Conservation — A World Different

Cruceros Australis

April 15, 2013 By admin 1 Comment

Cruise ships have been getting a particularly bad rap lately, for obvious reasons (think Carnival Cruise Lines). That sad fact – coupled with the one that massive cruise ships, with their mountains of wastage and consumption of energy, share little in common with sustainable tourism – might make it seem unusual that we are writing here about Cruceros Australis, an expedition cruise company specializing in trips to Patagonia and Cape Horn.

Stellar! The 'Stella Maris.'

But Cruceros Australis is minuscule in comparison. It is comprised of the Via Australis (built in 2005, carrying 136 passengers in 64 comfortable cabins) and the Stella Australis (built in 2010, carrying up to 210 passengers in 100 cabins). Both ships explore Chile while sailing through the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel uncovering the magic of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.

Picture Window

The cruises – or explorations, rather – allow travelers to uncover the mysteries of magic lands, oceans, glaciers and fjords in luxury, with fine dining, gorgeous cabins, unparalleled views, excellent guides, and guest lecturers. Zodiac inflatable boats on board enable travelers to explore secret, breathtakingly beautiful places larger boats cannot get to, all the while accompanied by expert guides who will show them things no one on a large cruise boat will ever discover.

View not Optional.

Most Cruceros cruises begin or end in the world’s southernmost city, Ushuaia in Argentina, or in Punta Arenas, Chile. Itineraries range from 3 nights to 7 nights. On the 4-night Ushuaia-Punta Arenas route, passengers go all the way south to Cape Horn and then back north past the Beagle Channel, the Garibaldi Glacier, and the Darwin Range.

From Ushuaia to Punta Arenas

One of the first things passengers are told on boarding is this: “Our Patagonia cruises are meant to be enjoyable, but we must not forget about the environment doing so. In order to transmit this ideology, (we) explain what must be done to prevent these virgin territories from being contaminated.”

Time on Land

Cruceros Australis says it respects the lands and ocean its boats explore and is sensitive to the balance between human activities and nature. In order to produce minimum impact in the places they visit, the ships adhere strictly to national and international covenants on environmental care, conservation and protection of the local culture and its nature. A pact was signed with the Center for Quaternary Studies Fuego-Patagonia and Antarctica, which works with Chile’s Universidad de Magallanes, for the development of top-level sustainable scientific tourism. The agreement also calls for Cruceros Australis’s contribution to the center of photos of glaciers, marine and land mammals, as well as measurements of water temperature in zones of glaciers for scientific analysis.

Cruceros Australis is very aware of this pristine environment and utmost care is taken to preserve it, from not throwing anything (including used batteries and cigarette butts) overboard to not laundering barely used towels to keeping waste in the kitchen separated so not to form toxic gases. Mass tourism is avoided, excursions are guided by trained expedition leaders, and only marked paths are used to allow recovery of trails and sites.

Lately some wooden walkways have been built in the most delicate areas, which would take dozens of years to recover. Monitoring systems are in place to contribute to research. Travelers are educated through a series of lectures prior to each anchor, and there are manuals and brochures in each cabin. Even 4-stroke engines are used on the Zodiacs because they are quieter less polluting than 1- or 2-strokes.

Whale Life, Very Far South

Filed Under: Argentina, Carbon Footprint, Chile, Conservation, Cruceros Australis, Education, Features, Good Stuff, People, South America Tagged With: beagle channel, cruise, expert, scientific travel, strait of magellan

Jicaro Island Ecolodge, Nicaragua

April 14, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Afloat at Jicaro

Started by London businesswoman Karen Emanuel after she saw a sign ‘Island for Sale’ when she was visiting Nicaragua in 2007 – and then she bought it! – Jicaro is barely a year old and is already attracting praise and awards. Located not far from the ocean on a private island in Lake Nicaragua, its 9 casitas that look across the water to Mombacho volcano are all extremely private but only a short walk from the pool, the wellness center, and the main facilities.

Casita on the Water

Each casita has two levels, with the large bedroom above, and both floors have spacious decks to take in the views. The restaurant’s menu has plenty of options and prides itself on the selection of fresh fish from the lake and the sea, local vegetables and fruit, and locally raised chicken and beef. Besides yoga sessions and a variety of massage and wellness treatments, Jicaro offers tours to the historic Zapatera island and the volcano, hikes, and boating.

