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.

Welcome to Nonprofit Awareness 2.0

Welcome to the next chapter of Nonprofit Awareness. After what has been a long hiatus, the site is back and better than ever. And to reflect this renewed commitment to the non-profit sector and its activities, Nonprofit Awareness has become Non-Profits Now.

It's my goal for this site to serve as a resource for non-profit professionals, donors, volunteers, and anyone interested in making a difference. As you borrow the site, you'll be able to explore various charities, and receive the latest news coming out of the non-profit community. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, and the resources needed to make informed contributions.

Previous features will remain in the archive for your review. Keep checking throughout the week as more content is added to the site, and be sure to look out for the official site launch next Monday, October 18th.

Email for inquires and submissions.

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.

Ethical Bean Coffee Company

Last month we had a week long series dedicated to for-profit businesses that either supported nonprofits or were recognized for their socially responsible business practices. I  couldn't fit all the great companies then, but today I'll be featuring another great coffee and tea company that's worth supporting, because as we learned a change a small as your brand of coffee is still a step towards a better world.

Ethical Bean Coffee Company, founded in 2003 by Lloyd Bernhardt and Kim Schachte in Vancouver, British Columbia, is the Lower Mainland's fastest growing Certified Fair Trade coffee supplier and B.C's only 100% Transfair Canada Certified Fair Trade Coffee roaster. The company was born from a deep, personal connection to Latin America, a sense of social and environmental responsibility, and a love of coffee. Ethical Bean roasts only 100% Fair Trade Certified and Certified Organic shade grown coffees.

The company believes in global responsibility and environmental sustainability, (organic, shade grown, and bird friendly). Suppliers strive to leave the smallest footprint and to preserve the surrounding ecosystems. They are committed to ensuring small-scale farmers receive a fair price for their efforts, sustaining their businesses and providing a decent standard of living for their families. 

Through community partnerships, Ethical Bean has created coffees to help nonprofits. Their Community Blend Partnerships benefits local nonprofit organizations. Each time you buy these special blends, a portion of the proceeds goes to the corresponding organization. Ethical Bean currently has two blends, benefiting Vancouver's Folk Music Festival and Adoptive Families Association of B.C.

They also have a 'give-back' program, (via Child Aid), which benefits children from a region in Guatemala where Ethical Bean sources its coffee. Every December, $1 from every 1lb of coffee sold goes to sponsor kids through primary school. In 2006, 45 students received the aid.

The company also sells tea, and they are just as committed to global and environmental responsibility. To find out about their tea initiatives, philanthropic efforts, and of course product information, please visit Ethical Bean's website.

iLEAP: The Center for Critical Service

iLEAP: The Center for Critical Service's (iLEAP) mission is to cultivate and inspire a new generation of global citizens who are motivated by a commitment to service and have the practical skills, rigorous critical thinking, and global community of support to create positive social and systematic change in the world. They seek to inspire a worldwide community of interlinked global citizens and innovative organizations who are connected through their commitment and courage to take risks and engage life with a humble passion and abiding sense of humor as they work with, and serve others.

The organization designs and delivers a variety of experiential based educational programs that serve as the catalyst for this new generation, and work to nurture meaningful collaborations between people, organizations, and community. These programs are developed with closer partnerships with colleges and universities, civil society groups, and for-profit businesses.  All the programs emphasize social enterprise, collaboration, conversation, and rigorous engagement with ideas and theory. They range from one day to nine months.

The programs are listed below:

• International Fellowship Program- brings leaders from civil society organizations working for positive social change in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, to Seattle, Washington for a three month intensive program in professional skill building, academic study, and global networking. The program is focused on the central themes of: social enterprise, reflective practice, collaborative leadership, and social and environmental sustainability.
• Taking the Leap- is a global three phased program that balances personal growth, critical thinking, and academic theory with pragmatic training in project design, development, and implementation. The first phase is spent in Seattle working with iLEAP staff and faculty in seminar coursework and working in social enterprise. The second phase sends each student overseas to live and work in a different rural community in Asia, Africa, or Latin America to work with international iLEAP faculty. In the third phase students return to Seattle for a time of reflection, sharing and preparations for the future.
• Social Innovation in Seattle- a unique internship for university students from Asia and Europe, based in Seattle. Through direct internships in American organizations and businesses, this program introduces students to the fundamentals of social enterprise and social innovation in business practice.

