When building a Tuscan retreat for himself and his family, Piero Lissoni decided that simplicity was key. Visited by filmmaker Matthew Donaldson for Nowness's edition of In Residence, the Italian designer and architect created an elementary form that was neither part of the vernacular, nor classic Italian pastiche. Keeping faithful to the size and scale of the surrounding houses, he used a concrete that is mixed with the local earth, giving it a characteristic pinkish hue. The stunning landscape envelops the building, its cool, hard lines playing off against the undulating hills. “There is a huge connection between inside and out. I used windows like a super huge screen. I don’t need films here: the theatre is outside, the movies are outside.” The Milan-born innovator founded Lissoni Associati with Nicoletta Canesi in 1986 and has since created an extensive catalogue of designs for brands such as Kartell, Porro, Boffi, Cassina and Flos. His house is filled with a combination of found objects, antique and country furniture, and collected works from contemporaries like James Irvine and Jasper Morrison. By his own admission, today Lissoni is lucky enough to be able to pick and choose the projects he wants. The secret of his success? “I like every year to be better than the year before and to be very good at life, with friends, work, culture, books, food, wine,” he notes. “It is a good obsession.”
Most people don’t want to be labeled or categorized, but let’s face it, there seems to be two kinds of travelers. There is the tourist – the person that arrives in a new destination with the checklist of must-see attractions, and more often than not, stays at franchise hotels with predictable features no matter where they go. The tourist doesn’t get too far off the beaten path without a guidebook or a guide. What’s not to love about the salt spray in your face as you make your way to Alcatraz, or the feeling of national pride you feel when visiting the Statue of Liberty, and the sense of romance that comes gazing at Paris from the Eiffel Tower. Iconic landmarks will always be a part of travel and checking the boxes has value.
At the other end of the spectrum is the New Traveler – the person that arrives in a new destination in search of adventure, an authentic experience. The New Traveler develops a relationship with the destination, the culture, and enthusiastically indulges the senses with local food, music, art, and new -found friendships. The New Traveler pays attention to the details from the choreographed to the magic moments that happen spontaneously. Destinations that honor simplicity, beauty, authenticity, spirit of place have staying power with the New Traveler. Intuition and nuance are their guiding principles when seeking out their next journey, be it a city, a safari, a resort or a hotel.
The New Traveler asks what can I do to help? They are interested in the dialogue, not the monologue so prevalent in the tourist’s experience, The New Traveler is a solution seeker and a student of life who wants to contribute to the highest human potential whether it is health care, clean drinking water, education, human rights, or conservation. They want to know what is going on where they visit and contribute to solutions with their resources in whatever form seems meaningful.
The New Traveler is incredibly loyal, spreading the gospel of their experience with friends and family. This is the New Traveler’s currency - sharing stories of their adventures and being a self-proclaimed expert on the authentic and undiscovered.
Immersion and experience are the words of the time, and are timeless for travelers versus tourists. Collecting data and taking selfies, running through destinations and time zones for bragging rights is exhausting and hollow. Time is precious, how we spend it imprints the New Traveler more then ever and the creative bar equates to authenticity and story, the engaging tale of the experience and how it feels. A great Facebook post can inspire, Instagram photos are gorgeous postcards of one person’s worldview. These are key prompts but not the whole story. Not even close.
Go far, go visit and live life.
New Agency is a collective of experienced strategists, conservationists, creatives, world travelers, experiential marketing experts, storytellers, visual designers, researchers, event planners, and visionaries. We are committed to a better world and we know that solving today’s environmental and social challenges is the biggest opportunity of our generation. Today’s challenges require new strategies, solutions, and ways of working together to create positive change. Our genius is in getting to the soul of each project and connecting with your audience in a meaningful and lasting way. Our focus is tourism, hospitality & conservation. newagency.ca
Mash up the slow glow through a few publications that I like. Not exhaustive, just an appetizer and a slow one at that.
Kinfolk focuses on the "narratives of our lives" this issue is on the home. The hipster ideal, but anideal and fun to look at if nothing else see the link below
INTERIORS FOR SLOW LIVING In The Kinfolk Home, author Nathan Williams takes readers into 35 homes around the world that reflect the values of slow living: cultivating community, simplifying our lives and reclaiming time for what matters most.
Slow Home and Slow School - you get the idea do check out the book it covers all aspects of the world slowly and it's not all pretty.
Confronted with the rising tide of environmental change, a growing number of people are seeking a healthier way of living, voicing concerns about the environment and sustainable practices. However, many still remain uncertain how they can make a real positive influence. SLOW LIFE is the answer. An acronym for a more conscious way of living, SLOW (Sustainable, Local, Organic, Wholesome) and LIFE (Learning, Inspiring, Fun, Experiences) describe a uniquely holistic approach to individual health in combination with environmental health.
Wabi is a Japanese concept that derives from simplicity and authenticity. It values the beauty in imperfection. Elegance in natural materials, nobility without sophistication, timelessness with tradition: these are the principles that define Axel Vervoordt's personal take on the concept.
From modern garden master Stephen Orr comes a definitive book on herbs to finally replace the dusty and outdated classics. Here are entries on hundreds of plants that are extraordinarily useful in cooking, homeopathy, and more; dozens of recipes and DIY projects; and beautifully styled photographs so you know just what you’re growing.
Designer and lifestyle authority Tricia Foley illustrates her approach to creating elegantly pared-down environments for the home and work space. Designer Tricia Foley is best known for her timeless classical style, characterized by clean lines, natural materials, and vintage furnishings—from flea-market finds to antiques—and a palette of calming hues of cream, ivory, and white.
Bohemian Style Gypset Chic
This lends itself to lush visual pleasure go for it, mix it up
My personal obsession with Spanish architecture so well curated in this
The Broad Museum downtown LA is across the courtyard from this delightful kitchen. It's a simple walk after feasting your eyes on contemporary art and architecture so it's a mere stroll. Immerse in the civic wonderland of our evolving city and check out Otium, an inspiring mix of modern California cuisine reminding me of what's best about Southern France, Italy and wine country, punctuated by ancient olive trees, reclaimed wooden tables and firewood, modern lighting,pottery and rustic stylish guideposts that are casual and compelling. I love it.
Otium is a contemporary restaurant that draws from the culinary heritage of Chef Timothy Hollingsworth. It is designed to be a social restaurant with an open kitchen urging indoor and outdoor spaces. The restaurant's name, Otium, has its roots in Latin, a word that is meant to emphasize a place where time can be spent on leisurely social activities. I'm all about that!!!
A little Cindy Sherman on view @ The Broad to go with
Slow Feel - This Culver City gem is what Southern California imagines as Tapas our way, small plates, farm to table deliciousness, quirky, stylish, bistro industrial. I love the design and the food. Feast your eyes on the look and the food. Eat, drink and be slowly charmed. The Wallace 3833 Main Street, Culver City CA
Owned by husband-and-wife team Michael and Carol Teich. She runs the front of house, he runs the kitchen. Michael and beverage director Holly Zack hail from hospitality company SBE
Down to the Beach to Oscar's Cerveteca where carrera marble meets reclaimed wood, local mama of the owner cooks latin dishes, with a medley of African, Cuban, Peruvian, Mexican dishes and amazing beer. Yes they have a good California wine list. Very diverse and fresh hand made food in a stylish intimate pub setting with a lively sidewalk cafe. The power is in the food and the details in the always bohemian Venice hood. It's loud, crowded, intimate and accessible so you can have a conversation and people watch and did I mention stylish and locally cured?
Sidewalk slow talking Mexi Cali global food fest with beers from all over the world. Rose Avenue in Venice is emerging and Oscar's is an anchor of quintessential casual food and what life is like in So Cal
See the owner below and learn about the scene the food and his mama in the kitchen cooking from scratch 523 Rose Avenue, Venice CA
With Swedish Table Creator Helene Hendersen In The Kitchen
Located on The Malibu Pier The Pier Cafe
fish to fork | farm to table and all of that good stuff as well as stunning design by Vanessa Alexander
The focus here is on super-simple food, heavy on vegetables and grains and without too many sauces. Breakfast features items like quinoa oatmeal with maple syrup and coconut milk, and scrambled farm eggs with seasonal vegetables. Swedish mini pancakes with whipped cream and berries offer a taste of Henderson’s heritage.
Hugely popular on the lunch menu are the kale Caesar salad and the chicken-ricotta-bacon burger. Cauliflower lavash pizza brings the farm to the table. Beverages include freshly squeezed juices like orange, kale, and beet, which can be blended, and the best-ever homemade lemonade. Curbside pickup—at the front end of the pier—is available for those who don’t have time to take in the view.
“Fresh, Organic, Local” is Malibu Farm’s motto. It’s on everything from the menu that lists the four local farms that provide so many of Henderson’s ingredients to the sign over the counter where you order. They’re delicious words to live— and eat—by.
As nature's fragility is amplified, so is the need to experience it. Here are some places that lure people from all over the planet to sample the world. Through the artistic lens of a lodge and all of the inspired minds that play, work, thrive and dwell there, here is a small exploration of some big places.
A Bit about Fogo
The Inn, located on Fogo Island, off the remote northeast coast of Newfoundland, is perched on the furthest edge of the Earth and surrounded by whales, seabirds, and icebergs. The 29-suite property stands on crooked pilotis on the dramatic and rocky coastline, providing panoramic views through its wall-to-wall, floor-to- ceiling windows.
www.fogoislandinn.ca
The opening is a milestone in the work of The Shorefast Foundation and its founder, visionary Zita Cobb. Following a career in the high technology industry, Cobb returned to Fogo Island, her birthplace, to invest millions of her own money – with support from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada – to reinvigorate the waning economy. The local economy was bruised after a 1992 moratorium on the traditional cod fishery. One of the goals of the foundation is to create jobs while fostering cultural resiliency; the Inn is operated by a staff of 70 – most of whom are Fogo Island residents.
Fogo Island Inn picture this
WOW
Hospitality Ethos
People and place are inextricably tangled up with one another on Fogo Island. It is crucial to hear stories from the people who have lived here before truly being able feel this place and understand how everything fits together. Fogo Islanders are naturally friendly people: whether on the ferry ride or during a music festival, visitors are bound to strike up a conversation with a local person. This is just a part of the culture – it’s how we are.
Fogo island Inn has an international reputation for exceptional, embodied, place-specific hospitality and bold, thoughtful, humanistic contemporary design.
Nature links us and places inspire us. Lodges in the wild elevate and celebrate place with their unique flavor. The heritage and lineage of a lodge can be long with deep roots and family narratives or daring and raw perched the edge of the world like an open book. You get the idea and you get to write the story.
These splurges are worth it when you go large and into the wild. If you fly across the world to a remote place, chances are that place is doing something helpful (or I won't mention it here), for the land, the people, the imagination and wildlife. Think of a trip to an incubator of inspiration as an investment in the world and yourself. It's not all about the lodge or you but they make you feel like it is.
Sandibe Lodge Botswana
Each bring something to our internal compass and craving to explore. Whether a young innovative architect from a completely random entry point (and country) creates a structure that interprets the land, or a legacy family or steward extends a life long passion for conservation through a deep rooted relationship and history, lodges take us in.
Rhino near Londolozi
My time @ Londolozi
When I traveled with my Aunt to Africa, my maiden voyage was with an 80 year old mama lion in the incubator of Londolozi,which taught me that nature is the ultimate equalizer inspiring spirits from any age across the world.
Our first lodge Londolozi, seduced us into the culture The New Africa with a classical safari heritage and bush chic architecture at four camps laid out with different themes. There is something in the air that felt familiar to my history of spending time in Big Sur at Esalen and growing up between Los Angeles and San Francisco, a mentality that is slightly folded in the ethos of Londolozi as the young guard, the children of Dave Varty are at the helm. Londolozi is a homegrown Varty family run community with conservation roots and a bit of bohemian culture.The camp was founded more than eighty years ago as a hunting ground and was transformed into a nature reserve in 1973 by Dave and John Varty, visionaries of the restoration movement. Bronwyn and Boyd Varty are now the legacy visionaries and environmentalists, the next generation. They were raised in the bush and created an incubator of classic safari meets “intentional community,” a chain of lodges that speak to the safari through different themes: tree, leopard, founders, pioneer. Each is interconnected and inspires guests and staff to live tribally and people can come to the bush and take field trips like tracking , etc., to figure out their own nature and life's purpose. My aunt and I wanted game drives and sundowners and the experience of seeing the animals. It was our very first time so the only thing I did similar to what I do at home was take a yoga class in the canopy @ Varty Camp. I was immediately seduced by the container of Londolozi where my aunt and I dropped into the bush and found a magical connection of nature, ageless wisdom and a surprisingly compatible rhythm held up by the Londolozi ethos which I describe as The New Africa.
