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Putting Fun Into Sustainable |
03/07/2008 7:19 pm   |
Am I knee deep in an oxymoron here?
Maybe it’s being 10 hours into the long haul across the Pacific that gets me giddy. It started when the woman next to me asked what I did.
When I replied I was involved in sustainable travel, she shot back “that doesn’t sound like much fun!”.
Always one to take on the challenge of the “un” (uninformed, uncommitted, uninterested), I took a slow breath and retorted that it was absolutely fun, thinking that would keep her quiet.
To my surprise, she said she’d like to hear why. So I told her two stories.
In a very poor village in northern Laos, there is little hope for a better life. The parents make $300.00 a year selling souvenirs for the occasional back packers that happen on their village.
In another village bordering the Mekong River, a miracle of economic development that is environmentally sensitive is taking shape. Working with a sustainably conscious tour operator, the village now has a legitimate eco lodge.
While money flowing into the village from visitors is making a dramatic change, the villagers are able to maintain their culture and share it with pride to sensitive visitors. Sounds like fun to me!
Later in the trip, the same woman asked me if I would write down some URLs about sustainable travel. THAT WAS TRULY FUN.
Nancy Harkrider, Editor, Contributor
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