For more information on iLEAP, please visit their website.

Whole Foods Market

Today marks the end of our week long focus on for-profit businesses who support the nonprofit sector. We've seen businesses who have implemented practices that are environmentally and socially responsible, businesses who have been inspired to help champion nonprofit causes, and businesses who work for nonprofit organizations. 

Today's feature, Whole Foods Market, is a chain of markets  specializing in natural and organic products and geared towards socially and environmentally conscious consumers. The company is being featured not only for its business practices, but also for the foundation it established to help the global community.

Whole Foods Market's commitment to community is evident. One of their core values is: 'Caring about our communities and our environment.' This means:

• Sustainable agriculture- by supporting organic farmers, growers, and the environment through their commitment to sustainable agriculture and by expanding the market for organic products
• Wise environmental practices- by respecting their environment- recycling, reusing, and reducing waste whenever possible.
• Community Citizenship- by recognizing their responsibility to be active participants in their local community. They give a minimum of 5% of their profits every year to a wide variety of community and nonprofit organizations.
• Integrity in all business dealings- by viewing their trade partners as allies in serving their stakeholders, treating them with respect, fairness, and integrity at all times.

Sustainability is a key focus of Whole Foods Market. Their vision of a sustainable future "means our children and grandchildren will be living in a world that values human creativity, diversity, and individual choice. Businesses will harness human and material resources without devaluing the integrity of the individual or the planet's ecosystems. Companies, governments, and institutions will be held accountable for their actions. People will better understand that all actions have repercussions and that planning and foresight coupled with hard work and flexibility can overcome almost any problem encountered. It will be a world that values education and a free exchange of ideas by an informed citizenry; where people are encouraged to discover, nurture, and share their life's passions."

The company has begun implementing this vision "by changing the way we think about the relationships between our food, supply, the environment, and our bodies." The realization of their vision can be divided into following:

• Holistic thinking in a conventional world
• Holistic actions for a sustainable world
• Healthy foods and healthy products begin at the source
• Sustainability beyond organic food
• Respect for all forms of life
• Education and Public Participation
• Regulation, enforcement, and accountability.

Beyond all this, Whole Foods Markets make a point of giving back to the communities they serve and the global community. At the local level, each store donates to area food banks and shelters. There are also several times a year when the stores host 5% Days,  5% of the day's net sales are donated to a local nonprofit or educational organization.

On the global level, the company has established the Whole Planet Foundation. The mission of the foundation is "to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply our stores with product. Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship - including direct micro-credit loans and tangible support for other community partnership projects - [they] seek to unleash the energy and creativity of every human being [they] work with in order to create wealth and prosperity in emerging economies."

Whole Foods Market provides a large portion of the funding for the loans and underwrites the administrative costs so every dollar donated goes directly to those in need. The company also supports projects that directly relate to organics and environmentally-friendly production methods, animal welfare, sustainable seafood, and healthy families and nutrition.

Finally, should the need arise, Whole Foods Markets accepts donations at store cash registers for regional and national disasters.

Both the Whole Foods Market website and the Whole Planet Foundation website provide a wealth of information. For more information on Whole Foods Market's initiatives and how you can get involved please visit both sites.

Maggie's Organics

Today's feature is yet another example of a socially conscious business.

Maggie's Organics mission is "to produce and provide comfortable, durable, affordable and beautiful articles of apparel and accessories made from materials that restore, sustain and enhance the resources, including human, from which they are made."