Their Story In their words
It’s a rare place in the world where naturalists, musicians, artists and rogues find a place and a space where their eclectic skills become a symphony of style and experience. It’s a rare place where guides and trackers are storytellers for the land. At Londolozi we have learnt over four generations that luxury means nothing without feeling, soul and those faint emotions that can’t be conveyed through fancy décor.
The Londolozi family is a collection of people who are passionate about the safari experience. We have families within our family. We have an accountant who also plays guitar and an artist in residence capturing nature’s divine harmony in paint-frozen moments. We have a filmmaker, a sculptor, sommeliers and a girl from Chicago who just never left.
Our rangers have slept on the ground miles out in the bush and kept midnight watch around a tiny fire as smoke danced across the night sky. We have elders and ancient Shangaan wisdom. We have educators and philanthropists, who share a passion for red wine, African skies and the odd cheroot. We believe in a great safari hat.
Perhaps the greatest intangible in our village is the awareness that life’s joys come from relationships and friendships, not from material objects. The kitchens and courtyards of Londolozi resound with laughter; it is the spontaneous joy of those who are in the company of kindred spirits, sharing endeavour and a common vision.
Drawn from a diverse ancestral tapestry, these different family groups are united by their commitment to Londolozi, protector of all living things. These family members, some of whom are third generation Londolozi family, work in close proximity with one another, building a lifelong bond with colleagues and guests alike.
Nature workshops just happen when you choose to stay in a delicate and courageous spot surrounded by uncontrollable creatures and landscapes. Just being somewhere that makes you think more than twice about where you step, how loud you talk, how fast you breathe, has a ripple effect. The animals feel it, the land gives way, and if you are lucky enough to travel into the belly of nature, lodges allow us to surrender to the ways of a place. Game drives, forest foraging, rock climbing, scuba diving, hiking or wandering in certain places require trust. As much as uncertainty is part of the fun, a lodge can act as learning center, home, design inspiration, refuge, family. It is the shelter that lures us out off the path and the guides, hosts, chefs, rangers, teachers make the experience.
Care of the Land, Wildlife and People
Their mission in short:
At &Beyond we believe in taking a shared responsibility for our future, as well as the futures of our children and our planet.
From our greater conservation model down to the tiniest details of the activities that take place in our lodges every day, every decision that we make revolves around our core ethic of Care of the Land, Care of the Wildlife, and Care of the People. These values have become an intuitive part of the way that we operate and, increasingly, are part of the reason why our guests find their experience with us so rewarding.
While the main guest areas hug the shelter of the Delta forest, the twelve guest nests peep out from beneath its canopy above the fringes of papyrus that line the Delta channels.
Pop up luxury lodge tree ( the lodge can be dismantled is not permanently affixed) house bee's nest Botswana delicacy walking and talking quietly at night with bush porters, hippos snorting in the night, wild elephants, hovering around the steps and the occasional leopard dancing on the roof, this is tender footed swampy, luxury that can be dismantled as needed. It is modern and traditional where feasting, and bumping around in the bush and sand, the moon and stark outback of anywhere is tucked in the heartbeat of a waterway and the bush. Botswana, a refuge in Africa where rhinos and elephants are being ushered by surrounding countries for protection.
On the other side of the world, Alpine old school heritage in Vermont the Von Trapp Family legacy a lodge for the ages and a little editorial visit from Richard Bangs:
Trapp Family Lodge
Vermont
A Richard Bangs Favorite (here is a word or several from Richard)
Vermont in winter is a salve to the soul, and there are so many retreats that are transcendent for the urban escapee. A must-experience, though, is the Trapp Family Lodge, as much for its legacy as its comfort and singular access to the best cross-country skiing in the Northeast.
One of the most successful movie musicals of all time was “The Sound of Music,” and like millions I rubbed tears away as the von Trapps, in the final scene, escaped the Nazis by crossing the Alps out of Austria in 1938. But what happened next?
Well, who wouldn’t be stressed after leaving a beloved homeland as fugitives on the run? But the sequel has a happy ending. The family landed in Vermont, and started the 96-room Austrian-style Trapp Family Lodge on a 2500-acre wooded spread. Today Sam von Trapp runs the lodge with his father Johannas, youngest child born to Maria and Captain Gehrig von Trapp. I catch up with Sam, who suggests we go out for a cross country ski run just outside the lodge. “My father started the first commercial cross-country ski resort in the United States back in 1968. Now we have some 100 miles of Nordic trails, and snow making for longer seasons.”
Long term investing in conservation is the approach to sustainable tourism while protecting, engaging, inspiring and learning as climate changes, people evolve, economies ebb and flow and life continues.
Long term investing & nurturing in the future of place and environment = a realistic approach by taking the long view
Leaders with a specific vision and talent for stimulating investment, philanthropy, social impact and profit are creating another layer of tourism that engages the traveler beyond their own private journey. Tourism is a holistic venture where collaboration, capital, innovation, community, patience and heritage will support the benefits that only travel can provide. Capital and vision will help preserve some of the most sensitive and breathtaking corners of the planet and this post highlights a few visionaries making an impact on tourism from New Mexico to South Africa. This post has a few snapshots of Luke Bailes, CEO Singita, Sonu Shavdasini, CEO & Chairman Soneva Group, Louis Bacon, Moore Capital Management, Ted Turner, Turner Enterprises and Richard Branson have taken corners of the globe under their wing to share, preserve and sustain through passion, capital and taking the long view. I will be taking my first trip to Africa where I will learn about other visionaries on a smaller scale in South Africa and Botswana and look forward to bringing their legacies, journeys, experiences into my own narrative.
The Take Away Tourism + Saving The World Through investing in place, people, time and experience
= A Long Term Strategy with a lot of vision
South Africa - Luke Bailes CEO Singita
As the world’s human population continues its exponential growth, the loss of pristine wilderness is taking place at an ever-accelerating rate, to counteract this Singita is making a profound difference in many parts of Africa.
Orchestrating an interdependent relationship between communities, wildlife and tourism that ensures true sustainability, Singita is blazing a trail which is seldom achieved on this scale anywhere else on the continent.
Courtesy of Blue Marble - UK
Here, Luke shares his thoughts on falling in love with Africa, the benefits of a long-term plan and helpful billionaires...
Q: What was the genesis for Singita and what propelled you to commit to such an ambitious concept?
In the early days there were fantastic wildlife experiences on offer but very few complimentary hospitality experiences. Matching the two was our goal when we started Singita. We quickly realised over the years, that wildlife and pristine wilderness was under threat due to increased population growth and so over time the emphasis has completely shifted to preserving at-risk areas and working in partnership with local communities.
Singita is unusual in that you consider a very long term horizon when setting strategy and objectives. Can you explain the approach behind your "100 year plan”?
"One of our concerns is that businesses have become so driven by greed and short-term profit that it impacts on strategy and decision-making, which ultimately impacts on the health of the business. Our approach is totally opposite – we don’t look at the short-term. Our primary objective is to preserve and protect large tracts of land in Africa for future generations and everything we do supports that. Ironically when you do things properly and well, profits take care of themselves and this gives us the wherewithal to do what we do.
Louis Bacon is a conservation philanthropist who has spent more than two decades supporting efforts to protect natural resources in the United States and abroad. Louis Bacon is a conservation philanthropist who has spent more than two decades supporting efforts to protect natural resources in the United States and abroad.
Bacon is the Founder and Chairman of The Moore Charitable Foundation, Inc. (“MCF”) and its affiliate foundations across North America, spanning southern Colorado, northern New Mexico, eastern North Carolina, The Bahamas, Panama and Long Island, New York. Mr. Bacon founded The Moore Charitable Foundation in 1992. The Foundation works with conservation experts and leaders and has provided significant funding to more than 200 local, national and international environmental organizations.
In 2012, he gave 90,000 acres to the federal government as a conservation easement, and created the Trinchera Blanca Foundation to permanently protect 167,000 of the 171,400 acres of his Trinchera Blanca Ranch, expanding the Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area bordering the San Luis Valley in Colorado, and placed his 20,000 acre Tercio Ranch in a conservation easement as well. Prior to that, he’d also made significant contributions to conservation projects in his childhood home of North Carolina, on Long Island, New York, and in the Bahamas.
Taos Ski Valley - Bacon Regenerates a Slow Tough Mountain and delicately handles the locals and the essence of the place.
Now, it appears as though Bacon has turned his eyes toward Taos, New Mexico. Having owned property there since 1996, Bacon had worked with the previous owners of the Taos Ski Valley, the Blake Family, to develop a master plan for renovating the aging ski resort that was ultimately approved by the forest service in 2012. The family, which had been seeing tourism decline, had wanted to make improvements for a long time, but could not afford them without risking the ability to pay their employees.
It was Bacon’s conservation ethic, as well as his willingness to work with the family, that Led the Blakes to offer to sell him the property. "We believe Louis is the right person to ensure a viable future for the ski valley and that his ownership will be beneficial to our employees, Taos' residents and guests," said Mickey Blake in a statement. "I'm in mourning a little bit but I realize this is really a good thing for the ski area," said Adriana Blake.
Bacon is dedicated to “advancing the Blake family vision and legacy of Taos Ski Valley by continuing to provide an unmatched skiing experience while serving as an economic driver for northern New Mexico,” according to his spokesman Peter Talty. And his commitment to conservation also has environmental protection groups in New Mexico looking to him to help further local conservation efforts. If history is any indicator, these groups may not have to wait long—his deal with the federal government for conservation easements in Colorado took just two years from genesis to completion.
" Our theory is that a new luxury is emerging based on what is now missing in everyday life: nature, sustainability and good health. This is why our resorts win so many awards and have been so successful, as we try to inspire a lifetime of rare experiences."
Sonu Shivdasani is one of the founders of The Soneva Foundation and is Chairman and CEO of Soneva Resorts & Residences and founded Six Senses Resorts & Spas. For nearly 20 years Sonu and his wife, Eva, have created the template for sustainable tourism, coining the concepts of SLOW LIFE and intelligent luxury which recognises the ability for luxury holiday making and care for the environment to co-exist with perfect ease.
Sonu Shivdasani: We question and challenge what luxury is for the wealthy today. In the past, the wealthy were rural landed gentry and the language of luxury was that which was rare for them: dressing up, four piece bands, gold, crystal chandeliers… because that offered them a change from their daily life which was about nature and space.
It’s estimated that the hospitality industry benefits the richest 20-30% of the planet, at the expense of the poorest 70-80%. We as an industry consume more than our fair share of resources. However, resorts and hotels are often central to a community, so we have the ability to raise awareness and change consciousness. We are in a position to encourage, utilise, and even mobilise our wealthy and collectively powerful patrons.
What motivates Soneva's sustainability efforts, which focus not just on reducing your impacts, but on also ensuring you make a positive contribution to society and to environmental restoration?
Hoteliers must continue to work together to find ways to cause less “harm” and do more “good”. Companies must become ‘solutions’ rather than ‘problems’. I believe that in all our businesses we can make small changes to our business model, which has no negative impacts on our profitability or our guests’ perception of our products.Today it is the other way around: the wealthy live in their air-conditioned urban boxes, get around in their German car boxes, eat in designer restaurants with signature imported foods cooked by celebrity chefs, etc. Those things are no longer rare. They have become common place for the wealthy, global citizen.
The foundation has so far raised almost US$ 6 million from the environmental levy, which is fantastic considering we are a small group of resorts. What is noteworthy is that this amount of capital for good causes has not been raised by blind donations but as a result of tweaking our business model.
We have used this money to fund a forest restoration programme in northern Thailand where we have planted around half a million trees to mitigate 255,000 tonnes of CO2. The money has also funded a windmill in South India. The foundation is also using the money we raise to provide heavily subsidised cooking stoves in Myanmar and Darfur benefiting around 180,000 people to date. You can see that with the most incremental of changes, a company can do an extraordinary amount of good without negatively affecting business aims.
We see that our guests respond very well to our sustainable initiatives. In terms of communicating about sustainability, we have taken the approach that we minimize information on what you cannot do and focus on what positive steps we are doing. It is important to focus on the opportunities sustainability gives and that often the most luxurious experience is the most sustainable. Our guests love to visit our vegetable garden and to see that the food they eat comes straight from the ground the same day. The Fresh in the Garden restaurant, which is the only restaurant at Soneva Fushi not near the beach, is the favourite for many of our guests.
Having said that, we also show guests who are interested the less glamorous sides, but important practices we do at our Eco Centro ‘Waste-to-Wealth’ facility. What we find is that they truly appreciate our efforts and are impressed that through innovative thinking we are able to see value and turn waste into an asset rather than a liability. That is exactly what sustainability is about – seeing the opportunities rather than focusing on the restrictions.
