Earth Day 2009: Leave Only Footprints... and Some Smiles Too!

Athens, Greece – 22 March 2009

Housing bubble bursting, stock markets crashing... bank bailouts... corporate greed... recession... global warming... yep... it's a "crisis" indeed! And this... in the "new millennium".

"I can't afford a new condo"... Malaria: 247 million cases worldwide.

"We cancelled our corporate retreat"... HIV/AIDS: 33 million cases.

"He has to drive a used car"... Tuberculosis: 14 million cases.

Hunger…. Starvation… lack of water…. wars… famine… a crisis indeed.

I just recently returned from a 4-month journey through Myanmar and Thailand from November through February. The SARS outbreak in 2003 halted travel in Asia. The tsunami of December 26, 2004 was the worst natural disaster to ever strike Thailand, causing loss of life as well as major damage to property, the environment and the economy. The severe impact on the natural environment in turn had serious consequences on the fishing and tourism industries and, therefore, thousands of families' livelihoods. Just 2 months ago, protesters shut down the Bangkok International Airport causing upwards of 8.5 billion in economic loss… crisis indeed.

ECOTOURISM, community-based tourism and volunteerism are making huge impacts. With the help of Ecotourism, fishing villages along the Andaman Sea are slowly recovering. Ecotourism projects help preserve the wildlife and hilltribe cultures in the north.

I spent 6-weeks in MaeSot, a tiny town on the Myanmar / Thai border. MaeSot, way off the typical tourist route, is a convergence spot where "do-good" tourists teach English or deliver health aid to locals and Burmese refugees. I visited one small children's home which housed many sick and orphaned children. The children loved the company and play… loved coloring and arts and crafts. I recruited seven new tourist-friends I met at my lodge and organized a fun picnic for the 40 children. This photo is of just one of those children. Her smile reminds me that it is the small gestures that Ecotourists take that have the biggest lasting impact. It reminds me in a world of "crisis" the types of things that really matter.

About the Author:
Joe Staiano is an Ecotourism Consultant based in Seattle, Washington, United States of America (Web: www.joestaiano.com).
His photo essay "Leave only Footprints and some smiles too" was voted the winner of the 4th ECOCLUB.com Earth Day Photo Essay Competition by the Members of ECOCLUB - International Ecotourism Club.

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