This is a very short piece today, as I picked up my new van yesterday, and we are getting acquainted.
This is a very appropriate quote that ALL our representatives and partners on this coast need to take seriously to heart and apply here:
Author of the famous book, Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet: Environmental, Business and Policy Solutions, Megan Epler Wood, describes ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people”.
I just ordered 5 of this book on Amazon. I will keep one to read, and share. and pass one on to Mary Adams’s office, and one on to Bill Monning’s office, one to Jimmy Panetta’s office, and finally, send one to MCCVB. If you can think of anyone else who really needs one of these, would you buy it and send it to them? I am at my spending limit for gifts with all the political donations I have made in the last few months all over the country.
If I could figure out how to link to it, I would, but it is beyond me, so here is a screen shot instead:
Tourism can contribute to preserving your locale—or to degrading it. These links and tools can help your community plan constructively.
These directories are far from complete. Please submit new entries by entering a comment or e-mailing info@destinationcenter.org, 50-word maximum.
General Destination Quality and Civic Initiatives
Change.org Provides a mechanism for residents and visitors to petition about anything affecting the character of the locale, from irresponsible developments to creation of parks or historic districts.
“Choices” The acclaimed 3-minute video (high-resolution version) ironically lays out in two parts the difference between well-stewarded destinations and places that aren’t. A good tone-setter for meetings.
Community Tourism Assessment Handbook An online nine-step guide designed to help determine whether tourism development is right for a given community. Published by the Western Rural Development Center, Montana State University Extension.
National Main Street Center This successful U.S. program concentrates on revitalizing downtown areas with an eye to historic preservation and lively commerce.
Overseas Development Institute This British think tank provides a paper on how tourism can be used for poverty alleviation in developing countries.
Tourism Concern A British-based site critiquing tourism impacts on communities and the environment. Provides news, articles, statistics, codes, cross-links to other sites and forums. Rich but roughly organized content.
UNESCO Creative Cities Network offers unparalleled opportunities for cities to draw on peer learning processes and collaborative projects in order to capitalize on their creative assets and use this as a basis for building sustainable development.
These directories are far from complete. Please submit new entries by entering a comment or e-mailing info@destinationcenter.org, 50-word maximum.
Surprise: Global Travel is a Huge Contributor to Climate Change
This article excerpt is from KQED, published yesterday. The two articles linked within this one are crucial reading. I urge everyone to take the time to read them. They also directly relate to our situation. Has anyone made the effort to measure the effects of carbon emissions in Big Sur Valley? Or in Monterey Peninsula lately? Are we smothering ourselves in pursuit of more and more tourism? Critical questions.
San Francisco welcomed a record total of 25.1 million visitors in 2016, an increase of 2.3 percent from 2015, according to the San Francisco Travel Association. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Researchers warn that the surge in global tourism is outstripping the “decarbonization” of tourism-related technology.
In the first study of its kind, researchers found that carbon emissions from world travel contribute about 8 percent of all carbon emissions, four times more than previously estimated.
That rate is expected to grow 4 percent annually, outpacing the footprints of many other economic sectors, according to the study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.
The study takes a sweeping look at the environmental impact of global tourism by examining the entire supply chain, from flights, dining, to shopping purchases. High-income countries account for the majority of this footprint, with the U.S. topping the list followed by China, Germany and India.
“Our analysis is a world-first look at the true cost of tourism — including consumables such as food from eating out and souvenirs — it’s a complete life-cycle assessment of global tourism, ensuring we don’t miss any impacts,” said senior author Arunima Malik, who teaches sustainability at the University of Sydney.
I took a closer look at thepresentation MCCVB made at the last BSMBAAC meeting. While I can see the need for a “Destination Master Plan” for Monterey County, I think we need a separate and community oriented, implemented, and managed Sustainable Destination Stewardship Program/Plan for Big Sur. In discussions with Tammy Blount of MCCVB, she has agreed that a separate, “special” forum should be held for Big Sur. I look forward to working with Tammy and finding a common vocabulary which will strengthen our sense of community here in Big Sur – the crown jewel of Monterey County.