Ted Turner - Media Mogul, Environmentalist, Eco Tour Expeditions, Philanthropist
Turner’s appreciation for our beautiful Earth and its creatures runs deep, compelling him to work tirelessly to protect and conserve our environment, as well as its animal and plant species. It is through his numerous foundations, including the United Nations Foundation, Turner Foundation, Nuclear Threat Initiative and Turner Endangered Species Fund, that Turner has advanced his conservation and philanthropic efforts. Among Turner’s various and considerable contributions, including his historic $1 billion gift to the United Nations, he has given over $374 million to programs for improving air and water quality, developing a sustainable energy future to protect our climate, safeguarding environmental health and protecting wildlife and habitats to maintain biodiversity.
Turner wishes to share his complete love of nature, wildlife and discovery in order to help all generations develop a keen appreciation for and awareness of what our Earth has to offer and just as importantly, a shared responsibility for the well-being of our environment. After much thoughtful consideration, Turner has established a way in which to achieve this through the launch of Ted Turner Expeditions
“WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION AND A PRIVILEGE TO PRESERVE AND MAINTAIN OUR PLANET AND THE SPECIES WE SHARE THE PLANET WITH.” TED TURNER
Richard Branson The B Team |Virgin Group - Morocco - South Africa - Necker Island
Richard Branson - Necker Island B Team and Virgin Group
Agreement at summit hosted by Sir Richard Branson will see islands switch from expensive diesel to renewables
Sir Richard Branson is continuing his push for sustainable energy in the Caribbean, and the Caribbean resident is putting his money where his mouth is.
Branson has been on a drive to make his private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands more green, following his regional call for sustainable energy development.
Branson has been perhaps the region’s most high-profile advocate for green energy, working with the Carbon War Room and the Rocky Mountain Institute to help regional stakeholders identify the region’s optimal energy future.
Last year, he convened a high-level regional conference on Necker that launched the “Ten Island Challenge,” which called for massive investment in green energy development in signatory countries, which ranged from Aruba to Colombia.
In 2004, Richard established Virgin Unite, his non-profit foundation. It mobilises the talent and resources from across the Virgin Group and beyond, to tackle tough social and environmental problems in an entrepreneurial way. It is built on the belief that, the only way we can address the scale of the challenges facing the world today is by revolutionising the way businesses and the social sector work together – driving business as a force for good.
Richard has been working closely with Virgin Unite to bring together the right partners to help create new global leadership models to address conflict, climate change and disease.
Utah in all of its hidden splendor hatches another power center of creativity and alpine inspiration, Summit Powder Mountain. Think Wisdom 2.0 Meets Alta& Sundance with a little early Aspen and Tech Crunch on the side. The place is starting to make some tracks.
A mindshare mountain for the Uber Alpine Communal Capitalist
See how inclusive altruism blooms as millennials are launching ski towns and this alpine utopia is a poster child for how dreams become things like ski enlightened ski resorts.
Here is what they have to say about themselves:
Summit is building a mountain town around the spirit of innovation in the heart of Utah's Wasatch Mountains. Summit Powder Mountain aims to rethink the great American mountain town around a community focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, arts, and altruism. Tucked on the southern side of Powder Mountain, in the town of Eden, Utah, it’s a new kind of neighborhood, where friends, family, and the change makers of today and tomorrow gather in an environment created to catalyze personal and collective growth.
I consider this idea the anti Yellowstone Club - A former nest of greed, luxury and exclusivity that imploded in the mid 200's and now is a high end private ski resort with a wicked past.
After writing about and going to the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky Montana and visiting, the experience felt more exclusive if you weren't part of their inner circle. Summit? Ok, get me a guitar a maker shack, some telemark skis, a Bernese Mountain Dog, a Jack Russell, a frisbee, a bunch of brainiacs, lots of good California wine, and great Mexican Tequila. Oh and let's not forget the pine cone to table food, the owl's nest to bed handmade luxury and Dwell Magazine design ethos. Most importantly, there better be a climate that behaves. Good snow, environmental stewardship, manners, self expression, diversity and peace and love. And what about a few people with gray hair, the sages and the proven warriors in this "space.?" Bring it on.
Excerpt from New York Times Profile by Andy Isaacson
“What Tesla did to cars,” Elliott Bisnow, a Powder Mountain owner, explained, wide-eyed, to the group visiting in January, “we’re going to do with towns!”
Other than being idealistic and unabashedly earnest, Powder’s young owners are also savvy connectors. In 2008, Mr. Bisnow, then 23 and a founder of a successful real estate industry e-newsletter company (Bisnow Media), gathered 19 entrepreneurs at the Alta Mountain ski area in Utah. A bonding ski trip turned into another company called Summit Series, which has hosted annual conferences in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and Washington. In April 2011, Summit chartered a cruise ship around the Bahamas for 1,500 attendees, while also raising nearly $1 million with the Nature Conservancy to support a marine protected area there. The next winter, the company took over much of the Squaw Valley resort in California for a weekend.
About Summit
Summit's mission is to build community, catalyze entrepreneurship, address global issues, and support artistic achievement, in an effort to make our world a more joyful place.
On Slow Life has an affinity for the mountain resort. Highlights of the high life will always have a home here. See other articles on winter wonderlands
In our fast-paced world, we’re always racing toward the next thing. This may make us feel productive, but when we live in chaos we sacrifice the blissful benefits of slowing down. This idea isn’t new to yogis. Most yogis carve out a few hours every week to find patience, take things slow, and relish the here and now. The ability to be truly present, to truly live in the moment, is something we strive for both on and off the mat, and this includes mealtime.
For thousands of years, food has been a form of communication between people—fulfilling both a physical necessity and an emotional activity. In the highlands of Ethiopia, friends and families would sit around a large table and eat from one large communal tray, using pieces of injera to scoop up a variation of flavorful stews. Traditional Hawaiian luaus are known for their celebration of food, music, and friendship. These time-honored traditions are more than just nourishment for the body—they feed the soul as well.
Feeding the Soul Through Process
But it’s not just the shared experience of communal eating that relates to the emotional aspect of mealtimes. There’s a reason that the Slow Food movement has gained traction in recent years: People are beginning to tire of racing from one thing to the next. Many people—not exclusively yogis—are seeking a more intentional lifestyle, and this pertains to the food we eat.
Intentional eating can seem a daunting task in a market saturated with confusing labels and delineations. In nearly all cases, it’s best to seek out the basics—to look for identifiable ingredients and proven methods. Oftentimes, food companies that have stood the test of time stand out… Even as the companies have grown and changed, craftsmanship has not. Maille is one of these companies.
In 18th-century Paris, marketeer Antoine-Claude Maille set out to get his line of mustards and vinegars into the hands of royals, knowing that if he had the monarch’s approval it wouldn’t be long before they were must-haves for civilians as well. To do so, his products had to be the finest in the world—so he pushed barriers until he had landed on the perfect recipes and hand-crafted processes. A lot has changed since 1747, but Maille’s methods have not. Ever since the king threw his support behind a bottle of Maille mustard, the company (specializing in mustard, cornichons, dressings, and vinegars) has consistently maintained a loving and mindful attitude towards their products.
Tradition, Not Stagnation
Despite its appreciation towards tradition, Maille remains one of the most innovative brands in the foodie world. They created the mustard-seed cutting method over 200 years ago, a technique that leads to superb and flavorful products. While the company remains loyal to a time-trusted process, the mustard base is continually evolving as Maille mustard experts play with different flavors to create a delicious portfolio of condiments. In other words, they paid respect to the tradition while still finding ways to evolve their products.
Many of us apply a similar mindset to yoga. Though we keep the “base,” the tradition of yoga, we also find ways to innovate and grow our practices. Acro yoga, for example, may not have existed hundreds of years ago, but its creation allows yogis the opportunity to develop new boundaries and connect with a partner. Though the poses may differ, the heart of yoga remains largely unchanged. It’s as alive as it always was, thriving and blossoming as more and more people garner a
practice.
Why Keep Traditions
But traditions aren’t just a way for us to pay respect to our heritage—they can literally make us happier. Maintaining tradition helps promote communication and connection. Research has shown that rituals, from annual camping trips to daily dinners, can help families bond and form a strong group identity. On a larger scale, this helps instill a sense of belonging and allows us to think of souls other than our own. We can welcome these traditions, whether it’s lighting the Menorah or going for ice cream before the first day of school, with a respectful and open mind, allowing them to grow along with their practitioners.
Rather than rush through your next meal, savor the many flavors of the moment. Focus on the soothing process of preparing a stew, or enjoy many sensations that come along with sharing a pot of coffee among your family members. Whether you’re making mustard or a Friday night dinner, tradition and mindful eating allow us all to relish the simplicity of the present moment. What could taste any better?
Long term investing in conservation is the approach to sustainable tourism while protecting, engaging, inspiring and learning as climate changes, people evolve, economies ebb and flow and life continues.
Long term investing & nurturing in the future of place and environment = a realistic approach by taking the long view
Leaders with a specific vision and talent for stimulating investment, philanthropy, social impact and profit are creating another layer of tourism that engages the traveler beyond their own private journey. Tourism is a holistic venture where collaboration, capital, innovation, community, patience and heritage will support the benefits that only travel can provide. Capital and vision will help preserve some of the most sensitive and breathtaking corners of the planet and this post highlights a few visionaries making an impact on tourism from New Mexico to South Africa. This post has a few snapshots of Luke Bailes, CEO Singita, Sonu Shavdasini, CEO & Chairman Soneva Group, Louis Bacon, Moore Capital Management, Ted Turner, Turner Enterprises and Richard Branson have taken corners of the globe under their wing to share, preserve and sustain through passion, capital and taking the long view. I will be taking my first trip to Africa where I will learn about other visionaries on a smaller scale in South Africa and Botswana and look forward to bringing their legacies, journeys, experiences into my own narrative.
The Take Away Tourism + Saving The World Through investing in place, people, time and experience
= A Long Term Strategy with a lot of vision
South Africa - Luke Bailes CEO Singita
As the world’s human population continues its exponential growth, the loss of pristine wilderness is taking place at an ever-accelerating rate, to counteract this Singita is making a profound difference in many parts of Africa.
Orchestrating an interdependent relationship between communities, wildlife and tourism that ensures true sustainability, Singita is blazing a trail which is seldom achieved on this scale anywhere else on the continent.
Courtesy of Blue Marble - UK
Here, Luke shares his thoughts on falling in love with Africa, the benefits of a long-term plan and helpful billionaires...
Q: What was the genesis for Singita and what propelled you to commit to such an ambitious concept?
In the early days there were fantastic wildlife experiences on offer but very few complimentary hospitality experiences. Matching the two was our goal when we started Singita. We quickly realised over the years, that wildlife and pristine wilderness was under threat due to increased population growth and so over time the emphasis has completely shifted to preserving at-risk areas and working in partnership with local communities.
Singita is unusual in that you consider a very long term horizon when setting strategy and objectives. Can you explain the approach behind your "100 year plan”?
"One of our concerns is that businesses have become so driven by greed and short-term profit that it impacts on strategy and decision-making, which ultimately impacts on the health of the business. Our approach is totally opposite – we don’t look at the short-term. Our primary objective is to preserve and protect large tracts of land in Africa for future generations and everything we do supports that. Ironically when you do things properly and well, profits take care of themselves and this gives us the wherewithal to do what we do.
Louis Bacon is a conservation philanthropist who has spent more than two decades supporting efforts to protect natural resources in the United States and abroad. Louis Bacon is a conservation philanthropist who has spent more than two decades supporting efforts to protect natural resources in the United States and abroad.
Bacon is the Founder and Chairman of The Moore Charitable Foundation, Inc. (“MCF”) and its affiliate foundations across North America, spanning southern Colorado, northern New Mexico, eastern North Carolina, The Bahamas, Panama and Long Island, New York. Mr. Bacon founded The Moore Charitable Foundation in 1992. The Foundation works with conservation experts and leaders and has provided significant funding to more than 200 local, national and international environmental organizations.
In 2012, he gave 90,000 acres to the federal government as a conservation easement, and created the Trinchera Blanca Foundation to permanently protect 167,000 of the 171,400 acres of his Trinchera Blanca Ranch, expanding the Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area bordering the San Luis Valley in Colorado, and placed his 20,000 acre Tercio Ranch in a conservation easement as well. Prior to that, he’d also made significant contributions to conservation projects in his childhood home of North Carolina, on Long Island, New York, and in the Bahamas.
