The VWB Initiative

Archives & Photolibrary

Archives - Introduction.

Articles for and against voluntourism.

1. The Impact of the Maekok River Village Resort Community Projects and Voluntourism

on the local community. 

2. Can corporate volunteering support the bottom line? - The Challenge. The Opportunity.

The Case for Investment.

3. Investing in the environment makes economic sense. Subsidy reform could leverage US$

1,000 billion annually for sustainable development. 

4. Opportunity is Green. Ultimately, companies that embrace sustainability can actually help

drive innovation and boost profits, writes S. DEV APPANAH. 

5. Asia-Pacific awaits influx of American visitation.

Bamboo solutions.

Article on bamboo houses.
The Advantages of Bamboo Charcoal Preservation of Bamboo in Service.
Thailand to protect biodiversity sources.

 

Photolibrary – Introduction.
Photo index.
Pang Soong Lodge, Outdoor Education & Research Centre.
Volunteer & voluntourists in action.
Ecotourism.
Outdoor education.
Corporate team building.
Capacity development.

ARCHIVES - INTRODUCTION

 

The archives are where we shall store all information, or links to information pertinent to activities undertaken by the VWB Initiative, as well being a forum for comment and articles on volunteer and voluntourism related matters.

 

The archives will be updated on a regular basis.

 

ARTICLES FOR AND AGAINST VOLUNTOURISM.

 

The Impact of the Maekok River Village Resort Community Projects and Voluntourism on the local community.

 

 

Background

The Maekok River Village Resort has been in operation since 1999. It is a high quality hotel and has contracts with probably all the major inbound tour operators as well as with many other tour operators. 

 

Running alongside the ‘conventional’ tourist business, educational opportunities are provided for student groups to undertake a range of activities. These activities involve field studies, outdoor adventure and community projects. 

 

The latter activities were the focus of a recent study by a group of Economics students from Hong Kong. The main findings of this report are noted below.

 

General

The resort is the largest local employer and of the 46 staff currently employed, 38 were born in the area and come from Thaton or the surrounding villages. This itself represents a large injection of money into the local community. The vast majority of foodstuffs are purchased locally and so it can be stated that there is very little leakage either outside the area or overseas.

 

Note* It is estimated that 70% of tourist revenue in Thailand is re-exported directly or indirectly).

 

Community Projects

Since 2004, the MRVR has organized 37 projects in local schools with a value of almost 3 million Baht. International schools from around the world raise funds in their home country and then stay at the MRVR to involve themselves in the project.

 

These projects range from simple jobs such as painting classrooms, through to major projects such as the construction of libraries, dormitories and nursery classrooms. However, as can be seen below, the contribution to the local community of this type of voluntourism is much greater than just the benefit to the local schools.

Study of school visits in October 2006

In October, 7 student groups stayed at the MRVR for periods of 6 to 10 days. Of these, three groups undertook community projects, with details below.

 

In addition to the expenditure on the projects, these revenue the MRVR received from these 3 schools for accommodation, food, transport, activities etc. for the three groups was Baht 830’000.

 

 

All materials are purchased locally and skilled labourers are employed to assist with the project. This represents a further injection into the local economy.

 

It is difficult to assess the total impact of this, but the data below can be considered indicative of how the money provided by visiting schools circulates through the local economy.

 

Transport (For all student groups in October)

 

 

* One Song Taeow driver recorded how much fuel he purchased as a result of transport services provided for student groups in one week in when two of the above schools were at the MRVR.

 

Revenue received from MRVR: Baht 5850       Fuel purchased: 2750 Baht

 

Total food and drink consumption for October (Guests and students)

 

 

As can be seen, a very high percentage of products are purchased locally with less than 50 000 Baht spent on imported goods.

CAN CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING SUPPORT THE BOTTOM LINE?

The Challenge. The Opportunity.The Case for Investment.

 

LBG ASSOCIATES

LBG Associates is a woman-owned consulting firm specializing in the design, implementation and management of strategic corporate citizenship and community involvement programs and initiatives, such as: corporate governance; philanthropy; volunteerism; signature programs; strategic partnerships; measurement and evaluation; training and staff development.

