Responsive Travel

Elevate Destinations is sad and shocked to report that recently a good friend and conservationist, Kuki Gallmann, was attacked and almost killed by poachers on her property in Lakipia, in Northern Kenya. A major land steward at the edge of the Great Rift Valley, the Ol Ari Nyiro Conservancy encompasses 100,000 acres. The conservancy has won many awards for its protection and cultivation of Black Rhino and other species and is also a center for community and cultural projects and host to many visitors to Kenya every year.

Photo Courtesy of Kuki Gallmann

Ms. Gallmann, now recovering, is the author of the best selling book I Dreamed of Africa. She is a dedicated activist and conservationist who has long fought the ivory trade. In Ms. Gallmann’s own words:

“I was attacked in the Conservancy while alone in my car by seven men on a mission to kill, as a revenge for my involvement in anti-poaching efforts and attempts to break into the illegal ivory and rhino horn trade. I was hit several times, first in the neck, and then the left hand I used to shelter my head  and it was shattered from blows with poles, fence posts and rocks they threw. Miraculously I at last managed to insert the first gear and with the good hand drove over a mile before losing consciousness; when I came to I raised the alarm and help from my security staff and the wonderful and most efficient Kenya Wildlife Services team stationed on the conservancy came immediately to my rescue.”

Photo Courtesy of Kuki Gallmann

In 1989, Ms. Gallman helped to stage the burning of 12 tons of ivory in Nairobi National Park:

“Kenya had burnt all its ivory back in 1989. We personally helped. It was our old Toyota truck which brought the 12 tons of ivory to be burnt…This bold and brave message, sent to the world, stopped the legal trade on ivory; for 19 years the poaching was enormously easier to control. All ivory was illegal. Ivory is neither food, medicine nor fuel. It is not an essential commodity. It is the tooth of a majestic animal. It is criminal that the great herds are destroyed to just make bad taste trinkets no one needs, but this is what is happening.”

Photo Courtesy of Kuki Gallmann

According to Ms. Gallmann, the fight against the ivory market was hurt last year by a 2008 Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) decision to permit South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe to sell their stockpiled ivory to China, causing a black market revival on “legal” ivory trade.

This latest attack highlights growing ‘Conservation Wars’ that are taking place around the globe. Population pressures and shrinking resources have escalated conflicts between environmental and human interests, and while many conservancies now educate local inhabitants in sustainable land management, opportunistic groups continue to engage in poaching and illegal trade.

Photo Courtesy of National Geographic

In July of 2008, National Geographic News reported a fatal attack on a World Wildlife Fund truck carrying wildlife conservationists and rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The attack killed two, including an 18 year old girl, and injured several others. The attack took place in Virunga National Park, where over the past ten years over 110 rangers have been killed. In Jakarta earlier this year, there was another attack against conservationists reported by MongaBay, this time by a company, Sinar Mas - a logging company with thousands of hectares of holdings throughout Indonesia. The company’s security guards attacked peaceful Greenpeace protesters, kicking and punching them when they chained themselves to the company’s headquarters. Less than a month after that attack, a nature reserve officer was shot in the head in Malta, on one of Bird Life’s conservations sites. Bird Life reports over 20 attacks on rangers in their Malta parks and the government seems to turn a blind eye. Despite these attacks, they do not damper the will of conservationists, but rather inspire them to move forward stronger than before, as is the case with Ms. Gallmann.

These ‘Conservation Wars’ are more of a reason than ever to give back to the places that you travel and to travel responsively.

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: Do you know of other incidents that fit into the ‘Conservation War’ category? Are you inspired by Ms. Gallmann’s story, struggle and courage to join the fight for the conservation of our planet? How could travel help pacify the ‘Conservation Wars’?

Whether you’re heading out on safari in Kenya, trekking through the Amazon rainforests of Ecuador or relaxing in a lagoon in Thailand, there is one thing that you will follow you throughout all of these locations and activities: BUGS! I know that eco-friendly bug spray sounds counter intuitive in some ways considering the insects in these locations are a fundamental part of how these ecosystems work, but with a natural Deet-free bug spray applied you can protect yourself and keep the local ‘pests’ alive!

