For 2012 UNWTO's challenge to the global tourism industry was to applaud renewable energy solutions.
A locally based Chiang Mai tour operator www.trekkingcollective.com [TC] met the challenge to self design and locally produce hydrogen fuel cells fitted to their company vehicles reducing energy bills and vehicle emmissions by a minimum 20%
....So for UNWTO 2013's WORLD TOURISM DAY the challenge to the global tourism industry is to work towards sustainable initiatives to preserve 'at risk' global fresh water resources.
Long term advocates of Trekking Collective's indigenous and urban initiatives, Gail and Roger Johnson were in town accompanying the annual University of Washington student study tour group that participate in TC designed 'special interest' community based [CBT]field treks for over 7 years.
Each year Roger Johnson and TC exchange ideas that support Trekking Collective's core values of sustainability of low tech 'doable' community initiatives that 1. Work 2. Affordable and beneficial for all 3. reduce, reuse and recycle locally 4. low maintainence 5. everyone can do! 7. Promote towards a low carbon global society.
Ajarn Sawat Chantalay a member of HEUSP with Students from the 'Connecting Classrooms'
initiative @ Yupparaj High School with Roger Johnson demonstrating his ideas.
2013 Roger gave his time to present his latest ideas to Faculty of Engineering, CMU and at a lively 'Connecting Classrooms' session held at Yupparaj High School a ground breaking government school "think outside of the box" initiative created by Ajarn Sawat Chantalay an award winning local conservationist, Chiang Mai native and a member of HEUSP.
Parents and locals buying their weekend veggies!
Each Friday a local community group Holistic Environment Urban School Program - HEUSP co -supported by Trekking Collective puts together an ISAC Farmer's Organic Market at Puttisopon, a local Primary School in the Old City of Chiang Mai.
A great community meeting place to promote awareness and share local and global health and environmental issues... these cool Women Farmer's grow and prepare their own endemic vegetables and make local healthy snacks to sell direct to school parents, students, teachers. The local community and foreign visitors are all welcome!
This was a great spot for Roger Johnson to show how to put together his 'pee-dra-ponics' plant feeder or 'dry toilet'..... Read On!
Ajarn Roger putting together parts whilst the Women Farmer's juggle selling veggies and learning
how to make the 'Pee-dra-ponics' plant feeder
Simple Tools
Using local sourced and recycled products
Using 'Guesstimate' technology!
Science and English Dept. teachers from Puttisopon School
check the power point presentation
and help out with Thai-English translations
A couple of Student's Dads...obviously DIY experts joined the workshop!
Taking Notes!
The simplest ideas are always the best! with Ajarn Roger's hygenic system of converting liquid waste into organic plant food. 365 days access to FREE liquid fertilizer 2/3 Reduction in solid waste storage up to 7 x production in vegetable plots compared to not using and fertilizers 100% chemical fertilizer free soil improve soil quality organically urban school projects can produce organic healthy vegetables in raised dry beds - no 'real' garden space necessary Urban and rural local governments can upscale systems for efficient community clean sanitation management. So making savings in the amount of water resources used within communities.
Final peedraponic prototypes!
Success! An upscaled version of the system is now in place on an ISAC organic permaculture farm. Next term the Science Department of Puttisopon School will have a working demonstration model and garden up and running in November 2013 with workshops planned for indigenous communities by Trekking Collective along with other parallel sustainable long term community initiatives since 1988.
Khun Aree from the ISAC Women's Organic Farmer's Group
with Roger Johnson who has a 'bedroom peedraponics system'
up and running in her permaculture garden.
LCLN supporters during the King's 84th Birthday celebrations and National Environment Awareness Day.
Lanna Community Life Network (LCLN) in action this year, we are now half way through 2012 and LCLN have been pro active in supporting global, regional and local initiatives in Chiang Mai during 2012 promoting awareness in the community.."what can we all do to help reduce the future effects of climate change?"
Let's start the year with His Majesty the King's 84th Birthday celebrations on the 5th of December 2011 with the joint purpose of highlighting annual Thai National Environment Day on the 4rd December.
LCLN joined hands with prominent Chiang Mai citizens and well known environmentalists including Acharn Kanowan Ukoskit of Northern Organic Certification Association (NOSA) Acharn Sawat Chantalay of Yupparaj High school coordinator of the Global citizen connect classroom initiative, an award winning conservationist.
"Loving Kindness Bolsters the World" - Pra Sutas, Kirk and Caroline of LCLN
Joined by other LCLN supporters on the day including Pra Sutas of Wat Prathat Doi Saket
LCLN say's NO to BURNING our forests and fields, causing extreme cycles of floods,drought and water shortages!
During the National Environment AwarenessEvent 2-5 Dec sponsored by the Environment Office Region 1 headed by Khun Apiwat Kunarak held in the green shaded setting of JJ Hobby Market
Grade 5 students from Puttisopon Primary School sign the LCLN pledge
LCLN invited participants to sign up to the 10:10 Chiang Mai peoples pledge an initiative designed to encourage voluntary community participation to lead Chiang Mai towards a healthy low carbon city starting with the date 10:10:10 combining global initiatives of 101010.org and 350.org with more than 5,000 people in Chiang Mai signing the LCLN pledge to date. Watch this Open Chiang Mai VDO!
Alex Putnam of Open Chiang Mai chats with LCLN
5 year old students and teachers @ Anubahn Panee Nursery
LCLN says a big Thank-you to Yupparaj High School students and connect classrooms coordinator Acharn Sawat Chantalay, Puttisopon Primary School students under Social studies teacher Kru Nongluck and Panee Nursery head teacher Kru Maem whom are ' very aware' participants in the Holistic Environment Urban School Program (HEUSP) a project to impove wellbeing for schools within the old city produced some fabulous hand painted banners to put on display during the event.