Taos Ski Valley - Bacon Regenerates a Slow Tough Mountain and delicately handles the locals and the essence of the place.
Now, it appears as though Bacon has turned his eyes toward Taos, New Mexico. Having owned property there since 1996, Bacon had worked with the previous owners of the Taos Ski Valley, the Blake Family, to develop a master plan for renovating the aging ski resort that was ultimately approved by the forest service in 2012. The family, which had been seeing tourism decline, had wanted to make improvements for a long time, but could not afford them without risking the ability to pay their employees.
It was Bacon’s conservation ethic, as well as his willingness to work with the family, that Led the Blakes to offer to sell him the property. "We believe Louis is the right person to ensure a viable future for the ski valley and that his ownership will be beneficial to our employees, Taos' residents and guests," said Mickey Blake in a statement. "I'm in mourning a little bit but I realize this is really a good thing for the ski area," said Adriana Blake.
Bacon is dedicated to “advancing the Blake family vision and legacy of Taos Ski Valley by continuing to provide an unmatched skiing experience while serving as an economic driver for northern New Mexico,” according to his spokesman Peter Talty. And his commitment to conservation also has environmental protection groups in New Mexico looking to him to help further local conservation efforts. If history is any indicator, these groups may not have to wait long—his deal with the federal government for conservation easements in Colorado took just two years from genesis to completion.
" Our theory is that a new luxury is emerging based on what is now missing in everyday life: nature, sustainability and good health. This is why our resorts win so many awards and have been so successful, as we try to inspire a lifetime of rare experiences."
Sonu Shivdasani is one of the founders of The Soneva Foundation and is Chairman and CEO of Soneva Resorts & Residences and founded Six Senses Resorts & Spas. For nearly 20 years Sonu and his wife, Eva, have created the template for sustainable tourism, coining the concepts of SLOW LIFE and intelligent luxury which recognises the ability for luxury holiday making and care for the environment to co-exist with perfect ease.
Sonu Shivdasani: We question and challenge what luxury is for the wealthy today. In the past, the wealthy were rural landed gentry and the language of luxury was that which was rare for them: dressing up, four piece bands, gold, crystal chandeliers… because that offered them a change from their daily life which was about nature and space.
It’s estimated that the hospitality industry benefits the richest 20-30% of the planet, at the expense of the poorest 70-80%. We as an industry consume more than our fair share of resources. However, resorts and hotels are often central to a community, so we have the ability to raise awareness and change consciousness. We are in a position to encourage, utilise, and even mobilise our wealthy and collectively powerful patrons.
What motivates Soneva's sustainability efforts, which focus not just on reducing your impacts, but on also ensuring you make a positive contribution to society and to environmental restoration?
Hoteliers must continue to work together to find ways to cause less “harm” and do more “good”. Companies must become ‘solutions’ rather than ‘problems’. I believe that in all our businesses we can make small changes to our business model, which has no negative impacts on our profitability or our guests’ perception of our products.Today it is the other way around: the wealthy live in their air-conditioned urban boxes, get around in their German car boxes, eat in designer restaurants with signature imported foods cooked by celebrity chefs, etc. Those things are no longer rare. They have become common place for the wealthy, global citizen.
The foundation has so far raised almost US$ 6 million from the environmental levy, which is fantastic considering we are a small group of resorts. What is noteworthy is that this amount of capital for good causes has not been raised by blind donations but as a result of tweaking our business model.
We have used this money to fund a forest restoration programme in northern Thailand where we have planted around half a million trees to mitigate 255,000 tonnes of CO2. The money has also funded a windmill in South India. The foundation is also using the money we raise to provide heavily subsidised cooking stoves in Myanmar and Darfur benefiting around 180,000 people to date. You can see that with the most incremental of changes, a company can do an extraordinary amount of good without negatively affecting business aims.
We see that our guests respond very well to our sustainable initiatives. In terms of communicating about sustainability, we have taken the approach that we minimize information on what you cannot do and focus on what positive steps we are doing. It is important to focus on the opportunities sustainability gives and that often the most luxurious experience is the most sustainable. Our guests love to visit our vegetable garden and to see that the food they eat comes straight from the ground the same day. The Fresh in the Garden restaurant, which is the only restaurant at Soneva Fushi not near the beach, is the favourite for many of our guests.
Having said that, we also show guests who are interested the less glamorous sides, but important practices we do at our Eco Centro ‘Waste-to-Wealth’ facility. What we find is that they truly appreciate our efforts and are impressed that through innovative thinking we are able to see value and turn waste into an asset rather than a liability. That is exactly what sustainability is about – seeing the opportunities rather than focusing on the restrictions.
Ted Turner - Media Mogul, Environmentalist, Eco Tour Expeditions, Philanthropist
Turner’s appreciation for our beautiful Earth and its creatures runs deep, compelling him to work tirelessly to protect and conserve our environment, as well as its animal and plant species. It is through his numerous foundations, including the United Nations Foundation, Turner Foundation, Nuclear Threat Initiative and Turner Endangered Species Fund, that Turner has advanced his conservation and philanthropic efforts. Among Turner’s various and considerable contributions, including his historic $1 billion gift to the United Nations, he has given over $374 million to programs for improving air and water quality, developing a sustainable energy future to protect our climate, safeguarding environmental health and protecting wildlife and habitats to maintain biodiversity.
Turner wishes to share his complete love of nature, wildlife and discovery in order to help all generations develop a keen appreciation for and awareness of what our Earth has to offer and just as importantly, a shared responsibility for the well-being of our environment. After much thoughtful consideration, Turner has established a way in which to achieve this through the launch of Ted Turner Expeditions
“WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION AND A PRIVILEGE TO PRESERVE AND MAINTAIN OUR PLANET AND THE SPECIES WE SHARE THE PLANET WITH.” TED TURNER
Richard Branson The B Team |Virgin Group - Morocco - South Africa - Necker Island
Richard Branson - Necker Island B Team and Virgin Group
Agreement at summit hosted by Sir Richard Branson will see islands switch from expensive diesel to renewables
Sir Richard Branson is continuing his push for sustainable energy in the Caribbean, and the Caribbean resident is putting his money where his mouth is.
Branson has been on a drive to make his private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands more green, following his regional call for sustainable energy development.
Branson has been perhaps the region’s most high-profile advocate for green energy, working with the Carbon War Room and the Rocky Mountain Institute to help regional stakeholders identify the region’s optimal energy future.
Last year, he convened a high-level regional conference on Necker that launched the “Ten Island Challenge,” which called for massive investment in green energy development in signatory countries, which ranged from Aruba to Colombia.
In 2004, Richard established Virgin Unite, his non-profit foundation. It mobilises the talent and resources from across the Virgin Group and beyond, to tackle tough social and environmental problems in an entrepreneurial way. It is built on the belief that, the only way we can address the scale of the challenges facing the world today is by revolutionising the way businesses and the social sector work together – driving business as a force for good.
Richard has been working closely with Virgin Unite to bring together the right partners to help create new global leadership models to address conflict, climate change and disease.
From Cabin Porn To The New Outdoor Creativity, On Slow Life Takes a look
Hipster Scouting & Nostalgic Fox Fire Field Guide Influenced Shops
It has come to my aesthetic attention that shopping and scouting have merged into an interesting Nature meets Retail experience. I like it. It is inspiring and refreshing to see. Here is a little sampler of some cute shops that embrace the nature of shopping by making pine cones, tee pees, Fox Fire ethos eclectic and good old fashioned hipster girl and eagle scout culture rather festive!
I wandered into Pollen + Wool in Mill Valley where Summer House used to be. I felt like I fell into the forest with amazing style and bought a forest green robe that makes me feel naturally glamorous with my roots in the ground of course.
The Experiential Travel Conference of the year PURE printed this manageable, empowering vision board of actions and promises we travelers can do to keep loving the pure nature of the world and seeing it now and in the future.
It’s an increasingly incomprehensible world that we seem to be living in. Problems keep stacking up all around us; institutions we previously took for granted are being rocked; and against the apparently insurmountable tide of bad news and bad vibes, we can feel powerless to effect change. We become spectators on our own planet: sometimes aghast, often passive, always small.
However, as natural as this reaction is, it is not inevitable. We are not confined to stasis and stagnation in the face of the issues that scare us. We have a choice to be hopeful – to take ownership of the decisions we make, however small, and doggedly keep moving. As essayist Rebecca Solnit commented in a recent article for The Guardian UK, “Optimists think it will all be fine without our involvement; pessimists adopt the opposite position; both excuse themselves from acting. Hope is the belief that what we do matters”.
This emphasis on doing, rather than denying, is what inspired our mantra for PURE 2016: Small Promises Change Worlds. The PURE community is made up of individuals who have all committed their lives to changing the world and our perspectives of it through the transformative power of travel.
When taken individually, these promises are indeed small – but their potential lies in the possibility for the PURE community to take them and use them as a springboard for greater change. Five hundred promises alone can make a difference, but by taking their spirit back to your companies, communities and customers and encouraging them to make similar small promises of their own, we really can Change Worlds.
Common courtesy is a small gesture that makes a big difference and should be practiced
as often as possible.
We often feel that we don't have the time or energy to extend ourselves to others with the small gestures that compose what we call common courtesy. It sometimes seems that this kind of social awareness belongs to the past, to smaller towns and slower times. Yet, when someone extends this kind of courtesy to us, we always feel touched. Someone who lends a helping hand when we are struggling with our groceries makes an impression because many people just walk right by. Even someone who simply makes the effort to look us in the eye, smile, and greet us properly when entering a room stands out of the crowd. It seems these people carry with them the elegance and grace of another time, and we are always thankful for our contact with them. Common courtesy is a small gesture that makes a big difference.
An essential component of common courtesy is awareness and common sense--looking outside yourself to see when someone needs help or acknowledgment. As a courteous person, you are aware that you are walking into a room full of people or that your waiter has arrived to take your order. Then, awareness leads to action. It is usually quite clear what needs to be done--open the door for the woman holding the baby, move your car up two feet so another person can park behind you, acknowledge your sister's shy boyfriend with a smile and some conversation, apologize if you bump into someone. A third component is to give courtesy freely, without expecting anything in return. People may not even take notice, much less return the kindness, but you can take heart in the fact that you are creating the kind of world you want to live in with your actions.
When you are out in the world, remember to be aware of others, lend your hand when one is needed, and give this help without an ulterior motive. Through these small actions, you make this world a better place in which to live.
As nature's fragility is amplified, so is the need to experience it. Here are some places that lure people from all over the planet to sample the world. Through the artistic lens of a lodge and all of the inspired minds that play, work, thrive and dwell there, here is a small exploration of some big places.
A Bit about Fogo
The Inn, located on Fogo Island, off the remote northeast coast of Newfoundland, is perched on the furthest edge of the Earth and surrounded by whales, seabirds, and icebergs. The 29-suite property stands on crooked pilotis on the dramatic and rocky coastline, providing panoramic views through its wall-to-wall, floor-to- ceiling windows.
www.fogoislandinn.ca
The opening is a milestone in the work of The Shorefast Foundation and its founder, visionary Zita Cobb. Following a career in the high technology industry, Cobb returned to Fogo Island, her birthplace, to invest millions of her own money – with support from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada – to reinvigorate the waning economy. The local economy was bruised after a 1992 moratorium on the traditional cod fishery. One of the goals of the foundation is to create jobs while fostering cultural resiliency; the Inn is operated by a staff of 70 – most of whom are Fogo Island residents.
Fogo Island Inn picture this
WOW
Hospitality Ethos
People and place are inextricably tangled up with one another on Fogo Island. It is crucial to hear stories from the people who have lived here before truly being able feel this place and understand how everything fits together. Fogo Islanders are naturally friendly people: whether on the ferry ride or during a music festival, visitors are bound to strike up a conversation with a local person. This is just a part of the culture – it’s how we are.
Fogo island Inn has an international reputation for exceptional, embodied, place-specific hospitality and bold, thoughtful, humanistic contemporary design.
Nature links us and places inspire us. Lodges in the wild elevate and celebrate place with their unique flavor. The heritage and lineage of a lodge can be long with deep roots and family narratives or daring and raw perched the edge of the world like an open book. You get the idea and you get to write the story.
These splurges are worth it when you go large and into the wild. If you fly across the world to a remote place, chances are that place is doing something helpful (or I won't mention it here), for the land, the people, the imagination and wildlife. Think of a trip to an incubator of inspiration as an investment in the world and yourself. It's not all about the lodge or you but they make you feel like it is.
Sandibe Lodge Botswana
Each bring something to our internal compass and craving to explore. Whether a young innovative architect from a completely random entry point (and country) creates a structure that interprets the land, or a legacy family or steward extends a life long passion for conservation through a deep rooted relationship and history, lodges take us in.