 

With offices in New York and Washington, DC, LBG Associates prides itself on providing clients with creative and innovative solutions in a personal, professional, cost-effective and timely manner.

For more information, visit www.lbg-associates.com or call (203) 325-3154.

 

Request the full white paper in PDF File format from – tiger@loxinfo.co.th

INVESTING IN THE ENVIRONMENT

MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE

Subsidy reform could leverage US$ 1,000 billion

annually for sustainable development.

 

New York, 27 June 2005 (IUCN) – The Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP) today releases the first findings of an economic study on the role of environmental management in poverty reduction, and concludes: “the bottom line is that investing in the environment makes economic sense, especially for the poor”.1

 

“We have looked at a range of investments in environmental management, and for most measures concluded that they make economic sense. The return on these investments, in terms of poverty reduction, health or productivity of resources, is substantial”, says Mr. Olav Kjörven, Director of the Energy and Environment Group at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 

One key study reviewed shows that an investment in soil and water conservation of up to US$ 36 billion would lead to reduction in agricultural losses up to a value of US$ 53 billion. This figure excludes a range of other benefits, such as improved food security, reduction of child labour on farms, and reduced loss of biodiversity.

 

The conclusion of the Poverty-Environment Partnership on subsidies is of particular importance this week, when finance ministers meet in New York for the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development (27 and 28 June) to discuss how more financial resources can be targeted to the Millennium Development Goals.

 

The report notes that governments currently spend over US$ 1,000 billion per year on subsidies in the agriculture, energy and water sectors. The total amount of official aid to developing countries in 2004 was about US$ 79 billion. “Even if only ten per cent of existing subsidies were re-directed to sustainable development, we could double finance for poverty reduction, rather than continue to reward environmentally-harmful practices,” says Dr Joshua Bishop, Senior Adviser for Economics and the Environment of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and member of the Poverty-Environment Initiative.

More information

The summary “The Role of Environmental Management in Poverty

Reduction” can be downloaded from http://www.iucn.org/mdg5/.
The full report will be available in September.

Opportunity is Green.

Ultimately, companies that embrace sustainability can actually help drive innovation and boost profits, writes S. DEV APPANAH.

In The Corporation, now a monumental documentary, Ray Anderson, founder of carpet tile company Interface, confesses to his plundering past: "One day early in this journey it dawned on me that the way I'd been running Interface is the way of the plunderer; plundering something that's not mine, something that belongs to every creature on earth.

And I said to myself, my goodness, the day must come when this is illegal, when plundering is not allowed. It must come.

So, I said to myself, my goodness, some day people like me will end up in jail." Ray's 'confession' marks a tipping point in the world of business and economics.

For a long time, we have taken for granted that business can rape and pillage the planet in search of profits while handing out small amounts of philanthropy to non-profits to clean up the mess that is left behind.

Capitalism, as practised today, might be financially profitable, but it is definitely unsustainable for human development.

We have failed to attach values to our largest and fast depleting stocks of capital - natural resources, living systems and the environment.

We extract raw materials at really low costs, use labour and technologies to transform these resources into products which are ultimately sold for profits, and then somehow discard the waste created somewhere.

At the same time, we have ingrained ourselves in a mindset that has long become obsolete. We continue to delineate for-profit entities as creators of economic value and non-profit organisations as creators of social value.

There are many inherent problems with this mindset. We can clearly see that the creation of value in either the for-profit or non-profit sector is not created in isolation. Businesses do create a great deal of social value as well as economic value.

By creating jobs, paying taxes and providing products and services to people, they are intrinsically creating social value. Non-profits also create economic as well as social value; in many countries, NGOs represent a significant part of the national GDP.

The other problem with this mindset is that it sanctions companies to engage in social programmes (corporate social responsibility) which are external and at most irrelevant to the core of its business model. It also advocates many non-profits to rely on the 'chump change' in terms of charity or grants from companies.

Although it does sound charming for a car company to engage an NGO to raise awareness on saving turtles, it doesn't help it become 'sustainable' in the long-run.