There has been lots of press on medical studies of Deet flying around these days. Deet is the main ingredient in most bug sprays because it has proven to be very effective at keeping unwanted creatures away. Deet, however, is also fatal to most insects, small organisms, and ecosystems as well as unhealthy for human use. According to Scientific American, effects of Deet on humans include:

• Rashes,
• Skin irritation,
• Nausea,
• Dizziness, and
• Neurological and Behavioral changes.

According to Squidoo.com, effects of Deet on the environment include:

• Fatality,
• Softening of eggshells of birds and aquatic life, and
• Decreased chance of survival for wildlife.

That’s why there’s a recent movement to use natural bug repellents that are Deet-free and made from plant products. Save yourself AND the planet by using one of the 7 Natural Insect Repellents on The Daily Green website, including:

1. Gone by Aubrey Organics,
2. Anti-Bug Balm by Badger, and
3. Plant Based Insect Repellent by Repel.

In fact, Chartreuse has a promotion going on until the end of August. When you purchase their natural eco-friendly bug repellent, you will be entered to win one of their herbal tea lotions. With Deet-free, natural bug sprays you protect yourself, you save the environment and you essentially give back to these amazing places that you visit while traveling. Think twice next time you are headed on a hike in your own back yard or packing to venture through the jungle!

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: When you are traveling, do you bring eco-friendly products with you? What other products besides bug repellent do you travel with that are harmful to the environment? Do you have recommendations of other natural bug sprays that are as effective as Deet, but also much healthier?

According to Mugumo Munene and Jeff Otieno in “Report Reveals Shocking Statistics on Child Prostitution”, in Kenya, 33% of young women are engaged in prostitution or human trafficking by the age of 16. Further, according to Jane Mercy Karanja and Ng’ang’a Elizabeth, in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, the largest slum in Africa, this percentage is almost doubled due to conditions of extreme poverty and the denial of education to women.

The mission of the Kibera School for Girls is to be the first free school in Kibera, and the only school dedicated to empowering and educating young women with the greatest need. I recently had the opportunity to interview Jessica Posner, a 2009 graduate of Wesleyan University and the Co-Founder of the Kibera School for Girls.

Jessica Posner: Co-Founder of Kibera School for Girls

What inspired you to transform the lives of these children?

I studied abroad in Kenya for six months and lived inside of Kibera itself. During this time I worked with a grassroots organization called Shining Hope for Community, founded by Kennedy Odede, also my partner in founding the Kibera School for Girls. During my time in Kibera I was continually struck by how few girls went to school. Once, I stopped a five-year-old girl running through a pile of trash and human waste and asked her why she wasn’t in school. She told me that “school is only a dream and dreams don’t come true.” That stayed with me. During this time I also helped Kennedy apply to Wesleyan where he was accepted and became the first person from Kibera to go to a four year college. At Wesleyan we often talked about how lucky we are to have access to education. Born and raised in Kibera, Kennedy would tell me about seeing young women lose their hopes of ever attaining an education and leaving the slum, as they were forced into commercial sex work at early ages. He knew young girls who were raped, and saw frequent domestic violence - acts that are more likely to occur when girls are denied education. Given these dire circumstances, we began to think about how we have a responsibility to use our privilege to help others. We both feel passionately that education is the key to transformation, and through the Kibera School for Girls, I hope to watch the dreams of many young women become realities.

All photos courtesy of Jessica Posner

How did travel contribute to you founding the Kibera School for Girls?

Before I traveled to Kenya I don’t think I ever really realized how lucky I am. I knew in a peripheral way that much of the world does not enjoy the privileges that I have, but the gravity of the disparity in the world never sunk in until I lived in Kibera. Travel enables people to connect their realities with those of others. It is my hope that travel will lead to a world that will be a more connected and thereby more equal place.

How can people traveling to Kenya give back to the school and the children you help?