An interesting aside: Guests can learn about local foods’ history, uses, and the different ways it can be prepared. Papayas, for instance, can be turned into juice, jam, pickled sauce, or a salad with feta cheese. Eat up!

HURRICANE REPAIR

Jicaro couldn’t do better than to take its sustainability lead from Costa Rica, which is exactly what it did. The team in charge of managing Jicaro has a decade-long track record in the field.

Built entirely from timber reclaimed from trees blown down by 2007’s Hurricane Felix, the buildings and furniture are made of tropical hardwoods which have a controlled wood certification. This the lodge did in conjunction with Simplemente Madera, designers and builders of both furniture and buildings in Jicaro that were already supporting sustainable forestry with the indigenous communities in the hurricane-affected areas before the devastation.

Healthy Body in a Healthy Lodge

Though still in its early stages, Jicaro is developing a program to work with local schools, focusing on environmental education, providing supplies and materials, and building infrastructure. To start with, they will work with three schools and just over 200 children, all under the age of 12.

From August through December, the Learning is Change program will, for two hours a week, use art, music, drama, and multimedia in order to expand the children’s approach to learning. Subjects to be taught with a combination of textbooks, hands-on activities, games, and field trips will include conservation, climate change, flora and fauna of the Nicaragua Lake, and sustainability. In order to achieve this, Jicaro is working with, as well as training, one of the female community leaders and four young adults from the local islands.

Three times a year Jicaro, in coordination with World Vision, will give financial aid – infrastructure, supplies, and materials – where they are most needed in the three schools.

Starting in July, all employees will be take 6-hour courses that cover biodiversity, water, climate change, and sustainability. Each month after that there will be a field trip, homework activity, and a relevant guest speaker.

Recycling in Nicaragua is not as widespread as in Costa Rica, but last month saw the introduction of the employee recycling program. Though it is voluntary, each employee is strongly encouraged to separate their garbage at home and then bring it to the hotel, which will dispose of it with the hotel’s recyclables.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“It is part of our goal to have sustainability streamlined into the lives of the people that work for us. We feel that exposing them thoroughly to the issues, making it fun and creative, will awaken a passion of some sort in them and motivate them to start making changes in their lives.”

Filed Under: Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Jicaro Island Ecolodge, Nicaragua, People, Restoration & Repurposing, Women Tagged With: cayuga, Costa Rica, forest, yoga

Mayakoba – The New Wave Riviera

March 15, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

The Heart of Mayakoba

Mayakoba is an anomaly. An area smack in the middle of the Mayan Riviera, it is almost the antithesis of everything the resort-laden Mexican coast has become known (and is often criticized) for. Though three of the world’s best-name hotels are on the property – Banyan Tree, Fairmont, and Rosewood – they are, untypically, not skyscrapers, rarely have a view of the ocean, and have been created with the utmost care for the environment. “In nature but sophisticated,” one of the developers called it.

Canal Transport is an Electric Boat

When the Spanish company OHL began planning the 640-acre Mayakoba in the late ‘90s, it first spent a number of years studying the ecosystem of the region, halfway between Cancún and Tulúm, with a view to making as little impact as possible. Now Mayakoba is starting to become a beacon for sustainability in Latin America – it is the act to follow.

While other Mexican resort hotels in the Yucatan Peninsula often tear out the mangrove and destroy the coastal dunes in order to build right on the beach, Mayakoba did not. A network of canals were created using the underground water arteries, which gave access to the sea but also meant that many of the hotel buildings would have to be built virtually out of sight of the ocean. When the land was ready, the first (and what would become the largest) hotel, the 401-room Fairmont, opened in 2006. The 132-villa Banyan Tree opened in 2009. Mayakoba has made provision for six hotels, although only five will be allowed.

El Camaleon Golf Course

Today a third of Mayakoba’s undeveloped land is mangrove, ten percent is coastal dune (much of which has had to be revived after the double whammy of the hurricanes of 2005 and 2007), and the remainder is jungle. When the resort’s PGA-ranked golf course was created, it was done in such a way that not a drop of irrigation water could reach the subterranean rivers below them, and a type of grass was used that needs little fertilizer or chemicals and can be irrigated with salt water.

