Jagriti Yatra - A Journey of discovery and transformation

Jagriti Yatra is an ambitious train journey of discovery and transformation that takes hundreds of India's highly motivated youth on an 15 day national odyssey. The aim is to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship.The vision of Jagriti is to inspire young Indians living in the middle of the Indian demographic diamond (Rs 40 - Rs 120 per day) to lead development by taking to enterprise. By doing so, they can turn from job seekers to job creators. 

• http://www.jagritiyatra.com/index.php

Jagriti Yatra is an annual train journey that that takes hundreds of India's highly motivated youth (with some participation of international students) between the ages of 20-25 and experienced professionals with age above 25, on a eighteen day national odyssey, introducing them to unsung heroes of India. The aim is to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship - both social and economic - within India's youth by exposing them to individuals and institutions that are developing unique solutions to India's challenges. Through this national event we have begun to inspire the youth of India to lead and develop institutions both nationally and within their communities.

Vision

The vision of Jagriti Yatra is to inspire young Indians living in the middle of the Indian demographic diamond (Rs 40-Rs 120 per day) to lead development by taking to enterprise. By doing so, they can turn from being job seekers to job creators. Apart from this economic argument, they also discover a purpose that is appropriate for their talents. Only if we create a movement around enterprise led development will India’s youth employment and development issues will be resolved.

Message

The message of the Yatra is expressed through Jagriti Geet – 'Yaaron Chalo, Badalne Ki Rut hai' a message is of a positive change through enterprise. Instead of bemoaning what is wrong with the country, our participants and the Jagriti fraternity takes action by enterprise led development to make India better

Expedition to Antarctica

Hi, all,

Sorry to have been out of touch for so long.  For those I haven’t met, I took part in YES as a participant in July 2003 and in August 2004 as a facilitator.

I’m just about to embark on an expedition to Antarctica and am inviting you all to follow along and to perhaps join a future expedition.  Further details are here:

http://aaronholdway.wordpress.com/about/

The "Home" tab takes you to my blog on the expedition.  I’m taking questions on Antarctica and climate change and hope to engage as many people as possible, so please spread the word!

Hope to hear from you!

Aaron

Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Travel

Text by Maryellen Kennedy Duckett

Photo by iStockphoto.com

50 real ways to journey responsibly—and still have fun.

We all know enough to reuse our hotel towels and request that guest room linens not be changed every day, but what else can we do to reduce our impact as we travel?

Traveling responsibly means conserving natural resources, supporting local cultures, and making a positive impact on the places we visit. This guide will help. Some steps are big, others are small, but all can make a difference, especially if we take them together.

Continue »

• http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/sustainable-travel-tips

35 eco-friendly travel tips - travel green!

From Travelling the Green Way

Planning your eco-vacation…

• Know that where you visit and stay does make a difference. If you choose an eco-friendly hotel or other destination you’re making a statement that this is what matters to consumers.
• Choose an eco-friendly hotel, hostel, or resort.
• Consider a volunteer trip with an eco-organization.
• Plan an eco-friendly all-inclusive bus trip.
• Pick a trip that gets your family out into nature vs. out into an urban setting.
• Travel as close to home as possible.

Before you leave…

• Turn your thermostat down if you’re traveling in the winter, and up if you’re traveling in the winter.
• Unplug everything.
• Cancel the newspaper.
• Lower the temperature of your waterbed heaters by at least ten degrees.
• Turn your water heater to the lowest setting.
• Get e-tickets vs. paper if you’re taking mass transport.
• Make sure all the lights are off when you go.
• Pack lightly to reduce your travel weight. The more your bags weigh the larger the carbon footprint you create when traveling.

Once you arrive…

• Once you arrive at your travel destination skip a car and walk or take local transportation like the bus or the subway. Not only is this green, but you get a better taste of your area and the people who live there.
• If you need a car once you arrive at your destination rent a hybrid.
• In many places you can rent bikes for the whole family.
• Take along a small reusable container of eco-friendly, biodegradable laundry detergent. Finding a local laundry mat is easy, finding eco-friendly soap at said mat is not so much.
• Be sure to turn of hotel extras – examples: don’t leave the sauna on, the jet spa on, lights in the exercise room on, or exercise equipment.
• Don’t buy a bunch of plastic souvenirs and other junk. If you do buy something, buy green products when possible.
• Don’t pick up fliers and brochures and area maps everywhere you go. You don’t need a brochure to enjoy an area. You won’t ever look at them again after you get home, and it’s a total waste of paper.
• Take along a reusable water bottle for everyone going - you can also use these to fill up with juice or soda when on the go.
• Carry reusable bags with you so if you shop you have something to carry purchases in.
• Carry an extra small reusable bag in your backpack so if you get a hold of something that needs recycled, you can put it in the bag and save it for recycling later.
• Eat local and organic at green restaurants when possible vs. at fast food chains.
• Don’t use those small plastic bottles of shampoo offered at the hotel – take your own along. IF you use them, recycle them or bring them home and use them for other things.
• If you arrive by plane consider the shuttle or bus to get to your hotel.
• Use a digital camera vs. disposable.
• When staying in a hotel reuse your towel - let the front desk know you won’t be needing daily housekeeping.
• If traveling in summer or winter follow the same energy conservation tips in your hotel that you do at home - for example, shut the curtains, dress for the weather, turn down the AC or heater when you leave the room, and so on.
• Avoid room service or carryout food which comes with more disposable trash issues than say, eating at an actual restaurant does.

Extra smart eco-actions…

• If your hotel / motel / spa could be doing something better speak up. People don’t often make green changes without some nudging.
• If staying at a campsite or other wild setting, put out all fires and leave nothing behind out in nature, pack up and carry out trash, extra food, and recyclables.
• Have everyone in the family pick up one piece of litter each day. This is cool to do in urban vacation spots but extra important if you’re traveling in outdoor nature areas.
• Get a hotel with a kitchen, dishes, and cookware, and make most of your meals – head to the local farmers markets or natural grocers for new finds!

From Travelling the Green Way