Sustainable Travel & Tourism

Background

Sustainable Travel International (STI) is a leader in sustainable tourism development. The organization's mission is to promote sustainable development through responsible travel by providing programs that help travelers, businesses and destinations protect the environment, preserve cultural heritage and promote economic development.

Founded in 2002, STI is committed to providing education and outreach services that help travelers, travel providers and destinations support environmental conservation and protect cultural heritage while promoting cross-cultural understanding and economic development.

STI is dedicated to taking the holistic approach to addressing sustainable development within the travel and tourism industries by providing solutions-oriented programs that generate tangible results and affect long-lasting change.

Priorities

STI priorities include:

• Provide capacity development through education and training to travelers, the travel trade, and local stakeholders and assist them in making positive contributions to environmental conservation and socio-cultural sustainability.
• Develop, adopt, and promote sustainable tourism standards and industry best practices through the Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program (STEP) and other initiatives that are aligned with the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.
• Support the establishment of local travelers' philanthropy projects and investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry-related carbon offset projects that offer co-benefits and help to mitigate unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions.
• Empower destinations to use tourism and related market-based solutions to support sustainable development and generate tangible, measurable results that affect change.

Programs

Advisory Services - STI specializes in business and sustainable tourism development. They make use of professional experts when forming any given consulting team, which affords them great flexibility in where they are able to work and the types of projects taken on.

Book Travel - With STI you can book your trip with confidence. From eco-lodges in Alaska to community-based tourism in Zambia, STI provides a full range of sustainable and responsible travel options.

Buy Local Products - works with Brighter Futures, a venture that enables you to buy hand-crafted and fair-trade products directly from local villagers via the Internet.

Carbon Offsets - invests in clean energy and supports sustainable development while helping offset the CO2 emissions that result from your travel, home, or business.

Eco-Certification - designed to help travelers easily identify responsible tourism businesses and to help tourism businesses manage their impacts; lower costs through resource productivity and waste reduction while contributing to environmental conservation and the well-being of local people.

Eco-Directory - a unique destination guide aimed at helping travelers make responsible choices that only advertises eco-friendly tourism businesses.

Education & Training - provides education and training programs to tourism businesses, government agencies, and non-profits. STI's curricula is flexible, customized to the needs of the trainees, and can be delivered one-on-one or through workshops, training manuals, or on-line through distance learning.

Green Travel Market - designed for tourism businesses that want to 'green' their supply chains, this database features sustainable tourism products that are available in the global marketplace.

Membership - membership is open to individuals, tourism businesses and others who support and are committed to sustainable tourism.

Travelers' Philanthropy - helps to support community development, biodiversity conservation, and other environmental, socio-cultural and economic improvements. It also offers the opportunity to learn how to create a successful travel philanthropy program.

For more information place visit STI's website.

Project H.O.M.E.

Project H.O.M.E (Housing, Opportunities for Employment, Medical Care, Education)

None of us are home until all of us are home.

Background

Since 1988, Project H.O.M.E has been a leader in providing comprehensive and effective services to persons who experience chronic homelessness. The organization empowers people to break the cycle of homelessness, address the structural causes of poverty, and attain their fullest potential as members of society.

Co-founded by Sister Mary Scullion and Joan Dawson-McConnon, Project H.O.M.E is a nationally recognized organization that provides supportive housing, employment, education and health care to enable chronically homeless and low-income persons to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Under their leadership, Project H.O.M.E. has grown from a winter shelter to 447 units of housing and three businesses that employ formerly homeless individuals.

What makes this organization so effective, is its mission to alleviate the underlying causes of poverty, not simply treating the symptoms and its commitment to the dignity of every person.  They strive to create a safe and respectful environment where everyone supports one another in their struggle for self-esteem, recovery, and the confidence to move towards self-actualization. This mission is achieved through a continuum of care comprised of street outreach, a range of supportive housing, and comprehensive services. Project H.O.M.E. addresses the root causes of homelessness, through neighborhood-based affordable housing, economic development, and environmental enhancement programs, as well as providing access to employment opportunities; adult and youth education; and health care.

Project H.O.M.E is committed to social and political advocacy. An integral part of Project H.O.M.E.'s work is education about the realties of homelessness and poverty and vigorous advocacy on behalf of and with homeless and low-income persons for more just and humane public policies. It is also committed to nurturing the spirit of community among persons of walks of life, all of whom have a role to play in making this a more just and compassionate society.

The organization's website provides resources and facts about homelessness, particularly in Philadelphia, where Project H.O.M.E. is based. It is also important to note that Project H.O.M.E.'s board of directors include residents from the housing units, as well as program alumni.