Mangrove Wildlife

The thirty or so species of fish, birds, and vertebrates in the area before Mayakoba’s creation have since increased some tenfold. No fishing is allowed on the property. Five on-site biologists led by Luis Ortiz keep an eye on everything from the quality of the water in the canals and the importation of exotic plants species – Banyan Tree, the Asia-based hotel group whose first hotel this is in the Americas, was refused permission to bring in its typical foliage – to rescuing injured wild animals and abandoned dogs and cats (something the Yucatan Peninsula is infamous for). Each hotel also has environmental officers.

Suite Life at the Mayakoba Rosewood

Perhaps some of Mayakoba’s most significant contributions have been to the local communities. This being the area where chewing gum originally came from, locals are assisted in revitalizing the tree-gum industry, as well as that of the stingless Mayan honey bee. Both honey and chewing gum are sold at the Banyan Tree, and the profits go to the communities. The other two hotels have their own social programs. The 2010 PGA tournament at the Mayakoba golf course collected one million dollars for local charities, and one day a month the course is open to anyone to come in for a lesson and a free meal.

The Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Filed Under: Conservation, Features, Good Stuff, Mayakoba, Mexico, News, People Tagged With: banyan tree, coastal dune, fairmount, golf, mangrove, ohl, rosewood

The Proof is in the Shades

March 7, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

100 Percent Proof

The Dame brothers in Eagle, Idaho, are steeped in the history of wood. Their grandfather started a sawmill 60 years ago, their father runs the business today, and in 2010 the three siblings decided to take wood on a whole new trajectory – sunglasses – and the product is very cool, very hip, very good for everyone involved, and very worthwhile to have on your next journey.

The company is Proof, which has shown in a short time that you don’t have to forsake your conscience to be sexy or profitable. The sunglasses have already found their way into celebrity circles, but they also have helped thousands of poor people see. A portion of every sunglasses sale goes to the Aravind eye clinic in India.

Aravind began in 1976 with an 11-bed hospital and now has 4,000 beds in seven hospitals, mostly in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Helped initially by an American social entrepreneur, Aravind is run like a market-driven business, where the operations paid for by the wealthy subsidize the operations on the poor.

The clinic today repairs the eyesight of some 300,000 people a year, and most of those operations are done for free. Proof is going to build one of the first rural clinics in India that will be used for screenings and eyewear fittings.

“Its pretty exciting for us,” says Proof founder Brooks Dane.

The Dame Brothers on TV

According to Proof’s website: “There are countless people in need in third world countries, and a little bit of help can go a long way in restoring sight to thousands.” When it first started, Proof contributed to other organizations too, but it found that it didn’t know where the money was going.

Eco, Skate, Take Your Pick

Says Brooks, “Today we focus strictly on Aravind, which has been a good move for us as they are a good partner and we can physically see the fruits of our partnership. Funds aren’t going into anyone’s pockets.”

As for the sunglasses themselves, Proof uses woods from all over the world that are only from managed forests, no illegally harvested timber. Its bamboo is “panda-friendly,” meaning that it never uses the younger bamboo that is more tender and favored by pandas. Its ECO collection, meanwhile, uses plastic that is plant-based and biodegradable, not oil-based. And it’s skate collection is made of, well, old skateboards.

Proof sunglasses are sold all over the world, so check for a store near you.

Filed Under: Apparel Different, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Features, Good Stuff, Health, Hot Stuff, Idaho, People, Proof Sunglasses, Restoration & Repurposing, United States Tagged With: aravind eye clinic, biodegradable, brooks dame, idaho, proof eyewear, skateboard, sunglasses, timber

Sundance Resort, Utah

March 1, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

6,000 Acres of Sundance ...

In 1969, after making “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” Robert Redford bought what was then called Timphaven from the Stewarts, a family of Scottish immigrants who had settled the canyon in the early 20^th century. When he bought the the 6,000-acre property at the base of 12000-foot Mt. Timpanogos, it had a local ski resort with a chair lift, a rope tow and a burger joint. That’s it.

... and in Winter

Rejecting advice from New York investors to fill the canyon with hotels and condominiums, Redford saw his newly acquired land as an ideal locale for environmental conservation and artistic experimentation. The result is the Sundance Resort.

The Foundry Grill

The resort might be too big for some – with the range of accommodations running the gamut from studios to suites to various sets of cottages – but it is, after all, a resort. The nearly 100 rooms are done, as one upmarket travel site noted, to make the resort “part eco-lodge, part artists’ community, which is not just ethically correct but also quite aesthetically satisfying.” The rooms are “understated,” with a “handcrafted quality” and cottages are “immersed in the landscape.”

