Project Ecotourism
Project Ecotourism, an initiative of Educational Communications, was started in 1993 with the mission of promoting ecotourism. The program is devoted to the conservation of ecosystems and wildlife and to the assistance of local communities through responsible travel, with the end goal of preserving cultures and natural environments.

Definition:
Ecotourism is more than adventure trips, nature study, and cultural excursions. Ecotourism means tourist dollars flow back into conservation efforts and return to and stay in local communities. Ecotourists are individuals who not only go to learn and have fun in a foreign setting, but who also attempt to give something back to the local people, who respect local customs, and are considerate of native resources they visit, especially by not harming animal or plant life.

Our Goals:
Educate the public about being a responsible, ecological tourist. Create radio and television programs that describe ecotourist opportunities and destinations. Donate needed supplies and materials (books, school supplies, computers, equipment, clothing, medicine, etc.) to organizations and individuals active in local conservation in developing countries [please contact us if you have items that can be sent overseas]. Promote ecological changes in the travel industry.

Services:
Guests are welcome to be interviewed on our national ECONEWS television series and our ENVIRONMENTAL DIRECTIONS radio series (taped in Los Angeles or on location). Our experts can consult with tourist bureaus and agencies and companies to explain how they can "green" their operations. Speakers are available to groups for presentations. Producers, reporters, and camera people are ready to document specific areas and field conservation projects and trips. Volunteers will collect items for redistribution. Activists try to encourage letter-writing to appropriate agencies to support ecotourism. Travelers can get referrals to responsible companies and countries. Travel and Ecotourism Promotion Opportunities.

Eco-Traveler

This Educational Communications project is responsible for creating articles and columns about responsible travel, including publications on useful travel advice.

Ways to be Ecologically Responsible:

DOs and DON'Ts

• Do you buy products that are traditional and not made from wildlife?
• Do you show proper respect for local traditions and ceremonies?
• Do you support local tour guides?
• Do you donate to local conservation centers?
• Do you keep the area clean by not littering?
• Do you help local environmental organizations?
• Do you use the same resources as native people?
• Do you stay in local homes or establishments not run by multinational corporations?
• Are you courteous to local residents and fellow travelers?
• Bring useful gifts (books for libraries, eyeglasses & medicine for clinics, pens for students, supplies for research stations and used & new clothing for orphanages).
• Questions to Ask Your Tour Company

Questions to Ask Your Tour Company

• Have they initiated ways to reduce waste, garbage and water pollution?
• Do they offer publicity for local causes and volunteer activities, even if they don't benefit financially?
• Do they administer educational, health, and cultural preservation programs in the areas visited?
• Do they hire local guides, speakers, artists, and teachers?
• Are they willing to tell local guides and operators not to engage in ecologically harmful practices?
• Do they provide information about endangered species and illegally traded products?
• Are they members of networks and coalitions such as Educational Communications' Project Ecotourism?
• Do they inform their clients about local customs, dress and behavior patterns so that they can be observed?
• Do they evaluate the effects of their trips on the local ecosystems and local inhabitants, and are they willing to share the results?
• Do they transport educational materials to local schools and equipment to rural clinics?
• Do the trips strictly observe local regulations?
• Are the hotels, transport agencies, restaurants and shops to be patronized locally-owned? Do they engage in unethical activities, such as keeping captive animals on the premises?
• Do the newer hotels fit into the local natural settings? Do they reflect cultural motifs in their architectural design? Are they constructed of native materials?

Suggestions?
Please send us your ideas on how to be a good ecotourist. We would also appreciate names, addresses, and phone numbers of responsible tour companies, groups needing donations, and others involved in ecotourism. We love to hear about your experiences.

Educational Communications
P. O. Box 351419
Los Angeles, CA 90035
phone/fax (310) 559-9160
E-mail: ECNP@AOL.COM

Internship and Volunteer Opportunities can be found at www.ecoprojects.org/opportunities.htm.

Educational Communications Home Page (www.ecoprojects.org)