Sustainable Travel Report
The Responsible Tourism e-Newsletter

A Message from STI's President

As 2005 draws to an end, I am extremely proud of what STI has accomplished. From helping thousands of travelers give back to the environment and the people they meet to providing hundreds of tourism providers with the resources and tools they need to protect the places they visit, and the planet at large, it's been a year of monumental successes.

Our work has advanced the understanding that sustainable development is not only essential for healthy environments and communities, it's also good business. We couldn't have accomplished what we have without the support of our members, NGO partners, Executive Board and you, our receptive audience.

So please consider becoming a member of or making a year-end donation to STI. As the holiday season approaches, you can also support STI by shopping at iGive. Your support is crucial for our continuing work in uniting travelers and the industry to conserve the environment and contribute to the well being of local communities.

Many of you who receive our e-Newsletter already support STI, volunteering invaluable time and financial contributions. I hope you will consider making a personal gift this year. Every dollar helps make our work possible.

Thank you for your consideration!

Happy Holidays,

Brian T. Mullis
President
brianm@sustainabletravel.com

iGive - Shop Online and
Support Sustainable Travel International

At iGive.com, you can buy gifts and everyday items from Patagonia, REI, Apple Computers, Dell, Overstock.com, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy and many others. Rent a movie with Netflix, book travel on Expedia, or order office supplies online from Staples or Office Depot. It all helps Sustainable Travel International. And there are no hidden costs! Shop at the over 600 stores at the Mall at iGive.com, and up to 30% of each purchase will be donated to STI. To buy the things you need and support STI when you do, click here!

You can also support STI by telling all your friends to use iGive.com as their online shopping portal. STI will receive $5 for every person who registers with iGive. By forwarding the following link to all of your friends and co-workers, you will be indirectly helping us to support sustainable development and protect the cultures and environments that travelers and tourism providers visit:

www.igive.com/html/refer.cfm?memberid=415971&causeid=33028

Green Gear Guide

Outdoor equipment and clothing is enormously popular. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, 141 million Americans aged 16 and up participated in at least one outdoor activity in 2004.

Unfortunately, many of these products are produced through intensive energy and resource use, under oppressive labor conditions or with harmful toxic materials. For example, the EPA recently stated that Teflon is a likely human carcinogen, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which is widely-used in outdoor equipment, releases carcinogenic dioxin and is considered a health hazard from production through disposal. The good news is that a growing number of companies have incorporated sustainable practices into their operations and are producing environmentally friendly products.

STI is proud to present its 1st Annual Green Gear Guide, just in time for the holiday season. The products detailed below are produced using resource efficient, recycled, renewable, and or recyclable materials, are offered by distributors that gain fair prices for the local producers of their goods, or allow you to enjoy the outdoors in a more eco-friendly manner.

We encourage you to buy less but buy better this holiday season. Remember corporations respond to consumer demand, so vote with you dollars!

Backpacking Meals and Snacks
Backpacks, Messenger Bags and Handbags
Bicycling
Camp Stoves and Ovens
Canoeing and Kayaking
Clothing and Apparel
Fair Trade
Frisbees
Snowboards
Skateboards
Sunblock and Insect Repellent
Surfboards

Backpacking Meals and Snacks
Backpackers and campers usually prefer prepackaged food that's lightweight and easy to transport. But what are the best options for those looking for natural and organic backpacking foods? From dried fruit and nuts to trail mix and oatmeal, the bulk department in your local grocery store is a great place to find inexpensive and easy-to-prepare snacks and meals that are low on packaging.

If determining portions isn't your thing, consider the many prepackaged alternatives. Mary Jane's Farm offers over 60 instant, just-add-water or quick prep meals, deserts and drinks that feature recyclable packaging, so you can serve elegant, wholesome food fast without settling for anything less than organic. Natural High is another all natural, gourmet brand. Their lightweight camping foods contain no artificial ingredients or preservatives, no artificial colors, no MSG, no artificial flavors - no artificial anything.

Clif Bar makes all-natural energy and nutrition foods and is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Their energy bars feature 70% (or more) organic ingredients. Display boxes contain 100% recycled paperboard, with 50% post consumer content. In addition, Clif Bar's office and bakeries are powered by wind energy offset credits, they plant trees to offset their staff's daily commute, and they pay their staff to volunteer time to non-profit projects.