On the property, which lies northwest of Provo and southwest of Salt Lake City, is great skiing in winter but lots of summer activity too, hiking and biking in an actively preserved landscape.

The Sundance Preserve is dedicated to maintaining the balance of art, nature, and community, as well as to the cultivation of independent, innovative thought among artists, scholars, scientists, public policy, and business leaders. Located within the protected splendor of its own lands, it is the mission of the Sundance Preserve to inspire action for the benefit of civil society.

The Film Festival is in January

MOVIES, MOVIES

The Sundance Institute, started in 1981 to promote independent film, has grown too big for the resort, but the Sundance Film Festival takes place each January in nearby Park City, and certain institute programs still take place at the resort.

Sundance has a longstanding history of green policies, dating back to the property’s original purchase. The staff carry out ongoing projects each year aimed at restoring the mountain to its natural state by working to eliminate noxious weeds on the mountain, laying erosion blankets and restoring vegetation where seasonal land use has altered the terrain.

Wood and Fire, Cabin

The resort buys 226,264 kilowatt hours of wind-generated electricity each month, or 2,715,170 kilowatt hours annually, representing 100 percent of the resort’s total electricity use.

All departments at the resort buy environmentally responsible products. The General Store purchases recycled cotton grocery bags, organic cotton T-shirts and housewares made from natural and recycled materials. The restaurant and catering teams use organic produce and products, as well as chlorine-free products such as paper cups and coffee filters. Sundance’s in-room amenities feature Sprout Out, a collection showcasing the Gilchrist & Soames Naturally Kind Formulations combined with certified organic extracts of rooibos, cardamom seed, yarrow, and ginseng to gently care for skin and hair, as well as Sundance’s own organic soaps made in the Art Studio. Guests can participate in a linen re-use program, as well as other energy-saving programs.

Cabin Cozy

Sundance also has a glass kiln, since disposal of glass in Utah has its own challenges. Artists in residence from Tlaquepaque, Mexico, break down bottles, which are then transformed into decorative art and housewares used around the property.

The resort offers a carpooling incentive for ski guests. Carpools arriving with four or more skiers/snowboarders receive $5 off each lift pass when four or more are purchased.

Filed Under: Art, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, People, Sundance Resort, United States Tagged With: film, glass, movie, park city, robert redford, skiing, Utah, windpower

UXUA Casa Hotel, Brazil

September 27, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

The Ze e Zilda Suite

In the remote village of Tracosco on the lush southeastern coast of Bahia, you’ll find the unique UXUA Casa Hotel. Conceived by Dutch-born Wilbert Das (fashion designer and longtime creative director for Diesel, the hip clothing line), the gorgeously bright and airy hotel took over two years to build using recycled materials in this tribute to the area Das loves so much.

Casa Seu Pedrinho do Quadrado

Six of the nine 1- to 3-bedroom casas or cottages (three are restored fishermen homes) are scattered around beautiful gardens, while the remaining three face the town square. Some are equipped with plunge pools, some with a Jacuzzi, and others nestle in the gardens and on terraces. Each casa has an open living room and a full kitchen where local chefs will help the culinary-adventurous create local Bahian feasts in their own casa. Meals are also served in the restaurant, at the pool, are delivered to your casa or can be taken at the beach just five minutes away. On the sand there’s a scenic lounge whose bar and kitchen were created out of an abandoned fishing boat that washed up on shore.

The Aventurine Quartz Pool

The swimming pool was made by a local, self-taught “mosaicist,” who used over 40,000 unique green aventurine quartz pebbles, well known in this part of the world to be especially healing. There’s also a spa where, in addition to acupuncture, massages, yoga, and Pilates, you can take private classes in capoeira and forro dancing, which is extremely popular at most of the social activities in the village.

There’s plenty to do if lying on endless beaches is not your thing: trek, horseback ride, snorkel, dive, canoe, play tennis, visit the nearby Indian reserve Barra Velha, a national park that 500 Pataxo tribe families call home … or join a local soccer team in the square!

To build the lodge, Das recruited local craftsmen to construct eight individual, traditional casas and one treehouse using recycled and organic materials wherever possible, while applying the local building customs to create a lodge that fits into its surroundings. Almost everything was carved by hand, which includes some unique touches in the bathrooms that are made out of fallen trees. Hardwood roof tiles were restored from old farmhouses, local ceramics cover the floors, and recycled woods and irons make up the bathrooms to create the rustic ambiance.