Such practices have become public relations exercises aimed at creating the illusion that corporations are concerned citizens like the rest of us.

Over the past few years, a small, but growing group of business leaders is beginning to acknowledge the need for traditional business thinking and practices to be reformulated to accommodate a more sustainable model that creates and maximises not only on economic value but also social and environmental values at the same time.

This new philosophy is based on emerging evidence that business performance correlates highly with social and environmental conditions.

Like a plant, it's growth will be stunted if it isn't in an ecosystem that provides access to supportive elements such as sunlight, water, fertile soil, and proper care.

In short, it has become profitable to be sustainable.

The debate whether business should become more accountable to society and the environment can be traced back to era of Milton Friedman.

He was a strong advocate of laissez-faire capitalism. In his book, Capitalism and Freedom, Friedman, wrote, "There is one and only one social responsibility of business - to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits..." To burden business with wider goals, he argued, was "pure and unadulterated socialism."

The opposing views of Ray Anderson and Milton Friedman show us how polarised the world is. On one side we have traditional business leaders and intellectuals who believe that the current form of capitalism is a social good by itself, and that markets should not be burdened with responsibilities outside the core of business.

And on the opposing side are the new business and nonprofit leaders and intellectuals who believe business is accountable for more than the creation of pure economic value because decisions made in the business sphere do create social and environmental repercussions, and vice versa.

Sign of the times.

The signs that we're living in a post Friedmanesque world are fast emerging. You wouldn't have to look far to see how radically the climate is fluctuating, the widening gap between the rich and the poor in a period of tremendous wealth, and the sharply declining supplies of our most basic commodities, such as clean air, potable water, arable land, fossil fuels, as well as vital industrial commodities such as aluminum, steel and silicon. If business doesn't change its ways soon, we're screwed.

In their book, The Triple Bottom Line, Andrew Savitz and Karl Weber claim that "... the truly sustainable company would have no need to write checks to charity or 'give back' to the local community, because the company's daily operations wouldn't deprive the community, but would enrich it."

They continue to add that "sustainable companies find areas of mutual interest and ways to make 'doing good' and 'doing well' synonymous, thus avoiding the implied conflict between society and shareholders."

In other words, a sustainable company is one that creates profit for its shareholders while protecting the environment and improving the lives of those with whom it interacts.

Companies should think of sustainability as more of an opportunity than a challenge that drives them away from their core.

Opportunity in this sense can present itself in many ways such as, an entry into new markets through the development of new products and services, reduced energy costs, improved customer relationships and a happier workforce.

Ultimately, companies that embrace sustainability can actually help drive innovation and boost profits.

Traditionally, carpet tile manufacturers like Interface are responsible for using immense amounts of energy and creating lots of waste during its production processes.

It's more distressing to know that once the carpets have worn out, they're simply discarded into landfills and remain there for thousands of years.

Today, under the leadership of Ray Anderson, Interface intends to become one of the most sustainable companies by 2020.

The company is experimenting with a new business model where, instead of selling carpets to its customers, it has begun leasing floor-covering services to them. At a small monthly fee, Interface will maintain and replace the carpets whenever necessary.

 

This has helped reduce overall manufacturing, energy usage and waste created. It has also helped create more jobs that cater to the maintenance of the carpets.

Additionally, the company's customers are happy that a once capital investment can now be treated as a lease expense.

All in all, Interface has been able to strengthen its relationships with its customers. Addressing climate change presents a huge opportunity for many existing and emerging companies.

In 2005 General Electric (GE) launched a new initiative called Ecomagination which aims to develop clean technology to help its customers reduce their environmental impact.

Suzlon Energy, a new kid on the block, is reported to be one of the world's top players in alternative energy, with a global market share of six percent.

Located in India and headed by Tulsi Tanti, this eight-billion-dollar venture not only manufactures wind turbines for global demand, but also develops and manages wind farms.

Tanti first became interested in wind-power when he was trying to look for ways to lower energy costs of his original business, a
textile mill.

Shifting Thailand.

