News: This summer and fall I am working on two books on environmental travel in Mexico and Honduras that will be published by John Muir Publications. As a result, this email version of Planeta will be a scaled back version of the website. If you cannot access an article, let me know and I will email it to you as soon as possible.
El Planeta Platica (The Earth Speaks):
Eco Travels in Latin America
Volume 3, Number 2
Greening Central America
May 1996
Issue Number 10! El Planeta Platica or (in translation) The Earth Speaks
continues its publication with this special issue on ecotourism in Central
America.
This quarterly journal is available in both print and electronic versions.
Planeta is aimed at conscientious travelers who are interested in Latin
America. It boasts a large audience on the Internet - roughly 100 people
scour the site each day. Stories feature travel and environmental
information (sometimes intersecting in the field called "ecotourism."
Contributions are extremely helpful! This is a public site that depends on
your financial support. A suggested contribution is $25 or $10 for students,
and you will receive a subscription to the quarterly print version. Back
issues are available for $15 per volume (four issues). Businesses and
foundations should sponsor these pages; consult the Rate Card.
Wish List: Roundtrip airfares to Mexico and Honduras, Extra RAM for a
Macintosh, Environmental Clipart, Interest from a newspaper syndication
service in a regular column on the Americas - oh, and books of self-adhesive
stamps (I mail Planeta to various libraries free of charge).
Send contributions/orders to:
Ron Mader, Publisher
12345 SW 18th Street #417
Miami, FL 33175
Email: ron@txinfinet.com
Index: May 1996
I moved to Miami this spring with the promise of enjoying cheaper airfares
and trading table salsa for salsa on the radio. This has been a wonderful
transition to the land of the Everglades and Keys, improved only by the
proximity Florida has with Central America. This issue reviews ecotourism in
the vibrant mid-section of the Americas and reflects on the recent
conference in Honduras.
Central America Ecotourism Features
Nicaragua's Selva Negra - Ronda Green
Conservation and Responsible Tourism in Guatemala - Richard Mahler
A Gringo Perdido in Tikal, Guatemala - Greg Green
New: Ecotourism in Guatemala - US Peace Corps
Honduras Ecotourism Conference
Working Notes from Central American Ecotourism Conference (04/96)
Putting Central America into Context on the Internet - Sorrel Downer
(04/96)
Travel in the Age of the Internet - Ron Mader (04/96)
Visit to Celaque National Park - Alexis Aguilar (05/96)
Lights Out in Honduras - James Gollin (1995)
Honduras: Environmental Contacts
Bridges and Borders: Central America
Don't Forget Mexico
Ecotourism: A Tool for Sustainable Development (David Barkin)
Vizcaino Desert Reserve - Mark Spalding
Mesquite Power - Carlos Nagel
Vizcaino Desert Reserve (Mark Spalding)
Ecotourism Awareness in El Cielo (Scott Walker)
La Olla Latinoamericana (Recipes): Black Bean and Mango Salsa
Reviews
* Backpacking in Central America
* The New Key to...
* State of the World 1996
* Monarcas y Campesinos
* Greening of Industry
* United States-Mexico Border Environmental Directory
A text-only version of this issue is available via the El Planeta Platica
Text Archives (1993-1996)
August Issue: Costal Environments
All stories copyrighted 1996. Contact authors directly if you want permission to reprint an article. For more info, email ron@txinfinet.com.
Bridges & Borders
Central America: Earth and Sea and Fire
by Ron Mader
Central America - You might think I'm going to write about the place between Mexico and South America.
You're half right.
I've loved the middle of the Americas - from Indiana to Texas to Mexico City to Quito, Ecuador. There's something to be said about the spine of the this continent, the heartland between the coastsj and the bridge from East to West. I'm not about to suggest a preference for the middle road - I just moved to Miami, and perhaps I'm feeling a bit out-of-balance here on the coast.
There's an axis that runs from the prairies of Canada to the tip of South America. We embrace the skeleton of Turtle Island, a living, breathing hemisphere full of wonderous adventures, places and people.
Visiting Honduras for the first time in April, I attended a conference on ecotourism and conservation in La Ceiba. I kept good Working Notes and put them online a few days after returning home to Miami. Central America attracted my attention in the 1980s, and I wondered why I hadn't heard of these countries before then.
I learned Spanish in Guatemala back in 1988 - it was a wonderful journey that set into motion many of these southbound trips. I flew to Costa Rica a year later to work on a thesis - what prompted that idea? But except for a two-day detour to Copan Ruins, I bi- passed Honduras. I have a lot of catching up to do, and I will with a new book project. I have until February 1997 to write two environmental travel guides for both Honduras and Mexico.