.
Rhino near Londolozi
My time @ Londolozi
When I traveled with my Aunt to Africa, my maiden voyage was with an 80 year old mama lion in the incubator of Londolozi,which taught me that nature is the ultimate equalizer inspiring spirits from any age across the world.
Our first lodge Londolozi, seduced us into the culture The New Africa with a classical safari heritage and bush chic architecture at four camps laid out with different themes. There is something in the air that felt familiar to my history of spending time in Big Sur at Esalen and growing up between Los Angeles and San Francisco, a mentality that is slightly folded in the ethos of Londolozi as the young guard, the children of Dave Varty are at the helm. Londolozi is a homegrown Varty family run community with conservation roots and a bit of bohemian culture.The camp was founded more than eighty years ago as a hunting ground and was transformed into a nature reserve in 1973 by Dave and John Varty, visionaries of the restoration movement. Bronwyn and Boyd Varty are now the legacy visionaries and environmentalists, the next generation. They were raised in the bush and created an incubator of classic safari meets “intentional community,” a chain of lodges that speak to the safari through different themes: tree, leopard, founders, pioneer. Each is interconnected and inspires guests and staff to live tribally and people can come to the bush and take field trips like tracking , etc., to figure out their own nature and life's purpose. My aunt and I wanted game drives and sundowners and the experience of seeing the animals. It was our very first time so the only thing I did similar to what I do at home was take a yoga class in the canopy @ Varty Camp. I was immediately seduced by the container of Londolozi where my aunt and I dropped into the bush and found a magical connection of nature, ageless wisdom and a surprisingly compatible rhythm held up by the Londolozi ethos which I describe as The New Africa.
Their Story In their words
It’s a rare place in the world where naturalists, musicians, artists and rogues find a place and a space where their eclectic skills become a symphony of style and experience. It’s a rare place where guides and trackers are storytellers for the land. At Londolozi we have learnt over four generations that luxury means nothing without feeling, soul and those faint emotions that can’t be conveyed through fancy décor.
The Londolozi family is a collection of people who are passionate about the safari experience. We have families within our family. We have an accountant who also plays guitar and an artist in residence capturing nature’s divine harmony in paint-frozen moments. We have a filmmaker, a sculptor, sommeliers and a girl from Chicago who just never left.
Our rangers have slept on the ground miles out in the bush and kept midnight watch around a tiny fire as smoke danced across the night sky. We have elders and ancient Shangaan wisdom. We have educators and philanthropists, who share a passion for red wine, African skies and the odd cheroot. We believe in a great safari hat.
Perhaps the greatest intangible in our village is the awareness that life’s joys come from relationships and friendships, not from material objects. The kitchens and courtyards of Londolozi resound with laughter; it is the spontaneous joy of those who are in the company of kindred spirits, sharing endeavour and a common vision.
Drawn from a diverse ancestral tapestry, these different family groups are united by their commitment to Londolozi, protector of all living things. These family members, some of whom are third generation Londolozi family, work in close proximity with one another, building a lifelong bond with colleagues and guests alike.
Nature workshops just happen when you choose to stay in a delicate and courageous spot surrounded by uncontrollable creatures and landscapes. Just being somewhere that makes you think more than twice about where you step, how loud you talk, how fast you breathe, has a ripple effect. The animals feel it, the land gives way, and if you are lucky enough to travel into the belly of nature, lodges allow us to surrender to the ways of a place. Game drives, forest foraging, rock climbing, scuba diving, hiking or wandering in certain places require trust. As much as uncertainty is part of the fun, a lodge can act as learning center, home, design inspiration, refuge, family. It is the shelter that lures us out off the path and the guides, hosts, chefs, rangers, teachers make the experience.
Care of the Land, Wildlife and People
Their mission in short:
At &Beyond we believe in taking a shared responsibility for our future, as well as the futures of our children and our planet.
Italy Gives Experiential Nature Based Travel It's Own Style In The Wild....
Up here, vigilius mountain resort is nestled into nature, becomes one with it, so simply and at the same time so aesthetically and clearly.
An island in the mountains at 1 500 m above sea level, a modernist chalet, a mountain hotel in South Tyrol with 5-star design that satisfies longings: many people interpret the vigilius mountain resort as a fallen tree which integrates into the landscape as naturally as if it had always lain there. You have come here with the desire to follow the rhythm of nature, your own nature, to feel your very own strength and be totally in tune with yourself, to spiritually arrive. Others compare the vigilius mountain resort to a tree house: a child’s secret hiding place and welcome refuge where they can float above the rest of the world and throw all of their everyday worries over board with a laugh, where they don’t have to be anyone but can simply be. And for some, the vigilius mountain resort is a mother hen who sits on her nest and places a protective wing over them. You value the sincere warmth of the people here. Take your time. As a result, the vigilius mountain resort is an island in the mountains for everyone. Where everything unimportant is left down in the valley. Life can be so simple.
Italy's Simple Magic Composed in a dreamy lodge
A sustainable hotel respects the wisdom of nature, as well as the desires of the people who come here. Some are searching for a long-lost time where they can turn their attention to things that are really important to them – and last but not least to their own, perhaps hidden desires. Some, in turn, long for a simplicity that is now just a fond memory to them. For peace and tranquillity, not having to do anything, being able to do anything, the delicious feeling of freedom and contemplating life.
And then they take the cable car up to the Monte San Vigilio/Vigiljoch and thus take the decision to let go of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to draw new strength and energy from the silence and immediacy of nature. As a sustainable hotel, the vigilius mountain resort contributes to this in a variety of ways at once: as a “green hotel” and an A-class ClimateHouse, which works economically and using only renewable resources. As a place that models simplicity, which is reflected in the design and also in the people who work here – roughly 40 employees from a range of different nations gather here every day to simply be your personal host.
On the other side of the world, Alpine old school heritage in Vermont the Von Trapp Family legacy a lodge for the ages and a little editorial visit from Richard Bangs:
Trapp Family Lodge
Vermont
A Richard Bangs Favorite (here is a word or several from Richard)
Vermont in winter is a salve to the soul, and there are so many retreats that are transcendent for the urban escapee. A must-experience, though, is the Trapp Family Lodge, as much for its legacy as its comfort and singular access to the best cross-country skiing in the Northeast.
One of the most successful movie musicals of all time was “The Sound of Music,” and like millions I rubbed tears away as the von Trapps, in the final scene, escaped the Nazis by crossing the Alps out of Austria in 1938. But what happened next?
Well, who wouldn’t be stressed after leaving a beloved homeland as fugitives on the run? But the sequel has a happy ending. The family landed in Vermont, and started the 96-room Austrian-style Trapp Family Lodge on a 2500-acre wooded spread. Today Sam von Trapp runs the lodge with his father Johannas, youngest child born to Maria and Captain Gehrig von Trapp. I catch up with Sam, who suggests we go out for a cross country ski run just outside the lodge. “My father started the first commercial cross-country ski resort in the United States back in 1968. Now we have some 100 miles of Nordic trails, and snow making for longer seasons.”
When building a Tuscan retreat for himself and his family, Piero Lissoni decided that simplicity was key. Visited by filmmaker Matthew Donaldson for Nowness's edition of In Residence, the Italian designer and architect created an elementary form that was neither part of the vernacular, nor classic Italian pastiche. Keeping faithful to the size and scale of the surrounding houses, he used a concrete that is mixed with the local earth, giving it a characteristic pinkish hue. The stunning landscape envelops the building, its cool, hard lines playing off against the undulating hills. “There is a huge connection between inside and out. I used windows like a super huge screen. I don’t need films here: the theatre is outside, the movies are outside.” The Milan-born innovator founded Lissoni Associati with Nicoletta Canesi in 1986 and has since created an extensive catalogue of designs for brands such as Kartell, Porro, Boffi, Cassina and Flos. His house is filled with a combination of found objects, antique and country furniture, and collected works from contemporaries like James Irvine and Jasper Morrison. By his own admission, today Lissoni is lucky enough to be able to pick and choose the projects he wants. The secret of his success? “I like every year to be better than the year before and to be very good at life, with friends, work, culture, books, food, wine,” he notes. “It is a good obsession.”
Here's a sample of women entrepreneurs and iconoclasts who made their mark running companies, designing homes or managing non-profits and yes now Hip Hotels. They harbored hotel design fantasies and also fell in love with place. As a result, women are curating travel style with their individual passion and values as part of the room fee. Below are some stylish Boutique Hotel women owned hotels by intrepid globetrotters, environmentalists and fashionistas. These women entrepreneurs opted for a flip flop life, Eco Luxe hotels and the vision to pull it off. I begin this section on women boutique hotel owners in Mexico and Spain. I will venture to South Africa, Morocco and other exotic points in my next post.
"I am a real world drop out, " Lisa Harper former CEO of Gymboree told me. "I bought a piece of land in Todo Santos while I was running Gymboree. I had it for a few years. I was living in Sonoma and knew I wanted to be in Mexico and create this dream I had of building and running a hotel. I got up and drew a picture of it. Next thing I knew, I was down there and everything I needed came to me. From the contractor to the yoga & surf instructors, even the chef from French Laundry all wound up on my team. It was a manifestation of magic on all levels." Lisa's barefoot mentality is evident in the way she styled the hotel. Hammock gardens, beach beds, straw hats and fire pits, it's a family party and a true surf and yoga spot.
Yoga and surf instructors pour drinks too!
Boutique hotel style
From Yoga & Surf Retreats to Hollywood Iconic Glamour- Women Hoteliers Slowly Take Charge. Ava Started A Mexican Trend
Remember Ava Gardner’s closed off -season hotel in Night of the Iguana when Richard Burton, the drunk priest came crawling back to her after falling off the wagon with a bus load of spinsters and a tempting Lolita needing rooms on the Pacific Coast? Now women know it's about you, your state of excellence, preserving your inner yogi, lover, chef, eco activist and interior designer and and yes, your inner Ava Gardner.
Check in to this hideout- Ava Gardner Takes Over Hotel As Needed
A Woman And Her Elegant Boutique Hotel From Hollywood Royalty
Janice Chatterton
A love nest of Richard Burton's in the town of Puerto Vallarta was purchased by Bay Area Software entrepreneur and mogul Janice Chatterton. She restored what was known as Casa Kimberley for one of Burton's wives, and turned it into the church of bon vivants and lovers where food, wine, fetes and sensuous getaways are about a the lush colonial architecture, the history of the characters that lived there and the pure charm of the villa. There is even a private church, creative cocktail parties, ubiquitous bougainvillea and slow romance from the past and present.
Hotel Design- Janice Chatterton
Her Journey
Chatterton’s hands-on approach to remodeling and decorating the Hacienda’s collection of sixteen unique suites demonstrates a painstaking attention to detail which can take decades to develop, even among the most accomplished designers. Surprisingly though, she has no formal design background, and upon making the decision to relocate to Mexico in 2000, she possessed only the most basic of conversational Spanish skills. Her remarkable success as a hotelier and designer can be attributed to an innate creativity, tenacity and penchant for perfection.
Born in Eastern Oklahoma, Chatterton spent her teenage years in central California, and started a family before settling in the Bay Area at age 30. A risk-taker from the get-go, she pioneered the creation of telephone-based trivia years ahead of the curve in the early 1980’s. Initially inspired by her interest in astrology, Chatterton began researching software that could support interactive telephone gaming and trivia after hearing about a highly successful horoscope phone line that was in operation at the time. Eventually, she created a first in phone equipment: mass-marketed interactive gaming technology. Her highly successful company drew scores of devotees through its family-friendly content, helping to firmly establish her as a successful entrepreneur operating on the vanguard of communication trends. After nearly a decade in the business, she began to taper her involvement to a minimum in order to travel the world and enjoy the fruits of her successful start-up.
Chatterton began spending time relaxing and traveling with family and friends. An initial visit to the Mexican coastal town of Ensenada helped to jump start her affinity for stays South of the border, but it wasn’t until her second trip to the country that she was able to visit Puerto Vallarta, a city that would spur an ongoing love affair with Mexico. Says Chatterton, “I visited several Mexican cities over the years, but I always kept a special place in my heart for Puerto Vallarta. It resonated with my spirit every time I came back.”
Eventually, her enduring love for Mexican culture and design persuaded her to purchase a vacation home in Puerto Vallarta. Situated along the world-famous Bay of Banderas, the city’s rich mix of cultural tradition and modern comforts, as well as its bourgeoning art community seemed to be a perfect fit for her interests. In 1990, she began touring properties throughout the town, and soon fell for Casa Bur-Sus, a hillside villa with a glamorous Hollywood pedigree. Originally purchased by Sir Richard Burton for his wife Susan as a Valentine’s Day gift, the four bedroom villa embodied coastal charm and authentic Mexican style. Chatterton soon began splitting her time between San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta. A decade later, she decided to make Mexico her full-time home.