The shift towards sustainability as an opportunity is undoubtedly emerging in Thailand, too. A local silk-fabric manufacturing plant, Green Ville Trading, is clearly reaping the benefits of using cleaner manufacturing technology and alternative energy sources.

Led by Pilan Dhammonkol, the plant has developed an innovative fabric dying technique that uses fewer environmentally dangerous chemicals and is less energy intensive.

This new technique has cut the production process from previously four hours to just three minutes and has reduced the plant's energy consumption by about 80 percent. Recently, the plant received the EU Flower environmental certification, making it the world's first silk-fabric maker that is able to fulfill the European Union's environmental preservation standards.

Opportunity is not just limited to the realm of energy and climate change. Thailand-based Swift addresses both health foods and poverty reduction at the same time.

Located in Kampaengsaen, it is one of the country's leading suppliers of organic fruits and vegetables. The company's most popular produce include organic asparagus, corn, mango and mangosteen, which it exports mainly to markets in Japan and Europe.

With sales of up to one billion baht annually, Swift contracts more than 10,000 family farms in the region while helping the farmers attain fairer prices for their produce and to meet the food safety standards set by the countries it supplies to.

Even the way we design and manufacture products is subtly changing. In today's industrial model, almost all of the products we manufacture are simply discarded in landfills once they are of no value to us.

This 'cradle to grave' model is clearly wasteful and unsustainable. The 'cradle to cradle' design concept, developed and popularised by Michael Braungart and William McDonough, calls for the creation of sustainable products through the adoption of ecologically friendly design.

The idea is simply to create products in a waste-free manufacturing process, using only reusable, biodegradable, or consumable materials.

These are interesting times to be living in. We're witnessing the slow collapse of the old structures of business and economics and the inevitable transformation to a more sustainable form of capitalism.

 

It cannot be highlighted enough that the adoption of sustainability holds more opportunities than challenges ahead. So the question remains, how do we move forward from here?

If you're looking for a one-size-fits-all solution for business to become more sustainable, there just isn't one, at least as of yet. Instead, a good starting point for companies to get onto the path towards sustainability,is to measure their performance not just in terms of the traditional financial bottom line, but also by their impact on the environment and the community in which they operate.

The triple bottom line approach, originally proposed by John Elkington, is meant to help companies measure, document and report on all three of its bottom lines - economic, social and environmental.

 

In fact, companies that measure their performance on the sustainability yardstick would be able to unlock more opportunities. They can develop tailor-made strategies and solutions that can open up further opportunities beyond economic values, a more holistic approach that can include the social and environmental components as well.

It is hoped that in the new model capitalism, companies that aim to do well financially would only be able to do so by taking into account how their business affects the community and environment. The day may soon arrive when a company can claim to be profitable only when it reports positive returns on all three of its bottom lines.

*S. Dev Appanah runs a social venture programme that supports young social entrepreneurs in the region. Visit his blog at http://www.deviantsadvantage.com

 

Asia-Pacific awaits influx of American visitation.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

 

Changes to the United States’ passport regulations has sparked speculation from the Pacific Asia Travel Association that visitation by US travellers will further increase in the region on top of the recent increases in trans-Pacific air capacity. 

 

Additional factors fuelling such speculation include the doubling of flights between the US and China by 2012 and the addition of Korea (ROK) to the US visa waiver programme.

 

In the past US citizens were only required to present their driver’s license when returning home from neighbouring regions.  Now citizens are required to present their passports.   
  
”There were an unprecedented 18 million US passport applications this year, which is good news for Asia Pacific,” said Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Regional Director – North America Ms Barbara Bryant.

“The US outbound market is already significant, with 30 million international trips in 2006, excluding trips to neighbouring Canada and Mexico,” said Bryant when addressing PATA Travel Mart 2007 delegates during a luncheon workshop about the US outbound market last week. 

“However, American tastes are changing,” she added. 

Bryant also offered a general summary of trends within the United States

“For the American travellers today, eco-tourism and adults-only are in; voluntourism is a humanitarian high; and connoisseurs want to participate and experience, not simply enjoy,” informed Bryant. 