Casa Quintal da Gloria

UXUA has also roped in an area containing native vegetation and mangroves. The lodge owners have partnered up with the local administration and have taken responsibility for keeping the mangroves and the beach clean.

The Spa

IN BAHIA

Bahia has high levels of illiteracy, and training for luxury hospitality services is uncommon. Das wanted to employ locals so, two years before the hotel opened, he began a ‘hotel school’ on the property, where locals were given hospitality training by professionals from international hotel schools. In addition, all personnel who had not finished high school were put into classes to complete their diplomas, and those staff who lacked basic literacy skills were given one-on-one instruction. Every one of the present staff of 45 has either finished high school or is in the hotel’s program to get a diploma. Three of those who got diplomas are now taking university courses in a neighboring town, with tuition and transportation provided by UXUA.

Medical benefits are provided to all staff, something extremely unusual for Bahia. They are also guaranteed employment year-round, also rare in this part of the world, where staff are hired seasonally. The hotel pays the salary of the local professor of capoeira, which guarantees that the town’s children and teenagers can practice this sport even if they can’t afford to pay for the classes.

Produce for the magnificent Brazilian fare served in the hotel is sourced locally.

Filed Under: Brazil, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Health, People, Restoration & Repurposing, UXUA Casa Hotel Tagged With: bahia, capoeira, mangrove, pataxo, quartz, recycled

Vamizi Island Lodge, Mozambique

August 16, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Coming Ashore

Vamizi Island is part of the idyllic Quirimbas Archipelago, in the far northern extreme of Mozambique. Opened in 2005, Vamizi Island Lodge is a collection of 13 one- or two-bedroom timber villas strung loosely along one of the world’s most beautiful beaches on a slender coral island just off a remote coastline.

Villa by Night

With this being the only lodge on the island – it’s just 12 kms long and 1 km wide – think exclusive. Each villa overlooks the beaches and the full ocean views. In addition, there are three 5-bedroom villas, each with a plunge pool. (Plans are afoot to build two more for private investors.) Actor Daniel Craig recently left a note on the island saying that a piece of his heart remained here.

And no wonder. For water lovers, this is the place to head, with some of the best diving, snorkeling, swimming and fishing in the world.

Say Aaaahhh

The waters teem with a bewildering array of sea life, with over 400 species of fish alone – from whales, dolphins, turtles and reef sharks to some 46 types of coral and giant clams. There are also giant coconut crabs (whose claws can crush anything from cell phones to coconuts), samango monkeys and 112 species of birds.

CONSERVATOR’S ISLAND

The entire Vamizi Island is a conservation project. It is supported by a group of idealists whose dream was to have tourism work for nature. Over a decade ago, they believed this undeveloped and unprotected area to be of huge natural significance as a marine nursery and sanctuary for the whole Mozambican coast. There is a strict no-fishing area within 3 kms of the beach at Vamizi.

Breakfast, anyone?

The Vamizi Island Project (previously the Maluane Project) and the WWF Partnership combine tourism with wildlife conservation and community development to protect this unspoilt area. The Vamizi Island project has recently finished building a clinic and a school on the island for local families. Three villages on the eastern tip of the island make up the island’s 1,500 population, many of whom fled here from the 1990s civil war on the mainland.

The lodge owners believe education is key, and a range of educational programs have been put in place that include environmental programs for staff and schoolchildren.

A women’s association formed in 2005 is involved in a number of projects – handicrafts, dancing, theatre, agriculture and the supply of regional produce for the lodge. Local supply groups have also been formed to help source regional products and to ensure that any future investment stays on the island which helps further development. There policy is, where possible, to employ people from Vamizi or neighboring coastal villages.

Vamizi Island also has a permanent conservation team, under the supervision of the WWF Vamizi Project, that supports conservation activities, such as turtle monitoring. Vamizi’s turtles have eight full-time rangers and a marine biologist looking after them. They protect nests, nurture hatchlings, spread the turtle news through the local community, and encourage the island’s guests to get involved.