A “Master Plan” reminds me too much of dystopian novels like 1984, Brave New World, Handmaiden’s Tale, Soylent Green, etc. Personally, I think the Sustainable and Stewardship components of any plan are critical to how we approach the issue of sustainability of both the community and the environment of Big Sur as tourism continues to increase exponentially. The focus needs to shift from making money to sustaining the sense of place, in my opinion. Making money is only relevant if it is used to enhance the experience – not profit from it. I also see that Big Sur needs a bigger voice in any planning endeavor. Big Sur needs to take the lead in any efforts to “market” her unique beauty, and if necessary, tell others she is not for sale. Several members of the board of CPOA are willing and delighted to work with us on creating an entity for such a purpose.
Naming, to me, helps to define, refine, and focus our goals so we don’t get distracted from the purpose we have for going forward, obtaining financing, other backing, and instituting meaningful change to save our community and place while we share it with visitors. Also, it will help establish the roles of all our various governmental and non-governmental agencies who claim a stakehold in Big Sur by helping them to fulfill their management plans and see the many ways each is compatible with the others. We need to get away from the singularity which defines each government agency and begin to see our Big Sur Coast as a holistic entity, entitled to the protection she needs and deserves.
Here is a quarterly event that MCCVB hosts that addresses this issue:
The above is a screen shot, so the registration button is not “live.” Here is a link you can go to to register for the Sustainable Moments marketing forum: Sustainable Moments Quarterly Forum. I have signed up to attend, and will report back after the Forum. Marcus Foster has also indicated he is interested in attending. I would encourage all of you interested in the future of Big Sur and her tourism component to come to this forum to listen, learn, and contribute, if appropriate. Big Sur is the driving force behind tourism for the entire Monterey Peninsula. It is time we have a bigger voice that is heard.
Next week, I will seek out information on how to work with and organize all the diverse stakeholders present in Big Sur. Thanks to others in the community with whom I have had conversations, I am convinced that the MCCVB is NOT the appropriate entity to spear head an issue to preserve and protect Big Sur, and am looking at a whether a disinterested outside consultant might be the way to go, along with formulating a non-profit Big Sur entity capable of grant-writing, funding a consultant, fund-raising, organizing, and implementing a long-term plan that incorporates all the various interlocking pieces that comprise Big Sur and make her who she is. If you want to be a part of this process, please let me know how you see yourself contributing, either in the comments or via email to kwnovoa@mac.com
I had not intended to make this portion of my blog a full-time endeavor, but that is what it is becoming. Big Sur needs protecting and all of us must become proactive in this. All the individual concerns we have: bathrooms, traffic, degradation of the wilderness, camping, enforcement, tourists who drive Highway One (poorly), but don’t spend here, preserving our community, work-force housing, our history, protecting our environment and so much more are pieces of this much larger puzzle. Join us in becoming a part of the solution, instead of just bitching. Let’s save the love of our lives and our home, Mama Sur.
Bigsurkate is going on vacation, but Two friends will be keeping an eye on things. Debbie will be watching and posting all things Big Sur. Mike will be watching and posting all things fire-related. Mike has been following my blog since day one, and is the ONLY person I know, friends and family included, who has read every single post for the past 6 years – and that’s a lot! Mike is a retired Cal Fire Captain. He has been my go-to source since the 2008 fires. Mike was in Fresno when we first met, but has now joined us here in Mo Co. Mike has also graciously agreed to cover my Foto Fridays for the next four weeks.
If you need to post an event /benefit while I am gone, send to reedbigsur@gmail.com If you want to notify us of any fire-related issues, cc: mikeswebmail@gmail.com
Came back 5 days early, for my son’s surgery, scheduled for this morning, so a little bit off my game. Watching the super storm, Sandy, impact the east coast, knowing 3 of my fellow travelers are about to get stranded in Frankfurt.
I can’t thank bigsurdeb enough for minding my blog, making sure important information got posted. You are a gem! Now, to teach you how to upload photos.