“American travellers with deep pockets like to splurge... A private villa is much preferred to a suite; there are now 500 private jet companies, up from around 100 five years ago; and renting a luxury yacht packed with amenities has become a hot summer vacation.”

Tauck World Discovery Managing Director - International Mr. Scott Supernaw also attended event and added further insight into the market. 

 

He revealed that the average age of his organisation’s customers had increased by 10 years and that while they have more money and are willing to spend it, they are also very value-conscious.  

 

Supernaw also pressed the importance of new media technology to communicate, inform, add value and create brand loyalty among US travellers.

BAMBOO SOLUTIONS.

 

Bamboo houses.

 

A wonder product made of bamboo and jute natural fibre will now help schoolchildren in Kargil attend classes comfortably, even when its freezing outside.

The innovative combination has been developed in a small-scale industrial unit on the outskirts of Kolkata.

In fact a consignment of such pre-fabricated houses is ready to go to Kargil for the purpose of schools, where children will be able to attend classes more comfortably. If it were 35 degrees outside, inside it would be -2 degrees cooler.

 

This wonder product, a combination of jute and bamboo not only controls temperature, it is also resistant to termites, fire, acid and even blocks harmful UV rays.

And what's more, it is also earthquake-proof.

"We are happy that our product has been taken by defense in freezing temperature and that we will be able to help those children study under warmer temperatures.

 

The temperature reduction is very helpful," said Subendu Dutta, Coordinator, South India A B Composites.

Its lightweight and strength have made it an obvious choice for relief shelters in the tsunami-hit Andamans. And the company is already working on 10,000 such shelters.

"It's now established that this composite is the best alternative for wood and has been taken by CPWD, Railways and Defense for construction and its demand is gradually increasing and it will have a worldwide demand tomorrow," said A Samanta, Managing Dir, A B Composites Ltd.

It's not the first innovation from this company, which also manufactures a range of items for the Indian Railways and even worked on bulletproof jackets for the Indian Army.

But it is this innovation that has won it the National Award for Research and Development.

The Advantages of Bamboo Charcoal

 

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Sept. 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Bamboo charcoal is produced by heating bamboo that is at least four years old to over 800 degrees Celsius. 

 

In a charcoal state, it is on the one hand quite delicate, but also heavier, porous and full of minerals.  It has the amazing ability to act against odors, moisture, and ultra infrared rays, and to guard against magnetic waves.

 

ITRI has successfully developed a wide range of bamboo charcoal applied technologies.  Bamboo charcoal and bamboo vinegar, which is refined in the carbonizing process, have applications in any number of food, clothing and home/lifestyle products. 

 

For example, bamboo charcoal particles can be included in flour, ice cream, tofu and spring water.  These particles help to boost activity in the intestinal tract and also act to detoxify the body.

 

Water filtered using bamboo charcoal can be used in beer, whiskey and coffee, adding a pleasing taste to these beverages. In toothpaste, face cream and shampoo, bamboo charcoal particulates help to kill germs, clean and get rid of stains. 

 

And in various items used in the household, bamboo charcoal serves to fight against odors.  Meanwhile, various clothing items and health products can be made using bamboo charcoal in a nano form and using bamboo charcoal yarn, helping to absorb moisture and prevent germs.

 

Bamboo is primarily grown in tropical climates, especially around the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.  The world has about 22 million hectares of bamboo forests, with the most in India, followed by mainland China. 

 

The remainder is spread throughout other areas, such as Latin America. While Taiwan only has about 150,000 hectares of bamboo forests, it is a forerunner in international bamboo materials research.

   

Without a doubt, bamboo charcoal is tomorrow's star in the field of materials technology.  Taiwan is currently working on developing kidney dialysis technology utilizing bamboo charcoal. 

 

In addition to economic benefit and raising Taiwan's international competitiveness, bamboo charcoal is an important link in ensuring sustainable development. 

 

ITRI will continue to carry out research and promotion of emerging bamboo products that utilize this technology.  Bamboo will play an important role in the quality of lifestyle for mankind in the 21st century.