There are so many ways to help the Kibera School for Girls. We are always in need of school supplies, books, educational games, educational toys, used furniture, seeds, sports equipment, medical supplies and medications, and farming equipment. Travelers can also make a significant impact by sponsoring a student for a year, which provides that student with three nutritious meals a day, school supplies, and high level medical attention (specifically for students that are HIV positive). We also have a need for financial contributions to establish book funds, help offset operating costs, and eventually help us to set up a health clinic focused on women’s health. Perhaps one of the most important contributions travelers can make is by donating skills and knowledge…we are always in need of both short and long term volunteers.

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: Have you ever visited a place and known that the people and evironment were in desperate need of transformation? Would a child in any environment saying “school is only a dream and dreams don’t come true” move you to make a difference? If you have been to Kenya before, did you visit this part and experience what Jessica did?

BTW Magazine is your one stop spot for advice on all aspects of fine living: food, travel, fashion, art, cars, etc. Every month it explores global trends in how to live a comfortable life.

Photo Courtesy of BTW Magazine

Tracy Boyd, a recent Elevate Destinations traveler, was interviewed for this months ‘Offbeat‘ section of BTW. Tracy traveled to Belize on an eco-adventure that gave back to this Central American community. She took part in cave exploring, hiking in the jungle, exploring Mayan ruins and snorkeling, to name just a few of the activities.

Photo Courtesy of BTW Magazine

The June edition not only highlights the benefits of service travel, but also supplies readers with the top 10 ways to save the planet. These initiatives include: saving freshwater, capitalizing renewable energy use, saving carbon sinks and improving farming technology.

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: Do you think it’s possible to combine luxury travel with service opportunities in the places you are visiting? Are global trends moving towards green even for ‘fine living’? Do you agree with these top 10 ways to save the planet?

National Geographic’s Intelligent Travel Blog is your cultural, authentic and sustainable way to get inspired about saving the planet The Intelligent Travel Blog is ‘your brain on travel’ and features highlights on people and places and how they are fighting for the environment.

Photo Courtesy of National Geographic

The team at the Responsive Travel Blog and Elevate Destinations is thrilled to announce our mention in last week’s National Geographic Traveler: Intelligent Travel Blog! They give a fantastic summary of everything that Elevate Destinations is trying to do to make travel matter. Check it out for a summary of who Elevate Destinations helps around the world and what’s next in sustainable travel.

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: What are you doing to save the planet? Are you interested in individual donor travel that would allow you to help emerging nations around the world? What have you done in your local area that is worth of Nation Geographic’s Intelligent Travel Blog?

Single-serve plastic water bottles are the most popular beverage while traveling. In so many countries where water is scarce or the only water available is unsafe to drink, bottled water is the natural, healthiest and cleanest option. The recently released news on the growth of the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch‘ has people wondering if it really is the ‘cleanest’ option though.

Photo courtesy of Treehugger.

The ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ is the popular name for a floating expanse of garbage that has grown to twice the size of the continental United States. It is comprised of mostly plastic that does not biodegrade easily in salt water. 2006 statistics from the State Department claim that, in the United States, 30 million single-serve, non-returnable containers end up in landfills or as litter everyday. Now multiply that across the number people or travelers in foreign countries and you get a lot of trash with nowhere to put it.

Photo courtesy of Greenpeace.

There are some immediate and easy solutions to garbage patch prevention to use at home and while traveling:

• Limit your waste by composting, reducing and reusing whenever possible.
• Ensure that any plastic bottle that you use is recycled.
• Bring your own reusable water bottle and fill it with filtered water whenever needed.
• Be aware of where the garbage in the country you are visiting goes.

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: How often do you drink out of plastic water bottles when traveling? Do you recycle all of these bottles? Do you know where they end up or how they are disposed of?

With spring upon us and enjoyable weather here again, the wedding circuit is back in full swing. From planning the big day to the relaxation of the honeymoon, brides and grooms across the world are choosing to go green. Eco-friendly weddings and honeymoons are an up and coming trend in the ever growing wedding market. The Sierra Club has released a list of 10 Steps to a Green Wedding that can help green couples that have just gotten engaged as well as couples walking down the aisle tomorrow.

The list includes environmentally friendly advice on the marriage process including, but not limited to, the following:

• Clothing
• Food and Drink
• Locations and
• Honeymoons.