The company was founded in 1992 on the premise that all workers could be treated ethically and that clothing could be functional, beautiful and affordable, and constructed of environmentally sustainable materials.  The company was inspired by the statistics about conventional cotton, which is considered the world's dirtiest crop due to its heavy use of insecticides. Believing that there is no environmental sustainability without social responsibility, Maggie's is founded on these principles:

• All products constructed using Certified Organic cotton or Certified Organic wool.
• Conscious of energy consumed by transporting products across the globe, develop supply chains as close to home as possible, and use minimal packaging materials.
• Work exclusively with business partners who guarantee livable working conditions and independence for their workers.

Maggie's organic and fair trade line of products includes: socks, scarves, tights, loungewear, legwarmers, tees, baby clothes, new stuff animals, and tops.

Maggie's is a supporter of fair trade, responsible business ethics, and environmental stewardship. In order to ensure social responsibility the company:

• Promotes and monitors practices of working conditions and production standards
• requires full disclosure of working conditions and production standards
• makes on-site visits
• establishes ongoing relationships with partners to develop environmentally sustainable practices
• supports worker-owned cooperatives vs. sweatshops

To learn more about Maggie's Organics, including its work with partner organizations, why organic over conventional cotton, and much more, please visit Maggie's Organics website. The site provides a wealth of knowledge, and you can read about all the philanthropic initiatives Maggie's has established.

New Belgium Brewing Company

The New Belgium Brewing Company is a fine example of how social awareness can impact so many areas of your business. They also show that being a nonprofit isn't necessary to doing good.

Founded in 1991, the company boasts 18 beers, but it's how they operate that's the focus on today's feature. 

New Belgium's corporate culture is all about providing employees with a safe, happy, fun, and collectively beneficial working environment. This starts with the employee owner clause, which awards employees with ownership on their one year anniversary with the company. In addition, the company's core values include:

• Kindling social, environmental and cultural change as a business role model
• Environmental stewardship: Honoring nature at every turn of the business
• Cultivating potential through learning, high involvement culture, and the pursuit of opportunities

In 1998, New Belgium became the first wind powered brewery in the United States, as part of the company's commitment to being less wasteful, more efficient, recycling, and reusing. The company has strived to be green by:

1.  Increased efficiencies in the brewery process
2. Utilized green design throughout their building
3. Implemented a process for treating their wastewater 
4. On site energy production
5. Wind powered electricity
6. Employ a high involvement culture
7. Sustainable Eventing
8. Actionable Advocacy
9. Constant benchmarking
10. Partnering to support innovative technology

For more information of the future steps New Belgium is taking visit their website.

New Belgium, in an initiative similar to nonprofit practices, has open-book management, "a policy of fiscal transparency throughout the company that encourages a community of trust and mutual responsibility." The website provides a lot more information, including New Belgium's responsibilities as financial stewards, their sustainability report, and their philanthropic works. You can  join Team Wonderbike, a group- 15,000 strong- committed to carbon-free transportation by riding a bike instead of driving.

A brief note about the Philanthropy, or Brew-lanthropy... to date New Belgium has donated $2.9 million through its philanthropy program. For every barrel of beer sold the previous year, the company donates $1 to philanthropic causes within their distribution territory. In 2009, they will donate $490,000.

In 2007, New Belgium joined 1% For The Planet, an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet. 

Visit New Belgium's site to view the company's list of causes, and to learn more about the sponsorships, product donations, and small grants to donated to benefit nonprofits.

Somos Children's Village

Today's organization is working towards a significant goal- building a village for abandoned and orphaned children in Guatemala.

The Somos Project is creating Children's Village, housing 49 children, in seven homes with seven foster mothers raising the household of children. These children will not be adopted out. The homes are meant to be long-term,  creating a permanent foster family. The Village will focus on education, leadership, and the arts, with the children attending the local community school.

Beyond the seven homes, the Village will also have buildings for activities, guest rooms, art and music workshops, a library, administrative space, a larger playground and soccer field. The Village will be eco-sustainable, with alternative power, rain water capture, grey water recycling, solar energy, and organic gardens and orchards.  

The Village is working with the local Guatemalan community. Children's Village will be managed by the Village Director, who is a local Guatemalan. More local Guatemalans will be employed in various areas of the Village.

