Deforestation - We gotta sort it out!

How can we sit by and watch as the Amazon Rainforest, the most bio-diverse tropical rainforest in the world, dissolves right before our eyes? Can people not see that the destruction of the Amazonian Rainforest will lead to the destruction of human life itself?! There is no time left to remain blinkered, it's no joke, this stuff is real and it's happening NOW. We all share this world, so the responsibility sits on all of our shoulders to turn things around.

'A common estimate is that over half of the species of animals live in the rain forests of the world. To say that many of these are threatened or endangered would be an understatement, especially in light of the many threats that rainforests as a whole face in the world today. These threats are outlined in the Crisis Overview section of Hope For The Rain Forests.'

There are millions of articles out there on the subject, here's one article I found to be pretty informative and straight to the point. It explains how deforestation is not a 'sport' but that it is due to a variety of factors such as over-population. It's easy to say that deforestation must stop, but this can only begin to happen if alternative and efficient solutions are employed, by each and every one of us. The links at the bottom of the page are really good too.

I also recently came across a really great environmental awareness campaign by the Born Free Foundation.

'Using the spectacular photography of George Logan and the skills of Steve Hawthorne and Katy Hopkins at advertising company WCRS Limited, these images of wild animals placed within an urban setting aim to provide a shocking reminder that wildlife is losing its habitat at an alarming rate.'

Ethical Volunteering

‘Voluntourism’

I've recently been investigating the idea of ethical volunteering as the term 'Voluntourism' is often coming under scrutiny these days. The current debate claims that actual negative effects can arise from a volunteers impact upon a project, it's hosts and even the community. The bigger picture must be considered as even the smallest efforts can have a huge ripple effect if enough people jump on the bandwagon. Results can actually hinder a community, not help it.

After some careful consideration of our own impact, I truly believe we're fairly safe to rest assured that we won't be leaving a trail of negative impact behind us (for instance, taking potential paid work away from those in the local community). The following points will hopefully explain our reasoning....

Research..

I have read up on various websites offering information on ethical volunteering and I was surprised to find that they all make the assumption that people will arrange their volunteering activities via a ‘volunteer sending’ company, in a nutshell this means, ‘a company that you pay to arrange everything for you and to offer you support while you’re volunteering’.  I don’t doubt there are some great companies out there doing some really worth-while stuff, however what about arranging your volunteering experience directly yourself? This is what we’re doing. NO Middle Man. NO Fat Cats. Person to Project :)

Below are some of the sites I had a look at, I am still a little confused as to why they clearly assume anyone wishing to volunteer would pay another company to arrange it for them?! Volunteering shouldn't be a money-making industry, it should be based upon a moral philosophy, a will for change and a passion for the environment that we're all responsible for.

http://www.ethicalvolunteering.org/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/volunteer/ethical_volunteering.cfm
http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/magazine/articles/destinations/how-to-be-an-ethical-volunteer

Direct Contact..

As previously mentioned, the way in which we have decided to go about organising our trip is to research and contact projects directly, projects that take a simplistic and more personalised, non-profit approach to arranging your visit. Some simply advise you to just turn up! Animal rescue centre Communidad Inti Warra Yassi in Bolivia for example. A high turn-over of traveller volunteers allows for space to always become available.

The places we have chosen to volunteer with are very reliant on volunteers it seems. Without people wanting to pitch in and get involved in return for a unique experience, a lot of these projects wouldn’t be able to exist, or at least not to the level they are currently operating at.

Query your impact..

So when I asked myself if my actions would be taking potential paid work away from those in the local community, I had to conclude that they wouldn’t (I sincerely hope not anyway). There are no wages for individuals even available in these organisations, except for highly-skilled professionals such as vets, and on some occasions even vets will offer their know-how free of charge.  Many of the projects are set up by families/couples/individuals with a strong passion for what they believe in, namely animal rescue/rehabilitation and eco-living.