Values 

The work of Project H.O.M.E. is rooted in their strong spiritual conviction of the dignity of each person. They believe:

• that all persons are entitled to decent, affordable housing and access to quality education, employment, and health care.
• in the transformational power of building relationships and community as the ultimate answer to the degradation of homelessness and poverty.
• that working to end homelessness and poverty enhances quality of life for everyone in the community.
• that the critical resources entrusted to Project H.O.M.E. to achieve its mission must be managed honorably and professionally.

Programs

Housing & Street Outreach- designed to deal with the complex issues of persons with special needs such as mental illness and addiction. The program consists of street outreach, a range of supportive housing from entry-level to permanent housing, and comprehensive services including health care, education, and employment.

• Street Outreach: Outreach Teams develop trusting relationships with homeless individuals who have severe mental illness or substance addiction.
• Women's Emergency Respite Center: serves women with a long history of street homelessness, many of whom are incompatible or resistant to city-run shelter services.
• Supportive Housing & Services: enables each person to break the cycle of homelessness, move towards self-sufficiency and achieve his or her full potential.
• Alumni Program: provides residents with the opportunity to stay connected to Project H.O.M.E. community even after moving out of the supportive housing programs.
• Affordable Rental Housing: an eleven-story building developed to help address the gap in Philadelphia's affordable housing inventory.
• Affordable Homeownership Program: designed to stimulate housing production in North Philadelphia, create positive community impact and scale, and increase development and transformation of a distressed urban community into an attractive place to live. The program includes Block Preservation and Place Making Initiatives, and  the Homebuyer Reservation Program

Community Development- The organization's revitalization work is focused in the North Central Philadelphia community known as 'St. Elizabeth's/Diamond Street" neighborhood and Ridge Ave commercial corridor, (a 33-square block neighborhood).

Since 1995, Project H.O.M.E. has been working in partnership with neighborhood residents, corporations, foundations, government, faith communities and others to revitalize this neighborhood. Efforts include the development of affordable rental housing, renovation of affordable homes for homeownership, greening of vacant lots, adult and youth education and enrichment programs and community based health care services.

• Economic Development: the program addresses the persistent challenges of long-term economic disinvestment: "vacancy, blight, and high rates of unemployment."
• Health Services Program: is committed to addressing the health and wellness needs of the urban community.
• Community Organizing: works in cooperation with local Block Captains and civic associations on activities such as community emergency food banks, block clean-ups, and the nationally ranked youth drill team, the North Philly Footstompers.
• Honickman Learning Center & Comcast Technology Lab: programs at this 38,000 square foot, three-story technology center are tailored to help residents of the community- children, youth, adults and families- move towards greater prosperity by increasing their educational and employment opportunities.

Education & Employment- Project H.O.M.E recognizes that education and employment are critical tools to help all people improve the quality of their lives. This is particularly vital for formerly homeless people and people from economically distressed neighborhoods that may not have access to meaningful educational and employment opportunities.

• Honickman Learning Center & Comcast Technology Lab
• Kindergarten-Sixth Grade Program
• Teem Program
• Adult Education and Workforce Development
• Employment Services
• Employment Initiatives
• Art Program
• Social Enterprises: Cafe & Thrift Shop

Awards & Honors

(Just to name a few)

• The National Alliance to End Homelessness' Nonprofit Sector Achievement Award
• STAR award from The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
• Named as one of the "16 most efficient and innovative charities [they] know of anywhere," by Philanthropy Roundtable.

Click here for more information on Project H.O.M.E.'s initiatives.

I'd love to hear about any organizations in your city that are addressing the underlying causes of homelessness and poverty in the community.

Center for Development in Central America

Center for Development in Central America (CDCA) is a nonprofit organization seeking to address human needs created by poverty in the Western Hemisphere's second poorest nation: Nicaragua. This mission is accomplished by helping communities become self-sufficient, sustainable, democratic entities. CDCA works with the Nicaraguan community to help them realize their own goals, rather than bringing in "ready made solutions."

CDCA's involvement includes community organization, a flexible approach to needs and priorities as they shift over time, identifying areas where the CDCA can be of service, and following through in those areas, while empowering Nicaraguans and gradually phasing out the need for CDCA's assistance.

The organization's projects are focused in the municipality of Ciudad Sandino, which has been a dumping ground for victims of natural disasters, and is located just outside the capital city of Managua. Ciudad Sandino is the most densely populated area of Nicaragua and the poorest urban area in Nicaragua, with an estimated 80% of the population lacking formal employment, and many living on less than $1.00 U.S per day. 