8 year old Puttisopon Primary School Students asking for a healthier future for kids!
Saturday 14th January, 2012, we had heavy showers during the 3rd Low Carbon Children's Day event, but the rains didn't dampen the fun and the early morning soak brought relief to trees and plants and the community's health after an unusually arid dry spell for cool season.
Two brothers pledged to care for their new Jackfruit tree, the leaves will trap unclean air from dirty car exhast smoke and dust produce clean oxygen and delicious fruit when mature....a win win situation for all!
Holistic Environment Urban School Program [HEUSP] and LCLN [Lanna Community Life Network] joined Acharn Duongchan Charoenmuang and the UDIF team held at the centre for urban sustainable development, a landmark in the old city, located in the lovely listed teak building and the old city's first earth built house planted with local varieties of trees and plants from northern Thailand.
Quick change after the rains...Tomoko and Caroline helping out at the event
HEUSP and LCLN members representing The UK, Thailand, Japan, China and the US were handing out giveaways of local economic plants and trees to children and their parents, both signing a 'plant pledge' to care for their plant and be part of the solution to reduce the CO2 in the air!...more trees and plants means more oxygen in the air we all breathe.
3rd time lucky...this lovely family have visited our booth and faithfully plant trees every year...keeping their pledge to a Healthy Low Carbon Chiang Mai
The plants chosen for their usefulness, easy to grow and size if you consider growing plants in an urban setting, with many people not having gardens, so they can be grown in an old bucket or pot. There were 7 varities such as the edible JackFruit and a sustainable timber source, Black Soap plant which has an attractive red flower, but not to be eaten and the nuts can produce an oil. also 'bai plue' which is an edible easy to grow plant eaten with a number of local healthy 'raw food 'Lanna dishes.
Caroline a member of HEUSP and LCLN presenting a 'Fartalaijoan' plant in reused bags to the director of YMCA
during the event.....we are all someone's child and grown up children can celebrate too!
'Fartalaijoan' was a very popular givaway and is one of the most important Thai medicinal herbs for many illnesses which the leaves can be eaten fresh or as a herbal tea, dried and in capsule form, but this plant is not for the faint hearted or sweet toothed as it is also famous for being the most bitter of the medicinal plants. From preventing or bring down high fevers and from personal experience getting over hepatitus A its an amazing cure all!
Respected Doctors in Women and Children's Health demonstrate against the chronic air pollution
March 2012, During the hight of the regional burning respected Doctors and teachers, concerned citizens, schools and students, local NGO's, LCLN and fellow community groups joined hands and face masks!
LCLN says YES to a healthy Chiang Mai and No to BURNING and BLACK EXHAUST SMOKE!
To demonstrate against the high risk and health effects of chronic burning and black diesel car exhaust on the community and particularily our children.Its official WHO announced in June 2012 that diesel particles cause lung cancer. This is not only locally, its a regional and a global problem. Seasonal air quality in Chiang Mai is the same as London, Forests burning in South East Asia, USA and Siberia affects us here in Chiang Mai. Burning mature trees is one of the main causes of severe flooding that we witnessed in Bangkok followed by drought in many provinces all playing their part in the extreme weather we now experience around our shared planet.
NGO's and community groups question the part large corporations play in the health of the planet?
Growing corn ( not a local crop) for animal feed, biofuels and new investment in large real estate projects
Students of Yupparaj High School Conservation and Environment Club join the event
..."We are all part of the problem we must all take conscious steps to be part of the solution!"......
Women Organic farmers from ISAC at the Friday Market @ Puttisopon
School receive an unique recycled 10:10 logo for their
contribution towards a low carbon future!
May 2012. To thank supporters of the 10:10 global initiative in Chiang Mai the London 10:10: head office made gifts of their unique 10: 10: logo made from the recycled metal body of a passenger plane!
LCLN member Hui from China, Sawat Chantalay and Claire Newbold from the UK
July 4th, 2012!LCLN supported activities with Yupparaj High School during visits by participating schools in the global citizen connect classroom initiative organised by school coordinator Acharn Sawat Chantalay with arranged visits to UDIF Urban Creative Solutions Centre and their well known award winning environmentalist director Acharn Duongchan Charoennmuang.
International relations school coordinators, Ms Claire Newbold from Garendon High School, Leicster,UK., and Mr. Asep Saepudin, SMP Negeri 1 High School, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia invited students and teachers to sign the LCLN peoples pledge on behalf of their Schools for a low carbon future for all.
SMP High School,West Java, Sawat Chantaly, Josh Melby for UDIF and Caroline, LCLN
You can join Lanna Community Life Network - LCLN or HEUSP activities on a local, regional or global level - everyone with 'energy, ideas and community skills' are always welcome.
Businesses, organisations, schools, teachers and parents wishing to support LCLN contact us to find out more on how you can sign up to the LCLN pledge.
Contact LCLN by email or local mobile Khun Punika 0892634422 Thai/ English, Ms Hui 0846146702 Mandarin and Caroline 08321523621 for English/ Thai - all ages and nationalities welcome!
These projects have zero official funding and rely solely on the positive energy generated within our Chiang Mai Community
.." Good Actions Require Everyone's Cooperation..."Jing Si Caroline Marsh is co-founder of Chiang Mai based independent ethical tour operator Trekking Collective Co.,.."Expertise, Ethical travel and Authentic Experiences contribute to making a difference to local communities and the environment." passionate about new experiences, travel and environmental well being she writes for travel sites and coordinates local 'grassroots' community peoples actions for a better future society for all.
