The Caribbean islands have an especially difficult time getting a fair price for many of their goods and services because frankly, they don't have the push or connections to demand fair trade. So as a result they take what they can get which in many cases is next to nothing. Definitely not enough to live on and support any kind of family or children. Two young Europeans wanted to help address this issue and in 1990 they started to provide the people in Haiti with training so that they could develop skills in many different forms of artistry. The two men also helped to find export markets for all the new crafts that were being produced by the people of Haiti. Caribbean Crafts is a company that is based out of Port-au-Prince, Haiti and coordinates production of exports at a wholesale price. Fair Working Conditions: Many of you know that Haiti has been in the news in the recent past for the natural disasters that they have suffered. Caribbean crafts aims to aid their artists in the event of these natural disasters with insurance, fair wages, and interest free loans that will help them meet their needs. Fair Prices: By selling their exports at wholesale prices that both parties can agree upon, Caribbean Crafts can pay their artists a fair wage and the buyers can afford the exports.Integration Into the Local Economy and Regional Development: "Caribbean Crafts...has created jobs for hundreds of local artisans, providing income for over 500 families in 2008." While I can't say a surety, I can only believe that number has grown since then. Haitian people take pride in being able to earn an honest wage and are better enabled to take control of their lives. "In 2006, Caribbean Craft became a Haitian women owned company." Fair Trade Partnerships Between All Actors in Tourism: Again, thanks to the nature of wholesale, well established companies in the United States and Canada continue to buy from Caribbean Crafts. Sustainable Resource Use and Environmental Justice: Perhaps the most interesting and impressive aspect of Caribbean Crafts is their efforts to be ecologically minded in the production of their crafts. They strive to create many of their products using recycled material. Their "oil drum art" is very popular and is known around the world. They also use many local resources such as making their own glue from the starch of the locally grown manioc. "Caribbean Craft long term vision is to continue producing in a sustainable manner and to increase the diversity of art..." http://www.caribbean-craft.com/shop/auxpage_1/
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I have been reading a lot about the different islands in the Caribbean Sea and was both surprised and delighted to see how much of an emphasis Puerto Rico is putting on sustainability in every aspect possible. The website seepuertorico.com offers loads of information of different sustainable categories such as: green hotels, Eco-tourism, Agrotourism, and community-based tourism. Since, Puerto Rico is one of the territories of the U.S. tourists that are U.S. citizens do not even need a passport to visit the island.
The Turtle Bay Inn is just one of Puerto Rico's Eco-green hotels on the island. Through the use of photovoltaic technology, a Direct Solar-Powered System, the hotel is able to acquire 90% of the their energy needs. Excess energy is also able to be stored for use at night-time. The hotel is able to provide 700 gallons of hot water to their guests using 3 Turbo solar water heaters. They also have meters that are continuously monitoring energy consumption and storage; only using what they need to make efforts not to waste energy. The hotels current project is monitoring wind power for the hopes of installing a wind turbine that would make-up the remaining 5-10% of energy they need to be completely 100% self-sufficient of electricity. Turtle Bay strives to share with their guests the view they have on sustainability and the effort they have made to be more Eco-friendly. Through example they encourage their guests to help them accomplish their goal of protecting the environment, to reduce the use of water, and recycle as much waste as possible. "Recipient of the Certification Sustainable Toursim Facilty in October 2012 by CTPR. Is the third hotel in Puerto Rico with this recognition." http://www.turtlebayinn.com/eco_hotel.htm Cruise lines, whether for good or bad, play an essential role for the islands in the beautiful Caribbean. I was lucky enough to take a cruise with my family to the Caribbean and was in awe the entire time of the majestic landscapes and a kind of clear blue water I had never seen before. It didn't occur to me then but since I started studying Sustainable Tourism at the University of Utah I have thought back on that trip and have begun to wonder what it takes to have massive cruise ships constantly sailing through these waters. How are the locals effected by the thousands of passengers that disembark the vessel on a regular basis? How detrimental are the ships to the local waters? Are there any measures that are being taken to make the ships more sustainable? So, my hope for this blog is to educate myself and any of you out there reading of the effects that the cruise industry is having on these islands. My goal is not to take any side but rather offer facts of the situation and explore the good as well as the bad. |
AuthorAs a Parks, Recreation, and Tourism student I have decided to create a blog that focuses on the effect that the cruise line industry has on one of its most popular destinations, The Caribbean. I will use this blog to explore both the good and bad that comes from this massive industry. ArchivesCategories |