For those who can't miss their morning coffee, settle for nothing less than orgnic, fair trade coffee. It's readily available from most natural food grocers or you can order it on-line. SkyTop Trading Company offers great tasting organic, shade-grown, fair trade coffee from South America that's roasted in the Rockies, and they pack it into travel friendly, recyclable aluminum tins. You can learn more about sustainably harvested coffee through the Rainforest Alliance.

Backpacks, Messenger Bags and Handbags
A number of backpacks, featuring embedded solar panels designed to charge portable electronics, have become available due to advances in solar power. These mobile power sources can keep your cell phones, iPods, satellite radios, and most other personal electronics fully charged and are just as useful in the city as they are in the great outdoors.

Clear Blue Hawaii has a new Solarpac line. These packs feature lightweight, weather proof and flexible solar panels that can be interchanged. From the understated laptop case to more active backpacks, the entire series of designs is developed around every conceivable journey.

REWARE's Juice Bag line includes six different cube-shaped backpacks of varying sizes. Featuring flexible, high-efficiency, waterproof solar panels and ample cargo space, these packs can charge almost any 12 Volt electronic device anywhere in the world - using only a car charger adapter and the power of the sun.

Voltaic Systems offers three different solar packs and a messenger bag. Inside each bag is a Li Ion battery pack, which stores any surplus power, and on the outside, there are three lightweight, tough, waterproof solar panels, which can generate up to 4 watts of power.

Solar Flare not only offers backpacks and messenger bags, the company also offers camera bags and coolers. These products are designed with highly durable materials, and their solar charging solution provides an additional charging source for common mobile electronics applications.

Not into high-tech equipment? Earthpak is a forward-thinking company with a conscience. Their stylish and rugged, innovative line of backpacks are made of 98% recycled materials. The environmentally conscious manufacturing process turns discarded plastic soda bottles into a valuable commodity. In fact, the average Earthpak bag saves over 12 two-liter bottles from ending up in a landfill!

Vulcana offers fashionable backpacks, handbags and other eco-friendly products. Through a patented process, they transform tires taken from U.S. landfills into sheet rubber, which is then stitched into their products. So when you purchase a Vulcana product, you help to deplete our landfills.

Bicycling
Biking is one of the most sustainable forms of transportation, and it has many benefits. American car owners drive an average of 40 miles per day. If they rode a bike instead, they could save 14 gallons of gas (and a good bit of money) each week. They'd also get some aerobic exercise, burning around 500 calories per hour while helping to keep the air clean and the climate cool.

Buying a used or reconditioned bike is a good way to go. Though quality and prices vary considerably, there are many reliable places for finding a deal. Recycled Cycles, MTBReview.com, and eBay are all excellent sources.

High-performance folding bikes are also a good option, especially for those who travel a lot or utilize public transportation. Bike Fridays' folding bikes are custom fit to each customer's height, weight, inseam and personal preferences. They fold down in as little as 10 to 30 seconds and can be packed in a standard airline suitcase, so airlines and other transit companies consider them to be regular luggage, which can save you money. With a 30-day money-back guarantee and many satisfied customers, you can't go wrong.

Montague also offers high-performance folding bikes. Many cyclists prefer their full-size bicycles because they offer a higher quality ride than some small-wheel folding bike designs. They also fold down in seconds, are easy to transport and can bear a good bit of weight.

If your one-way commute is 10 miles or less, an electric bicycle will get you there in about the same amount of time - even less if you're used to dealing with a lot of traffic. Wilderness Energy offers electric bike conversion kits for bikes with front shock forks, or bikes with front aluminum forks.

Since bicycles already possess great green aspects, cyclists should also adopt the use of petroleum-free products including biodegradable vegetable-based lubricants and biodegradable degreasers. SoyClean offers a soy-based multi-purpose lubricant, and Pedros offers a biodegradable degreaser made from citrus extracts. Pedros also offer recycled handgrips.

Want to save bicycles from the landfill? Resource Revival recycles old bicycle parts into functional and attractive products, including clocks, tables, picture frames and jewelry. For a list of more bicycle recycle programs, visit the International Bicycle Fund's website.

Camp Stoves and Ovens
Solar ovens and camp stoves that burn renewable fuels are great for backpacking, cabins without electricity, road trips, and other outdoor enthusiasts. ZZ Manufacturing offers lightweight, dependable Sierra stoves which utilize a battery and a fan to produce 18,000 BTUs to burn pine cones, wood chips, tree bark, charcoal or any other solid fuel.

