Future Conservationists in Class

Teaching the inhabitants of a wilderness area, especially the youth, about the nature around them seems to be so obvious, it’s a wonder more lodges haven’t done it in before now. Make the people aware of the riches they have – and that can benefit them – and the lodge will benefit as well. It’s a win-win equation.

To this end, in 2009, Singita Grumeti Reserves established an environmental education center in the Sasakwa foothills 3 km from Makundusi village, in Tanzania. Its goal was to offer an education to the youth from 58 secondary schools, as well as the community leaders of neighboring villages.

The one-week course is aimed at equipping them with relevant information on wildlife conservation, the lifeline of the area’s activities, thus enabling the communities to become increasingly aware of their responsibilities towards wildlife and the environment. The first group consisted of 12 students, and since then the center has conducted 8 training sessions attended by a total of 96 secondary school students (both girls and boys) as well as 16 of their teachers  from the two targeted districts of Serengeti and Bunda.

Students cover basic environmental conservation – the functioning of the ecosystem, threats to its sustainability within the local arena – and they are encouraged and equipped to pursue their livelihoods in a more sustainable way and to devise effective solutions. On returning to their schools, students have established and revived Environmental Conservation Clubs. Currently 8 clubs are active and have, in turn, successfully trained 875 new members. This ensures that a total of 971 youths have benefited from receiving a basic environmental training.

Singita Grumeti, Proof that Conservation Works

If Singita Grumeti Reserves blows its own trumpet during the training, it can be forgiven. The luxury property has done incredible conservation work in the Grumeti reserve, turning back an environmental clock that was quickly running out of time. The habitat and wildlife have been richly regenerated over the past few years. This includes at least 40 species of herbivores, 25 species of large carnivores and 400 species of birds. If students have to learn from someone, they couldn’t have better teachers.

Singita Boulders Sans Lights

Singita Game Reserves, in a stand against global warming, will ‘power down’ on Saturday March 27, showing its support for the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour 2010 initiative. Acting on the unified call for action on climate change, Singita’s nine lodges in Southern and East Africa will ‘switch off’ at 18h30 GMT, together with over 807 cities, towns, and municipalities in 82 countries that have already signed up to take part in the 60-minute global ‘lights out’ campaign.

During that time, Singita guests will sit down to an ‘unplugged’ bush banquet or sundowner stop. They might even be able to view the lodge lights going out in the far distance as generators are turned off and the bush turns to complete darkness and quiet.

Says Singita CEO Luke Bailes: “Since its inception, Singita has adopted an approach of low-impact and high-value tourism as a workable model for eco-tourism. We cannot escape the fact that the planet is warming rapidly due to human activity, not only threatening every human being on the planet but also our planetary wildlife resources. As a business, we operate close to nature and place this issue at the very top of our agenda. We believe it is our responsibility to take action, and we urge each and every one on the African continent to take part in the greatest act of global unity ever seen – Earth Hour 2010. We encourage all friends, guests, colleagues and associates around the world to do the same.”

And we at A World Different urge you to follow Singita and the others partaking in the hour-long power-outage. Turn out the lights to keep the lights burning for the future.

The Gallery Different

Long known for its collection of art, much of it by local masters, the exemplary small hotel Ellerman House in Cape Town has recently opened a gallery to showcase young and upcoming South African artists.

“Our guests (the majority of whom are international) go down to the gallery and take in the art, see something that they like, and take the name home with them and spread the word,” the gallery says.

The Taylor Sculpture Above Bantry Bay

And spread the word they will, if the striking giant sculpture of a man’s head by Angus Taylor at the entrance is anything to go by.

The art pieces that have been carefully selected and collected for Ellerman Contemporary come from various art galleries throughout the country and cover various styles and disciplines, which gives any person visiting the gallery a fairly good understanding of the contemporary art scene in South Africa. The gallery, which was put together over a year, was in a location impossible to get heavy machinery to. All excavations had to be done by hand. Not only did this allow them to construct an entire gallery while guests were sipping cocktails only a few yards away, completely unawares, but it also gave them a green gallery.

Some of the artists that are featured include William Kentridge, Angus Taylor, Collin Richards, Anthony Scullion, John Walters, Kevin Brand and Phillimon Hlungwane.

