If these photos don’t make you wanna quit your job and travel the world, we don’t know what will.

Asia’s diversity never fails to astound. Nowhere on Earth can you find a greater variety of cultures, languages, races, ethnicities, religions, climates, and geography. It’s mind-numbing.

These photos provide just a taste of what Asia has to offer. They’re also an important reminder of the need to protect what makes the world’s largest continent unique. Though the scenes depicted here may seem worlds away, our choices always have an impact wherever we may roam, reminding us to tread lightly.

(above) Penang, Malaysia

Bangkok, Thailand

Great Wall, China

Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Hong Kong

Polomok, Philippines

Bali, Indonesia

Maldive Islands

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Lhasa, Tibet

Huashan Mountain, China

Udaipur, India

Cassava farm near Luang Prabang, Laos

Bali, Indonesia

Singapore

Koh Samui, Thailand

Tokyo, Japan

Tainan County, Taiwan

Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Seoul, South Korea

Abseron, Azerbaijan

Busan, South Korea

Kampong Thum, Cambodia

Shanghai, China

Himalaya Mountains, Uttarakhand, India

Binh Thuan, Vietnam

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Meizhou, China

Koh Samet, Thailand

Dornogovi Province, Mongolia, from the Trans-Siberian Railway

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Ratchaburi, Thailand

Yangon, Myanmar

Eastern Vasayas, Philippines

Makalu Base Camp, Nepal

Kyoto, Japan

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Elephant orphanage between Colombo and Kandy, Sri Lanka

Angkor Wat, Cambodia 

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The post 40 Gorgeous Photos of Asia appeared first on EcoSalon.

Cashmere has long been associated with luxury, but that’s not the case anymore with affordably priced cashmere currently saturating markets. While you might consider this a gift, mid-priced chain stores like Banana Republic and Target (who are buying the fiber) are part of a larger sock in the gut to the Mongolese people and the place they call home.

In addition to consumer’s demand for cashmere, the biggest culprit of the Mongolian countryside desertification are the goats themselves – eating roughly 400 square miles of grass a year (including the grass roots).

Ecotextile News reports that this over grazing of the high plains goats, in some instances has resulted in a “desertification of the land,” from nomadic herders looking to make a buck.

“The ever increasing demand in the west for cheap cashmere has encouraged such growth in the goat population so that there are real fears over the ecological balance of the region,” says Ecotextile News.

In the same article, China’s Ministry of Nature and Environment estimated that “grassland is thinning out across 75 percent of this vast country, two thirds the size of Western Europe, while 7 percent is already desert.”

With the Cashmere World Trade Fair taking place November 23-25, a Cashmere Sustainability Conference will encourage attendees on industry and environmental threats – from the fiber to the overgrazing, scouring and dyeing.

Image: Left-Hand

The post Move Over Steinbeck: Inner Mongolia Becomes a Modern Day Dust Bowl appeared first on EcoSalon.