Though Chatterton had no formal design background and was not fluent in Spanish, she headed up an extensive renovation of Casa Bur-Sus creating a stunning property rich in both authentic details and modern luxuries. By the end of the project, she fell in love with the renovation process and became confident in her natural prowess as a designer, and when she was presented with the opportunity to purchase an adjacent three bedroom villa, she eagerly pounced on it. After a thorough renovation, the villa was re-named Casa San Angel and when combined with Casa Bur-Sus, the two villas formed Hacienda San Angel’s original eight room property, which opened in 2003.
As a girl, Isabel Goldsmith, daughter of flamboyant industrialist Sir James Goldsmith, was raised in hotels. She considered herself Isabel at The Plaza, and was fortunate to learn about hotels from some of the world’s best. Instead of hiding in a villa on the French Riviera, she wound up pitching a tent alone in her twenties on the wild Costa Allege up road from her legendary grandfather’s resort Las Hadas where the movie “10,” was filmed.
I spent a day with Ms. Goldsmith and could feel the resort as an extension of her history, life story in a visual and intangible way. In the sweltering heat as our guacamole wilted, she spoke a firm yet aristocratic Spanish to her staff. I felt a little unsure about the setting and her role. As we spoke, I could feel her vulnerability and love for the land in a way that was more feminine and surreal. She had the color pink splashed through out her beautiful palapas and the colonial plaza. It reminded me of my room as a little girl with canopies and pink and blue. The princess aspect was evident but also a fierce commitment to the land. She had been on the land for many years and I could feel her childlike spirit still smoldering in the Mexican heat.
Her father, Sir James Goldsmith left an eccentric shadow all over that part of the coast, but Isabel's rugged individual verve in her early twenties planted her there in a way that is quietly being ecologically influential. It is a nest for celebrities though. When I was there Annie Lennox was prancing around with a beautiful smile comfortable, relaxed and exuberant. She even built a gym for Robert Di Niro. As a woman exploring the globe for visionaries that are often men, I thought she was an inspiring person for me to reveal in the world of resort development. On her good taste, guts, instincts and love for nature, she quietly has created a hideaway that is in a way her own principality and her child.
''Just thirteen guest rooms on 1500 beautiful acres... Thank Isabel Goldsmith, Las Alamandas' visionary owner... She's left the rolling forest, estuaries and beaches in their pristine state, adding six fanciful villas... to create a compact luxury hotel enjoyed by a fortunate few.''
Another Slow Boutique Hotel owner and ran from big cities like London and New York to the soulful surf of Mexico with a very modern style keeping Mexican color and simplicity through a refined British lens offering fresh confident design and another place to chill with a surfboard, counter cultural aspirations from surf lessons to painting.
Casa de Chilicote, part of the Hotelito and very similar to Jenny Armit's own Photo: Edina van der Wyck
A blue agave plant in Armit's garden Photo: Edina van der Wyck
El Hotelito and Armit's house in the midst of banana palms and ancient mango trees Photo: Edina van der Wyck
Armit found the cream Florence Knoll sofas in her living-room at a London auction room. The rope chest of drawers is by Christian Astuguevieille Photo: Edina van der Wyck
This boutique hotel is on an island in the Caribbean owned by Sandra Perez, an artist, screenwriter and painter as well as muse to Pablo Milanes, the Cuban singer. Sandra has lined the walls with original works—hers and other Cuban artists—, personally designed the furnishings and named the rooms after inspirations: Ilusión (Illusion), Amanecer (Dawn), Sentido (Feeling)É. She is about art and beauty and nature and why wouldn’t she be. Her utopia is surrounded by blue inspiring Caribbean water.
Her Journey
One of Sandra’s aspiration as an author was to be able to write by the sea. Her dream place had also to be isolated, serene and the sea should provide ever-changing shades of blue from turquoise to deep indigo. On one memorable day, she landed in Cancun, and her attraction to the land of the Mayas was immediate and overwhelming! Little did she know then that her dream place was right there on an island where Mayas lived from time immemorial: Holbox Island… little did she know till she disembarked on this enchanting island. Nothing she ever saw was more delightful than the game nature effortlessly played with colors, the charm of the people who lived there - the barefoot fisherman with golden sparking smiles - the women weaving rainbow “hamacas” while wearing high heels stoutly implanted into the sand.
Mesmerized she thought: “ I must do something here!” Slowly a project started to germinate and to take root. Today, on the beach, facing the sea with an ever-changing shades of blue, this project has become a reality, she calls it: “A Hotel with a Human Sensitivity. Our pride is the way we have designed the environment for our guests through every details, from our art gallery filled with paintings to the beautifully designed and crafted furniture in each individual room.
We enhance the senses through emotions, poetic sensitivities, through the rainbow of “hamacas” swinging with the breeze, the rich scent of fresh coffee, the sea visible at every angle, gastronomically enchanting dinners by candle light; like colour strokes on a canvas, this place becomes magical, it becomes “The Space for your Dreams”
Holbox is part of the natural protected area of Yum Balam, that includes 154 000 hectars of protected areas, home of unique species. Non only it is here that the turtles spawn, the pink flamingos migrates, theterns soar, the white pelicans hunt, the different types of iguanas crawl, the crabs jog sideways, the dolphins surface, it is here that the wale sharks mate and gently wait for you to come play with them.
Spain's British Import
Slow Hotel Pioneer
Charlotte Scott- Trasierra
Trasierra, is nestled above in Seville Spain and was restored by a young British mom Charlotte Scott with her husband, and then just her and her kids. She moved the family from London in 1978 and has been growing and handmaking the structure in the most stylish and slowly luxurious way. Parts of the building date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.
The house stands in a 350 acre private estate, although the original property was much larger. It was a winegrowing estate up until 150 years ago when the vines were prooted and the olives planted.
It had been abandoned for 30 years when the Scotts found it in 1978 In 1979 they moved in without a telephone or electricity. Over the next ten years they restored parts of the roof and outbuildings, installed electricity and telephones and had four children, Gioconda, Jackson, George and Amber who were all raised and educated in Spain. Charlotte Scott has been working on the restoration and renovation ever since and continues to add new rooms and gardens to this day.
Italian For Beginners: The Story Of La Bandita (Marie Claire)
What happens when you leave big-city life to open a hotel in a picture-postcard village in Tuscany? You open another one.
(Ondine partnered up with her hubby, but let's face it La Bandita is glorious)
Each woman is dedicated to the land, their community and have completely reinvented their life with and without families. The adventure of their lives are an inspiration for us to visit and explore and imagine for ourselves. A slow cultivation of a dream, the land, the structures and the wishes of guests. It's an intuitive natural fit for both hotelier and guest. Hats off to these interesting worldly women!
Most people don’t want to be labeled or categorized, but let’s face it, there seems to be two kinds of travelers. There is the tourist – the person that arrives in a new destination with the checklist of must-see attractions, and more often than not, stays at franchise hotels with predictable features no matter where they go. The tourist doesn’t get too far off the beaten path without a guidebook or a guide. What’s not to love about the salt spray in your face as you make your way to Alcatraz, or the feeling of national pride you feel when visiting the Statue of Liberty, and the sense of romance that comes gazing at Paris from the Eiffel Tower. Iconic landmarks will always be a part of travel and checking the boxes has value.
At the other end of the spectrum is the New Traveler – the person that arrives in a new destination in search of adventure, an authentic experience. The New Traveler develops a relationship with the destination, the culture, and enthusiastically indulges the senses with local food, music, art, and new -found friendships. The New Traveler pays attention to the details from the choreographed to the magic moments that happen spontaneously. Destinations that honor simplicity, beauty, authenticity, spirit of place have staying power with the New Traveler. Intuition and nuance are their guiding principles when seeking out their next journey, be it a city, a safari, a resort or a hotel.
The New Traveler asks what can I do to help? They are interested in the dialogue, not the monologue so prevalent in the tourist’s experience, The New Traveler is a solution seeker and a student of life who wants to contribute to the highest human potential whether it is health care, clean drinking water, education, human rights, or conservation. They want to know what is going on where they visit and contribute to solutions with their resources in whatever form seems meaningful.
The New Traveler is incredibly loyal, spreading the gospel of their experience with friends and family. This is the New Traveler’s currency - sharing stories of their adventures and being a self-proclaimed expert on the authentic and undiscovered.
Immersion and experience are the words of the time, and are timeless for travelers versus tourists. Collecting data and taking selfies, running through destinations and time zones for bragging rights is exhausting and hollow. Time is precious, how we spend it imprints the New Traveler more then ever and the creative bar equates to authenticity and story, the engaging tale of the experience and how it feels. A great Facebook post can inspire, Instagram photos are gorgeous postcards of one person’s worldview. These are key prompts but not the whole story. Not even close.
Go far, go visit and live life.
New Agency is a collective of experienced strategists, conservationists, creatives, world travelers, experiential marketing experts, storytellers, visual designers, researchers, event planners, and visionaries. We are committed to a better world and we know that solving today’s environmental and social challenges is the biggest opportunity of our generation. Today’s challenges require new strategies, solutions, and ways of working together to create positive change. Our genius is in getting to the soul of each project and connecting with your audience in a meaningful and lasting way. Our focus is tourism, hospitality & conservation. newagency.ca
Long term investing in conservation is the approach to sustainable tourism while protecting, engaging, inspiring and learning as climate changes, people evolve, economies ebb and flow and life continues.
Long term investing & nurturing in the future of place and environment = a realistic approach by taking the long view
Leaders with a specific vision and talent for stimulating investment, philanthropy, social impact and profit are creating another layer of tourism that engages the traveler beyond their own private journey. Tourism is a holistic venture where collaboration, capital, innovation, community, patience and heritage will support the benefits that only travel can provide. Capital and vision will help preserve some of the most sensitive and breathtaking corners of the planet and this post highlights a few visionaries making an impact on tourism from New Mexico to South Africa. This post has a few snapshots of Luke Bailes, CEO Singita, Sonu Shavdasini, CEO & Chairman Soneva Group, Louis Bacon, Moore Capital Management, Ted Turner, Turner Enterprises and Richard Branson have taken corners of the globe under their wing to share, preserve and sustain through passion, capital and taking the long view. I will be taking my first trip to Africa where I will learn about other visionaries on a smaller scale in South Africa and Botswana and look forward to bringing their legacies, journeys, experiences into my own narrative.
The Take Away Tourism + Saving The World Through investing in place, people, time and experience
= A Long Term Strategy with a lot of vision
South Africa - Luke Bailes CEO Singita
As the world’s human population continues its exponential growth, the loss of pristine wilderness is taking place at an ever-accelerating rate, to counteract this Singita is making a profound difference in many parts of Africa.
Orchestrating an interdependent relationship between communities, wildlife and tourism that ensures true sustainability, Singita is blazing a trail which is seldom achieved on this scale anywhere else on the continent.
Courtesy of Blue Marble - UK
Here, Luke shares his thoughts on falling in love with Africa, the benefits of a long-term plan and helpful billionaires...
Q: What was the genesis for Singita and what propelled you to commit to such an ambitious concept?
In the early days there were fantastic wildlife experiences on offer but very few complimentary hospitality experiences. Matching the two was our goal when we started Singita. We quickly realised over the years, that wildlife and pristine wilderness was under threat due to increased population growth and so over time the emphasis has completely shifted to preserving at-risk areas and working in partnership with local communities.
Singita is unusual in that you consider a very long term horizon when setting strategy and objectives. Can you explain the approach behind your "100 year plan”?
"One of our concerns is that businesses have become so driven by greed and short-term profit that it impacts on strategy and decision-making, which ultimately impacts on the health of the business. Our approach is totally opposite – we don’t look at the short-term. Our primary objective is to preserve and protect large tracts of land in Africa for future generations and everything we do supports that. Ironically when you do things properly and well, profits take care of themselves and this gives us the wherewithal to do what we do.
Louis Bacon is a conservation philanthropist who has spent more than two decades supporting efforts to protect natural resources in the United States and abroad. Louis Bacon is a conservation philanthropist who has spent more than two decades supporting efforts to protect natural resources in the United States and abroad.
Bacon is the Founder and Chairman of The Moore Charitable Foundation, Inc. (“MCF”) and its affiliate foundations across North America, spanning southern Colorado, northern New Mexico, eastern North Carolina, The Bahamas, Panama and Long Island, New York. Mr. Bacon founded The Moore Charitable Foundation in 1992. The Foundation works with conservation experts and leaders and has provided significant funding to more than 200 local, national and international environmental organizations.
