*Israeli President Shimon Peres Visits Kibbutz Lotan*
The recent President's Conference in Jerusalem opened with a video that showcased innovative research and development in the Negev and highlighted Reform Kibbutz Lotan's ecology center. To see this work for himself, the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, visited the Eilot Region in Israel's southern Arava Valley. Peres's visit focused on initiatives and leadership the region is taking in environmental education and renewable energy.
Kibbutz Lotan, which has achieved national prominence for its ecological projects, was Peres's final stop. After being greeted by a delegation of kibbutz children, Peres and the kibbutz general director
Mark Naveh toured the Center for Creative Ecology's facilities. The President met the young Israelis doing a year of service after high school who demonstrated the art of making mud bricks. He also learned about assembling a geodesic dome with palm branches from American college students participating in the Center's Peace, Justice & the Environment semester program in partnership with Living Routes and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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Living Routes Celebrates 10th Anniversary!
LIVING ROUTES STUDY ABROAD IN ECOVILLAGES CELEBRATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A PARTY IN ITS AMHERST OFFICE.
In its 10 years, Living Routes, in partnership with UMass Amherst, has developed 11 programs in 9 countries — challenging more than 1,000 students from 250+ colleges and universities to gain direct understanding of the environment, service learning, community development, social justice and sustainability living. Based in ecovillages and sustainable communities, Living Routes runs semester, January and summer programs in India, Peru, Israel, Scotland, Australia, Senegal, Brazil, Mexico and at the Sirius community, here locally in Shutesbury.
Local faculty and staff from the Five Colleges, supporters of Living Routes, and alumni from various programs are gathering to:
* Enjoy music, food & drink from around the world & some pre-holiday cheer!
* Meet our dedicated staff and learn how we make things happen
* See a short Living Routes slideshow of program highlights
* Talk with alumni & learn what they are doing with their ecovillage education
Greentree Gazette Magazine highlights Living Routes
Greentree Gazette Magazine highlights Living Routes Sustainability and Field Education Programs in Ecovillages. Read the article by Florence Kizza from the April 2009 issue, and view the incredible photography of one of our alumni, Gabe Pollack.
Sustaining Study Abroad
Please read the article Sustaining Study Abroad featuring Daniel Greenberg, Executive Director, Living Routes.
Study Abroad in Ecovillages-Tim Patterson
Hello from Living Routes!
I wanted to share this great article by TIM PATTERSON about how powerful it is to study in Ecovillages around the world.
Check it out: TIM PATTERSON ARTICLE
I look forward to hearing what you think or to answering any questions you may have...
To learn what students learn and experience day-to-day on one of our programs, check out our student Blogs
There are still a few places left in our January and Spring 09 programs.
Applications are available at Download Application
We also offer need-based Scholarships to help make our programs more affordable.
Best regards,
Gregg
We've moved!
Over the past year we've expanded, bringing on a Program Manager (Alexander Papouchis) and a Technology Coordinator (Michael Pillsbury), and soon we will have a new Financial Manager. We're quickly outgrowing our current location and so we've moved to a new larger office closer to UMASS Amherst.
Our new address is:
Living Routes
284 N. Pleasant St., Suite 1
Amherst, MA 01002
which is on the corner of North Pleasant and McClellan, just 2 doors north (UMASS side) of SilverScape Designs and across from Kendrick Park (the triangular green bordered by North Pleasant, East Pleasant, and Triangle Streets).
Come visit!
Welcome LR's new Programs Manager, Alexander Papouchis
With expanding programs and enrollment, Living Routes is excited to welcome Alexander Papouchis as our new Programs Manager! Alexander received an MS in Environmental Studies from Antioch New England, designed and taught college level curriculum for LeapNow in India, Bali, Cambodia, and Thailand, and designed sustainability focused expeditionary programs in Southeast Asia for GlobalLab.
Alexander was Faculty on Living Routes' Spring 2008 semester program in Auroville, India before joining the office team in late July. He has already done wonderful work developing and consolidating our academic/student handbooks and our health & safety protocols across our programs and managing our new programs in 2009: J-Term in India and Summer in Australia.
So, WELCOME Alexander!
Reducing our Footprint through Virtual Tabling
Studying abroad exposes students to the world. It also exposes the world to the environmental, economic, and social impacts of travel and program activities - and this includes study abroad fairs. Transportation to the event, accommodations, food, and all those thick program catalogs have tangible environmental impacts that are rarely acknowledged or accounted for.
At Carnegie Mellon University's Study Abroad Fair on Friday, October 10, 2008, Living Routes was the first study abroad program provider to experiment with lowering our carbon footprint through "virtual tabling." Instead of a person, we sent one box the size of a large toaster oven, which included a table drape, minimal marketing materials, and a computer, through which students videoconferenced with staff members in our office in Amherst, MA. We intend to do more virtual tabling in the future and, in addition to Amherst staff, we expect to make it possible for students to speak directly with program directors at Living Routes' sites in India, Senegal, Israel, Scotland, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, or Australia.
Virtual tabling at CMU saved close to a ton of CO2 that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere. While studying abroad really needs to be done 'in-person', we feel this is yet another way we can reduce our impacts and hopefully inspire other program providers to do likewise.
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Living Routes Named "Greenest" Study Abroad Program
We are proud to announce that Plenty Magazine, in their September 2008 issue has named Living Routes the "Greenest Study Abroad" program. The news blurb is appended below and you can read the whole article here.
Greenest study abroad: Living Routes, Amherst, MA. Study abroad is one of the last college frontiers yet to green. Living Routes organizes eco-study abroad programs open to students at any college or university. The experiential learning programs place students in eco-villages in India, Scotland, Senegal and Israel for a semester of sustainable living and learning (students can also go to Mexico or Peru for January terms). That life looks different in Senegal, where residents in 45 thatched-roof villages struggle toward electricity and economic development, than it does in the Scotland, where the challenge is to sustain Western-style living with a lighter footprint. Back at home, students commit to lifestyle changes that will help offset emissions from their plane rides.
Living Routes Chairs NAFSA Task Force on Sustainability in Study Abroad
Living Routes Director, Daniel Greenberg, Chaired a Task Force on Environmental Sustainability in Education Abroad, which submitted recommendations for education abroad administrators and faculty to NAFSA: Association of International Educators on Monday, April 14, 2008. The Task Force included twelve other members from schools and NGOs in the U.S. and abroad. The Report was endorsed by AASHE, University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, The U.S. Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and other organizations and addresses the questions of how education abroad programs can be both high quality and low impact and also contribute to greater environmental awareness.
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