AC and power-saving lights and encourage guests to turn them off when leaving the room. They employ low construction density, reduce and recycle plastic and other materials, and encourage each other to choose bikes over cars.

You can even have a green and epic wedding just steps from the Chichen Itza ruins. Follow up with a visit to the Yaxkin Spa, a Top Wellness Holistic Mayan Spa, and become immortal! (Okay, that last part is a lie.) But the Hacienda Chichen seems like a supreme place to have a wedding, not to mention a phenomenal vacation. When everyone is headed to the beach, you can go check out waterfalls and 157 different types of birds.

The Hacienda has deals you can take advantage of, such as their discount mini-vacation packages. When you return, you can bring souvenirs such as jewelry and textiles, which you can find at the Toh Boutique-speaking of which, some of the Mayan jewelry’s sales benefit the Maya Foundation in Laakeech, dedicated to the welfare of Mayan communities with an eco-aware angle, which the resort and spa owners founded.

FYI: $120+/night.

And remember to add us on Twitter http://twitter.com/EcoDestinations!

Composting toilet at El Santuario by terriem

El Santuario Eco-Retreat – Loreto, Baja California ($120+/night)

This retreat is located on the coast, inside the Loreto National Marine Park (thoughts?? this seems awful to me), 25 mi. away from Loreto (so you can be sure the spot is tranquil!). Last September an Olive Ridley sea turtle laid her eggs in front of the Santuario, and locals saw 100 eggs hatch.  Doesn’t sound that ideal to me, but it’s better than opting for a nesting ground by a Hilton.

The retreat runs off solar power for hot water and electricity (no hair dryers here!) and has composting toilets located outside the rooms. They serve locally caught fish and vegetarian meals, including organic fruits and vegetables. You can go hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, mule riding (which is humiliating for the mules), and take boat trips. You may want to leave your laptop at home, as there is no indication of them providing internet access.

El Retoño

El Retoño Eco Lodge – Coatepec, Veracruz ($75-95)

This lodge was built in a colonial town within the mountains, amid the mist of the jungle. What’s cool is that this section of Mexico is trying to thrive off sustainability instead of raping nature through destructive practices and careless agriculture. El Retoño is part of this effort, and works with the community toward the end of preserving the original state of nature.

El Retoño has a library (wow!!), a movie-viewing room, a sauna, and guests can access the kitchen and make use of it. Each suite has a living room and bedroom with locally manufactured decorations. This is how they keep it eco: “all rain water and lodge water is collected and used, low voltage lights and dual flush toilets are standard, trash is separated and recycled, compost is generated from organic trash, and sheets and towels are changed between guests or every third day.”

You can go mountain climbing, hiking, bird-watching, and river rafting. I think I’m in love. I just wonder about the sewage treatment.

“Banyan Tree concept is having the guests and owners feel as if they are in the nature, in the surrounding habitat, and not within human built structures.”

The residences are being finished and people will be moving in next month. Some of the villas are on sale right now, striving to ensnare the rich and fashionable elite. There will also be a resort.

Since its inception 14 years ago, Banyan Tree has won 400 awards that “reflect Banyan Tree’s sustainable growth and expansion.”

Banyan Tree has residences and hotels spread across the globe and particularly in China. These
Developments are known for its opulent and luxurious style. Their goal here is to “create an intimate, ecological haven” comprised of 132 villas (50 of them being sold to investors). Each villa will have its own 240-600 sq. ft. pool, roomy outdoor terrace, and sundeck, because “at Banyan Tree we create emotional experiences for our guests.”

The Eco in Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Banyan Tree Mayakoba has integrated ecologists and biologists to its staff to ensure the surrounding ecosystems—composed of the beach, lagoons, and mangrove jungles—are preserved despite their intrusion into the land. “Each property minimizes the impact on the ecology and is dedicated to carrying out local community development,” reads one of its websites.  But I wonder.

No details have been offered as to their sewage treatment or how they plan to educate their guests to recycle and dispose of their waste, among other issues. Their championship PGA TOUR event golf course, though, “bears the Audubon International certification for environmental stewardship and awareness.” Does this mean no phosphates are released into the ecosystem? Not necessarily, although I hope so.

I’m probably just being paranoid. I just find it hard to believe everything I read these days, particularly when details are missing and especially when big companies are involved.

While tourism shrinks and projects in Mexico become paralyzed as a result of the global economic crisis, an exclusive hotel development emerges on the Riviera Maya.

Catering to the elite, this new development is placing its bets on nature conservation, as it plants itself on stilts amid mangrove swamps and employs novel energy-saving technologies.

We are referring to the Hacienda Tres Ríos, the first of five luxury hotels to be built on a 130 hectare lot on the Riviera Maya, where an eco-tourism park used to be.