Surprisingly, there aren't any stoves that are currently marketed as using biodiesel. However, multi-fuel stoves that burn automobile diesel should be able to burn biodiesel, but they may require a separate primer. Options include MSR's XGK-EX, the Optimus Nova, and the Primus OmniFuel.

Cast iron and aluminum Dutch ovens are great for baking in the outdoors, but what if you want to avoid burning wood? Global Sun Ovens soak up solar radiation regardless of outside temperatures and reach 360 to 400 degrees in approximately 45 minutes, so they can cook anything a conventional oven can.

Canoeing and Kayaking
Like cycling, canoeing and kayaking are relatively low-impact outdoor activities. However, most of the equipment involved isn't produced from recycled, renewable and or recyclable materials.

Walden Kayaks was an exception. They offered the only kayaks in the world manufactured entirely from 100% recycled materials Though they've closed their doors, Marty Bloomberg and a number of former employees purchased most of the company's inventory, and they've made the kayaks available at wholesale, plus 10%.

Another kayak manufacturer, Hydra, is experimenting with making hulls from recycled plastics, like milk jugs. Such vessels are not commercially available, but their seats and thigh braces are currently made of recycled polyethylene. And they may be willing to recycle your old kayak hulls. Also, consider Pole and Paddle's handcrafted, cedar canoes.

Clothing and Apparel
Eco-friendly and fairly traded outdoor clothing options abound. Smart choices include 100% certified organic cotton and wool, fabrics that incorporate bamboo fibers, and hemp, which uses very little pesticides or herbicides.

Patagonia, who has been producing products containing recycled and organic content for over a decade, recently discovered a way to use recycled Patagonia-wear in its Capilene fabric. Old garments are broken down into polyester raw material and made into new Capilene garments. Available next year, the new Capilene line will incorporate a minimum of 50% post-consumer recycled content, and silk-weight items will contain 100% post-consumer recycled materials.

In the meantime, consider Patagonia's Marsupial Synchilla Fleece. Made from post-consumer recycled soda bottles, the Marsupial, features a deep, pullover-style zipper and a kangaroo-pouch and is easy to take along for durable warmth any time of year. For women, consider Patagonia's Vitaliti 1/4-Zip. Made with organic cotton and more refined than a sweatshirt or fleece, it won't look fatigued even when you do.

Mountain Hardware is now producing clothing made from renewable bamboo. The Seafloral Shirt and Wrap for women are lightweight, airy, quick drying garments with great drape and wrinkle resistance. Available in envy and red onion colors, the Seafloral Shirt and Wrap can add a fun splash of floral color to a traveler's wardrobe.

Splaff Flopps are hand-made using recycled race car tires and bicycle inner tubes, hemp, and Regupol, a cushioning material made from used tires which have been chipped and pressed into mats. And they're produced in a 100% waste free, earth-friendly process in which all leftover materials are either reused or recycled.

Tilley offers a range of stylish hats, pants and shirts made from hemp blended with eco-friendly, recycled polyester. Tilley Hemp Hats are very popular and fashionable, and they come with an unbelievable guarantee: if you ever wear one out, Tilley will give you a replacement.

From boots and field bags to hats and clothing, Hemp Sisters offers a range of hemp and sustainable natural fiber products that are produced by Women's Cooperative and Fair Trade groups in developing countries.

Another great company that offers a diverse selection of natural clothing, including organic cotton, hemp and 'eco-fleece,' is Under the Canopy.

Timberland and Nike are also now using environmentally friendly materials and supporting sustainable product innovation.

Fair Trade
The Fair Trade industry in North America alone grew 44% in 2003, according to Co-op America's most recent Report on Fair Trade Trends.

Brighter Futures is a fair trade program that is based on trade not aid. STI and Brighter Futures work with local producers in economically disadvantaged tourism dependent communities, including the Gambia and Sri Lanka, to gain fair prices for their goods. From jewelry, gift baskets, and carvings to musical instruments, handwoven goods and batik, we offer dozens of authentic gifts from which to choose.

TransFair USA audits transactions between U.S. companies offering Fair Trade Certified products and the international suppliers from whom they source, in order to guarantee that the farmers and farm workers behind Fair Trade Certified goods were paid a fair, above-market price. They also provide a list of certified companies, so you can shop on-line.