The Seven Seas: Yours for Two Weeks

Following on this success, Misool now proposes to expand the No-Take Zone to include Daram, a threatened group of islands about 40 kilometers east, which would increase the zone’s coverage to over 1,200 square kilometers or 468 square miles. That’s more than twice the size of Singapore.

Mesmerized by Misool

To kick off the Daram Project, Misool is auctioning off a 14-night combination trip with The Seven Seas yacht, journeying through Misool and Daram. This is an exclusive full-charter trip for a group of up to 14 people, joined by Conservation International marine scientists Mark Erdmann and Gerry Allen.

The trip starts onboard The Seven Seas on February 4, 2011, sailing for one week before arriving at Misool Eco Resort. Guests will then explore the Misool area until the 18th. The starting bid for this journey of a lifetime is $96,500, and all the profits will go towards protecting Daram. You can read more about it here. The auction closes on May 31, 2010.

The Beach Where the Coppolas Built

Who They Are

They are The Coppolas! Less than a year after Francis and Eleanor Coppola acquired this beachside refuge in 2001, it was swept out to sea by the forces of Hurricane Iris. A two-year reclamation project ended with Turtle Inn, a magnificent resort that is consistently ranked among the best in Central and South America.

Inside a Bungalow. Luxe Yet Simple

A 25-room seafront hideaway, Turtle Inn is sandwiched between the Garifuna settlement of Seine Bight and the Creole fishing village of Placencia at the tip of a narrow 26-mile-long sandy peninsula. The sea is studded by a patchwork of coral cayes and the Belize Barrier Reef. The thatched cottages, decorated with handcrafted Balinese furnishings, have decks that are just steps from the white-sand beach.

What They Are Doing
Like sister property Blancaneaux Lodge, Turtle Inn has been built in such a way as to minimize its impact on the environment, using local resources and creating imaginative alternatives to energy-sapping air-conditioning.

In the Public Area

The staff grows all the organic vegetables and many of the fruits used at the resort. Turtle Inn also provides full academic scholarships to five local students. It also supports several organizations and individuals in an ongoing effort to preserve the biodiversity of Belize. These include SEA Belize and Alexandra Cousteau and Expedition Blue Planet.

One of Two Pools

Ibo Lodge's Main Pool

Who They Are

Ibo Island Lodge lies just north of the mainland city of Pemba in pristine northern Mozambique, and the island is one of 27 that make up the breathtakingly beautiful Quirimbas Archipelago.

Four Poster, Zanzibari-Style (But It's Not Zanzibar)

Remote and untouched by commercial development, Ibo is one of the most fascinating, idyllic, and romantic islands. For several hundred years it was a prosperous Arab trading post on the east coast of Africa. Three forts, a beautiful old Catholic church, and numerous ancient trading buildings stand guard over the sea.  Pirates, ivory, intrigue and the never-to-be-forgotten slave trade are a part of its rich history.

The Bel Vista Mansion

The lodge takes up three magnificent mansions, each over a century old and located right on a prime waterfront site, where dhows sail out to sea at high tide. Each of the 9 en-suite rooms is individually designed, large, air-conditioned, and they boast antiques and handcrafted furniture with marvelous wooden doors and shutters that evoke the original design. Guests can immerse themselves in the unchanged, ancient culture of Ibo and the rare chance to interact with the wonderfully hospitable islanders.

The Ngalawa Veranda

Meals feature fresh Ibo-grown organic vegetables, fruits and produce, traditional specialties, and, of course, seafood. Romantic dinners are served on the wide tranquil verandas or on the roof terrace restaurant, both with awesome views over the sea.

What They Are Doing

Ibo Island has 4000 inhabitants, of whom only a small number had formal employment. The lodge has made a significant impact on the local economy, employing and also training up to 150 employees during the construction and development phase.

Before the lodge’s nascence, the community had no exposure to tourism or the outside world. Few had any education and in many cases did not even speak or write Portuguese.  The lodge has provided a solid training facility with the development of the Ibo Island Community Training Centre, delivering education programs that deal with, among other things, English literacy, guiding techniques, tourism etiquette, small enterprise development, and the presentation of the unique cultural and historical features of Ibo. The facility is free to all community members.

