One of the many facets of creating a nation that prioritizes the environment, is education. The Cloud Forest School in Monteverde has been teaching kids for 20 years how to explore the world “from the ground up.” Their mission is to nurture generations of ecologically aware, academically well-rounded, bilingual individuals. The “three Rs” are not given more importance than fostering a genuine and enduring sense of wonder. Ahhhh, if only schools in the US were more skilled at THAT. The mostly young, inspired, and energized staff (about half Costa Rican, half North American—Students, too, are culturally diverse) makes learning an adventure, and hands-on, interactive exploration in the classroom and outdoors is the methodology.

Here’s why you care (in addition to being inspired)…you can volunteer there! Visiting volunteers commit to at least 3 weeks, and “typical volunteer tasks include gardening, working on our campus reforestation projects, trail maintenance, building maintenance, assisting with Environmental Education and Land Stewardship classes, as well as any miscellaneous tasks needed on campus.  Past volunteers have also worked on computer networking, teaching music lessons, leading yoga classes, making brochures, working in our library, or helping out in our development office.” Your transportation to and from the school is provided and you’ll live with a host family, be given 3 meals per day,  and Spanish lessons twice a week. Sweet deal, currently $525 for 3 weeks (super cheap by service travel standards).

Next time you find a brilliant new band on Spotify or Pandora or from a friend’s recommendation, think about spreading the wealth for something you would do anyway. It is effortless giving…we can all afford that.

Love this!!! Just goin’ for a ride on a lazy afternoon–so amazing.

Photo: Go Eco

You’ve already decided you want to book a volunteer vacation, doing amazing work that propels you out of bed (or your hammock or sleeping bag) every morning, working in a community where you’ll be forever connected because of the difference you make…but even here, like at every turn when we book travel, we can make ever more responsible choices. Go Eco (“Volunteers for Ecological and Humanitarian Projects”) is helping you find green voluntourism and service travel options, where sustainability and planet stewardship are priorities. Lots of animal-focused trips here, as well as research and education trips, but also medical missions, development projects, teaching English programs, and more.

Photo: Go Eco

Go Eco has curated trips from other providers, helping you narrow down your search, and helping you keep your priorities straight. Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and Latin America are all represented, so take a spin around and see what trips your trigger. As I’ve always said, there is a volunteer vacation for everyone–if you haven’t found your inspiration and passion yet, we have to dig a little deeper. It’s out there, and they need you. Not just anyone…YOU.

Post-Surgical Cataract Patients from the Ride in Which I Participated--Rajasthan, India

I’ve had a stye in my eye for the past few days and it has been driving me up the wall. I haven’t had an eye infection since I was a teenager, and I am more sensitive and freaked out by eyes than the average soul. If I watch someone put in contact lenses I will weep rivers of tears–the idea just freaks me out. Did anybody tell you YOU ARE TOUCHING YOUR EYE!!! STOP THAT!

The glaucoma test at the optometrist? Murder for me. Hell on earth would be LASIK surgery–aargh–I just had full-body involuntary shivers  thinking of it.

It’s kind of weird, then, that one of the most powerful and life-changing voluntourism experiences I ever had was with Relief Riders International in Rajasthan, India. A group of us were on horseback in the Thar Desert, riding from tiny village to desolate rural outpost, camping along the way, and we, with a team of doctors, were setting up free medical and dental camps as well as delivering school supplies to kids and immunizing them, and donating/delivering milking goats to the poorest families in the region. The eye connection is this–one of the main projects was a free cataract eye surgery camp. Desert-dwelling individuals who have never had sunglasses are prone to cataracts at very early ages, and this medical team goes into rural villages and screens hundreds of potential surgical patients in a day. Those who qualify receive sight-restoring surgery the following day as the surgeon works tirelessly through the night, sitting between two hospital gurneys (set up in a school when we were there), working first on the patient on the left, then as that one is wheeled away, the surgeon simply pivots on the stool and immediately begins the next surgery on the right–and on and on. It is an astounding and efficient process, maximizing every potential to save sight. The patients–some of whom have never had professional medical care of any kind, do not pay for the surgery. Donations Give the Gift of Sight to those who would surely lose their vision without the program. Think about donating. Eighty-five bucks and someone can see again.