In 2012, he gave 90,000 acres to the federal government as a conservation easement, and created the Trinchera Blanca Foundation to permanently protect 167,000 of the 171,400 acres of his Trinchera Blanca Ranch, expanding the Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area bordering the San Luis Valley in Colorado, and placed his 20,000 acre Tercio Ranch in a conservation easement as well. Prior to that, he’d also made significant contributions to conservation projects in his childhood home of North Carolina, on Long Island, New York, and in the Bahamas.
Taos Ski Valley - Bacon Regenerates a Slow Tough Mountain and delicately handles the locals and the essence of the place.
Now, it appears as though Bacon has turned his eyes toward Taos, New Mexico. Having owned property there since 1996, Bacon had worked with the previous owners of the Taos Ski Valley, the Blake Family, to develop a master plan for renovating the aging ski resort that was ultimately approved by the forest service in 2012. The family, which had been seeing tourism decline, had wanted to make improvements for a long time, but could not afford them without risking the ability to pay their employees.
It was Bacon’s conservation ethic, as well as his willingness to work with the family, that Led the Blakes to offer to sell him the property. "We believe Louis is the right person to ensure a viable future for the ski valley and that his ownership will be beneficial to our employees, Taos' residents and guests," said Mickey Blake in a statement. "I'm in mourning a little bit but I realize this is really a good thing for the ski area," said Adriana Blake.
Bacon is dedicated to “advancing the Blake family vision and legacy of Taos Ski Valley by continuing to provide an unmatched skiing experience while serving as an economic driver for northern New Mexico,” according to his spokesman Peter Talty. And his commitment to conservation also has environmental protection groups in New Mexico looking to him to help further local conservation efforts. If history is any indicator, these groups may not have to wait long—his deal with the federal government for conservation easements in Colorado took just two years from genesis to completion.
" Our theory is that a new luxury is emerging based on what is now missing in everyday life: nature, sustainability and good health. This is why our resorts win so many awards and have been so successful, as we try to inspire a lifetime of rare experiences."
Sonu Shivdasani is one of the founders of The Soneva Foundation and is Chairman and CEO of Soneva Resorts & Residences and founded Six Senses Resorts & Spas. For nearly 20 years Sonu and his wife, Eva, have created the template for sustainable tourism, coining the concepts of SLOW LIFE and intelligent luxury which recognises the ability for luxury holiday making and care for the environment to co-exist with perfect ease.
Sonu Shivdasani: We question and challenge what luxury is for the wealthy today. In the past, the wealthy were rural landed gentry and the language of luxury was that which was rare for them: dressing up, four piece bands, gold, crystal chandeliers… because that offered them a change from their daily life which was about nature and space.
It’s estimated that the hospitality industry benefits the richest 20-30% of the planet, at the expense of the poorest 70-80%. We as an industry consume more than our fair share of resources. However, resorts and hotels are often central to a community, so we have the ability to raise awareness and change consciousness. We are in a position to encourage, utilise, and even mobilise our wealthy and collectively powerful patrons.
What motivates Soneva's sustainability efforts, which focus not just on reducing your impacts, but on also ensuring you make a positive contribution to society and to environmental restoration?
Hoteliers must continue to work together to find ways to cause less “harm” and do more “good”. Companies must become ‘solutions’ rather than ‘problems’. I believe that in all our businesses we can make small changes to our business model, which has no negative impacts on our profitability or our guests’ perception of our products.Today it is the other way around: the wealthy live in their air-conditioned urban boxes, get around in their German car boxes, eat in designer restaurants with signature imported foods cooked by celebrity chefs, etc. Those things are no longer rare. They have become common place for the wealthy, global citizen.
The foundation has so far raised almost US$ 6 million from the environmental levy, which is fantastic considering we are a small group of resorts. What is noteworthy is that this amount of capital for good causes has not been raised by blind donations but as a result of tweaking our business model.
We have used this money to fund a forest restoration programme in northern Thailand where we have planted around half a million trees to mitigate 255,000 tonnes of CO2. The money has also funded a windmill in South India. The foundation is also using the money we raise to provide heavily subsidised cooking stoves in Myanmar and Darfur benefiting around 180,000 people to date. You can see that with the most incremental of changes, a company can do an extraordinary amount of good without negatively affecting business aims.
We see that our guests respond very well to our sustainable initiatives. In terms of communicating about sustainability, we have taken the approach that we minimize information on what you cannot do and focus on what positive steps we are doing. It is important to focus on the opportunities sustainability gives and that often the most luxurious experience is the most sustainable. Our guests love to visit our vegetable garden and to see that the food they eat comes straight from the ground the same day. The Fresh in the Garden restaurant, which is the only restaurant at Soneva Fushi not near the beach, is the favourite for many of our guests.
Having said that, we also show guests who are interested the less glamorous sides, but important practices we do at our Eco Centro ‘Waste-to-Wealth’ facility. What we find is that they truly appreciate our efforts and are impressed that through innovative thinking we are able to see value and turn waste into an asset rather than a liability. That is exactly what sustainability is about – seeing the opportunities rather than focusing on the restrictions.
Ted Turner - Media Mogul, Environmentalist, Eco Tour Expeditions, Philanthropist
Turner’s appreciation for our beautiful Earth and its creatures runs deep, compelling him to work tirelessly to protect and conserve our environment, as well as its animal and plant species. It is through his numerous foundations, including the United Nations Foundation, Turner Foundation, Nuclear Threat Initiative and Turner Endangered Species Fund, that Turner has advanced his conservation and philanthropic efforts. Among Turner’s various and considerable contributions, including his historic $1 billion gift to the United Nations, he has given over $374 million to programs for improving air and water quality, developing a sustainable energy future to protect our climate, safeguarding environmental health and protecting wildlife and habitats to maintain biodiversity.
Turner wishes to share his complete love of nature, wildlife and discovery in order to help all generations develop a keen appreciation for and awareness of what our Earth has to offer and just as importantly, a shared responsibility for the well-being of our environment. After much thoughtful consideration, Turner has established a way in which to achieve this through the launch of Ted Turner Expeditions
“WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION AND A PRIVILEGE TO PRESERVE AND MAINTAIN OUR PLANET AND THE SPECIES WE SHARE THE PLANET WITH.” TED TURNER
Richard Branson The B Team |Virgin Group - Morocco - South Africa - Necker Island
Richard Branson - Necker Island B Team and Virgin Group
Agreement at summit hosted by Sir Richard Branson will see islands switch from expensive diesel to renewables
Sir Richard Branson is continuing his push for sustainable energy in the Caribbean, and the Caribbean resident is putting his money where his mouth is.
Branson has been on a drive to make his private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands more green, following his regional call for sustainable energy development.
Branson has been perhaps the region’s most high-profile advocate for green energy, working with the Carbon War Room and the Rocky Mountain Institute to help regional stakeholders identify the region’s optimal energy future.
Last year, he convened a high-level regional conference on Necker that launched the “Ten Island Challenge,” which called for massive investment in green energy development in signatory countries, which ranged from Aruba to Colombia.
In 2004, Richard established Virgin Unite, his non-profit foundation. It mobilises the talent and resources from across the Virgin Group and beyond, to tackle tough social and environmental problems in an entrepreneurial way. It is built on the belief that, the only way we can address the scale of the challenges facing the world today is by revolutionising the way businesses and the social sector work together – driving business as a force for good.
Richard has been working closely with Virgin Unite to bring together the right partners to help create new global leadership models to address conflict, climate change and disease.
Here's a sample of women entrepreneurs and iconoclasts who made their mark running companies, designing homes or managing non-profits and yes now Hip Hotels. They harbored hotel design fantasies and also fell in love with place. As a result, women are curating travel style with their individual passion and values as part of the room fee. Below are some stylish Boutique Hotel women owned hotels by intrepid globetrotters, environmentalists and fashionistas. These women entrepreneurs opted for a flip flop life, Eco Luxe hotels and the vision to pull it off. I begin this section on women boutique hotel owners in Mexico and Spain. I will venture to South Africa, Morocco and other exotic points in my next post.
"I am a real world drop out, " Lisa Harper former CEO of Gymboree told me. "I bought a piece of land in Todo Santos while I was running Gymboree. I had it for a few years. I was living in Sonoma and knew I wanted to be in Mexico and create this dream I had of building and running a hotel. I got up and drew a picture of it. Next thing I knew, I was down there and everything I needed came to me. From the contractor to the yoga & surf instructors, even the chef from French Laundry all wound up on my team. It was a manifestation of magic on all levels." Lisa's barefoot mentality is evident in the way she styled the hotel. Hammock gardens, beach beds, straw hats and fire pits, it's a family party and a true surf and yoga spot.
Yoga and surf instructors pour drinks too!
Boutique hotel style
From Yoga & Surf Retreats to Hollywood Iconic Glamour- Women Hoteliers Slowly Take Charge. Ava Started A Mexican Trend
Remember Ava Gardner’s closed off -season hotel in Night of the Iguana when Richard Burton, the drunk priest came crawling back to her after falling off the wagon with a bus load of spinsters and a tempting Lolita needing rooms on the Pacific Coast? Now women know it's about you, your state of excellence, preserving your inner yogi, lover, chef, eco activist and interior designer and and yes, your inner Ava Gardner.
Check in to this hideout- Ava Gardner Takes Over Hotel As Needed
A Woman And Her Elegant Boutique Hotel From Hollywood Royalty
Janice Chatterton
A love nest of Richard Burton's in the town of Puerto Vallarta was purchased by Bay Area Software entrepreneur and mogul Janice Chatterton. She restored what was known as Casa Kimberley for one of Burton's wives, and turned it into the church of bon vivants and lovers where food, wine, fetes and sensuous getaways are about a the lush colonial architecture, the history of the characters that lived there and the pure charm of the villa. There is even a private church, creative cocktail parties, ubiquitous bougainvillea and slow romance from the past and present.
Hotel Design- Janice Chatterton
Her Journey
Chatterton’s hands-on approach to remodeling and decorating the Hacienda’s collection of sixteen unique suites demonstrates a painstaking attention to detail which can take decades to develop, even among the most accomplished designers. Surprisingly though, she has no formal design background, and upon making the decision to relocate to Mexico in 2000, she possessed only the most basic of conversational Spanish skills. Her remarkable success as a hotelier and designer can be attributed to an innate creativity, tenacity and penchant for perfection.
Born in Eastern Oklahoma, Chatterton spent her teenage years in central California, and started a family before settling in the Bay Area at age 30. A risk-taker from the get-go, she pioneered the creation of telephone-based trivia years ahead of the curve in the early 1980’s. Initially inspired by her interest in astrology, Chatterton began researching software that could support interactive telephone gaming and trivia after hearing about a highly successful horoscope phone line that was in operation at the time. Eventually, she created a first in phone equipment: mass-marketed interactive gaming technology. Her highly successful company drew scores of devotees through its family-friendly content, helping to firmly establish her as a successful entrepreneur operating on the vanguard of communication trends. After nearly a decade in the business, she began to taper her involvement to a minimum in order to travel the world and enjoy the fruits of her successful start-up.
Chatterton began spending time relaxing and traveling with family and friends. An initial visit to the Mexican coastal town of Ensenada helped to jump start her affinity for stays South of the border, but it wasn’t until her second trip to the country that she was able to visit Puerto Vallarta, a city that would spur an ongoing love affair with Mexico. Says Chatterton, “I visited several Mexican cities over the years, but I always kept a special place in my heart for Puerto Vallarta. It resonated with my spirit every time I came back.”
Eventually, her enduring love for Mexican culture and design persuaded her to purchase a vacation home in Puerto Vallarta. Situated along the world-famous Bay of Banderas, the city’s rich mix of cultural tradition and modern comforts, as well as its bourgeoning art community seemed to be a perfect fit for her interests. In 1990, she began touring properties throughout the town, and soon fell for Casa Bur-Sus, a hillside villa with a glamorous Hollywood pedigree. Originally purchased by Sir Richard Burton for his wife Susan as a Valentine’s Day gift, the four bedroom villa embodied coastal charm and authentic Mexican style. Chatterton soon began splitting her time between San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta. A decade later, she decided to make Mexico her full-time home.
Though Chatterton had no formal design background and was not fluent in Spanish, she headed up an extensive renovation of Casa Bur-Sus creating a stunning property rich in both authentic details and modern luxuries. By the end of the project, she fell in love with the renovation process and became confident in her natural prowess as a designer, and when she was presented with the opportunity to purchase an adjacent three bedroom villa, she eagerly pounced on it. After a thorough renovation, the villa was re-named Casa San Angel and when combined with Casa Bur-Sus, the two villas formed Hacienda San Angel’s original eight room property, which opened in 2003.