Central America lies between the two mighty continents of the Americas and two of the world's oceans - this region - small in size but large in stature - is the hemispheric melting pot. Sharing species, languages and bioregions - Central America is an amazingly diverse cross-section of the hemisphere. In the town museum in Roatan, maps show how the nation of Honduras hosts plant and animal species from both North and South.
Honduras has a lot to show off. I look forward to future trips in this beautiful country. It's just now (Spring 1996) climbing on board the Internet, and with the help of many Hondurans and Honduras-friendly foreigners, it has one of the most lively presences on the Internet from all of Latin America.
Flashback - Indiana - mid 1980s: I don't know why, but I'm bothered by the realization that in growing up, I've heard so little of Latin America. At Indiana University in Bloomington, I seclude myself in the library, soaking up the region's newspapers (Colombia's El Tiempo - an excellent way to learn Spanish) and reading the political/business newsletters. The materials are at least three weeks old, but it's the only option. Oliver North is on trial, and everyone seems to be getting shorter haircuts. I become concerned that we worry about places we've never heard of.
Historians call Central America Mesoamerica - or Middle America. I always think of Indiana with this term. You have to wonder what the Midwest is the midsection of. It's definitely not of the developed nation of the United States. At one point in the last century, Indianapolis was the crossroads of this country. But territorial acquisitions changed the "heartland" in terms of political geography. For me, Indiana was a wonderful place where the soul grows up.
Central America has been and will be the center of this hemisphere as long
as our species exists. There has never been a promising time - in human terms! - for peace and prosperity in this region. In terms of environmental conservation, democracy, and regional tourism development, the 1990s bode well for Central America. Cheers to the 21st Century!
Editor's Note
This is the tenth issue of El Planeta Platica, and I continue my claim that every issue is better than the last! When I make my first trips south of the U.S. border, I quickly discovered the potency of environmental policy as a foundation for anlaysis and awareness of political and economic realities. How we create the linkages among environmental, political, economic and cultural issues will determine where we are heading in this hemisphere.
We cannot afford to allow environmental matters to be high-jacked by industry, nor industry by environmentalists. Consensus and informed consensus is vital. That requires us simply to get along - to be inclusive in our tight circles.
This issue of Planeta makes me especially proud. It boasts materials from the Honduras conference as well as contact information for groups and travel agencies in Honduras and Guatemala. It also has timely information from Mexico - David Barkin's survey of ecotourism as a tool for sustainable development is right on the mark. Ronda Green is my virtual connection to the ecotourism connection in Australia and her passion for Central America is nothing but contagious. Costa Rica's Tropical Conservation Newsbureau weighs in with several articles that help bring the Americas into context - which is also the subject of a presentation by Sorrel Downer, co-director of Green Arrow Guide - one of the luminescent sites on the Internet.
I'm still establishing my new home in Miami (I moved from Texas in January). This has been a wonderful move from Austin - though I do miss the good food at Mexico Tipico and Ruby's Bar-B-Que - thanks to everyone in Texas who made my eight-year stay there such a wonderful time. But as Woody Allen says in Annie Hall, we have to move forward - or we perish. And as Bruce Cockburn sings, "These shoes have seen some strange roads, stranger still to see..." The next few months I'll researching environmental travel in Mexico Honduras for two new guidebooks. Lift a glass of virtual tequila and celebrate with me.
Ron Mader publishes and edits El Planeta Platica, andwhen he's not on the road., you can contact him at ron@txinfinet.com.
- Remarks prepared for the Second Annual Conference on Ecotourism and
Conservation, La Ceiba, Honduras, April 20, 1996
La Ceiba, Honduras - The Internet has been compared to a highway - usually a
wordplay on the high-tech, high-speed German infobahn, instead of a over-
utilized and under-funded Latin American caretera. This global network
utilizes computers and phone lines to send and receive digitized
information. Using the Internet can be relatively inexpensive - compared to
faxes or phone calls.
One of the most popular uses of the Internet is that of orienting travelers,
who are already "surfing the net." Last year Brad Martin and Michael
Swiggart co-created "rec.travel.latin-america", a usenet discussion group
that provides a forum for questions and answers. "Virtual tours" are
available, as are metro maps, airplane bookings and satellite weather
photos.
The importance of the Internet lies not in its providing information, but in
connection people who have a common interest. Internet connects people to
people as much as it connects people to information. The Net has been best
described as the first functioning anarchy.
