Travel is about freedom and new experiences, about discovering others as well as ourselves. It is also a unique opportunity to promote and develop initiatives to bring people together and make a better world.

Together we face a great challenge, Climate Change, that has the potential to irrevocably change our society and destroy the environment around us. It threatens the lives of hundreds of millions of inhabitants of our planet. Solidarity and cooperation between people across the globe is the only way we can overcome this challenge. Then maybe, not only we will be able to address the current crisis, but we may also lay the foundations of a just, responsible and sustainable society.
We, Travellers of the Earth, are aware both of our freedom to travel and of its impact. We love planet Earth, and therefore believe that through our journeys we must share and raise awareness of the relationship between humans and our planet, in order to help protect it.

* We believe that new energy policies and practices are necessary, utilising renewable, sustainable energy sources and energy efficiency, without resorting to nuclear power.

* We believe new social and economic policies and practices are necessary to address the inequities dividing the global north and the south, the wealthy minority at the expense of the majority.

* We believe that Western consumerism should no longer be the social and economic model for the rest of the world. We need a global society that is in harmony with the natural capacity of our planet.

This is urgent! Therefore we commit ourselves to :

1. A journey that has a meaning, purpose and an identity - it is not just a holiday;

2. A carbon neutral or lightweight journey, by land and sea whenever possible;

3. A journey without unethical financing (no green-washing);

4. A journey shared with local communities: through participation in or promotion of local actions (Eg. Addressing climate change; Strengthening human rights; contributing to social welfare�);

5. A journey shared with all, especially children, our planet�s future; using diverse media, more than solely our own websites, to spread our message.

If you agree with this manifesto and its 5 principle commitments, join our community by posting it on your website and adding links to the other members� websites.

Comment! (4) | Recommend! | Categories: sustainable travel [t]

It appears that my last post was March 13 or something. Well I guess that shows that I have too many things to do and not much time for blogging. Lets see a little bit about what I am doing at the moment to prove to the world that I am actually doing something. I teach Japanese language and culture at Yulin Normal University in Yulin, Guangxi if you don't know where that is I suggest downloading Google Earth because you can see my appartment very clearly and if you and patient enough or lucky enough you may be able to see me waiving from the street below. I teach second year communication and composition, first year communication and listening as well as a cultural corner for anyone who wants to attend. A total of 10 hours a week 4 days a week. Yes I have a 3 day weekend. Well ok I guess I don't have much excuse to not blog on Friday but I rather get out of the house and photograph than stay indoors.

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After an extended length of time off line The Iroha Project is now up and running but still is requiring photo and audio matching of vocabulary items. http://www.irohaproject.org

Comment! (0) | Recommend! | Categories: websites [t]

I came across a very good website where you can take your practice Japanese language exam online. It is called the Sushi test and administered by the Japan Foundation. The Japan Foundation also provides free assistance and ready made lesson plan ideas and user forum to exchange ideas with other teachers around the world via their website. Government funded and uses the standard Japanese proficency test. The Sushi Test is in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, English, Bahasa Indonesian, and Portuguese.
http://momo.jpf.go.jp/sushi/

Comment! (4) | Recommend! | Categories: Japanese [t]