Community-Based Ecotourism (CBE)

Community-based ecotourism (CBE) is based on the assets that a community has, and brings control of those assets into community hands. Usually these communities are in rural areas, and have many natural resources available to them that can be used as attractions for tourists -- waterfalls, wildlife, mountains, jungles, oceans, lakes, and more. Addtionally, cultural aspects of the community -- crafts, history, ethnicity, archeology -- can be used as attractions as well. CBE allows local people to have a say over development of their lands, make decisions on revenue distributions, and promote local crafts, talents, and visions, thus both economically & socially empowering local people, while preserving their environment & culture.

Peace is much more than the absence of war and violence - it is the application of cooperation, respect, justice, and understanding. Peace is expressed through: love, unity in diversity; implementation of the basic human rights of personal security, health, food, shelter, education, creativity of expression, and the pursuit of happiness; sustainable & ecological development; and democracy.

We can bring about peace by learning peace principles, and how to manifest them in our lives. These aspects are addressed in all of our TFP Programs.

Honoring diversity of cultures and peoples is critical to creating an unified world at peace. The wisdom of indigenous peoples, and of all men, women, and children in our human community, can be incorporated into development plans for future sustainability and peace.

Erecting modern developments on archeological sites, sacred grounds, and environmentally sensitive areas is to lose the connection between people and the land, and to dishonor ancient connections with Spirit. Economic decisions can be based on spiritual and ethical perspectives, producing win-win solutions to modern day problems.

When we bring diverse viewpoints to the table, we are assured of finding a better solution. Honoring diversity, from tradional methods to modern technologies, brings value and respect to all, and creates an unified team, business, family, community, nation, and world.

People of the world live in various states of well-being. Abstractly, these states can be analyzed and placed on a development continuum, with 20% of the populace (1.2 billion) at the "abject poverty" end and another 20% (1.2 billion) at the "extreme wealth" end. The remaining 3.7 billion people, or 60% of world population, all live in "less developed" countries (LDCs). More concretely, 1.3 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, 2.4 billion people are without basic sanitation, and 1.1 billion people lack adequate housing (United Nations Populations Fund 2002). It is fruitful that we remain conscious of these people in misery, and that we dialogue for solutions on how to close these distances between states of well-being in reality.

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - see link below to papers.

Alleviating poverty and providing jobs, water, food, shelter, and education to all people is the first step to creating peace. Rural people are not necessarily poor or in poverty. However, cases of human strife and suffering must be uplifted and healed, and hope restored, before a peaceful world will come about.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development (SD) is much more than that development which lasts for a long time -- it is development in harmony with the natural environment and with the social & spiritual factors of human life. The United Nations has declared 2005 through 2014 as a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD). How do we provide solutions for scarce water resources, security, shelter, food for the world's growing populations? How do we implement clean building practices (green buildings, solar, wind & others) to preserve our natural environments and bring back health to all air, water, and land? How do we bring equity between global North & South, and assist those countries who are developing to bring in these clean practices in an economic manner that does not burden their people? This topic is our future, and the UNDESD will prove useful to finding these answers. Our TFP classes and workshops will address many of these topics.

Link here to papers on these topics