I urge you to visit the site. It's filled with detailed information about every aspect of the project. There is a very clear mission, and very clear plan how to achieve that mission. This is a wonderful project to provide a loving home and happy life for children whose young lives have already experience a great deal of sadness. For more information about Project Somos' progress or how you can get involved please visit their site.

John Legend

John Legend's mostly known as a grammy winning, multi-platinum artist, but today it's his philanthropic work that's getting recognized. Listed below are the organizations Legend has founded or advocates for. Inspired to create songs about the tragedies in Africa, Legend took those words and decided words weren't enough. And now he encourages us to move beyond words toward action. Please check out this amazing organizations, and visit their sites to find out more information.

The Show Me Campaign - Launched in 2007, the organization works to improve the living situations and prospects of victims of extreme poverty in Mbola, Tanzania. The mission of the organization is, "to fight economic and spiritual poverty through fostering sustainable development (personal, social, education, economic) at the individual, family, and small community levels. The Show Me Campaign is grassroots movement that engages all of its participants as agents of transformative change from the bottom up."

The Campaign supports Mbola, a remote village in Tanzania, in an effort to permanently lift itself from extreme poverty. The Campaign works with Millennium Promise and the local Mbola community to implement practical solutions to advance its mission. I highly recommend visiting the Show Me Campaign's website to see an outline of the seven initiatives to help this village. They range from providing fertilizer to help farmers to education and internet. They  not only provide relief, but also offer sustainable solutions. These life-changing initiatives can be secured for just $60 per villager per year over 5 years. 

Millennium Promise - their mission "is to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to halve extreme poverty in Africa by 2015. To that end, Millennium Promise works with impoverished communities, national and local governments, and partner organizations to implement high-impact programs aimed at transforming lives on the continent and engaging donor nations, corporations, an the general public in the effort. Our work is premised on the belief that, for the first time in history, our generation has the opportunity to end extreme poverty, hunger, and disease." They envision the end extreme worldwide poverty by 2025.

"Millennium Development Goals are the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion- while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. They are also basic human rights- the rights of each person on the planet to health, education, shelter, and security." 

These eight goals are:

• Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty
• Achieve Universal Primary Education
• Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
• Reduce Child Mortality
• Improve Maternal Health
• Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
• Ensure Environmental Sustainability
• Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) - a national nonprofit that develops African American, Hispanic and Native American young people for leadership positions in corporations, nonprofits, and entrepreneurial ventures where these minority groups are under-represented. The organization partners with MBA programs and blue-chip corporations to provide programming at critical career transition points: high school to college, college to early career, early career to MBA, and MBA to executive leadership. MLT provides high-potential minority talent with the skills needed to succeed. To date the organization has over 300 Career Prep alumni and 500 MBA Prep alumni.

The Gentlemen's Fund -  an initiative established in 2007 to commemorate GQ's 50th anniversary. The Fund has partnered with five charities and five celebrity ambassadors to support the five cornerstones essential to men: Opportunity, Health, Education, Environment, and Mentorship. As an ambassador, John Legend, raises support and awareness for organizations that embody these five principles.

For more information about these organizations, their work and how you can help please visit their websites.

Living Earth Television

Living Earth Television (LETV) is the world's first global, noncommercial broadcasting service. LETV finds nonfiction programs made by local tv producers and independents around the world, and translate them for broadcast to an international audience. It's mission is to "promote understanding, appreciation and respect as foundations for sustainability and peace."

Founded in 2001 by Martha Foster, LETV's Executive Director, it is the organization's belief that by sharing these programs, from around the world, viewers can learn about their global neighbors. Through understanding and celebration of similarities and differences they can build a more peaceful and sustainable world.

Programming showcases the following facets of life:

• Our global neighborhood
• The World of Children
• Earth works
• Arts and Artisans
• Spiritual Practices
• Peace Makers
• Bridges

You can see LETV's first series on LinkTV and select PBS's stations this year. For more program information and information on how you can get involved, including how you can submit programs visit LETV's site.