There is no chance, however, that we will arrive at the point when
everything is so well documented via cyberspace that there is no need to
make the journey ourselves. Internet does, however, radically change the
reasons why we travel - instead of deceiving ourselves with a colonial
mentality that we are indeed discovers (look at the people who try to
photograph Mayan ruins when all the other discoverers are out of the picture
frame) we seek to uncover information that is tactile, that is emotional,
that brings us into the community of both people and places.
Travel information on the Internet will benefit areas that have
traditionally not received mainstream coverage. Travel providers and travel
destinations in Latin America are either creating their own pages on the
World Wide Web or contracting other businesses to do that for them.
Internet represents a radical paradigm shift in communications. I don't use
this term lightly. Internet represents a way to connect people with people -
not people to information. It can be and should be a lively forum for an
interchange of ideas among humans - with all of our merits and faults.
Unlike typical broadcast media which communicate from a one-to-many system,
Internet provides a many to many system of communications.
Internet is the Radio of the 1910s and 1920s - but much more sophisticated
and financially well-grounded. When radio was first invented, it was used by
ham operators, department stores, governments, and community groups. In the
United States, the cacophony of competing radio signals led to the creation
of the FCC under the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson. This led to the severe
restriction of radio waves and created what would become very powerful
networks - NBC, CBS and later ABC. Flash forward 70 years and we have FOX
and CNN and Rupert Murdoch and that silly WB network, but again, this
represents communications from one source to a mostly passive audience. One
to many. Now we have the opportunity for greater interaction - if that's
what we want.
Central America
Central America formally comprises five nations - Honduras, Guatemala, El
Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Informally, add Belize and Panama.
Culturally, add southern Mexico and part of Colombia. The area of the
primary seven countries is just a little more than half a million square
kilometers, less than the size of Texas - my former home state. In 1993 the
total population was 31 million and increasing by 2.7 percent each year.
Tourism is increasing. According to U.S. Department of Commerce figures,
278,000 tourists visited Nicaragua last year, up 17 percent from 1994.
Nicaragua's Tourism Ministry projects that tourist arrivals will continue to
rise by 15 percent a year through the end of the decade. Response from the
Nicaraguan government - the budget of this agency was cut by 30 percent.
Successful planning and implementation of long-term tourism strategies
requires some visionary actions. The Central American governments signed the
Alliance for Sustainable Development signed in Managua on October 12, 1994.
Sustainable tourism - including ecotourism - can be utilized as a long- term
strategy. But we need to be honest, and we need to demand inclusivity and
transparency both within government and non-governmental circles. We need to
find information on project financing. And we need to push for regionalized
efforts.
Latin America and the Internet
Latin America stands to gain the most from information on the Internet, and
I'll explain why.
Tourism Industry Intelligence reports that 20 percent of the tourism income
in developing countries comes from ecotourism. The World Wildlife Fund
reported that earnings from ecotourism are 10 times greater than from
agriculture. I think the time is long past to prove the worth of ecotourism
- do we really need another study? - But now it's time to begin the work on
the details. Travelers need information on destinations and tours;
destination owners and tour operators need information on how to make their
operations more environment friendly.
A quick scan of both travel coverage as well as headline news shows that
Latin America is poorly represented in the international media. In the
United States, I attribute this fact to cultural and political bias. We are
a nation of mostly European and Asian immigrants, and we pay attention to
these regions. As the demographics change, so will the focal point of our
attention. Additionally, with NAFTA and regional free trade agreements, we
are finally paying due to Latin America as full partners as well as
neighbors.
Travel information on the Internet - for example, Costa Rica's Rara Avis
ecolodge, provides information for net-savvy travelers who are not content
to be laptop potatoes, but want an educational experience that carries them
further into the heart of the Americas. Fortunately, expansion is carrying
forward in Honduras. Honduras This Week and El Tiempo are now available
on-line. After you return from this conference, you can check the current
news from Honduras, whether you're in Tegucigalpa, Miami or Berlin.
Some of the best Internet web sites already hail from Latin America. The
newspapers have usually been ahead of the curve - from Mexico's El Norte to
Chile's Estrategia. We must realize that regardless of our nationality, we
all live in both the First and Third Worlds. The social question becomes -
what are we going to do about this?
Internet allows - and I would say demands - the communications among
individuals. There is email and listservers and home pages on the World Wide
Web, but this is a reflection of the technology as well as a deeper need.
