TEDx Whistler

I had a chance to watch - via the internet - an independently organized TED event in Whistler. Taking place at the same time as the 2010 Winter Games, its title was Tourism's Place in a Sustainable World. People from various art forms and expertise took the stage to speak on the subject. I tuned in when Ali Milner, a local singer and songwriter, gave a moving performance, followed by Valerie Langer, Director of British Colombia Forest Campaigns for Forest Ethics. William Robert't then spoke about peace and tourism while Wade Davis, Explorer in Residence for National Geographic, wrapped up the session with a discussion about how travel is the way to explore cultures.

Watching this reminded me why I joined TED in the first place - the value in spreading ideas to change the world. Me, my idea? I have a passion for tourism as a sustainable industry. I have tried through education, writing and imagery to bring about awareness to regions in need of a sustainable and responsible economy. In 2008, I received grant money (along with two others) to explore and promote winter sports and culture as a sustainable economic model for the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East and I have written about Kamchatka and the subject of sustainable tourism for several publications. I have even been recognized for some of the journalistic images produced during my travels.

My purpose here is not to boast but rather to remind myself and re-commit myself in a public forum that this may be my purpose in life and is definitely my passion.

In short, I believe in a type of tourism that is not mere observation but rather is truly experiential. A kind of travel that goes beyond the immediate and the obvious; one that delves deeper into culture, history, people and their day-to-day mundaneness. (Perhaps this is why I object to crusies.) I strongly believe we have an obligation to our earth, to encourage it to be explored, understood in an effort to maintain it.