Experienced that overwhelming feeling of holiday stress yet? You know, the one that hits you the second you see Christmas displays at your local grocery store not even a few seconds after the Halloween candy has been moved to the discount shelf?

The holiday season is full of an array of wonderful things: good food, family, friends, candles, kitchens filled with the smell of baking, the potential for snow, vacation – the list goes on. But there’s also the consumer-induced stress that’s indicative of the season, and even if you yourself have given up the tradition of conventional presents and gifting, getting away from the onslaught of “buy buy buy” can be difficult. Sometimes downright impossible.

That’s why it’s refreshing to see all those holiday initiatives that are focused on something bigger. Taking the spirit of the season and getting people really excited about doing something good instead of stressing over when and where they’re going to pick up last minute presents. Passports With Purpose (PWP) is making that happen with social media.

Started as a way to rally the power of travel bloggers – who all believe in the “power of travel to change the world” – PWP has evolved into a major social media giving campaign, involving not only bloggers, but online travel companies and corporate sponsors. The money all goes to a selected non-profit, this year, LAFTI, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of the Dalit (untouchable) population in India.

“As bloggers, travel or otherwise, we seem to live in a bubble – sitting behind our computers as we talk AT the world. Passports with Purpose allows for engagement between the other participants, the companies that have donated items for prizes and our readers, who are thrilled to be part of such an effort. And we can feel oh-so-good in the process,” says co-founder Beth Whitman.

The initiative, in its third year, is simple: bloggers host a prize on their site, and a $10 donation gets you a raffle ticket to enter to win the prize of your choice. That makes giving not only simple, but doable.

“Personally, I like the idea that instead of spending ten bucks on a stocking stuffers, you can make a ten dollar donation. Maybe it’s a ten dollar donation, that’s all it is, and it goes towards our beneficiary this year. But it could also be a ten dollar donation AND a luxe hotel stay or some cool gear or any number of great things. Maybe we mitigate some of that mad frenzy of holiday shopping stress by tying the funds to a significant cause,” says co-founder Pam Mandel.

As of the end of November, PWP has already raised $41,000, putting them even closer to their ultimate goal of $50,000.

To find out more and make a donation, visit the PWP website.

Image: mckaysavage

The post Holiday Good: Passports With Purpose Uses Social Media to Help Build a Village in India appeared first on EcoSalon.

This train is bound for a greener planet. The brainchild of Bob Wolf of We Are the World Radio Simulcast fame, the Green Train will depart from Portland in April and pass through various parts of the country during a six-week whistle stop tour featuring musicians, actors, writers and artists. The final stop is Washington D.C. where it will spread the message: Drop your political and religious differences and “dig in” by volunteering for Mother Earth.

“The Green Train is an old fashioned way to deliver a new and simple message,” says Wolf, who personally phoned radio stations and TV networks across the globe to ask that they play We Are the World. “This will be a world’s fair themed train carrying exhibits and simple solutions to living green in a modern world.”

The train’s 20-plus cars and two flatbed acoustical stages will make its way across the map powered by biodiesel and solar energy during the 28-state tour through the West Coast, the Midwest and South before winding up in the East. A European trek is planned for 2011.

We re told all the names of performers will be released soon, but we already know Merle Haggard is on board.

Can they make green inroads by taking their art on the road? Organizers banding the talent together argue if only two percent of the population of the world got involved, there would be more than 130 million simultaneous positive acts and environmental projects for improving our world. This would show our children how people can have a positive impact on the planet.

“It’s not rocket science, just re-educating ourselves and finally realizing there is a major problem and it’s time to fix it,” they say.

Want to get on board by hopping on the train and riding or helping behind the scenes? Go to the site and learn more about the mission.

Images: Green Train Global

The post Trained Musicians Bound for Greener Pastures on 28-State Tour appeared first on EcoSalon.

The money will be sent directly to Caribbean Craft, an organization set up to employ and give assistance to the talented crafts people who produce some of VivaTerra’s most loved products from a fair-trade workshop in Port-au-Prince. These original crafts include uplifting holiday angels to papier mache birds and oil drum tree-of-life sculptures.

“At VivaTerra, our first instinct has been to do whatever we can to help in the wake of one of the worst conceivable tragedies in memory,” says Bonnie Trust Dahan, a founding partner of the company. “The terrible devastation has struck close to home and we’ve learned form preliminary reports that it claimed the lives of at least four of the artisans in [our] workshops, as well as their families.”

The materials they employ in their designs – recycled newspapers, discarded oil drums and emptied cement bags – help fulfill VivaTerra’s mission of reducing waste and reusing our abundant resources to heal the planet. That mission began when the company was founded in 2004 with the commitment to encourage local artisans with a retail site and product catalog that would provide an audience for their imaginative handmade creations. Haiti is among the several countries worldwide where VivaTerra has formed bonds with local artisan workshops where a future of hope comes in the form of the fair trade industry.