For additional company ratings on social and environmental issues, look to Co-op America. Also look to The Fair Trade Federation which lists companies that provide fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide.

Frisbees
If you're into frisbee golf or ultimate, look into Discovering The World's offerings. Discovering The World has been providing quality products to frisbee disc enthusiasts for 29 years. Their ReFlyer frisbees are made with 60% post-consumer recycled polyethylene.

Snowboards
Arbor is committed to environmental conservation and restoration. Their snowboards (and skateboards) are built with unique organic materials that improve performance, durability, and style using materials accessed from environmentally friendly sources. Arbor's Push snowboard utilizes bamboo in its construction as well. This true-to-form freerider for women is designed to deliver energetic initiation, reliable control and the ability to express a clean line in all conditions.

Venture Snowboards is also dedicated to creating superior performing snowboards utilizing sustainably harvested wood cores and fabric top sheets including organic cotton and hemp options. Its Euphoria snowboard features a mellow flex pattern, greater stance offset, and tapered shape - a great choice for epic powder days!

Looking for the perfect gift for the snow sport enthusiast in your life? The Vermont Ski Recyclers product line is made up of furniture and accessories crafted from recycled skis and snowboards. The company also works with ski industry leaders to develop one-of-a-kind trade show displays, custom props and point of purchase items.

Need to wax your skis or snowboard? Want to avoid using petrochemical wax that will end up in our groundwater? Consider using 100% soy-based biodegradable Bio-Glide wax.

Skateboards
Arbor's new Fleetwood longboard skate is a 43-inch carver. It's built with a solid, matched, hand re-sawn Hawaiian Koa and Maple deck, with five additional stringers made from Purple Hart and Maple. This thing is surf Heritage on wheels, with its classic design and tradition based use of Koa.

Another good option is Bamboo Skateboards. Bamboo is one of the most renewable materials on the planet, and this company offers bamboo skateboard decks which are lighter and more flexible than most conventional boards.

Sunblock and Insect Repellent
If you want to avoid the use of DEET and other harmful additives while protecting the environment, look no further than All Terrain. All Terrain's sunblock, insect repellent and other products use only all-natural ingredients and are formulated for hard-core use. They're also packaged in recycled and biodegradable containers that feature labels made from recycled paper and printed using soy-based inks.

Surfboards
Into surfing? Bamboo Surfboards Australia offers light, fast and durable, bamboo boards that are easier on the environment than conventional fiberglass and polyurethane. How so? These epoxy boards use a resin that emits two-thirds less toxic chemicals than polyester resins. They also offer more control and speed in turns and are more durable which means that they last longer - another environmental plus.

Need to wax your board? Terra Surfwax comes in a tree-free packaging and is biodegradable.

Please note
STI's annual Green Gear Guide is an unbiased source for eco-friendly, renewably sourced, and fairly traded products. None of the companies detailed above have paid to be included in this guide.

Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Management

Integrating energy efficiency practices into your operations will help conserve natural resources and reduce operational costs by 10 to 20%, providing a quick return for taking no and low cost actions. By integrating energy efficiency practices into your operations and investing in renewable energy technologies, such as solar, wind, hydro, and thermal power, you can also reduce your greenhouse gas emissions.

Measuring Your Impact: Determining your levels of Energy Consumption

Your electricity and / or gas bills are perfect indicators for measuring your monthly and annual levels of consumption. Electricity figures should be expressed in Kilowatt-hours on your bills, or you can refer directly to your electricity meter. If this information cannot be derived directly from your electricity and /or gas bills, you will need to either contact your utility or electricity provider or estimate your energy consumption levels.

Alternate and other energy sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, small-scale hydro energy, and methane based composting systems, should also be taken into consideration.

You will also need to calculate your vehicle fuel usage and differentiate between each type of fuel utilized in your operations. Your overall consumption figures should be communicated in gallons individually for liquid petroleum gas, diesel, and biodiesel.

The easiest way to track fuel consumption is to save your receipts. Otherwise, derive the information from your vehicles' fuel-efficiency levels or average miles per gallon.

To calculate your vehicle's average miles per gallon, fill up your tank when it's near empty, then reset your odometer. When your tank is near empty again, record the total miles covered and divide this total by the amount of gallons you purchased to determine your average miles per gallon. Also, take note of the time period between filling and emptying your tank to average your annual fuel consumption levels. Repeat this process with each of your vehicles.