Local Silver to Dazzle

Making use of the old Arab coffee plantations that still exist on Ibo, the lodge hand grinds and open-fire-roasts its world-class coffee. Its agricultural project will focus on the production of coffee, as well as a market garden producing fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruit for the lodge.

A marine turtle research project aims to support international research efforts into turtle biology and ecology and to protect marine turtles, and turtle eggs, from illegal and inadvertent harvesting on Ibo.

Silversmiths, part of an ancient tradition here, hand-craft exquisite intricate jewelry using old Arab techniques and tools. The key element to sustain this craft is providing high quality raw materials.  In order to do this, the lodge has set up a distribution network with a company in Cape Town called Africa Nova who will be able to provide a far greater return for the silversmiths. This jewelry is found no where else in the world and guests can observe the art and commission pieces from the lodge’s silversmith project.

Atop the 16th Century Fort

By creating jobs where there were none, Ibo Lodge has had other positive influences, reducing the reliance on fishing as a primary source of income and food. Among other projects the lodge is involved in is a local Montessori school.

Ibo's Sandbank and Sometime Beach

In Their Own Words

“As the first tourism investor on Ibo Island and specialist tour operator to the Quirimbas Archipelago, the company believes that it is critical that local communities benefit from tourism development. One of the key approaches of Ibo Island Lodge has been that of supporting and creating projects on Ibo that will serve to create income and livelihoods for other members of the communities.”

Cortijada Los Gázquez

Who They Are

A kilometer above sea level, Cortijada Los Gázquez lies in a valley of almond and pine high in the mountains of Andalucia, an out-of-the-way destination for creatively minded travelers. In the heart of the Parque Natural Sierra Maria-Los Velez, this eco-chic guesthouse and 50-acre farm is situated in a place of extreme natural beauty, profound peace, and tranquility, and an awe-inspiring wilderness, in one of Spain’s most dramatic alpine deserts.

Five old farm houses, a cortijada, have been converted into a single beautiful space. On the one hand, it respects the simple vernacular architecture; on the other hand, a crisp eye for detail makes the place seem stunningly modern.

Inner Sanctum

What They Are Doing

One of Cortijada Los Gázquez’s biggest aims is to bring local people back to their communities, back to the land, and back from the cities. Without a population, mountain villages like those of Andalucia are doomed.

The nearby village – a pueblo blanco – has a population of 2,000, almost all of whom are over the age of 75. Their children left long time ago to find work in the cities. With a dwindling populace there is less money to preserve the local history and culture, such as the village’s fantastic Renaissance castle, built as an extension to the original Moorish one. Even the food culture could be lost, along with a knowledge of the land and how to farm it. By simply being here, and drawing tourists, Cortijada Los Gázquez has started to help turn the tide.

Cortijada Los Gázquez’s insistence on buying only locally produced food has already encouraged local suppliers to stock more of their own products. The property is carbon-neutral, using a combination of solar panels, wind mills, and fires to cook and create energy. Rain water is harvested from the roof, waste water is managed and used through a system of reed beds, and a gray-water recovery system is used to irrigate the dry land.

These initiatives, coupled with those of others, are part of a loose scheme that is gaining momentum to draw cultural and sustainable tourism back to the area. The derelict Franciscan monastery is being converted into a cultural center which, among other things, will house a music department from the University of Almería. On the nearby alto plano the local government is installing wind turbines. New skills are being taught, such as very good quality organic wine production.

The Nearby Castillo Los Fajardos

Cortijada Los Gázquez also believes that artists and their creative practice can give voice to the multiple issues surrounding the issues of global warming and human ecology. That is why it also serves as an artist’s retreat, and Joya is a residency for artists who work in transition culture.  They are invited from around the world to come here to continue their creative practice and contribute to the debate surrounding the environment. Artists have sole use of a studio and 20 hectares of land for up to two weeks. In return they have to open their studio to Cortijada Los Gázquez’s ‘creative guests’ and talk with them about the issues that concern their work and their experiences as professional artists.

English Artist Clare Price Talks to Guests

In an upcoming residency, Joya: Espacio, Cortijada Los Gázquez will let its land be used to create a space for the expression of landscape and environmental art. The art in itself must be transient and environmental. The aim is for the space to become a showcase for the expression of a creative concept to the issues surrounding the environmental debate and for the artists who apply and take up a residency here.