This networks is set up so that if you wanted to send an electronic letter -
generated on your computer and sent through the phone lines via a modem -
you can this very inexpensively and very, very quickly. There are snags -
much too many to fully criticize here - and they are best described in the
book with the halcyon title - Silicon Snakeoil. Internet is not the panacea,
but it will make a lasting impact on 1) citizen or public participation, 2)
accountability and transparency of institutions - whether they are
government agencies, non governmental organizations or travel agents or
manufacturers.
Who uses Internet? Who should use Internet? The number is growing daily, and
while I'm suspicious of the marketing claims of 30-40 million users, I do
not question the growth rate - marketed at 10-20 percent each month.
Internet is not a fad, and it will grow and radically change every four
months.
Back to Ecotourism:
When I did a survey of environmental solutions in Costa Rica in 1989,
ecotourism was the big buzzword - along with "sustainable development."
these words are still content poor descriptions of ideas most of us would
agree to like... if we knew what they meant. Ecotourism is a lot like
etiquette. We argue about the salutations, the way to address a letter, the
fork goes on which side of the plate? - instead, we should be addressing
what we actually are doing. What is the carrying capacity? Is there enough
sewage treatment? Is there sewage treatment? Are species fleeing the
tourists? Is the local community an active participant in the project?
And we need to ask - what can we be doing to provide an upward harmonization
of environmental standards? Part of the problem lies in regulation and
enforcement. A greater part stems from lack of information. Internet can be
utilized as part of the solution.
Allow me to conclude with three suggestions:
1. Stick to your principals
- Don't compromise
2. Do one thing well
- Don't try to do all things; work with other people
3. Dialogue with people you disagree with
- This is the most important point. Too often ecotourism gurus try to
convert each other. We do not have a model of ecotourism or sustainable
development that has withstood the test of time. No one has all the
answers. But if we put blinders on and insist our perspective is the
only way to view this evolving topic, we risk losing input from sources
we don't agree with 100 percent.
Thanks for this opportunity to present the Internet and the ways it can be
wisely used in ecotourism promotion.
Contact the author via email at ron@txinfinet.com.
First Person: A Visit to Celaque National Park, Honduras
by Alexis Aguilar (catracho@aol.com)
I just came back from visiting Celaque National Park in southwestern Honduras. The park has a rustic but comfortable visitor's center where one can spend the night for about $1. You can do your own cooking at the visitor's center kitchen but it's better to eat at Doûa Alejandrina's (a short walk away) who will cook you a great meal (complete with freshly made tortillas and coffee) for about 80ó. The visitor's center is at 1400 meters above sea level. Early the next morning I headed to the first campsite which is at 2050 meters. This took me four hours (with long breaks). This part of the trail reminded me of a California because of the pine and oak forests.
As I reached the first camp the forest becomes cooler and wetter and the vegetation more diverse. The first camp has a small tin shack, clearings for two tents, and two fire pits. It's very hard to get a fire started because the wood is wet. I pitched my tent and spent the night here. The next day was quite a work out. First, there's a steep ascent to the second campsite which is located in a wide plateau punctuated by several peaks, the highest of which is Cerro Las Minas. This plateau is where you find the most beautiful example of the cloud forest. The air is cool, the ground and foliage very moist. Trees and rocks are covered with moss, orchids, bromeliads and vines.
The sound of tropical birds fills the air. The whole hike is under a closed canopy. Most trees are thin and tall as they compete for sunlight. The diversity of vegetation is nothing short of amazing.
After easy hiking through this beautiful plateau, there's a final ascent to the top of Las Minas, Honduras` highest point at 2849 meters. The sun was shining on the summit as there are less trees. It felt great to be up there though there wasn't much of a view because it was cloudy down below. After a well deserved break I started my long descent to the visitor's center which I reached by the time it was getting dark.
Not only is Celaque extremely beautiful, it is easily accessible the trails are well marked, and Doûa Alejandrina and Miguel (her son and caretaker of this part of the park) try to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. Miguel maintains the visitor center, the trails, posts signs, and welcomes visitors. The night before I left, Miguel told me that COHDEFOR (the Honduran agency in charge of the park) has not paid him a salary in three months. He says he also gets very little support in supplies tools, and money to maintain and guard the park. He asked me to help him by contacting the chief of COHDEFOR in Tegucigalpa.
I promised to write a letter to COHDEFOR and the Honduran newspapers. The Honduran government should give Celaque a higher priority. I'm trying to think of ways how we can through private efforts channel support (be it monetary or otherwise) to make sure this park remains in its present pristine condition. I understand that logging, poaching, and other illegal activities are taking place in the western side of the park because of the lack of staff to patrol the park.