 

Press Liaison:

 

ITRI Service Center

Miss Hsieh Li-wen

Tel:   +886-3-591-6692

Email: emahsieh@itri.org.tw

 SOURCE Industrial Technology Research Institute

Preservation of Bamboo in Service.

Walter Liese. (Chair for Wood Biology, Hamburg University, Germany).

 

Abstract: Bamboo culms are an excellent material for countless applications. Their wider use for construction is encouraged by the growing scarcity of timber.

 

Since bamboo has a low natural resistance, protection against biological degradation is of vital importance for long term service.

 

Protective measures without chemicals are preferable, but often limited in their effectiveness.

 

When using preservatives,the restricted permeability of culm tissue, choice of preservative and treatment method and environmental effects as well as economical aspects have to be considered.

 

Keywords: Bamboo, deterioration, permeability, protection, preservation, preservatives, treatment techniques, environment, economics.

 

According to the constitution of the Academy, the phrase "wood science" covers "lignified natural materials" of which bamboo is an important component.

 

The Academy Lecture given at the IUFRO World Congress 1986 in Ljubijana dealt with "Research on Bamboo".

 

On this occasion I want to be more specific with the "Protection of Bamboo in Service". There is no other country in the world, in which bamboo plays such a major role as a multi-purpose commodity as in China, with a total area of about 4. 4 mill. ha bamboo forest, a production of 2. 2 million tons shoots, 12 million tons of culms, partly converted in about 200 mills into over 1 million m3 panels of various products.

 

The China bamboo industry contributes about 2. 2 billion USD annually to its economy, and goods valued at US$ 400 million are exported annually.

 

5. 6 million people are working with bamboo, of which 4.5 work in the forest and 1.1 million in factories. Therefore bamboo has to be on the agenda of this conference with at least one paper.

 

Request full paper in PDF file format.

Request an excellent PDF file document on VSD – Vertical Soak Diffusion – tiger.

Both documents available from – tiger@loxinfo.co.th

Thailand to protect biological resources.

 

APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

Thailand is set to conduct its first-ever nationwide survey and inventory of biological resources in a bid to protect precious resources from bio-piracy and boost the local economy

The country has been recognised as one of the world's richest in terms of biodiversity, but state agencies have failed to preserve and properly use its valuable resources, said Natural Resources and
Environment permanent secretary Petipong Pungbun na Ayudhya.

 

''A systematic database and good management of biological resources will not only help the country protect our resources from acts of bio-piracy, but also bring economic benefits to all sectors including local communities, businesses and scientific circles,'' he said.

The ministry's newly established Biodiversity-Based Economy Development Office will be tasked with conducting a thorough survey and compiling a database on biological resources such as plants, animals, microbes and traditional wisdom.

 

The office will also act as a facilitator for fair access to resources by local and international organisations.

''If we can come up with a complete list of biological resources and a proper preservation plan, we are confident that the problem of bio-piracy will be diminished,'' he said, adding that the agency also plans to patent all newly-discovered biological resources and traditional wisdom to ensure that benefits are shared fairly between the country and their users.

The agency plans to run a pilot project on studying biodiversity and preservation in 10 communities next year.

Mr Petipong said villagers would play an important role in the survey and register resources found in their areas.

He said biodiversity has a crucial role in economic development. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says around 74% of medicines widely used nowadays have been abstracted from plants and microbes, valued at over 40 billion dollars a year. Most of the raw materials are found in tropical forests in developing countries.

According to the UNDP, Thailand is home to around 10,000 species of plants, or 4.3 % of the world's plant species.

Mr Petipong said fertile biodiversity could bring economic well-being to local communities. He cited a study in Ban Thung Yang, in the northern province of Lamphun, which found that villagers could earn more than a million baht a year from biological resources found in their community forest.

Photolibrary – Introduction.

 

The photolibrary will hold in house photography of all VWB Initiative related programmes, courses and scientific studies, as well as recreational photography taken by volunteers and voluntourists who have attended our programmes.

 

Pang Soong Lodge, Outdoor Education & Research Centre.

Volunteer & voluntourists in action.

Ecotourism.

Outdoor education.

Corporate team building.

Capacity development.