If there isn’t a saying that good begets good, there should be. Take what’s happened at the Misool Eco Resort in Indonesia, already a diving destination that’s getting a great reputation but is also involved in local activities. Its head ranger, Rajak Tamher, was in Bali on an 8-week capacity building mission with the Coral Reef Alliance when he had the idea to spearhead a floating library project. A Coral representative helped to obtain free Indonesian-language children’s books, donated by the publishers, and now the rangers use Misool’s patrol boat to deliver these books to the primary schools in the nearby villages of Yellu and Dabatan. The students are desperate for learning materials. The schools are so short of funds they can’t afford to pay their teachers – Misool and private donors support two full-time teachers in Dabatan. Good idea!*

* The Ranger Patrol has received generous funding from WildAid, Coral, Precious Planet, and several private donors, but as the number of infractions increases, Misool needs to step up the intensity of its patrols. The patrol always needs more contributions – so keep that in mind.

(Photo by Jürgen Freund)

On Privassion Creek

Who They Are

Blancaneaux Lodge was opened in 1993 by the movie director Francis Coppola and his wife Eleanor, and it now forms part of Coppola Resorts. Tucked away in a pocket of the Maya Mountains, Blancaneaux is a 20-room resort where the spectacular Privassion Creek waterfalls tumble into turquoise pools above the jungle canopy.

Blancaneaux Deluxe

The luxury retreat offers the comfort of spacious villas or cozy cabanas. The two Deluxe Cabanas, opened in 2008, have quickly become the most sought after on the property.

What They Are Doing

Blancaneaux and sister property Turtle Inn support a number of organizations and individuals doing research in, among other things, jaguars, raptors, scarlet macaws, and the Mayan forest. It recently extended its jaguar research partnership to include ten remote camera traps. This year it has started an ‘In the Field’ expedition series designed to benefit its partners and where participants get up close and personal with the subjects.

The Gardens

The lodge buildings use low-profile, environmentally sound designs, thatch, hardwoods, pine, and bamboo, along with regionally produced tiles. Local and regional plants that do not rely on intensive irrigation are employed in landscaping.

The lodge is also self-sustaining in energy: A hydroelectric scheme harnesses the energy of Privassion Creek, with any excess used to heat the hot pool at the Waterfall Spa. Because of the design of the rooms, air-conditioning isn’t needed at any of the the Belize lodges.

In the Jungle

With over three acres of vegetables and herbs, plus fruit and nut orchards, the lodge’s garden provides almost eighty percent of the produce for both Blancaneaux Lodge and Turtle Inn.

Coppola Resorts provides 4-year scholarships to five local students, who are at present at schools in San Ignacio, Benque Viejo, and Santa Elena. Among various other programs it supports, it contributes to the furthering of sports in  Placencia and San Ignacio.

A Pair of Scarlet Macaws

Coppola Resorts has also worked extensively with Alexandra Cousteau for her Expedition Blue Planet/Blue Legacy initiative. Coppola Resorts/Turtle Inn has been her partner in Belize and is to fix a date for Alexandra to return in 2010 to film Expedition Blue Planet: Belize.

Cleaning up the Skies

When A World Different began, we didn’t foresee the amazing possibilities. And that was only four months ago. We thought only of hotels and lodges and resorts that might be doing good things around the world, not considering something like an airline. But along comes Virgin Atlantic.

Besides having earned a name for being a ‘fun’ airline – where the staff actually look like they are enjoying themselves – Virgin Atlantic goes the extra mile to minimize its impact on the environment, and is continuously thinking of ways to do more.

It has experimented with biofuel. It tries to reduce extraneous weight on planes, reducing fuel consumption. It makes  an inflight announcement about the sustainability program it is trying to achieve by 2012. There is a carbon offset program available to passengers that benefits programs in India and Indonesia. And it serves fairtrade coffees and teas on board.

Some airplanes show a short movie in which CEO Richard Branson, as well as celebrities from the Dalai Lama to Harrison Ford, exhort you to save the Brazilian rain forest. Recently Virgin Atlantic has also linked up with two charities, the Travel Foundation and Free the Children, for which it collects spare change (all those loose coins you have that you never know what to do with). Read more about what these two worthy projects are trying to achieve.