As a girl, Isabel Goldsmith, daughter of flamboyant industrialist Sir James Goldsmith, was raised in hotels. She considered herself Isabel at The Plaza, and was fortunate to learn about hotels from some of the world’s best. Instead of hiding in a villa on the French Riviera, she wound up pitching a tent alone in her twenties on the wild Costa Allege up road from her legendary grandfather’s resort Las Hadas where the movie “10,” was filmed.
I spent a day with Ms. Goldsmith and could feel the resort as an extension of her history, life story in a visual and intangible way. In the sweltering heat as our guacamole wilted, she spoke a firm yet aristocratic Spanish to her staff. I felt a little unsure about the setting and her role. As we spoke, I could feel her vulnerability and love for the land in a way that was more feminine and surreal. She had the color pink splashed through out her beautiful palapas and the colonial plaza. It reminded me of my room as a little girl with canopies and pink and blue. The princess aspect was evident but also a fierce commitment to the land. She had been on the land for many years and I could feel her childlike spirit still smoldering in the Mexican heat.
Her father, Sir James Goldsmith left an eccentric shadow all over that part of the coast, but Isabel's rugged individual verve in her early twenties planted her there in a way that is quietly being ecologically influential. It is a nest for celebrities though. When I was there Annie Lennox was prancing around with a beautiful smile comfortable, relaxed and exuberant. She even built a gym for Robert Di Niro. As a woman exploring the globe for visionaries that are often men, I thought she was an inspiring person for me to reveal in the world of resort development. On her good taste, guts, instincts and love for nature, she quietly has created a hideaway that is in a way her own principality and her child.
''Just thirteen guest rooms on 1500 beautiful acres... Thank Isabel Goldsmith, Las Alamandas' visionary owner... She's left the rolling forest, estuaries and beaches in their pristine state, adding six fanciful villas... to create a compact luxury hotel enjoyed by a fortunate few.''
Another Slow Boutique Hotel owner and ran from big cities like London and New York to the soulful surf of Mexico with a very modern style keeping Mexican color and simplicity through a refined British lens offering fresh confident design and another place to chill with a surfboard, counter cultural aspirations from surf lessons to painting.
Casa de Chilicote, part of the Hotelito and very similar to Jenny Armit's own Photo: Edina van der Wyck
A blue agave plant in Armit's garden Photo: Edina van der Wyck
El Hotelito and Armit's house in the midst of banana palms and ancient mango trees Photo: Edina van der Wyck
Armit found the cream Florence Knoll sofas in her living-room at a London auction room. The rope chest of drawers is by Christian Astuguevieille Photo: Edina van der Wyck
This boutique hotel is on an island in the Caribbean owned by Sandra Perez, an artist, screenwriter and painter as well as muse to Pablo Milanes, the Cuban singer. Sandra has lined the walls with original works—hers and other Cuban artists—, personally designed the furnishings and named the rooms after inspirations: Ilusión (Illusion), Amanecer (Dawn), Sentido (Feeling)É. She is about art and beauty and nature and why wouldn’t she be. Her utopia is surrounded by blue inspiring Caribbean water.
Her Journey
One of Sandra’s aspiration as an author was to be able to write by the sea. Her dream place had also to be isolated, serene and the sea should provide ever-changing shades of blue from turquoise to deep indigo. On one memorable day, she landed in Cancun, and her attraction to the land of the Mayas was immediate and overwhelming! Little did she know then that her dream place was right there on an island where Mayas lived from time immemorial: Holbox Island… little did she know till she disembarked on this enchanting island. Nothing she ever saw was more delightful than the game nature effortlessly played with colors, the charm of the people who lived there - the barefoot fisherman with golden sparking smiles - the women weaving rainbow “hamacas” while wearing high heels stoutly implanted into the sand.
Mesmerized she thought: “ I must do something here!” Slowly a project started to germinate and to take root. Today, on the beach, facing the sea with an ever-changing shades of blue, this project has become a reality, she calls it: “A Hotel with a Human Sensitivity. Our pride is the way we have designed the environment for our guests through every details, from our art gallery filled with paintings to the beautifully designed and crafted furniture in each individual room.
We enhance the senses through emotions, poetic sensitivities, through the rainbow of “hamacas” swinging with the breeze, the rich scent of fresh coffee, the sea visible at every angle, gastronomically enchanting dinners by candle light; like colour strokes on a canvas, this place becomes magical, it becomes “The Space for your Dreams”
Holbox is part of the natural protected area of Yum Balam, that includes 154 000 hectars of protected areas, home of unique species. Non only it is here that the turtles spawn, the pink flamingos migrates, theterns soar, the white pelicans hunt, the different types of iguanas crawl, the crabs jog sideways, the dolphins surface, it is here that the wale sharks mate and gently wait for you to come play with them.
Spain's British Import
Slow Hotel Pioneer
Charlotte Scott- Trasierra
Trasierra, is nestled above in Seville Spain and was restored by a young British mom Charlotte Scott with her husband, and then just her and her kids. She moved the family from London in 1978 and has been growing and handmaking the structure in the most stylish and slowly luxurious way. Parts of the building date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.
The house stands in a 350 acre private estate, although the original property was much larger. It was a winegrowing estate up until 150 years ago when the vines were prooted and the olives planted.
It had been abandoned for 30 years when the Scotts found it in 1978 In 1979 they moved in without a telephone or electricity. Over the next ten years they restored parts of the roof and outbuildings, installed electricity and telephones and had four children, Gioconda, Jackson, George and Amber who were all raised and educated in Spain. Charlotte Scott has been working on the restoration and renovation ever since and continues to add new rooms and gardens to this day.
Italian For Beginners: The Story Of La Bandita (Marie Claire)
What happens when you leave big-city life to open a hotel in a picture-postcard village in Tuscany? You open another one.
(Ondine partnered up with her hubby, but let's face it La Bandita is glorious)
Each woman is dedicated to the land, their community and have completely reinvented their life with and without families. The adventure of their lives are an inspiration for us to visit and explore and imagine for ourselves. A slow cultivation of a dream, the land, the structures and the wishes of guests. It's an intuitive natural fit for both hotelier and guest. Hats off to these interesting worldly women!
A Pioneer Who Unpaved the Way for The Largest Proposed Wildlife Corridor in the US
Passages are metaphorical and literal. Yesterday marked the anniversary of my father's passing and every year I look back at aspects of his legacy. One of his proudest was donating land that he owned for many years to the Santa Monica Land Conservancy for a wildlife corridor. A builder and a street smart wheeler dealer found his true grit by making way for bobcats, mountain lions and deer to roam freely on his property from one mountain range to the other by donating his land. After holding on for 25 years, he let it go.
In 2001, he donated 107 acres that bridge the Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountains just north of Los Angeles off of the 101 near Liberty Canyon. He was not a tree hugger, he was a land developer and built homes, apartment buildings and shopping centers. He had a turbulent relationship with that land from the day he bought it. His intention was to develop custom homes and secure a financial legacy for himself and his family. Zoning and an evolving list of environmental obstacles kept him in the game, yet always at odds with the city trying to find ways to get his way. Courting offers, fighting city officals, making threats to use it for landfill, listing it and just sitting on it, over time, a 25- year effort, it became clear the land hosted a corridor that had everything to do with the migration of the animals. When he came to his children to help weigh his decision, we all decided the animals would get the land. It was the right thing to do. Now EcoWatch has covered this area World’s Largest Wildlife Corridor to Be Built in California
'I feel like I am grandpa to many many species of animals.'
Al Abrams
That issue has become more and more urgent in the LA basin as mountain lions and bobcats are trapped within small habitats surrounded by freeways and human barriers. The animals are unable to move freely and breed out of their own families and are beginning to capture the collective imagination because of their ferocity and accessibility and possible extinction.
Excerpt from Earth Island Institute and EcoWatch
Trapped Mountain Lions Plot Daring Escape From LA BY JAMES WILLIAM GIBSON – SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
Network of wildlife corridors planned to ease big cats’ genetic bottleneck
Earlier this month an obscure Los Angeles area regional public lands agency — the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority — announced the first stages of a five-year plan to build one of the largest wildlife corridors in the world. The goal is to create a natural looking bridge that will allow a small cougar population in the Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area the chance to escape north into much larger public lands, while at the same time allowing northern mountain lions the chance to move south and help out the badly inbred and lethally infighting Santa Monica cougars.
Although a young female from the Santa Monica Mountains, P33, did successfully cross Highway 101 in March this year, her escape north is a rare event.
The proposed bridge will leap over Highway 101, an eight-lane, east-west freeway in LA’s northern suburbs that sees 175,000 car trips a day. The bridge will be built at Liberty Canyon in the suburb of Agoura and when completed will be 200 feet-long and 165 feet-wide. It will be landscaped to blend in with the brushy hills and sound walls along the edge of the bridge will “mitigate traffic noise and block light in order to make the crossing more conducive to wildlife,” says the project study report. The bridge will extend beyond the 101, reaching over an access road south of the highway, necessitating the construction of a tunnel. Estimated cost of the entire project: about $57 million.
Despite the report’s dull bureaucratic language—mountain lion sex is blandly described as “the exchange of genetic material”—at its heart the proposed Liberty Canyon wildlife corridor represents an astonishing effort to reverse decades of suburban sprawl and fragmentation of the region’s surviving open spaces.
The campaign’s iconic poster boy is the famous “Hollywood lion,” also known by its wildlife ID number, “P22.” In 2012, P22 crossed two major freeways and migrated roughly 40 miles from the Santa Monica Mountains along the coast to Los Angeles’s 4300-acre Griffith Park on the city’s eastside. There he took up residence, feeding on the park’s mule deer and soon became a national celebrity of sorts.
P22, the only young male from the Santa Mountain Mountains to escape death, is not considered an example of successful dispersal because he will never breed. Photo credit: Crystal / Flickr Beth Pratt was one of P22’s earliest and most ardent fans. Pratt, the California executive director of the National Wildlife Federation, was fascinated by the lion’s story and contacted wildlife biologists studying the Santa Monica Mountains cougars. One of those biologists was Dr. Seth Riley, who from 2002 to 2012 led a National Park Service team that trapped some 42 cougars: 26 from the Santa Monica Mountains, five from the Santa Susana Mountains north of 101 and the rest from throughout the region. All of the cougars were fitted with GPS transmitting collars. The cougars trapped north of 101 mostly survived. But the 12 young males from the Santa Monica Mountains did not make it. They tried to disperse, going right up to the edges of the region’s freeways. Four who tried to cross died in the effort. Five who turned back were attacked and killed by older male lions. One was shot by police; one died from unknown causes.
The only young male from the Santa Mountain Mountains to escape death was P22—and he is not considered an example of successful dispersal because he will never breed. “The [Santa Monica Mountains] are a population sink,” the park service’s Riley concludes. “The Santa Monica Mountain cougar population is not going to survive in the long run. For mountain lions, there is only room for ten-ish adults. That’s not enough genetically or even demographically. One male hit by a car and one killed by rodenticide and poof, you’re done.”
Beth Pratt became taken with P22 as an icon for all the trapped lions. “I’m a shameless marketer,” she admits. “I saw how P22 could be the absolute poster child. People just love him. Once people get focused on his specific story—the lonely bachelor—you can talk about mountain lions in general.
The intense scientific monitoring and the sophisticated engineering behind the fences, underpasses and bridges is but the physical embodiment of an important cultural change. In Southern California, wild dreams are being acted out in the effort to boost the cougar’s chances of survival. The conservation efforts symbolize that if we let the mountain lions die on the freeways and in their confined territories, then we will also lose part of ourselves.
Regarding my dad's story, in the end he was kind of a lonely bachelor like the lion.
The day he spoke in front of city and government officials and Santa Monica Land Conservancy delegates and media, I waited for him to make a wise crack or lose his composure. But it didn't happen. He was remarkable and poised. His message was about California and the land and the wildlife he wanted to help protect. His love of California was illustrated by his actions and making peace with the fact we would not see a secure future in that real estate development but in keeping the land open space.
It takes all kinds to inspire and participate in change, even the most unlikely of candidates. That land did become a part of him. When he no longer owned it, he seemed untethered. The transfer was a source of philosophical comfort but it made him seem a little lost. I want to honor people who make choices that can be painful like losing a piece of your identity for the greater good. I know my father suffered from the dashed dreams of not building his empire on that land when he was young enough to oversee it. By the time he transferred the land, his ability to make the leap in his mind that it wasn't his took some doing. I thank him and I am hoping and thinking the animals thank him too.
