Thailand boasts over 20,000 Buddhist temples scattered all over the country, but Wat Pa Maha Chedi in the northeastern part of the country is the only one made entirely of recycled beer bottles. Sometimes referred to as Wat Lan Kuad or Temple Of A Million Bottles, this unique architectural and recycling feat has already been […]
In late January, Thailand convicted 66 of 78 detained Rohingya migrants from Burma for illegal entry. Found adrift on a boat off Thailand’s southwestern coast, this latest group of migrants has reminded the world of the abuse, exploitation and discrimination the Rohingya sustain as ethnic minorities in Burma and as illegal migrants in neighboring countries. […]
Child sex tourism has exploded along Kenya’s sunny coastal area around Mombasa, where increasing numbers of tourists flock for more than the beaches, preying on children as young as 10. According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and as reported by Ethical Traveler in 2007, 30 percent of girls aged between 12 and 18 in […]
On December 22, a billion gallons of poisonous sludge – largely coal ash, a byproduct of coal burning – broke through an earthen dike at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee. This industrial accident destroyed area homes, killed wildlife, and brought to the forefront long-running health concerns over heavy metals in the ash. Wildlife may […]
The week-long siege of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports by the anti-government group People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) paralyzed Thailand’s tourism industry and stranded 300,000 travelers during the country’s peak tourist season. Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development Board estimated that the overall loss would be about 1 million jobs and more then 137 […]
The Guinness Book of World Records recently named Indonesia as the country with the highest rate of deforestation on the planet. In an effort to combat this environmental destruction and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions, Balikpapan city is now requiring residents who want to apply for a marriage or birth license to plant a tree. […]
Mexico City, home to 20 million residents and 4 million cars, is not typically associated with the words “clean” and “green.” One of the most populous and polluted cities in the world, its notoriety stems primarily from smog, traffic congestion, and crime. However, thanks to the Green Plan, an environmental initiative introduced by Mayor Marcelo […]
People who have not visited Japan often imagine the country to be what Hollywood sells: tall buildings, fast trains, and lots of people. Many Japanese, even, live much of their lives within the urban sprawl, quickly forgetting that, quite simply, the countryside is Japan. And, due to actions taken in the last few decades, even […]
Activists are calling for a tourism boycott of Utah after the Mormon Church exerted tremendous influence in the passing of California’s Proposition 8 to overturn gay marriage. The church, which counts 62 percent of Utah’s population among its members, pursued an aggressive grassroots strategy in the Yes on 8 campaign, drawing on manpower and donating […]
