fbpx
Skip to content

Prize Winners Embrace Ecotourism

August 30, 2012

As you get ready for your Labor Day weekend vacation (or stay-cation), remember the enormous impact that your travel dollars can have on the local communities you visit.

Ecotourism is a growing industry that has big potential for travelers who want to see the world and do a little good at the same time.

2012 Kenyan Prize winner, Ikal Angelei,  embraces the potential boon that Lake Turkana’s rich fossil beds could bring to the tourist industry there, noting that “the fossils are part of the pride and heritage of the local community.”

Right now, most of Kenya’s 1.2 billion tourist dollars stay in Nairobi, but luring tourists to Lake Turkana to see the fossils and the famous desert lake could help protect the region and bring much needed income to the communities there.

angelei-blog480

Jadwiga Lopata, 2002 Prize winner from Europe, has been involved ecotourism for years.  In 1993, she founded the European Center for Ecological Agriculture and Tourism-Poland (ECEAT-Poland).  Lopata won the Prize for her efforts to protect family farms and promote organic farming.

Today, Lopata provides farm-stay vacations at her cottage in rural Poland, where she offers a variety of workshops with an emphasis on local, organic agriculture and traditional crafts. For more information on Lopata’s workshops, click here.

babb1
Rainbow1

Have you ever gone on an eco-vacation? Tell us about it!

Recent Posts

Women Environmental Leaders throughout History


March 7, 2024

Women are critical defenders of their communities and environments. Join us in learning about some of their stories. Rachel Carson Perhaps the mother of the American environmental movement, Rachel Carson (1907-1964) set into motion a global awakening to the dangers of chemical pesticides (she, of course, preceded the Goldman Prize). A marine biologist and nature…

Read more

Three Black Environmental Leaders You Should Know


February 20, 2024

We celebrate the contributions of Black leaders to the environmental movement in the United States and around the world. Join us in learning about some of their stories. Sharon Lavigne Environmental justice advocate Sharon Lavigne (United States, 2021) successfully stopped the construction of a $1.25 billion plastics manufacturing plant in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The…

Read more

The 35th Goldman Environmental Prize is Monday, April 29, 2024


January 9, 2024

The Goldman Environmental Prize is excited to share that the 2024 Prize winners will be announced on Monday, April 29. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Goldman Prize. The Prize winners will be celebrated at live ceremonies following Earth Week: at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco on Monday, April 29, and at…

Read more