It's SPRING in South Africa! What a delightful season... Once
again we stand amazed at the wonderful cycles of which we are
part. Mother Nature is brimming with blossoms, and all of us are
packing away our winter blankets... Surely a time to celebrate!
With all of this renewed energy, we are ever more inspired to
make a real difference to your responsible travel experience.
Thus our Newsletter is packed with happy travel ideas that don't
cost the earth, but rather feeds your soul.
September's Newsletter is dedicated to SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT in Southern Africa. Join in our quest for
sustainable, eco-friendly enjoyment of our continent, and add
your opinions to our Readers' Coffee Table. Also be on the
lookout to download your Spring Wallpaper!
In this issue:
1. Cape Town buys wind energy
2. Countries listed in Happy Planet Index
3. Is tourism in Okavango Delta sustainable?
4. Readers' Coffee Table
5. Make some ecoTravel plans
6. ecoAfrica's ecoQuest
7. ecoAfrica Spring Wallpaper
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1. Cape Town buys wind energy
 Cape
Town has become the first city in South Africa to sign a 20 year contract to
buy wind energy from the yet-to-be-built Darling Wind Farm. The "green" energy
will be sold at a premium to consumers who are willing to play their part in
the fight against global warming. "Ultimately we would like to see Cape Town
become one of the world's leaders in sustainable energy," says the city's
mayor, Helen Zille.
Read more
- Visit Cape
Town.
- Hike the
3 day Hoerikwaggo Table Mountain Trail
2. Countries listed in Happy Planet Index
 The
Happy Planet Index (HPI) is an innovative new measure that shows the
ecological efficiency with whch human well-being is delivered. The 178-nation
index lists the south Pacific Island of Vanuatu as the happiest nation on the
planet, while the UK is ranked 108th. The Happy Planet Index reflects the
average years of happy life produced by a given society or nation per unit of
planetary resources consumed.
- Country
Rankings
- Visit
Madagascar (ranked higher than the UK!)
3. Is Tourism in the Okavango Delta Sustainable?
R. Fox said that tourism is like fire - it can cook your food or it can
burn your house down. With these wise words in mind, ecoAfrica asked local
Botswana academic Joseph Mbaiwa to report on the sustainable tourism situation
in Botswana. He states: “At this stage tourism development in the Okavango
Delta is unsustainable and a threat not only to the environment, but to
potential benefits for both present and future generations.” Do you agree?
Read this exclusive report.
- Visit the
Okavango Delta
- Experience the
9 day Botswana Explorer
4.
Readers' Coffee Table
 The
World Tourism Organisation defines sustainable tourism development
as development that: "meets the needs of present tourists and host regions
while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. It is
management of all resources in such as way that economic, social and aesthetic
needs can be fulfilled, while maintaining cultural integrity, essential
ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems." Do you
know of Success Stories in this field? Or Disaster Stories?
Send your views to
Lizanne@ecoafrica.com
5. Make some ecoTravel plans - Don't miss Spring in Southern Africa
 Namibia- soulful landscapes
The spectacle of changing colours and the lonely Oryx silhouetted against
the red dunes is one which visitors and photographers from around the world
come to savour and capture on film. The area is mainly renowned for physical
beauty and not for game viewing. Game drives, night drives, guided walks,
hot-air ballooning, excursions to Sossusvlei sand dunes.
- Visit
Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp
"We had a fantastic stay at Elephant Plains! We were so impressed by all
the staff who were extremely knowledgeable and clearly passionate and
thoughtful about their surroundings and the animals" - Anna Long, UK. -
Visit
Elephant Plains
 6. ecoAfrica's ecoQuest
As the team
behind ecoAfrica we have committed ourselves to finding and supporting lodges
and operators that goes out of their way to ensure a responsible eco
experience for their guests. This includes the sensitivity of their built
environment, their use of natural resources and energy, possible uplifting
projects among local communities, respect towards wild animals and their
environment and sensitivity when visiting these habitats. We also make sure
that guests will be escorted by knowledgeable, experienced and responsible
guides.
 Every
month we highlight one of these exceptional lodges/trips and it is
with pride and pleasure that we present to you our trip of the
month:
8 day Gorilla Safari in Uganda. in Uganda. We encourage you to take a
look, and be assured that when you go on this fantastic trip, you
will not only experience the heart of Africa, but also contribute
to her sustainable use and conservation
7. ecoAfrica Spring Wallpaper
Visit our
Flickr Photo Website for your wallpaper. |
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"I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy" - Ernest Hemingway __________________________________________________________________________________
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