CDCA works in the following areas:

• Sustainable economic development- developing long-term jobs so families can feed their own children
• Sustainable agriculture- so that poor farmers don't lose their land
• Primary health care- in the face of privatization of health care
• Education- both technical training for Nicaraguans as well as education of first world volunteers both in the U.S. and Nicaragua
• Appropriate technology- seeking to care for the earth as natural resources are consumed, and introducing work techniques that are maintainable

Since its founding in 1994, the organization has:

• Organized 1,600 small farmers into a cooperative business to market their organic crops
• Built three health centers and one school in rural communities
• Built a preschool/feeding center in a community where they also got water and latrines to every house
• Organized five cooperatives of workers from the poverty-stricken resettlement community of Nueva Vida (created in response to Hurricane Mitch in 1998)
• Started a full-time health clinic to meet the health care needs of poor people in Ciudad Sandino
• Hosted nearly 100 delegations and 400 individual volunteers in Nicaragua, all of whom go back to their homes and teach people about Nicaragua
• Developed solar composting latrines, stoves that use less wood, and a bio-diesel project

For more information on CDCA's projects and how you can get involved, please visit their website.

MicroPlace

Today's feature shows how contagious a good, and more importantly successful, idea can be. We continue our focus on micro-finance by featuring MicroPlace, an organization founded by Tracey Pettengill Turner after her inspiring experience working at Grameen Bank, (Monday's feature).

MicroPlace's mission is "to help alleviate global poverty by enabling everyday people to make investments in the world's working poor."  The organization merged with Ebay in 2006, creating a "synergy between Ebay's mission to provide economic opportunity and MicroPlace's vision to empower the working poor."

The process is simple and you can invest as little as $20. All you need to do is open an investment account, search the site to find an investment you're interested in, and invest with your paypal or bank account. Investors receive their money back and interest payments directly into the account they paid from. You can then re-invest or cash out.

As we've already seen, micro-finance allows those living in proving to help themselves and their community. MicroPlace provides a simple, user-friendly and inexpensive way for anyone to get involved in micro-finance. 

For more information please visit the MicroPlace website.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Traditionally I've tried to share with you a variety of organizations and causes you may not be familiar with. Today I thought it would be good to provide information on an organization many people have heard of, but few actually know the specifics of its work: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

At the core of the foundation's mission is the belief that every life has equal worth. Their goal is to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. Formed in 2000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed a total of $19.8 billion since its inception, giving $2.8 billions in grants in 2008. Their work reaches all 50 United States and the District of Columbia and over 100 countries internationally.

The foundation work is defined by 15 Guiding Principles:

1. This is a family foundation driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family.
2. Philanthropy plays an important but limited role.
3. Science and technology have great potential to improve lives around the world.
4. We are funders and shapers- we rely on others to act and implement.
5. Our focus is clear- and limited- and prioritizes some of the most neglected issues.
6. We identify a specific point of intervention and apply our efforts against a theory of change.
7. We take risks, make big bets, and move with urgency. We are in it for the long haul.
8. We advocate- vigorously but responsibly- in our areas of focus
9. We must be humble and mindful in our actions and words. We seek and heed the counsel of outside voices.
10. We treat our grantees as valued partners and we treat the ultimate beneficiaries of our work with respect.
11. Delivering results with the resources we have been given is of the utmost importance- and we seek and share information about those results.
12. We demand ethical behavior of ourselves.
13. We treat each other as valued colleagues.
14. Meeting our mission- to increase opportunity and equity for those most in need- requires great stewardship of the money we have available.
15. We leave room for growth and change.

This principles reflect the Gate's family's beliefs about the role of philanthropy and the impact they want this foundation to have.

Their approach to giving is a cyclical process: develop strategy, make grants, measure progress, adjust strategy, repeat.

The Seattle based foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Their work is divided between international and national work. In developing countries the focus is on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the U.S. the foundation seeks to ensure that all people- especially those with the fewest resources- have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focuses on grant making in three areas:

1. Global Development Program- focusing on areas with the potential for high-impact, sustainable solutions that can reach hundreds of millions of people. They work closely with partners to support innovative approaches and expand existing one so they can reach the people who need them the most. They also support policy and advocacy efforts to accelerate progress against the world's most acute poverty. 

Their work supports: 

• Agricultural development, financial services for the poor
• Special initiatives (libraries, water, sanitation, and hygiene, urban poverty, emergency relief)
• Policy and advocacy.

2. Global Health Program- its mission is to help ensure that advances in health are created and shared with those who need them most. They work with organizations around the world that are using innovative methods to improve health in developing countries. 