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There’s nothing more serene than walking the beach with your children on a lovely day, picking up shells and digging holes in the sand. The flip side of the coin (or sand dollar in this case) is combing the shore for trash, something I did with another mom and three 4th graders as part of a school community service project.

It is downright shocking so many visitors to Ocean Beach in San Francisco in the year 2009 litter without a conscience, discarding their plastic ice coffee drink cups and paper napkins in the spot where they had spread their blankets to take in the natural beauty. They are leaving behind a carbon footprint in the sand.

As it turns out, the grassroots non-profit organization Surfrider Foundation regularly recruits volunteers for beach cleanups at Ocean Beach and elsewhere, including today, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. President-Elect Barack Obama and our future First Lady Michelle Obama have called for a national day of service. The organization’s San Francisco chapter of 1,200 members installed bio-bag dispensers in several locations of Ocean Beach last year to remind beach-goers to remove their dog waste and other trash.

Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide. Those members include surfers, environmentalists and fishermen looking to make a difference. It can be challenging at locations like Ocean Beach with 5 miles of shoreline and as many as 10,000 visitors daily on weekends.

That’s why early education is a big part of the process. The watch-wave group sponsors programs like Repect the Beach (RTB) to teach children coastal ecology through field trips, classroom lectures, videos and hand-on projects, conveying ocean environmentalism from the surfer’s perspective.

That perspective is clear in the organization’s Beach Manifesto, which addresses water quality and beach erosion, in addition to the need for cities with public beaches to provide adequate restrooms (Ocean Beach is clearly lacking this), and other amenities. The goal is to have these principles adopted by all levels of government.

Surfrider Beach Manifesto

• Beach access would be free and uninterrupted. You could get to the beach to check the surf or stick your toes in the sand at least every half-mile in urban areas. There would be adequate parking, restrooms, and other amenities. Money would be budgeted for the acquisition of coastal open space.
• You could surf or swim after it rains without the fear of getting sick, or at least know where it’s safe because a notice would be posted if the water quality were bad. You would know the locations of storm drains and sewer outfalls.
• Sand would flow freely to form surf breaks and beaches, and not be captured by dams, blocked by groins, or walled up behind seawalls. People would live far enough away from the shoreline that beach erosion would not be a problem. Beaches would be where and what they were naturally meant to be. As a result, we would not need to rely on beach fill and we would not need shoreline structures. It would be widely appreciated that beach ecology is as important as the ecology of the oceans. Sandy beaches would be recognized as diverse and productive systems, which serve as a critical link between marine and terrestrial environments.
• There would be no net loss of surfing areas, and all coastal recreation opportunities would be protected.
• Advances in technology would be used to make information readily available to the public, government officials, and scientists alike. Information would be presented in a way that is easily understood. All of us, not just a select few, would be able to participate in the decision-making process regarding our precious coastal resources.
• Beach access sites would be inventoried, surf zone water quality monitored, and beach erosion measured. Keeping track of these things would help to ensure that our Mother Ocean’s bounty is preserved for future generations.

Find out how to host or volunteer for a beach clean-up in your area. True, it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Image: ercwttmn

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Mmmm. I just finished a few cookies from the Immaculate Baking Company called Sweet Georgia Brownie Triple Chocolate Chunk, and boy, were they good. Known for their creative flavor combinations, like Key Largo Lime, Leapin’ Lemon and Pumpkin Gingerlies, all are made with natural ingredients, are 70% organic and are kosher.

Immaculate founder Scott Blackwell, also a folk art collector, decided to combine his love of food and art and created the Folk Artist’s Foundation to help deserving folk artists maintain the integrity of their lifestyle and the sincerity of their unique vision by providing encouragement, support (financial and otherwise) and exposure.

Blackwell also founded the Soul Food Fund “artreach” programs to inspire kids of all ages to stretch their imaginations. The fund provides artists with materials for their craft, contacts between artists, collectors, galleries, and museums, and holds events that unite folk artists with children of all backgrounds. Each bag and box of cookies features an original work of folk art and a short bio of the artist. Now there’s one cookie company we hope will never crumble!

The post Cookies with a Cause appeared first on EcoSalon.

We all know that buying fair trade items aids underprivileged communities across the world, but what exactly does this entail on the other side of the transaction? According to the basic standards enforced by the International Fair Trade Association, these organizations must:

Generate opportunities that will help producers who suffer from an economic disadvantage.

Exercise transparency and responsibility in areas of management and commercial affairs.