Destination weddings and green honeymoons are very popular in the current economic times. People are learning to incorporate the planet into their every day lives. Check out the green honeymoons that Elevate Destinations has to offer as well as the locations that you can give back to when traveling for your wedding!

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: Have you considered a green destination wedding? Why not help the planet and the people around you while celebrating your marriage? Would you consider doing service in a local community on your honeymoon or destination wedding?

Central America is an up and coming tourist destination that offers reasonable flights and accommodation rates in today’s stressed global economy. It is next door to the US and allows for shorter travel distance when working harder is a top priority. With the recent swine flu hysterics and keeping the economic values in hand, many travelers are opting to head further south to locations in Central and South America. Guatemala has become a popular vacation destination because of its diversity in landscape -jungle to mountains to beaches- as well as its unique local cultures. 

Casa Sito is a non-profit organization that increases the educational opportunities and improves the living conditions for underprivileged people in Guatemala. There work includes funds for

• Education
• Facilities and Infrastructure and
• Emergency Relief.

Through their work with families, women and children, Casa Sito is aiding the cultural survival of Guatemalans as well as empowering the people to live healthy, safe, productive lives.

Check out Elevate Destinations Travel Matters page to make donations to Casa Sito or a number of other non-profit partners located in Central America and throughout the world!

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: Would you be more willing to travel if you knew it had a direct positive impact on the communities that you were visiting? Have you ever returned home from an amazing location and wished that you could help conserve that place? Do you know of other Guatemalan organizations that could use global awareness?

The Matter Network is a well established web of people and organizations working towards a sustainable future. It is the world’s largest provider of sustainable solutions through the web, video, and news. The Matter Network’s goal is “to empower an individual’s influence toward — and their benefit from — green, sustainable businesses, communities, and lifestyle choices.”

Photo courtesy of the Matter Network

The site focuses on sustainable practices in the following areas:

• Transportation
• Infrastructure
• Business & Corporate Responsibility
• Renewable Energy
• Eco-Travel.

Recently, the Matter Network featured Elevate Destinations in an article on service travel and giving back to communities while globetrotting. It focused on green travel and what is normally left in a location once a visitor returns to his/her home. Both the Matter Network and Elevate Destinations encourage people to find balance in their travel and leave positive impacts on places throughout the world.

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: Are you conscious of sustainable practices in your everyday life? Do you have one place that offers advice in every area of concern when it comes to protecting the planet and your future? What other topics would you like to see covered through the Matter Network?

I am just back from a week on a first class eco-island: Pine Cay in the Turks and Caicos.

Pine Cay is an 800 square acre limestone and sand diamond  set in the clearest of turquoise waters. It boasts a far more beautiful beach than its glitzy neighbor, Parrot Cay: 2 miles of naked sand adorned only by the occasional tiki hut. On any given day you’ll only see a total of about 10-20 people on the beach!

The island is privately owned and the island’s homeowners permit lucky travelers to stay in one of their 13 clubrooms a few hundred feet from the water. The Meridian Club specializes in “barefoot elegance”, with first class service and stellar cuisine. In addition to snorkeling, sailing and kayaking, the visit guide lists “doing nothing” as a recommended activity.

The island began its eco-practices 35 years ago, foregoing cars in favor of bicycles and golfcarts. Today, they use rainwater catchments to subsidize the island’s fresh water supplies, and local materials, such as coconut husks in their renovations. The island gives back to the T & C community through the non-profit founded by homeowners: The Pine Cay Project. The project has donated $450,000 to TCI initiatives since 2002.

If you’ve just lost your job or your pet has died and you want to get away from it all somewhere quick, Pine Cay will do you eco-proud. Three days there feels like a week. It’s the perfect place to detox and renew before you take on your big bad world again.

The Meridian Club is the perfect honeymoon or anniversary destination. Ask to stay in the Sand Dollar Cottage, which is designed for privacy.

You can book your eco-tour to Pine Cay with Elevate Destinations now!

Awakening the Responsive Traveler Within: How do you feel about “eco-luxury”? Does “having your cake and eating it too” make you uncomfortable? What are the top features you look for in an eco-getaway?