(Photos, Vamizi)

Filed Under: Africa, Anti-Poaching, Conservation, Education, Features, G-M, Good Stuff, Mozambique, People, Vamizi Island Lodge, Women Tagged With: agriculture, diving, querimbas, snorkeling, wwf

Arkaba Station, Australia

July 20, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Looking out onto the gorgeous Elder Range, at the top end of South Australia, Arkaba is a 5-bedroom heritage homestead dating back to 1851. It’s colorful history alone could be turned into a 1,000-page novel or a PBS Masterpiece Theater series!

An Arkaba View

A classic Flinders building, Arkaba’s en-suite rooms, four in the homestead and one in the Coachman’s Cottage, have thick stone walls, deep shaded verandahs and corrugated-iron roofing. Mornings find you amid amazing pink sunrises over the Elder Range and the chatter of galahs along the red-gum-lined creek.

The homestead is available on an exclusive basis. There’s an open bar, a cellar of premium South Australian wines from which to choose your dinner selections, and the homestead cook prepares contemporary, traditional station cuisine with native elements.

A certain amount of the property still operates as a sheep station (shearing happens in August, when local shearers gather to perform the task, each one clipping up to 100 sheep in a day). Guided 4-wheel drives, mountain biking and walking are the activities that best showcase some of Australia’s most breathtaking scenery. Arkaba is also home to an extraordinary variety of birdlife and wildlife. And it’s what they are doing to preserve this and bring back what used to be here that makes this place especially interesting.

It’s just a five- to six-hour drive through some of Australia’s best outback, passing small towns along the way with interesting shops and colorful locals. Or it’s a one-hour flight from Adelaide.

60,000 ACRES

Wild Bush Luxury bought Arkaba’s 60,000-acre property in 2009 from Lizzie and Dean Rasheed, who had already taken extensive measures to improve the land by reducing stock numbers and destroying rabbit warrens. Since then, Wild Bush Luxury has worked towards creating a wildlife sanctuary, with a program that includes removing two-thirds of the property from sheep grazing to allow the regeneration of native grasses and wildflowers.

A comprehensive feral animal reduction program, in conjunction with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, has eradicated over 600 goats, while Arkaba’s own extended program has eradicated foxes and feral cats. These animals are said to destroy vegetation and compete with native animals for food and water, while foxes and cats kill large numbers of native animals. The extermination is difficult for some people to accept, but it is important to note that the feral cat population in Australia is between 12 and 19 million animals. It is estimated that feral cats kill two million native animals each day in the northern one-sixth of the continent.

Dining on the Prairie

Arkaba uses some of the latest infrared cameras to detect evidence of feral animals, enabling targeted trapping. Brendon Bevan, Arkaba’s manager, has considerable experience with conservation programs in Africa and brings his skills and passion to Australia’s environment.

Since it started its program of vegetation regenerating, Arkaba’s landscape is in much better condition than many other properties in the surrounding area, and the populations of kangaroos, reptiles, and birds are on the rise.

Filed Under: Arkaba Station, Australia, Conservation, Good Stuff Tagged With: exclusive, feral animal, flinders range, sheep

Bird Island, Seychelles

July 11, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Bird Island is a coral cay of 70 hectares surrounded by five kilometers of beach and is the most northerly island of the Seychelles archipelago, situated 100 kilometers north of the capital Mahé.

Bird Island Lodge, opened in 1973 by Guy Savy and his wife Marie-France, is the island’s only ‘hotel’ (24 individual, comfortable chalets) andprides itself on not being obsessed with rating five stars. Each chalet has a king-size bed, large shower room and separate toilet, lounge corner and spacious patio overlooking the gardens to the sea. Apart from guests and staff, there are no other human inhabitants.

Inside One of the Chalets

OUT OF THIS WORLD

Bird Island is arguably one of the best conservation areas in the world – certainly one of the earliest – and today the birds are not even scared of humans. With the eradication of everything foreign, including rats, rabbits, and all alien plantlife, the sooty tern breeding area has increased from 18,000 pairs in the 1960s to over a million pairs today, making it one of the largest colonies in the world.

Hatchlings Head Seaward

The cessation of turtle harvesting on the island has led to healthy populations of Green and Hawksbill turtles and is part of a larger turtle-monitoring program in the Seychelles (as are its bird-monitoring programs). In 2002-3, Hawksbill Turtles made over 150 nests and about 20,000 baby turtles made it to the sea.

A Pair of Angel Terns

Ground-nesting birds are so comfortable here that many species of noddy and other tropical birds have returned in huge numbers since the Savy family moved here in 1967. The island has actively supported research of aspects of its bird and plant life. Bird Island has also set up a weather station providing regular information to the Seychelles meteorological office. Upon arrival, guests are immediately given a talk about the island and told to take everything they brought with them when they leave, including any trash they have made. The island has a dedicated conservation officer, who also encourages visitors to get involved.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“There are no pretensions here. We are very clear about what we offer, and what you will not find on Bird. No televisions in the rooms, no air conditioning, no telephones in the rooms, no swimming pool, and no intrusive service.”

Filed Under: Africa, Bird Island, Conservation, Features, Good Stuff, Lodge of the Week, Seychelles Tagged With: birds, sooty terns, turtles

Adrère Amellal, Egypt

July 8, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Siwa Oasis, located about 70 kilometers east of the Libyan border, has been inhabited since 10,000 BC but was re-created just a few years ago by Environmental Quality International, an environmental consulting company. EQI’s president, Mounir Neamtalla, first visited in 1996 and was so inspired by the beauty and spirituality of this remote corner of Egypt he expanded EQI’s advisory services to include direct investments in sustainable development – and so Siwa was reborn.

Steeped in history, it is renowned for being the site of the Oracle of Amon, whom Alexander the Great consulted. Visiting Siwa today you will find it very much the same as Alexander did, featuring majestic rock formations, luxuriant groves and dazzling salt lakes throughout the oasis.

Pool at Adrère Amellal

The Siwa Sustainable Development Initiative includes three different accommodations, ranging in price from $45 to $330 per night. The most luxurious, Adrère Amellal, is 20 minutes outside of Siwa and has 40 en-suite rooms overlooking Lake Siwa and is nestled at the foot of the White Mountain cliffs. Built with indigenous material using traditional Siwan building techniques, the lodge has a minimal impact on the environment. There is no electricity, rooms are lit with beeswax candles. the stars light up the nights, and the swimming pool is fed by local springs.

Shali Lodge, set in the middle of a lush palm grove in the heart of Siwa, is built of rock salt in the traditional architectural style. It has 20 charming suites that are simply but luxuriously furnished, all overlooking an internal courtyard.

Albabenshal is located, quite spectacularly, outside the jagged ruins of Old Shali, a 13th-century citadel in the center of Siwa. A restoration of what were once rundown Siwan dwellings, Albabenshal has 13 rooms on three levels, linked through a system of alleyways and terraces overlooking the town center.

HOT COUTURE

The Siwa Sustainable Development Initiative has brought significant benefits to the local community, while protecting Siwa’s delicate ecology and revitalizing its unique cultural heritage. It has renewed Siwans’ pride in their cultural heritage, creating a wave of building in the Siwan traditional architectural style and has resulted in a decree by the governor of Matruh that all new constructions be built in the traditional style.

Siwan Woman Doing Embroidery

Most importantly, the initiative has created environmentally and culturally sustainable employment and income-generating opportunities that draw on local materials and expertise. At least 600 Siwans are employed in areas such as the supply of raw materials, production of furniture and handicrafts, transport of goods and workers, and as tour operators.

In partnership with the International Finance Corporation, EQI is working to develop Siwa into a center of excellence for the production of organically grown produce and agro-culinary products, while improving the standard of living of Siwan farmers. The project, which hopes to benefit up to 450 farmers and 50 off-farm workers, aims to add value to Siwan agricultural produce by promoting the adoption of organic farming and farm management systems that are compatible with international certifications. There are crop-prefinancing and cattle-financing schemes, a renewable energy initiative, and a packaging warehouse.

In August 2001, EQI launched a cottage industry aimed at revitalizing Siwa’s traditional handicrafts and promoting a culture of artisanship among women in the oasis. An initial grant from the British embassy went towards upgrading the embroidery skills of 50 Siwan women to ensure workmanship of the highest standard. The project allows women to work from home or in an all-women setting, in keeping with Siwan tradition. Within a year, the number of women participating in the project had reached 300. Siwa Creations has worked with several haute couture companies in Italy, including Ermanno Scervino and Nia Ferrante.

(Hotel View and Creations photos by Khaled Nagy.)

Filed Under: Adrère Amellal, Africa, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Egypt, Features, Good Stuff, Lodge of the Week, People, Women Tagged With: architecture, artisans, embroidery, handicrafts, organic, siwa, women