I talked to a Dutch woman who lives in Gracias (a town near the park) about the possibility of starting a "Friends of Celaque" type of group. She said that would look negatively on that because they see the park as solely their "turf." She rents tents, sleeping bags, and other camping equipment, and she told me that officials are not happy with that. Does any one have ideas of how we can help the park?
Alexis is currently in Costa Rica.
Gringo Perdido: A Clean Well Lit Place, With Hammock Hooks
by Greg Green
We arrived at Manuel's by accident. After a visit to Guatemala's astounding Mayan ruins at Tikal, we decided the steep $15 a night camping rate was beyond our comfortable range. The famed and luxurious lodge accomodations at Tikal were an enticing splurge at $40 and up at night, so it was with some pride that we escaped without checking in. We were resolute: we had to find a place to camp in the true outdoors, far from the tourist center that Tikal is.
We hopped a minivan bound for Flores, the crossroad for travelers from Guatemala's interior en route to Tikal, and decided to ask the driver to drop us at some random spot as yet undetermined. Then suddenlyâ no! Could it be? A true eco-tourist escape site just for us? The name of the place speaks volumes for the savvy of the entrepreneurial family that started it - Manuel's Gringo Perdido.
Set on lake Peten, along the road between Flores and the ruins at Tikal, the fabulous location is more than enough to keep a camper happy. Facilities include a simple but luxurious campground, set up with about a dozen camp space platforms that are pancake- flat, each with a packed sand and clay base that's kind to tent stakes and tired bones. Toilet facilities are provided by an outhouse, and the lake serves as bathtub. At the center of the facilities, a kitchen offers the basic regional rice-beans-eggs fare, and occasional treats like spiced sweet rice. Beside the kitchen is a communal sitting area, providing lakeview dining tables and hammock hanging space. All of this is covered by a thatched roof suspended on pilons to allow a near 360-degree view of the surrounding forest and the lake.
There's also a combination tienda-taller, or workshop-store, beside the lake. On any given day one of Manuel's five or six brothers or a similar relative sits in the store selling beautifully carved hardwood trinkets, utensils and toys. The wood is generally obtained from trees felled by the forces of nature and time, rather than the axe or chainsaw. On our first night we sat by candlelight in the communal area, with an after-dinner (Nes)cafe as Manuel told us a bit of the story of his locale.
The family land, perched on a hillside extending down to Lake Peten, is so beautiful Manuel decided it was worth showing to others. Manuel has about six brothers, he explained, all of them active folk who know the area and can serve as guides for exploration. The steady stream of visitors en route to Tikal has provided a solid market. Some years back Manuel took up the political cause by housing over two hundred rebel soldiers on his family's hillside, during a period when Guatemala's long civil war had spread into the area. The soldiers are long gone now , and since then life has been peaceful. Manuel is married to a German woman, and their home is across a ravine nearby. He stops in at the camp area regularly to see who's visiting, and through contact with travelers he has learned to speak good English, Italian and French. His intelligence is obvious, and he loves to talk.
On our second day Manuel's 16-year old brother Mauricio led us on a hike. Our route took us up into the hills past corn fields, then dropped us down to a small lake where a dugout canoe awaited. To quench our thirst, we practiced our machete skills on some coconuts, then paddled out onto the lake. Mauricio led us to a pond where turtles and a variety of cayman bask in the sun. Other recreation included individual coco gathering missions into palms along the way.
Mauricio was a fine guide, and he seemed uncommonly wise for his age. Had he been to school?, we inquired. Yes, he said, he went to school for long enough to learn to read and understand what school was about. As he remembers it, that was about six months. Since then, he was self- and community-educated. My companion, a skilled biologist, noted Mauricio's ecological knowledge was on par with many textbooks, and he also knew the trails.
As he lead us to a bat cave in the forest, he cautioned not to enter because the dung could be toxic. The best approach for viewing the natural environment of the bat, he explained, was to wait outside the cave, enjoy the lake view and the breeze, and watch the bats come and go. As much as his guiding services, what Mauricio provided was a pace in time with the experience that ecotourism is meant to be.
What is eco-tourism? The definition is evanescent, and a topic often addressed here in El Planeta Platica. Manuel's Gringo Perdido provides the visitor with information, a simple accomodation in a natural setting, and great company. The facility is easily sustained, provides a forum for interchange between the community and visitors, and has virtually no impact on the environment other than that of the guests' feet passing over area trails. In this case, no definition or label is required. Manuel's Gringo Perdido is ecotourism at its finest, and the morning lake swims are enough to keep anybody smiling. Don't trust me though, go there and find out for yourself.
