Wild Asia Newsletter - March 2009

Posted on 27 March 2009 by katrin under News

Greetings to all!

Wild Asia Shuts Down for Earth Hour 2009

To show our support of Earth Hour, wildasia.net will shut down on Saturday, 28th of March 8.30pm - 9.30pm Malaysian time. Join us as we fight against global warming by turning off your lights for one hour at 8.30pm your local time, anywhere on the planet.

Introducing Responsible Tourism Awards 2009

Wild Asia is approaching the second quarter of '09 and we are pleased to announce the Responsible Tourism Awards (RTA) 2009 is in the making! Now in its fourth year, the RTA is the only award for excellence in responsible tourism rewarded to travel operators in Asia. We believe that sustainable destinations can be made a reality and we hope more operators from this region will step forward and share their best practices to help bolster sustainable travel destinations in Asia. Here are snapshots of past successful years:

*

2006 was the pioneer year for RTA opening the windows for us to explore and unearth exemplary resorts and hotels. It created a significant platform to discuss tourism issues, practices and initiatives and to raise awareness on responsible tourism. *

2007 the second year of RTA saw a lot more entries from all over Asia including Indonesia, India and Cambodia. RTA proved to a long awaited recognition in Asia gauging from excited responses. *

2008 saw the success of the awards with more than 40 entries! From Thailand to Sri Lanka, these tourism operators exemplify the best of responsible tourism.

In conjunction with RTA 2009, Wild Asia will be running a "CSR in Travel" workshop, a 2-day training workshop for property owners, managers and tourism professionals. It is set for 28 -29 October 2009. Seats are limited so place your bookings now!

Applications are open to any form of tourist accommodation (big or small, private or community driven). To stand in the running for the awards, please email us and request for an entry form. The dateline for entry forms is 29 May 2009.

Engaging the private sector

Wild Asia is ever increasing on our capacity to create positive impacts on the environment. Our success relies strongly on partnerships with corporations such as Sime Darby, CSR Asia and Starbucks to name a few. These corporations have chosen to take the pioneering leap in working with us to make our environment more sustainable. Wild Asia extends an invitation for you to do the same - WE NEED YOU! Join us as we fight for a better future.

To promote sustainability in the design industry, Wild Asia will be setting up a booth at the Kuala Lumpur Design Week, the first design centric event ever to be held in Malaysia. KLDW provides a platform for designers of all kinds to showcase their work and learn from the best international designers around. Come over to KL Tower on the 27-29 March 2009 and support Wild Asia!

Going beyond responsible tourism awards, Wild Asia’s Sustainable Island Programme 2009 commenced with an eco-check at Salang Pusaka, Swiss Cottage and ABC Resort on Tioman Island from 7-9 March 2009. Assisted by consultants from Environmental Resources Management (ERM), we hope to use the information gathered to identify a series of eco-tips that the resorts can use to help them make informed decisions when improving operating processes. Let's see where this pilot initiative goes!

Wild Asia's Environmental Education (EE) program with CIMB continues! We're organizating a mangrove field trip with Sekolah Tinggi Port Dickson on 26 March 2009. This programme aims to raise environmental awareness through exposure to the great outdoors coupled with specially adapted indoor experiments and talks for a better future.

Support a Cause!

Wild Asia's Valentine's Day campaign continues till the end of March! Express affection to your loved ones while offsetting your carbon footprint by buying a tree from our Plant-A-Tree (PAT) programme and receive a love poetry book titled "This Valentine's Day, I Promise You All My Love" compliments from DHP Sdn. Bhd. Hurry while stock lasts!

Strut your stuff in Wild Asia t-shirts! They are now being sold at Malaysian Nature Society Shop in Kuala Lumpur and Fisherman Divers on Tioman Island. Proceeds from the t-shirts will go to our Seed Grants. We are always looking for permanent outlets, so email us if you are interested to showcase and sell WA t-shirts in your outlet. Alternatively, do email us if you would like to purchase Wild Asia t-shirts directly from us.

Eco Updates

Wild Asia is very excited to announce Malaysia's first ever 2-week Permaculture Design Certificate Course, happening from 17 April - 2 May 2009! Hosted by Sabina Arokiam of Embun Pagi, this is a unique opportunity for those interested to acquire the practical and scientific tools to create an ecologically-resilient living arrangement. 10 places are available for paying participants and 5 scholarship up for grabs. For more information and scholarship details, please visit http://embunpagi2009.wordpress.com

What's new in Wild Asia?

*

Faasai Resort and Spa: Authenticity in Simplicity on the Eastern Thai Coast - A finalist for Wild Asia’s 2008 Responsible Tourism Awards, RICK GREGORY relaxes at Faasai Resort and Spa nestled in Thailand’s east coast, just hours away from Bangkok. Explore how this holiday sanctuary embraces elements of responsible tourism. *

Bandar Harapan: A Beacon for Hope - More than just an organic patch in the middle of urban Klang Valley, Bandar Harapan educates children and the disabled community on natural farming and agricultural skills. SHAFINAZ SUHAIMI paid a visit as part of Wild Asia's "Thursdays Off" CSR programme. *

A Walk to Remember: Southeast Asia - As Muir once expressed, “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks,” and so DAVID BOWDEN embarks on a journey to discover the many experiential pathways in Southeast Asia. *

Pangkor Island- Not Just another Holiday - Peter Vanderlans proved that Pangkor is not just an island getaway. Follow the writer as he explores Pangkor's unique wildlife and uncovers species many might have missed.

All the best from the Wild Asia web team! Reza, Deborah, Shafi, Eileen, Sharyn and Mike

More: http://www.wildasia.net

Sorry. We've been getting a lot of junk comments lately. So commenting has been turned off for now