Author Archives: martas2912

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About martas2912

Sustainable tourism specialist with communications, marketing and stakeholder engagement background, specialising in sustainable destination management and Protected Areas (PA) tourism. Advised and provided training on responsible tourism development for several international organizations in the Caucasus, the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. Speaker and trainer. Mentor and an Associate Staff member at Leeds Beckett University for the MSc in Responsible Tourism Management course, focussing all academic research on mountain and PA tourism in the Caucasus

“I love you” to Planet Earth – on Valentine’s Day and beyond

What will you give our Planet on Valentine’s Day? Without sounding too pompous, I will give it a stronger commitment to fight to protect it. Both in everyday routine by behaving more sustainably (recycle, upcycle and bicycle more; consume less; … Continue reading

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Building support for a global climate deal in Paris – Jean Lambert MEP

I have recently attended a lively Q&As session with Jean Lambert MEP (Green Party), hosted by the European Parliament Information Office in the UK. I asked her a few questions about the EU Parliament’s work on climate change and the … Continue reading

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“Dirty White Gold” – let’s help make this film happen in 2015

“When you bag a bargain, who pays for it?” I have recently participated in an interesting, thought-provoking and quite moving debate with the producers of the “Dirty White Gold” documentary, and I have learnt that: Up to 26 Indian cotton … Continue reading

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Divest or not divest? Split over the fossil fuel divestment movement

In my last post, I listed the decision by the Rockefeller Fund to sell shares in fossil fuel companies as well as the growing fossil fuel divestment movement as one of the most significant facts that “pave the road to … Continue reading

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2014 – the year of change on climate change; 2015 – the year of climate action

It seems like in 2014 “the world” finally started to take climate change more seriously. Governments around the world began to respond to the growing threat of a changing climate. According to David Doniger, Director of the US Natural Resources … Continue reading

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Fair wages in fashion – still a long way to go

On 20 November I attended an evening panel debate, hosted by Guardian Sustainable Business and H&M, around achieving fair wages in the fashion industry. The event brought together fashion brands, sustainability experts, NGOs and journalists “to explore the issues and … Continue reading

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Ethics over leather wallets – mobilizing rural communities to support conservation

In my last post “Nature conservation – why, actually?”, I wrote that prof Dave Goulson, a British biologist and conservationist who specialises in the ecology and conservation of bumblebees, said that he was getting fed up with having to make … Continue reading

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Nature conservation – why, actually?

Why are we usually expected to make an economic argument to justify conservation? If you have a spare moment, listen to the latest “Life Scientific” on BBC Radio 4 (28 min-long podcast from Nov 11 is available here). It is … Continue reading

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Powerful documentary “Virunga” released on Netflix today – watch and take action

Armed rangers escort Virunga’s director Emmanuel de Merode into the village of Nyakakoma on the shore of Lake Edward. Photo credit to Martin Fletcher, The Telegraph   Today is the world release of Virunga. Do everything you can to watch … Continue reading

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EU 2030 climate deal – views from Poland

Elektrownia Bełchatów, photo: Wikimedia/morgre/CC3.0 Free carbon emission permits for the Polish coal industry till 2030, negotiated at the EU climate summit last Thursday, are seen as a victory by the Polish government and as a disgrace by many Polish media … Continue reading

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