The author, currently peddeling in Costa Rica, can be reached at 716 King Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. He previously wrote the Bicycling in the World's Largest City (Mexico City) article.
Recommended Reading
by Ron Mader (http://www.planeta.com/)
Backpacking in Central America by Tim Burford
A Bradt publication available in the U.S. from the Globe Pequot Press, this book covers the ground from Guatemala to Panama. Tim Burford is an enthusiastic writer whose recommendations are on the mark. Loaded with useful information, this book should be taken by anyone who intends to stretch their legs in Central America.
The New Key to Costa Rica by Beatrice Blake and Anne Becher
The New Key to Ecuador by David Pearson and David Middleton
The New Key to Guatemala by Richard Harris
The New Key to Belize by Stacy Ritz
The New Key to the Yucatan by Richard Harris
The series is the off-shoot of a single, wonderful book, the popular New Key to Costa Rica (which, incidentally, I took with me to Costa Rica in 1989; it was then in its fourth edition, a ninth is currently being prepared).
The guides explore local flora and fauna and describe the unique ecosystems within each country. With a percentage of profits going to environmental groups, I expected to see more news about Ecociencia (Ecuador) or Defensores de la Naturaleza (Guatemala) - but that information is sorely missing.
What the guides do offer besides cheerful descriptions of the natural attractions is an innovative "green-rating survey" that ranks tourist facilities on their commitment to the local ecology and culture. Ecotourism ratings have been discussed before in Planeta (February 1995), and kudos to the publisher (Ulysses Press) for attempting this.
State of the World 1996
by Lester Brown, et all
Is it my imagination or is this really the same book year after year? Personally, I'm getting tired of the frenzied global coverage the authors provide in each chapter. Jumping from a water crisis in Mexico to Egypt to Asia, California, Israel, India and Ontario in a single chapter - I wonder who is supposed to be reading this series?
I like the politics, I like the viewpoints - but this series is beginning to wear thin for those readers who actually have been inspired by the first State of the World to review these matters. More depth please!
Also - I wonder what percentage of the researchers live outside the Beltway - the book gives every indication that despite its global board of directors, it is made and manufactured in the small island called the Northeast.
Monarcas y Campesinos
by Gonzalo Chapela and David Barkin
Centro de Ecologia, 1995
Interesting!
Finally, here's a book (in Spanish) that reviews the failed strategies to protect the Monarch Butterfly's winter refuge. The farmers (campesinos) who live outside the government-sanctioned sanctuary most often do not receive any economic benefit from the growing numbers of tourists. The authors propose several innovative alternatives that incorporate the local communities into the conservation, or rather the reverse.
This book is available from the Centro de Ecologia y Desarrollo, Santa Margarita 526, Colonia del Valle, Mexico, DF. Phone: (011-525) 575-3604.
United States-Mexico Border Environmental Directory
A second edition of this directory was released this spring by the University of Texas at El Paso. A must-have for border researchers, the book costs $17. Kudos to Samuel Schmidt and Gloria Macias for compiling this valuable resource. Contact: CIABS, UTEP, Burges Hall 209, El Paso, TX 79968; Phone: 915-747-5196; Fax: 915-747-5574.
Greening of Industry: Resource Guide and Bibliography
edited by Peter Groenewegen, Kurt Fischer, Edith Jenkins and Johan Scott
(Island Press, 1995)
Environmental economics is now an accepted hybrid in both disciplines. This book is a guide to other materials - a road map of sorts - to what policy makers are referring to as "sustainability strategies." This is an excellent introduction to the subject of environmental business and as well as a guide to further research. If there is a failing to the book, it is that it does not review industry in the South - or the problems and opportunities that occur in the developing world.
Resources for Eco Travels
compiled by Ron Mader
Driving South
Personally, I've favored small planes and large buses for travel in Latin
America. But if I ever get behind the wheel, I'll take along the Driving
Packet from the South American Explorer's Club. Packed with hand-drawn maps,
travel reports, 1996 South American fuel prices, good advice and a panoply
of resources, this a wanderlust mosaic of practical hints and suggestions.
This is a wonderful packet and a terrible temptation for those of us who are
unsure if we're actually heading south. The cost? $25 for SAEC members, $30
for non-members + P&H. Contact the U.S. office at (607) 277-0488. Web site:
