ECOTOURISM
Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is a form of tourism that appeals to the ecologically and socially conscious individuals. Generally speaking, ecotourism focuses on volunteering, personal growth, and learning new ways to live on the planet; typically involving travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions.
Responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment, and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, an integral part of ecotourism is in the promotion of recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation, and creation of economic opportunities for the local communities. [1]
Criteria
Ideally, ecotourism should satisfy several criteria[2][3], such as:
conservation of biological diversity and cultural diversity, through ecosystem protection
promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity, by providing jobs to local populations
sharing of socio-economic benefits with local communities and indigenous people by having their informed consent and participation in the management of ecotourism enterprises.
tourism to unspoiled natural resources, with minimal impact on the environment being a primary concern.
minimization of tourism's own environmental impact
affordability and lack of waste in the form of luxury
local culture, flora and fauna being the main attractions
For many countries, ecotourism is not simply a marginal activity to finance protection of the environment but as a major industry of the national economy. For example, in places such as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nepal, Kenya, Madagascar, and Antarctica, ecotourism represents a significant portion of the gross domestic product and economic activity.[4][5]
The concept of ecotourism is widely misunderstood, and in practice is often used as a marketing tool to promote tourism that is related to nature. Critics claim that ecotourism as practiced and abused often consists of placing a hotel in a splendid landscape, to the detriment of the ecosystem. According to them, ecotourism must above all sensitize people with the beauty and the fragility of nature. They condemn some operators as “greenwashing” their operations; using the label of “green-friendly”, while behaving in environmentally irresponsible ways.
Although academics disagree about who can be classified as an ecotourist[6] and there is precious little statistical data, some estimate that more than five million ecotourists - the majority of the ecotourist population - come from the United States, with others from Western Europe, Canada, and Australia.
Currently there are various moves to create national and international ecotourism accrediation programs[7], although the process is also controversial. Ecotourism certificates have been put in place in Costa Rica, although some critics have dismissed these programs as greenwashing.
History
Ecotourism, responsible tourism, and sustainable development have become prevalent concepts since the late 1980s, and ecotourism has experienced arguably the fastest growth of all sub-sectors in the tourism industry. The popularity represents a change in tourist perceptions, increased environmental awareness, and a desire to explore natural environments.[1] Such changes have become a statement affirming one's social identity, educational sophistication, and disposable income as it has about preserving the Amazon rainforest or the Caribbean reef for posterity.[6][8]
With its great potential for environmental protection, the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism" in 2002.
"kayngan man dit oyayo insakyat
bannanayo ut din gawis di kayo"
It means: "It's a pity the talent was picked up and flown by the songbird on top of the tree."
Earth Saving Tips
1. SEGREGATE. Avoid disposable products Do the 5 R’s (Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, Refuse, and Redeem for cash)
How of the stuff we throw can be recycled. Since the things you use are all made from materials that come from the Earth, they are valuable. Reduce the trash you throw everyday.
2. Pick up litter. It takes a month for a piece of paper to become part of the earth again. It takes a cloth a year. A softdrink can lying on the ground won’t disappear for over 200 years.
Help pick up litter that you see as you are walking.
3. Be a paper saver. An average person uses about 580 pounds of paper every year. It takes 500,000 tress just to make the newspapers we read every Sunday. But, we can save 200 million trees a year by recycling paper.
4. Use paper, not plastic. It takes a whole tree to make about 500 brown paper grocery bags, But plastic bags are worse because they can’t be recycled, and the plastic will never decompose. Ask for paper, not plastic, when checking out of grocery store.
5. No to Styrofoam. Styrofoam is permanent garbage! It CAN’T ever be part of the Earth again. Five hundred years from now someone might be digging in his backyard only to find a piece of Styrofoam caup you used last week.
6. Avoid or STOP using Styrofoam. If ever you eat at fast food restaurants, ask for paper cups or plates.
7. Grow a tree. Each tree you plant eats an average of 9 pounds of carbon dioxide each year from the atmosphere and changes it into oxygen. Trees are natural allies of humans in the battle for against global warming.
8. Lights out. Save expensive energy and unnecessary danger.
9. Be a water-leak detective. 97% of the water on our planet us unusable (sea water), another 2% is frozen, so the water we drink has to come from the remaining 1% - mostly ground water from beneath the Earth’s surface. When we turn on the faucet, fresh water flows out from the same reserves in the ground, from the same rivers and streams.
10. TURN-OFF the water. The average person use about 150 gallons of water everyday. Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth or washing dishes. Turn the faucet on just long enough to rinse your toothbrush or the dishes.
11. DON’t dump petroleum-based products and any other harmful toxins like paints, oil and gasoline on the ground. Be careful of what you spill on Earth.
12. Don’t let go of your ballons. Helium balloons, when released don’t banish into thin air. They are often blown by strong winds into the ocean. Sometimes sea creatures thinks balloons are food and eat them. These can kill them.
13. Talk to your parents, friends, family, schoolmates, teachers about what they can do to save mother earth.
14. Come up with your own way to save mother earth.
Practical Tips To Live-By
1. Live simply
2. Eat natural and fresh food
3. Consume less or not meat
4. Walk
5. Exercise regularly
6. Plant fruit trees to shade your school and home yard
7. Water plants in the morning
8. Do not burn leaves or cuttings from plants instead make a much pile
9. Do not throw garbage into rivers, lakes and seas
10. Avoid using styrofoams/plastics for eating utensils
11. Put products in recyclable containers
12. Recycle cans, newspapers and cardboard
13. Provide trashcans for biodegradable and non-biodegradable garbage
14. Compost food and yard debris
15. Do not use aerosol spray with CFCs
16. Turn off lights when not in use
17. Hang clothes in the sun
18. Use public transportation
19. Report smoke belching vehicles
20. Use rags instead of paper towels
21. Use both sides of paper sheets
22. For drafts and scratch – the empty backside of manuscripts
23. Make your own toys from ecology-friendly materials
24. Conserve water
25. Join environmental movement and share knowledge on care for the earth with family and friends.
Total Waste Management
It is a lifestyle not just a technology
In nature there is no garbage.
When there is human, there is garbage.
Garbage is the greatest failure of the human race.
Are we the garbage of the earth?
“If don’t do it now, who will do it for us.