British Thermal Units (Btu's) are one of the more common units for measuring all forms of energy. Be sure to use Btu's as the units of measurement for these sources when recording your data.

• 1055 Joules = 1 Btu
  
• 252 Calories= 1 Btu
  
• 1 Kilowatt-hour of electricity = 3413 Btu's
  
• 1 Cubic foot of natural gas = 1030 Btu's
  
• 1 Therm = 100,000 Btu's
  

Managing Your Impact

To maximize energy conservation and reduce energy consumption, incorporate an energy management system into your operations:

• Begin by measuring how much energy your business is using and identifying the areas where waste is occurring.
• Set quantifiable goals for energy conservation, develop an action plan for increasing energy efficiency, and appoint an employee to monitor and execute scheduled energy saving activities as well as review the results.
  
• Educate your staff and clients, and increase their awareness of energy conservation measures they can take to help you achieve your goals.
  
• Track your performance by using current energy consumption levels as a benchmark and compare future consumption levels to set targets or to similar businesses. Check your monthly energy bills to calculate savings and to ensure that you are not paying too much for current electricity use.
  
• Oftentimes grants and rebates are available to small and large commercial custoers for both electric and gas energy applications through local utility providers and energy conservation initiatives.
  
• There are also numerous products and services available to help businesses conserve energy. Check your phone book, search on-line or review the classifieds in environmental publications for energy management and conservation consultants and products as well as local city programs and non-profits.
  

Specific measures to reduce your energy consumption levels include taking no to low-cost, energy saving actions and measures and investing in energy-efficient equipment, appliance and building retrofits:

No Cost Energy Saving Actions

• Train yourself and your employees to turn off lights when not in use or where windows provide sufficient daylight. Take advantage of natural light and install new lighting where it will be most effective. Use light or pale colors in your facilities to increase light reflectivity.
  
• Train yourself and your employees to turn off computers, monitors, printers and photocopiers every night and every weekend. Also, turn off and unplug coffee machines, desk lamps, fans, etc.
  
• Computer screensavers save your monitor, but they don't save energy; use sleep or hibernate modes when not using your computer. If your computer does not have a low energy mode, turn it off when not in use.
  
• In the typical office, photocopiers use more energy then any other single piece of equipment. Check to see if your photocopier offers a sleep or standby power mode.
  
• Use heating and air-conditioning efficiently. Keep doors and windows closed while your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are running. Train your employees to turn off heating and air-conditioning when not in use. Try to avoid using air conditioning by having your employees dress for variable, cooler or warmer temperatures. And regularly check HVAC pumps, fans, coolers, etc. for proper operation and maintenance needs.
  
• During the cooling season, set your thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, close your blinds and shades on windows that are exposed to direct sunlight (east-facing in the morning, south-facing mid-day, and west-facing in the afternoon). Maximize natural airflow for cooling whenever possible. And when nighttime temperatures are cool outside, shut off your fans during unoccupied hours and use ventilation to cool your facility.
  
• During the heating season, set your thermostat to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, open your blinds and shades on your windows during daylight hours. And keep in mind that you should avoid using space heaters. They are horribly inefficient, using as much electricity as 40 fluorescent light fixtures.
  

Low Cost, Energy Saving Actions

• Purchase or replace your existing light bulbs and / or incandescent lighting with energy efficient or compact florescent bulbs. They cost a little more, but they'll save up to 70-90% of the energy used by the bulbs you replace, which translates to savings on your electric bill. They also last longer and use less energy than standard bulbs.
  
• Invest in automatic or Energy Star®-labeled thermostats with temperature ranges, and consider installing locking covers on them to prevent tampering.
  
• Perform scheduled maintenance on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, including replacing and cleaning air filters, cleaning burners and air conditioner coils, and checking duct and pipe insulation for damage.
  
• Weatherize your facilities by ensuring that your doors and windows have tight seals and remain closed and sealing unused windows and doors.
  

Investing in Energy-efficiency

• Purchase renewable energy and use active and passive solar energy and heating wherever possible. An alternate to purchasing renewable energy, either from your utility or other service providers, is to invest in tradable renewable certificates. If your business does not have easy access to renewable energy sources, oftentimes you can buy tradable renewable certificates, which have the same positive effects as purchasing renewable electricity. For more information, visit www.Green-e.org.
  