They focus on three priority areas: 

• Discover new insights to fight serious diseases ad other health problems affecting developing countries
• Develop effective and affordable vaccines, medicines, and other health tools
• Deliver proven health solutions to those who need them most.

The foundation targets diseases and health conditions that cause the greatest illness and death in developing countries, yet receive little attention and resources. They support advocacy efforts to build awareness of global health challenges, develop new ways to finance health programs, and improve health data.  In particular they support the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative, which funds research on scientific problems that, if solved, could lead to advances against multiple diseases.

3. United States Program- its mission is to help ensure greater opportunity for all Americans through the attainment of secondary and post-secondary education with genuine economic value. The foundation works with partners to tackle some of the difficult problems we face in the United States. Their primary focus is on improving public education. 

Their priority areas include:

• Education- work to make sure high school students graduate ready for success ad prepared to earn post-secondary degrees. They fund college and graduate school scholarships. They support high-quality early learning programs in Washington state.
• Libraries- support efforts to supply and sustain free public access to computers and the internet through local public libraries.
• Pacific Northwest- assist struggling families by supporting early childhood learning programs and efforts that help break the cycle of homelessness.
• Special Initiatives- explore new ways to increase opportunities or respond to unique challenges in the U.S. These currently include grants that support post-secondary education and emergency relief efforts. They also offer support to many dedicated and innovative community organizations in the Pacific Northwest.

They also use advocacy to raise awareness of the issues we face, inform government policy, and develop new and innovative ways of financing initiatives that improve outcomes.

I should note that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation does not and will not solicit for donations. They have the funds needed to advance their mission. Instead they preference donors to give directly to the foundation's grantee organizations. If you still wish to donate to the foundation, you should read their guidelines for accepting individual donations.

Their website is filled with information on the foundation and the organizations and causes they support. I urge to visit the website to learn more about the foundation you've heard so much about.

           

Academy for Educational Development

Academy for Educational Development's (AED) mission "is to make a positive difference in people's lives by working in partnership to create and implement innovative solutions to critical social and economic problems."

To achieve this AED implements more than 250 human and social development programs throughout the US and in more than 150 countries. The organization works with local and national partners, developing sustainable strategies, to improve education, health, civil society, and economic development.

Programs focus on education, economic development, health, HIV/AIDS, and leadership. AED uses a variety of approaches to combat these issues, including research and evaluation, behavior change, partnerships, social marketing, and training.

Founded in 1961, the organization "envisions a world in which all individuals have the opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute to the well-being of their family, community, country, and world." 

Please visit AED's website for more information on how you can contribute.  And for anyone concerned about how much money goes to running an organization of this size, 91% of expenses are directly related to AED programs. In other words, you know your dollars are going to support AED programs.

Bikes for the World

Based in Arlington, VA, Bikes for the World's mission is to assist the poor in overseas countries become more productive citizens by providing bicycles to nonprofit organizations abroad. These bicycles provide much needed transportation to work, school, healthcare, and recreation.

It's secondary focus is on creating a community of volunteers in America, based on the common goal of providing vehicles to improve the quality of life for the poor, by donating, collecting, storing, and shipping bicycles and spare parts.

Founded in 2005, the organization has already provided 31,000 bicycles to 15 organizations in ten countries and the US. It is the largest bicycle reuse program in America and has supplied bicycles to nonprofit agencies in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In 2007 Bikes for the World introduced the Rockville Youth Bicycle Program, a subsidiary program aimed at serving local youth in Montgomery, MD.

Bikes for the World Director, Keith Oberg say, "One point we would like to emphasize... we wish to join with others to foster a continent-wide movement to collect and donate  usable bicycles in developing countries, moving beyond our modest geographic footprint."

Please visit the site for more information on how you can get involved. This is a great organization for anyone interested in providing necessary tools to developing countries.

Cross Cultural Solutions

Cross Cultural Solutions, (CCS), is an international volunteer program that matches volunteers with local organizations to work on community led initiatives.  Their mission is "dedicated to the vision of a world where people value cultures different from their own, are aware of global issues, and are empowered to effect positive change."

Founded in 1995, CCS operates in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The organization offering three different volunteering experiences: Volunteer Abroad, Intern Abroad, and Insight Abroad. These programs range from from 1 to 12 weeks and volunteers have over 20 program sites to choose from. Volunteer placements are within the following categories: Caregiving, Community Development, Healthcare, and Teaching. The objective of volunteer placement is to match the immediate needs of the community with the skills and interests of each volunteer.

This organization is great for anyone who is interested in getting involved on a more international level. Or wishes to support the organization's global initiatives.