Ecotourism and Community Conservation Projects, Sikkim, India

The Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim works with rural communities and government and non-governmental agencies. Our mission is to implement integrated community conservation and tourism-related development projects. These interventions help rural communities to become self reliant, and to plan and manage their resources...http://www.sikkiminfo.net/ecoss/projects.htm

http://www.sikkiminfo.net/ecoss/about_us.htm

Greenhouse in Mongolia by American Himalayan Foundation (AHF)

Mongolia, a Buddhist country, suffered for many years under a repressive regime in which hundreds of monasteries were destroyed and thousands of monks killed. The collapse of the Soviet Union brought religious freedom back to Mongolia, but the transition to a market economy has left many people in poverty. Traditional livestock herding has suffered from economic and environmental changes, and local herders and nomads are looking for better ways to support their families.

Fortunately, "ger" (traditional Mongolian tent-house) camps in the Southern Gobi have become a big draw for tourists who are rediscovering the natural beauty and rich cultural history of Mongolia, and can offer a source of income for the herders and nomads who run them. The tourists who stay in the camps crave fresh vegetables. So, the locals saw a good business opportunity and asked AHF to help.

The solution: Greenhouses! AHF has helped build a greenhouse near the village of Bulgan, an isolated but well-touristed community in the Southern Gobi. The results are impressive: triple the crop yields of open sky farming, a hungry market for the harvest, and the locals are learning important new skills. They even have their own brand of tomato!

AHF is helping to bring a viable new way-of-life to the people of Mongolia. Tomatoes today. Economic independence tomorrow. Would you like to help? Click here.

Read more on similar projects on http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/live/page/about and http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/live/page/projects

Cultural Restoration Tourism Project-Chairro Gompa, Nepal

Restoring a 300 year old Bhuddhist Monastery along with the local community, high in the mountains of Nepal that has been damaged by weather and neglect. It contains significant, centuries old wall paintings that are suffering from decay as well as overall structural damage...http://www.crtp.net/

Watch the video - Tourists Rebuild Temple in Nepal, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVFbzFHCaDg

The Mountain Fund Moving Medical Clinic, Tamang Region, Nepal

A few years ago, when a medical clinic in the remote Tamang district (Karing for Kids) was at risk for losing its funding...http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/5621

http://www.mountainfund.org/ has more details on goals and specifics.

3 Nepali Sisters are Empowering Women through Adventure Tourism!

3 Sisters (and its non-profit EWN) utilizes the positive aspects of tourism to create equity for women in society and to bring revenue to the poorest areas of Nepal, while enhancing and protecting local environment and culture from the negative aspects of tourism.

You can read more...http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/5637

Tibet Foundation in the Land of the Khampas

This documentary follows the director of the British charity Tibet Foundation during his trip to Tibet in winter 2005, five months after a founding trustee of the foundation visited the projects the charity runs.

Directed by Gilles Blaize, edited by Pema Wangye, filmed by Kab in the former region of Kham, a land of yaks, snow-capped mountains and nomadic grasslands, 'In the land of Khampas' presents the situation of Tibetan people who are now living under Chinese rule and what Tibet Foundation has achieved in the past fourteen years.

If you want to help Tibetans, please visit Tibet Foundation website: www.tibet-foundation.org:

Itinary to the land of Khampas, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeUEuf2iJ4k

In the land of Khampas - Part1, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1R8CkihOPk

In the land of Khampas - Part2, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XWaYzGfQAw

In the land of Khampas - Part3, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTh09JYNoBM&feature=related

In the land of Khampas - Part4, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_llEp59liAQ&feature=related

FoST-Nepal wins the Shell BBC Challenge 2007

Goals and brief introduction:

The country of Nepal is facing an environmental crisis with wide-spread deforestation, excessive pollution, inadequate mobilization of natural resources, lack of safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and a heavy dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuels.

The Foundation for Sustainable Technologies (FoST) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization creating awareness to counter these trends by providing low-cost, low-tech, easily adaptable, locally-built sustainable technologies and education to improve the quality of life of the rural people.


Here's the link to the video and several others at http://www.fost-nepal.org/:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8265929164207306024
http://www.gorpproductions.com/fostvideo.html

Did you know, FoST-Nepal secured $10,000 as the seconds runner-up?