Ethical Travelers Association - ETA

This is a valuable, comprehensive article on the whole concept of "ethical traveling" ... with 10 Suggested Destinations
Bruce Chatwin also said that “travel doesn’t merely broaden the mind—it makes the mind.” As Ethical Traveler puts it, “The foundation of ethical travel is mindful travel.” Could visiting locales around the world that place a high value on ethics, human rights, animal welfare and sustainability help travelers change their own minds about such things back home? There’s only way to find out. Bon voyage.

Thinking About an Ethical Travel Destination Off the Beaten Path? Here Are the Top 10 Places to... These developing nations don’t just have stunning natural beauty — they are champions of human rights, animal welfare, environmental conservation and renewable energy.

Shaman events in Ithaca Oct 1, 3 & 4! Read on...

Returned Peace Corps volunteer, Clay Martin, is sponsoring his Ecuadorian host father, Alejandro Aguavil, to come visit the United States for three weeks.

Alejandro is a Shaman, medicine man, cultural survivalist, farmer, community leader and dedicated family man. He is a member of the Ecuadorian indigenous group, The Tsachilas.

We welcome you to attend the following events that Alejandro will be presenting at:

What: Fire Ceremony with Alejandro and Local Shamanic Practitioner Susan Norton.
When: Thursday, October 1st, 6:30pm-9:00pm
Where: Foundation of Light 319 Turkey Hill Road, Ithaca, NY

What: Tsa'chila Culture Presentation and Cultural Exchange
Topics Discussed: Tsachila customs and meanings, Peace Corps, development, traditional medicine
When: Sunday, October 4th, 4:00pm-6:00pm
*Individual spiritual healing sessions with Alejandro will be from 6-10pm
Where: Foundation of Light 319 Turkey Hill Road, Ithaca, NY

What: Cultural Demonstration at the First People's Festival
When: Saturday, October 3rd, Alejandro will be there all day but his cultural demonstration will be at 1:00pm
Where: Dewitt Park, Ithaca

Presentations will be in Spanish by Alejandro and translated by Clay to Spanish

Please help welcome Alejandro on this meaningful trip to Ithaca!

For Questions please call Clay Martin at 607-351-1378

Getting ready for our ETA and live Middle Eastern Music and Dance event at Firelight Camps Thursday Oct 1 5-8pm! http://www.firelightcamps.com/

Welcome Firelight Camps provides elevated camping experiences in luxury safari tents located in the heart of the Finger Lakes in Ithaca, NY.

1. How to appreciate and learn from another culture
Learning about other cultures in school is one thing, but actually experiencing a culture is completely different. Whether you're visiting art museums, looking at grand architectural landmarks, or even just stopping for a coffee break in a happening café, traveling exposes you to people and lifestyles that are completely different than anything you've probably encountered back at home. Before you know it, you'll be picking up on local customs and falling in love with food you can barely even pronounce.

10 Things Traveling Teaches You That School Doesn't Learning about other cultures in school is one thing, but actually experiencing a culture is completely different. Whether you're visiting art museums, looking at grand architectural landmarks, or even just stopping for a coffee break in a happening café, traveling exposes you.

John Milich on Hitch Hiking:

My currency became an awareness of how I could be of service.

So who do I want to ride with? Someone who is a good driver, who tells good stories, plays good music, and who can handle my radical politics.

You have to have a ticket (sign) and a pack.

If you need to back out, just think about the last place you were and pretend you are stupid and on the wrong side of the road.

I'm out there in Wyoming. Waking up to a day of another day of uncertainty. People picked me up just to open their beer bottles and roll ci******es for them.

My biggest sociological question: where has the party gone? We had partied with percussion and we kept that party going. Years went on, and parties became networking sessions. It was missing the elusive vibe where we all become one. Well, I found out in 1983 that the party had moved to the highway.

When You are hitchhiking you share stories that no one you know will ever hear. You talk about your life. You get feedback on it, and you can't hold onto it.

You jinx yourself by looking for adventure. Let me tell you. Any road trip you'll get all the adventure you can handle. You don't have to look for it.

John's hitch hiking diary from 1983 where he listed every ride he received...

John Milich hosted a delicious potluck and gave a fantastic ETA presentation on hitchhiking wisdom and wildness. Thank you so much John!

Ethical Travel Association (Ithaca, NY), Hitchhiking Science: "The trip has it's own trip"

The Essence of Ethical Travel is to walk your talk about leaving a light footprint on Mother Earth.
Gay Nicholson just offset her carbon emissions from flying to Maui for a family reunion, paying $37 through the Finger Lakes Climate Fund where the bucks make possible energy improvements in homes of local modest-income folks.

A big thank you to Gay Nicholson of Sustainable Tompkins and Annie Pease, our local Peace Corps recruiter for making our ETA event on Climate Change so interesting, educational, and just plain lovely.

Here comes the Duck Race and Compost Fair in Ithaca. A fabulous fundraiser for unique educational opportunities for young people in our area. ETA member Adam Michealides plays a big part in this...

ETA members are cordially invited to this special event at Cornell on Saturday March 14 at 3pm...

“One of the greatest tools to change the world is to leverage the power of tourism by creatively linking locally-owned and community-based enterprises to meet the growing global demand for authentic destinations and quality experiences,” shared Jamie Sweeting, President of Planeterra Foundation, Vice President of Sustainability at G Adventures, and Sustainable Travel International’s current Chairman of the Board. http://sustainabletravel.org/

Home Page Our Belief System Since 2002, Sustainable Travel International has been harnessing the power of travel and tourism as a force for good. We’re on a mission to build a better future through tourism. For everyone. Join our cause!