Think, also, about possibly joining a Relief Ride–I promise it will rock you to the very core. There are rides in India, and now Turkey as well. Even if you aren’t comfortable on horseback, you can join the caravan (by Jeep–occasionally, perhaps, by camel) and participate fully in camp life and the service parts–the most important parts–of the trip.

Now I have to go put a teabag on my eye–I’m getting squeamish all over again.

ATEST (the Alliance To End Slavery and Trafficking) wants us to talk about it and keep talking about it. Give our business to those who defy the system of slavery (travel and tourism are some of the areas where this comes into play most)…look to The Code (by ECPAT–End Child Prostitution and Trafficking) to make travel decisions–these tourism businesses have signed a pledge to actively fight against modern-day slavery and trafficking of children.

You truly can make a difference with the way you spend and travel. So in addition to going on a volunteer vacation to change the world for the better with your involvement on a project, make sure that the sources and suppliers in your personal consumption chain make a difference as well.

Ethical Traveler

Some nations in Latin America and Africa, with otherwise high credentials, were downgraded due to draconian anti-gay laws, and some new countries showed up on the list with motivated efforts in 2011 to address environmental and sustainability issues.

The Developing World’s 10 Best Ethical Destinations (in alphabetical order, not in order of merit) are:

Argentina
The Bahamas
Chile
Costa Rica
Dominica
Latvia
Mauritius
Palau
Serbia
Uruguay

Ready to book your flights?

A million best-selling books will be given away free. This is one night a year–and should, hopefully, inspire more patrons to support booksellers and libraries year ’round. Spread the passion for reading, and get some folks reading!

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During the holidays, we tend to spend a lot of time reverting to childhood memories, and sometimes childhood actions. Some of my favorite Saturday mornings in the gold-and-orange shag carpeted family room at home, when I was a kid, were spent watching Tarzan movies. I was obsessed with the idea of talking to animals, but knew I could never be as stuffy as Dr. Doolittle…swinging from the trees was much more my dreamstyle. A sad bit of news came over the holiday season. The chimp, known as Cheetah, who starred in the Tarzan flicks with Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O’Sullivan, passed away at the presumed age of 80 years (since the news, there has been lots of controversy about whether this was the actual animal performer from the films of the 1930s, whether chimps can possibly live to 80, and more…but that’s not the most important point, here). Cheetah had been living at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Florida, for the past 50 years.

What is important, to my mind, is the awareness of the opportunities to volunteer with primates in sanctuaries. Orphans, rescues, surrendered pets and laboratory animals…all of them find protection, rehabilitation, and nurturing care at sanctuaries across the United States (and, of course, there are plenty of international organizations doing this important work as well.)

The Humane Society lists several US primate protection facilities that rely upon volunteers like you and me. Check some of these out if you are looking to do a little animal activism in 2012 (links below are to the volunteer pages on their websites, for more information):

Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, needs volunteers for ape care, enrichment and stimulation activities, office help, fundraising, and groundskeeping.

Chimp Haven is in Keithville, Louisianna. They need volunteer help with special events, education/school programs, sanctuary care, community awareness, and advocacy.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest of Cle Elum, Washington, is looking for you to help with habitat maintenance and construction, and kitchen help.

Chimps, Inc. in Bend, Oregon, is reaching out, hoping you’ll want to dive in and assist with animal care, enrichment, drivers, maintenance, office & mailing, or fundraising and special events.

Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville, Kentucky, is looking for volunteers to work directly in the care and rehabilitaion of more than 50 primates.

Save the Chimps of Fort Pierce, Florida as well as Alamagordo, New Mexico, use volunteers for preparing meals for the chimps, maintenance and cleaning/laundry, enrichment, and gardening/greenscare for the facilities.

Suncoast Primate Sanctuary (where Cheetah lived out his days) in Palm Harbor, Florida, is an all-volunteer-run organization, where you can help with animal care, as a docent, or administratively in the office.