Update from the Field!

By on June 1, 2019   /   Global Neighborhood   /   Leave a comment

The past couple of months have been buzzing with activity at the Profugo Center of Development in Wayanad, India. We wrapped up the Organic Kitchen Garden for the 2018-2019 season where community members were challenged to grow organic produce, including educational workshops, peer support, and some friendly competition. The annual Student Support Program was conducted in May where 305 students in grades 1-11 from the surrounding 8 wards were provided essential school supplies for the

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Why the World Needs Sustainable Tourism: Spotlight on Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Initiative

By on May 31, 2019   /   Center of Development, Education, Empowering Women, Global Neighborhood, Life in India, Natural Resource Management, Reflections, Social Enterprise, Sustainable Tourism, The Grand Masala   /   Leave a comment

On October 20, 2017, Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan launched the Responsible Tourism initiative, a statewide program aimed at “making better places for people to visit and better places for people to live in” (Naguran, 2017). The Responsible Tourism initiative operates within the “triple bottom line” model often utilized by companies pursuing sustainability. The triple bottom line refers to responsibility and conservation in the economic, social, and environmental spheres. The project has existed on

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Circular Economy

By on May 30, 2019   /   Agriculture & Farming Cooperative, Center of Development, Empowering Women, Global Neighborhood, Health & Wellness, Life in India, Natural Resource Management, Reflections, Social Enterprise, Social Fund, The Grand Masala, Water for Life   /   Leave a comment

As the threat of climate change becomes more imminent- with recent scientific studies declaring the year 2040 as an ultimatum for preventative action to be taken- we must look to alternative models for sustainable lives. One such model is a circular economy. In contrast to the traditional “linear economy”- in which raw materials are used for production of goods, generating waste with leftover materials- the circular economy redefines economic growth. With societal and environmental benefits

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The Need for Sustainable Energy

By on April 3, 2019   /   Center of Development, Education, Empowering Women, Global Neighborhood, Health & Wellness, Life in India, Natural Resource Management, Reflections, Social Enterprise, The Grand Masala   /   Leave a comment

As climate change is starting to become an even greater issue on the national and global stage, many leaders and policymakers have been pushing toward adopting more sustainable energy practices. In particular, India’s solar capacity addition for 2019 is said to set a record. This addition is supposed to add an estimated 16 gigawatts of clean energy, and this is driven chiefly by large-scale solar projects. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, set forth a target

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Sustainable Tourism Best Practices and How to Implement Them In Our Global Neighborhood

By on March 27, 2019   /   Center of Development, Education, Empowering Women, Final Thoughts, Global Neighborhood, Life in India, Reflections, Social Enterprise, Sustainable Tourism, The Grand Masala   /   Leave a comment

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), there will be 1.6 billion tourists worldwide by 2020. Tourism on such a mass scale does not necessarily spell out economic prosperity for the destinations affected by it. In fact, overtourism can lead to cultural deterioration and environmental degradation. In many developing areas, mass tourism is largely shaped and operated by foreign companies. This foreign ownership of tourism organizations has led to the leakage of tourism

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