Work towards the independence of its producers.

Offer its producers reasonable pay.

Ensure that both genders are empowered.

Provide a healthy and safe setting for work.

Enforce the laws of child labor.

Utilize environmentally responsible materials and means of production.

Maintain reputable trade relations.

Promote the practice of fair trade.

For a more comprehensive understanding, visit IFAT.

Like the label “organic”, “fair trade” can be complicated, however. We’ll be exploring this issue further, so sign up for our RSS feed to stay in the know.

Image: James Jordan

The post What Is Fair Trade? appeared first on EcoSalon.

It takes the inhabitants of rural villages in Bolivian regions like Alto Plano or the Central Highlands two hours to walk to the nearest town. Because of this isolation, these people must rely on a craft that doesn’t require goods from distant urban areas. Fortunately, they have everything they need right at their fingertips.

These skilled artisans, members of the environmentally responsible organization Circle of the Sun, share the remote expanses with herds of Alpaca. The soft fur from these gentle mammals is the perfect material for weaving, as it is warmer than wool and hypoallergenic. Plus, with 22 natural shades to choose from, there’s no need for toxic dyes. (Although occasionally plant dyes are used, but those are eco and safe.) Stay warm this winter while supporting fair trade with the handmade Absolutely Alpaca scarf from Original Good.

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“Cut metal work represents the wealth of Croix des Bouquets. This is what has made the city famous,” he says. “This is what God gave me to live; I support my family, I am building a house and I am providing work for others.” You can find handmade candleholders and wall hangings from Augustin and other members of the Comite Artisanal Haitien at Ten Thousand Villages.

The post Jhonson Augustin: From Apprentice to Master Artisan appeared first on EcoSalon.

With over 1,000 artisans under its wing in 150 workshops around the globe today, it’s hard to believe that Mahaguthi’s Craft With a Conscience began with one man’s determination to help those in need.

Born to a middle class family in Nepal in 1896, Tulsi Mehar was never afraid to speak his mind, openly protesting the oppression of the caste system. The Rana Prime Minister considered these sentiments anti-national and banished Mehar from Nepal for life.

Discouraged but never defeated, he traveled to India, where he joined Mahatma Gandhi in the quest for social reform. Touched by Mehar’s devotion to his beliefs, Gandhi personally wrote to the Rana Prime Minister on his behalf. Granted permission to return, Mehar immediately began the spinning and weaving project known today as Mahaguthi. Current artisans craft anything from lamps to singing bowls to shawls to earrings.

The post Mahaguthi: Crafting Towards Social Reform appeared first on EcoSalon.

There’s trash on Mount Everest in Nepal and Machu Picchu in Peru is crumbling under the weight of 2,000 visitors a day. The Costa de Sol in Spain is paved over with concrete, while Cambodia has a full-time job shielding its children from sex tourists. It’s easy to despair when thinking about the effect of mass tourism on the planet.

But believe it or not, travel can also be a force for good even in some of the world’s most remote beauty spots. Gabon in West Africa is setting an example in how to do it right with Africa’s Last Eden in Loango National Park.

In this case, tourism is small scale, low-impact and directly funds conservation. As Rombout Swanborn, director of Loango National Park, says: “We will never have 20 Jeeps around a waterhole shining lights into animals’ eyes.”

Until recently, the country was not on the tourist radar at all but in 2002, Gabon’s forward-thinking president set aside 11% of his country as national park. With the ethos that “ecotourism pays for conservation,” the government started a small pilot tourism project in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society and a private investor. Loango National Park officially opened for tourists in 2007 and the park is also used as a base for scientific research.

Africa’s Last Eden recently won an award from the British Guild of Travel Writers so it won’t stay a secret for long. Guild member Sarah Monaghan, who nominated the project for the award, describes why it’s so special and how it benefits the local community.

“A mosaic of grassland, rivers, forest and mangroves, Loango offers a unique safari experience because the wildlife is so spectacularly varied – with whales, elephants, hippos, leopards, reptiles and primates galore,” Monaghan says. “Visitors are accommodated in the eco-friendly lodge and satellite tented camps and wildlife viewing is small-scale with pirogue trips, forest treks or savannah drives.”

She adds that 500 Gabonese live in the area and nearly 100 have gained employment in roles such as tourist guides. The local farmers sell produce to the lodge and their children study in a new school built by the park.

Gabon is a little tricky to get to but depending which tour you join, there are flights from Paris, Brussels, Zurich, Casablanca and Johannesburg. The tours aren’t cheap, but going on safari to Africa never is. If you’ve always dreamed about it, do it with a clear, green conscience. And where else would you see wild elephants and other large mammals on the beach?

Image via National Geographic

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