http://infochangeindia.org/200806187182/Environment/Books-Reports/Greening-Benaulim.html
Greening Benaulim By Rina Mukherji [EMAIL PROTECTED] A book by Benaulim resident Clinton Vaz shows visiting tourists how they can reduce the harmful effects of their presence in this popular Goan tourist destination If the planet has to be saved, it will not be grandiose schemes but individual gestures at the personal level that will save it. The Benaulim Green Book is exactly one such gesture that appeals to every tourist visiting Benaulim village in Goa to work towards caring for the environment and preventing environmental degradation. Authored by Benaulim resident Clinton Vaz, the book is a guidebook for the foreign tourist to Benaulim, as also a list of do's and don'ts in keeping with the principles of eco-tourism. Taking a cue from the first attempt at boosting eco-tourism by a group of Swedes in 2003, who had come out with a booklet Eco-tourism for a Green Benaulim, Vaz decided "to share things" about nature and the environment that he was learning about. With the support of his Swedish friends, Pontus , Marie and Jorn, Vaz expanded on the initial eight-page booklet that was priced at Rs 99, and came out with the present 36 page book priced at Rs 50. Vaz has focused on existing eco-friendly practices in Benaulim and highlighted them. The book itself is printed on recycled paper with Goa Tourism bearing half the printing costs. It includes a compendium of floral and faunal biodiversity of Benaulim, and such much-needed information as to where to hire a bicycle, an eco-friendly way of getting around. A birdwatcher himself, Vaz has put together bird-lists made on individual trips since 2002, as well as accounts of previous sightings from his diary. Benaulim resident Ciriyaco Baretto gave some inputs on the flora. A section on garbage disposal owes much to Vaz's nine-year long experience in waste management in Panjim, Benaulim and other villages. "Low cost, low tech and local solutions work best in a decentralised mode with people's involvement," he says. There is a list of recycling facilities that can be used by residents as well as visiting tourists. Best practices to manage garbage include urging tourists to opt for bigger mineral water packages and avoid the small one litre bottle, shun plastic bags to prevent choking and suffocation of grazing animals and marine life, and observe dolphins by walking along the beaches rather than out of noisy motorboats. Tourists are exhorted to avoid petrol and diesel-driven vehicles as much as possible and told to opt for bicycles or walking. There are even useful tips on first aid for snakebites and common ailments, and on gardening and housekeeping for the tourist keen to stay on for long periods in a Goan village. The book is obviously a labour of love although one could criticise it for being tailored especially for the foreign tourist, leaving out the much larger number of domestic tourists who throng the tiny state and think nothing of leaving behind mounds of debris all along its beaches. However, senior Goan journalist Frederick Noronha sees nothing wrong in this, given the fact that 22 lakh Indian tourists are still in the "don't care a damn as long as we are enjoying the place phase". In his opinion, the book is justified in reaching out to the 3 lakh foreign tourists "since foreigners stay longer and have far higher purchasing power (generally speaking). So their dent on the environment can be greater. Besides, the rich foreign tourist is a guzzler – of land, resources, and everything." The book is easily downloadable on the net, and done on open source software. It can serve as a wonderful framework for similar books on other much-visited tourist havens, and has the potential to usher in a better and more complete understanding of the environment we live in. Check out the book here: http://www.divshare.com/download/4124121-d89 (Rina Mukherji is a Kolkata-based journalist) InfoChange News & Features, June 2008