• Achieve your energy conservation goals by utilizing new technologies, including timers and motion sensors that automatically control lighting fixtures and key activated electrical control devices that offer considerable savings, especially for accommodations. Also, consider retrofitting your T12 florescent lamps and ballasts with T8 lamps and electronic ballasts.
  
• Consider purchasing or replacing existing equipment with energy efficient or Energy Star®-labeled computers, appliances, and heating and cooling equipment. A complete listing is available at www.energystar.gov. Also, look for indoor weather products which use Puron® as a refrigerant.
  
• Maximize the use of recyclable, renewable, and energy efficient materials when constructing or renovating facilities. For example, when re-roofing your facilities, install energy efficient or Energy Star®-labeled roofing materials which come in earth tones and are highly reflective.
  
• Insulate your facilities, including your pipes, interior and exterior walls, ceilings and wall cavities. And consider shading sun-exposed windows on the outside of your facility using deciduous trees, awnings, etc.
  

Energy Star® is a program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that offers information on energy conservation to businesses of all sizes.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection.

The Electric Power Research Institute conducts scientific research and develops technology for virtually every aspect of power generation, delivery, and use.

Free Marketing Opportunity:
Rainforest Alliance's Eco-Index

NGO Profile: Tourism for Help

Tourism for Tomorrow Awards:
Deadline December 12, 2005
Don't Miss Your Opportunity to Apply!

There is only one week left until the deadline for the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards is up. Make sure you don't miss out on the opportunity to win this prestigious prize. Winners will be flown to Washington DC for the ceremony to receive their awards in front of an audience of industry leaders and their businesses will be featured in the international press via our media sponsors - BBC World, Newsweek, National Geographic Adventurer and others.

With categories for destinations and businesses of all sizes, comprising all aspects of responsible tourism including conservation and community involvement, the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards promote and encourage the world's leading examples of tourism best practice.

Entries are encouraged from all sectors of the travel and tourism industry worldwide, large, medium or small scale, in the following categories:

• Destination Award
  
• Conservation Award
  
• Investment in People Award
  
• Global Tourism Business Award
  

Winners will be invited to a prestigious awards ceremony at the 6th Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Washington DC on 10th April 2006 and will have the opportunity to present their business or destination to more than 500 tourism industry, government and media leaders.

Tourism for Tomorrow's 2005 Winners are:

• Jurassic Coast, UK
  
• Damaraland Camp, Namibia
  
• Haciendas del Mundo Maya, Mexico
  
• Casuarina Beach Club, Barbados

If you are a tourism destination or business which is leading the way in responsible tourism and would like to apply for a Tourism for Tomorrow Award please visit www.tourismfortomorrow.com or email info@tourismfortomorrow.com.

Eco-Travel Sweepstakes

Are the cold, dark days making you long for a tropical vacation? If so, you might want to check out this opportunity to win a free ten day carbon-neutral trip for two to some of Costa Rica's finest eco-lodges. The sights will be spectacular, your days will be relaxing, and you can rest assured your travel is treading lightly on the planet.

New American Dream is a non-profit organization that helps people challenge the 'more is better' culture and get more of what matters - more time, more fairness, more fun. They're sponsoring this contest to promote their Conscious Consumer website's new Green Vacation resources, and to build their community of people who are living consciously, buying wisely, and joining with others to make a difference.

If the New Dream Community sounds like your kind of community, please enter the sweepstakes today. You'll help build a powerful constituency for change, connect with others looking to get more of what matters, and maybe even find yourself vacationing in Costa Rica.

Conference Corner:
Mesoamerican Sustainable Tourism and Georgia Nature-based Tourism Conferences

The Second Mesoamerican Sustainable Tourism Conference was held in Copan, Honduras from December 1-3, 2005 and was hosted by the Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance (MEA). For more information, please visit MEA's website or contact Mark Willuhn via email at mark@travelwithmea.org.

Georgia Nature-Based Tourism Association is hosting their 2006 conference in Madison, Georgia on Tuesday, January 17 and Wednesday, January 18, 2006. For more information or to register, visit www.georgianature.org or call 404-975-4954.

High Moon Cartoons

If you would like to purchase any one of High Moon's six cartoon books, you may order them directly from the Japan Environmental Exchange via email or JEE's website.

Support STI