As we are mainly focusing on volunteering with animals I also had to ask myself whether our actions out there would help or hinder the animal’s welfare. I’m no vet or Zoologist (oh how I wish I was!) so of course I won’t be carrying out duties of such a high skill-set. The projects we’re looking at make use of volunteers in the cleaning, feeding and exercising of the animals (and of course the odd cuddle).  They may seem mundane tasks, but they are essential and time-consuming. Without the enthusiasm of volunteers the owners and vets etc would have to spend so much more time dealing with these smaller tasks, thus taking away more important time needed for treating and rehabilitating the animals.

Why pay anything?

The money we will be paying to take part as volunteers is pretty minimal and the predominant reason for it is to offer us shelter, food, work clothing (if necessary) and sometimes even transport. Anything not spent on putting us up then goes towards the upkeep of the organisation;  the feeding of the animals - vet bills - the fixing of a leaking roof - new building materials, and so on.

We know our money will go to good use as to be honest it’s really not much and can only go so far. For example, one of the projects in Ecuador asks for only £140 for an entire month, with a small donation for food along the way. This organisation, Ecuador Volunteer, allows volunteers to have the weekends off and they offer many different trekking trips at a discount price; again they’re really not expensive. This is a way that local people CAN make a wage as guides on the treks and local areas.

While in Argentina (towards the end of our journey) we also hope to spend some time at the Echo-Movement, a volunteer led project aiming to create and develop sustainable communities. This project does not seem to offer job roles and exists solely on the enthusiasm and passion of volunteers from around the world. 

We plan to do our up-most to ensure our personal impact on these other countries and inhabitants will only be a positive one :)

Of course we will discover much more once we actually get out there and should I find out anything I am currently unaware of, I will be sure to post it up.

Unreported World

A couple of days ago I came across the most recent Unreported World documentary on Illegal Animal Trade, on Channel 4’s catch-up service 4OD. I instantly knew I would find it painful to watch and told myself I wouldn’t do it. Curiosity took a hold of me and within 24 hours Jack and I sat down to watch the hard-hitting documentary, wincing all the way. It’s so horrible to know that these things are going on in the world every single day while we sit comfortable and content in our lovely warm homes, surrounded by all our ‘riches’ that we so often take for granted.

It’s a killer to watch, but I think it’s necessary to know what’s really going on in the world. If we’re not aware then we can’t do anything to help put an end to the cruelty and devastation. 

This particular episode focuses upon Indonesia, however we can't forget that this illegal activity is taking place in many other parts of the world.

We must also not forget that a lot of these issues are part and parcel of a much deeper rooted problem, the West is no innocent party. It is the responsibility of everyone to change their ways to allow for a better, honest and more sustainable future. 

Watch it here http://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/4od#3197103

Volunteering - Animal Rescue Centres

The less developed and poorer countries we'll be visting have a plethora of opportunities for volunteering – Ecuador and Bolivia for example. We’re going to be focusing on volunteering at animal rescue and rehabilitation centres, we both adore animals and I've always had a deep desire to work with them and help them.

Due to poverty (and a whole host of other contributing factors) people are being driven to selling illegal and endangered animals on the black market. Don’t get me wrong, I believe there is no excuse for it, but these people are often desperate to even feed themselves and they see selling animals as an accessible trade, often selling to rich tourists or overseas buyers, even selling the animals to become parts :(

You can read more about the illegal animal trade in Peru here.

It is also really important to note that each case of animal trafficking is different and has it's own individual story. In my next post I will be putting up a video link to the latest Unreported World documentary about animal trafficking, you can witness for yourself that not all cases arise from desperation. Many also arise from greed.

One of the projects we plan to spend time volunteering with is Merazonia, 'an up-and-coming rescue centre for trafficked and abused Amazonian animals' in Ecuador. While we're there we hope to understand the situation more and to learn about the actions being taken to put a stop to it, and be a part of that.

A lot of these creatures end up in rescue centres, either brought there after being seized by officials or brought to the centres by the people that purchased them, often finding they don’t actually know how to care for them or finding the animal in poor health. Unfortunately for these creatures it’s not just a case of rescuing the ones that find themselves being sold as soulless products on the markets, but it’s about the BIGGER PICTURE. There are so many more trickier to tackle factors that make up the causes of why this is happening.
Deforestation is playing a HUGE factor in animal endangerment in the regions we’ll be visiting. I’ll talk more about this in a later post.

Volunteering our way around South America

Well, Oz and New Zealand are off the map now, for this trip anyway. Turns out we were perhaps being a tad ambitious thinking we could do it all in one fell swoop. South America has now become the sole focus!

So, we're barely one month away from booking the flights! The hefty six month trip will be in the bag very shortly :)

We're also finally decided on the where’s, what’s and why’s.

As mentioned in the 'The Trip' page of this blog we'll be snaking our way down through the countries along the West coast.

UK - Peru - Ecuador - Bolivia - Chile - Argentina - UK (or possibly in the reverse order)

I've recently put together a well-researched list of volunteer projects of interest in each country we'll be visiting. Jack laughed at me as I just love to make lists, if ever there's an opportunity to write a concise list of something or other I'm on the case! Volunteering our way around South America is the most interesting and cost-effective way to do so, we believe so anyway. We don’t want to be snap-happy tourists, we want to immerse ourselves, develop friendships and learn about alternative (perhaps even better) ways of living and viewing the world we live in :)

Things are starting to make sense...

These last few weeks have brought about some realizations, and some helpful ones at that.

As it stands now a 'Round-The-World' trip has translated into 'Lets do Central and South America and if we can afford it, Australia too'. After much deliberation, it seemed both myself and the boy didn't want to just take a lily pad hop around the world and back again, just for the satisfaction of filling our passports. We'd prefer to focus on specific places and be sure to see and do as much as we can, truly making the most out of our location and absorbing as much of it as possible.

We've both made the decision that Central and South America would make the perfect setting for the greatest adventures.

My longing to travel the East coast of Australia still lingers, so if our purse strings will stretch far enough, we will be heading to Australia after 6 months traveling Latin America. In Oz we would be able to work our way along the coast, so that makes the whole idea much more attainable. New Zealand is also at the top of both of our lists.

We plan to book our flights in August this year and set sail at the end of November.

Who knows when we'll return! :)

NEWS!

It turns out the boy is definitely joining me on my travels! This changes a few things and all for the better :) Travel ideas that once seemed daunting now seem all the more possible. Very excited!

Responses!

I've had a handful of responses back from some of the volunteer projects I contacted. I'm now finding myself stepping closer and closer to making some sense out of the travel ideas flying around in my head. It turns out excessive amounts of thinking can in actual fact result in success! I was starting to feel a little dragged down by all the options and information, not knowing where to start or how to structure anything. Now I feel South America is definitely on the itinerary as a large chunk of the trip. I heard back from an animal rehabilitation centre in Bolivia and the reviews and testimonials are (for lack of a more suitable word) incredible. There is no requirement to book in advance, very little cost and you can stay as long as you like. The range of animals is fantastic; big cats, various monkey species and exotic birds, some of which can be seen here.



Each animal has their own individual story of how they ended up at the centre, many of which are extremely sad and involve terrible neglect or abuse.


Name: Gato
Species: Puma (Puma concolor)
Age: approximately 10 years old

Gato was originally caught in the mountains of Chile when he was 2 months old. After his mother was killed by hunters, he was sold on to a Bolivian circus, where he spent a year in captivity in a very small cage and as a pay per view sideshow. Gato was then trained to jump through hoops of fire. When he failed to perform he was beaten. The repeated beatings led to broken back legs.


Name: Loca
Species: Capuchin monkey

When Loca was a few weeks old, a group of Bolivians snatched her from her mother and sold her in a market in La Paz. The Bolivian family who bought her kept her in a metal cage just large enough for her to stand. They cleaned the cage rarely, so that her fur matted and her skin grew infected from constant contact with her feces and urine. Her lungs weakened from the lack of fresh air. She grew nervous, depressed and irritable. The family nicknamed her Loca, meaning crazy, because of her erratic, and sometimes violent, behaviour. Her skin infection and mood swings worsened, and the family wanted to dispose of her. They brought her to the jungle to set her free. Loca had never seen another wild animal before. She clung to the family, hid in their clothes, and wailed. They brought her back to their home. A neighbour took Loca from the family and brought her to Inti Wara Yassi.

Each one of them needs special attention and care to ensure their successful release and survival back into the wild. Those unfortunate enough to be too unfit for release need the time and TLC of volunteers to allow them to live out their lives at the centre as happy ones.


I don't deny the work and conditions will be tough, but what an amazing and unforgettable experience it could be.

BUNAC Working Adventures Worldwide

Having still not received a response from the volunteer projects I contacted I've decided to look at alternative travel ideas. I would love to get involved in a volunteer scheme, to do something totally selfless for a while, but so far it's proving fruitless :( I will contact more though, I'm not yet entirely deterred just yet. Anyway, I'm pretty into the idea of living and working abroad now. BUNAC offer some great deals and they really help you find your feet once you arrive on the other side of the pond. At the moment I'm considering going to Melbourne, I say at the moment as I do have a tendency to flit between ideas quite swiftly, this can mostly be blamed on having a boyfriend and having to compromise on what may or may not happen in six months time. I have friends in Melbourne and would love to travel Australia anyway, the Coral Reef, near by exotic lands and Koalas are something I definitely want to experience! I'm thinking traveling around while en-route to Oz would be the best way to see some more of the world, then settle down under for a while, find a job and enjoy the sunshine!



Live in Paradise? Who me?! Yes please!

Testing the Water

From adding a few handfuls of projects to my 'favourite' list I decided to send an email to a couple of my top choices, just to scope out the availability for volunteer roles. I wrote to a Malaysian Rainforest Lodge and a Costa Rican Jungle Hideaway.


'A Rainforest and Birding Paradise in Costa Rica'

As of yet there has been no response (super sad face). I contacted Ecoteer to query whether this was quite normal considering they are situated out in the jungle somewhere. They were super hot off the press to get back to me and also sent queries on my behalf to the projects. It could take a while to hear back from those I have contacted and I feel I may need to be persistent. I think I will contact them directly from my own email too as well as via Ecoteer, it might just increase my chances of hearing from them. I will also be wise to cast my net further and contact more projects I have on my list. Hopefully I'll get at least one response! Watch this space.

Ecoteer

'Ecoteer believe the way to solve human inequality and environmental destruction is to provide more people with the chance to experience first-hand the real problems in other countries and communities.'



Ecoteer is believed to be one of the very few true ethical and responsible volunteering companies, this is because they have taken out the middleman. Over 25% of their projects are free and if you do have to pay money you give it direct to the project, that way you know 100% of your money is given to the actual project! Even the projects that do result in a cost are still extremely reasonable.

Ecoteer is a community of volunteers and grass root organisations where they can contact each other directly, there are no giant conglomerates or greedy business minds behind the organisation.

I have now officially become an Ecoteer member, having paid my £15 yearly membership fee (a steal!).

I'm now in the process of investigating all of the projects available and where they're based. As a member I have my own account and can manage it to my preferences. At the moment I'm saving certain projects as my 'favourites' so that I can then go back over my list, ponder, edit and then decide on the definite winners.

Things sure have changed around here...

Hello, hello! Ok, so my blog has been lying dormant for a fair few months now and indeed it is time for a revival. The initial topic base of this blog centered around arts and design, predominantly based in the London area. Due to living there, carrying out my design studies there and having easy access to any must-see exhibition on my doorstep, it was the obvious choice. The design focus of the blog then developed more so towards sustainable design related issues, something of which I developed a strong interest in while at university.

This interest in sustainable design, and of course, sustainable issues worldwide, encouraged me to stop and think hard about how I myself could have some kind of impact in making this world a better place, even if I were to only play a tiny part. A tiny part is better than no part at all.

I had already decided not too long after graduating that I didn't want to be a designer, and after studying Product Design this put me in quite a predicament. Various internships and short spells of work later I still found myself no closer to discovering what it was I wanted to do for a career. A month away in the USA and Canada only brought me to the conclusion that I'm unlikely to discover the answer by staring with glazed eyes at page upon page of job advertisements on this here computer screen. After a short yet agonizing stint working as an assistant for a 'creative production house' (as they joyously called themselves) I couldn't have been more sure that whatever career lies in wait for me, it simply must be one that makes some kind of difference. One where at the end of the day you can know you've achieved something for the greater good. Helping to produce 2000 fashion show invites so that 2000 'fashionistas' and 'celebrities' can stuff them in their Prada handbags (or even the bin most likely) after a mere moments glance, is really not my idea of achieving something for the world. The waste of materials and energy alone was quite terrifying. The company in question always had so many excess samples left over from a job, and they didn't even recycle! Unbelievable.

I ran screaming and took 6 weeks out in Paris to study Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). I was itching to learn again and after a lot of soul searching since graduating I came to the conclusion that maybe my career wasn't sat waiting for me in the city, but was to be discovered out there in the world.

As Christopher McCandless once said, "The freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up...".


Studying in Paris allowed me to spend some much needed time with my eldest sister, get back to school, rediscover my dorky love of essay writing and get a qualification under my belt that would allow me to work my way around the world should the day come that I could afford to take off.

So, bidding farewell to the Parisians I returned to London to gather some dollar for my travels. I had no idea where I would start, where exactly I wanted to go, why or how, but I decided to figure all that out once I was in a position to put my money where my mouth is. Working full-time in retail, with rent as cheap-as-chips, made it all seem very easy and achievable. Little did I suspect that our rent would soon double, DOH! Working in retail and living in London while paying not-as-cheap-as-chips rent meant saving suddenly became virtually impossible. I found myself playing the tedious game of, 'out of the overdraft, into the overdraft, out of the overdraft, into the overdraft...'. I refer to it as a game, but by no means was it any fun.

Drastic action simply had to be taken. If I was ever going to get to go away and explore the world and try to discover what it is I really should be doing while I'm in it, I needed somewhere I wouldn't have to pay rent and where my outgoings would be minimal. There was only one answer, home.

With some encouragement from a beloved wise boy and an all consuming feeling of a need for change, I persuaded the parentals to have me back. Mother to house me, Father to help me vacate the city where I'd lived for the last 6 years.


After a few months of planning, persuading and persevering I packed up the car and within 6 hours I was back in the countryside in North Yorkshire, set to spend the next 6-8 months living in a tiny rural village with very little mobile phone signal and no local public transport. What on earth had I done!


Well, it’s been a month now and I’m still here and things are indeed going to plan. This is very good news, very very good news. Due to no rent going out from my last payment from work I’m now in the position to put away my first installment for the travel fund. One main aim of my travel intentions is to take part in volunteer schemes while enroute. I’ve found a lot of information about how to do so without having to fork out ridiculous amounts. Quite a few ‘volunteer abroad’ companies I’ve come across seem to find it appropriate to charge you thousands of pounds simply to go and work somewhere for free, it’s ludicrous. Ecoteer is one company I’m focusing on that cuts out the middle man and puts you, the volunteer, in direct contact with your project of interest. They charge £15 for a years membership, which is simply nothing compared to the experience of a lifetime that may lie ahead.

I can’t say for sure yet exactly when it will happen, in what order or for how long. All I know is that the more money I manage to save, the more options I will have open to me. The more research I carry out, the more knowledgeable I will be when it comes to planning out how I can make the trip work best for me.

Maybe I'll do it all at once, take off for months on end, perhaps go and live somewhere for a while; Or perhaps I'll do it in shorter but more frequent chunks as I go along, taking off when the mood suits me. Who knows.

But just to start with at least, I’ve joined the Facebook page of Ecoteer so that I can keep up to date with what they’re doing and any new projects they’re hosting. I will join as a member as soon as I'm sure of which projects I would like to get involved with.

'Don't make more shit'

'The London Design Festival is a nine-day celebration of design in the world’s creative capital. The Festival is a platform for the widest spectrum of design disciplines, brought together as a unique and accessible programme.'

So once again the London Design Festival has visited and vacated the city, but without failing to provoke the vital and critical reaction of questioning what we see, do, make and say in regards to all things 'design'.

The work from students on the MA Design for Development course at the University of Kingston ensured this all important reaction of questioning WHAT we design and WHY we design it. Design should only exist for a purpose, the purpose being to improve the world we live in, whether by function or by changing behaviour, actions and thinking, it doesn't matter so long as it's not just more crap. I'll never forget what my third year tutor at university once said to our class of pretty clueless product designers during a small grilling one day, 'Don't make more shit!' Short, but definitely crucial. The Kingston MA students had put together a 'thinking wall' for everyone to come up and have their say, the project was a physical extension of their blog design4development.

The Story of YOUR Stuff and MY Stuff

This is one of the 3 or possibly 4 books that I'm currently reading at the moment. It is really incredible. The author Annie Leonard not only pinpoints what is inherently wrong with our overinflated consumerist society (and has been for so long) but she's also able to discuss it from various angles and lay down the formulaic ways in which we can try to mend our ways and our planet.

I urge everyone to read it, check out the website AND watch the video! They really should teach this stuff in schools, if anything should be compulsory it should be this! (and P.E of course).




Check it all out on the website storyofstuff !

Can design make a difference?

The other day I took a trip down to the Design Museum, most especially to check out the current exhibitions I've been itching to see, 'Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2010' and 'Sustainable Futures'. The walk from London Bridge along the river was stunning and I just had to snap this flower shop tucked away down the cobbled Shad Thames area (where parts of Bridget Jones were filmed! - I guess here's where I admit to my not-so-secret love for 'easy-watching-feel-good-films') I have always had a soft spot for this stretch along the river, so many great memories and so quintessentially London!





It was a good thing I enjoyed the sunshine on the walk down as I ended up spending the next 4 hours inside the museum!



Here are a couple of projects that really jumped out at me; projects that really make you stop, think and consider certain environmental and ethical issues that urgently need addressing. The exhibitions were not only highly engaging but even more so extremely thought-provoking.



'Beehaus'
Designed by Omlet (Johannes Paul, James Tuthill, William Windham, Simon Nicholls and Rob Harper Gow)

'Concerned nature-lovers stuck in cities are increasingly keen to help boost the UK"s declining bee population through urban beekeeping. The plastic Beehaus hive has been created in response to this desire to keep bees in safe, flora-rich habitats in urban and suburban areas. Beehives haven't been re-engineered since the 1920s and are no longer suited to the needs of contemporary hobby beekeepers, who want to house their hives on rooftops and need to manage swarming behaviour. The Beehaus addresses these technical issues while also having a restrained, functional design.'







'Cafe of Equivalents'
Designed by Kennard Phillipps

'Playing around with the notion of value in the global capitalist financial system, the project engaged City workers with some simple 'truth derivatives' during their lunchbreak. Set up in Leadenhall Market in the heart of London's financial district, the Cafe sold soup and bread at a cost equivalent with food affordability in producing countries such as Indonesia, Mozambique and Bangladesh. Calculating the ratio of the cost of soup and bread Mozambican worker earning two dollars a day - their 20 cent lunch accounts for 10 per cent of their daily wage - the Cafe applied the same percentage to the average bonus-earning-banker. Soup and bread in the Cafe of Equivalents was therefore priced from £111.20. The intervention is an attempt to create transparency in an opaque world of money, making material the physical possibilities of using financial resources for need rather than profit.'