Glimpse Releases Special Year-End Issue on "Global Greening"

Overview:

  • Glimpse Quarterly's special year-end issue offers a compelling look at how the rest of the world is responding to increasing environmental threats through the eyes of our student and young adult correspondents.
  • Experts in the sustainable travel industry reveal the devastation wrought by mass tourism and what travelers can do to contribute positively to the places they visit.
  • Malaysian cyclist and adventurer Nithy S.R. outlines his plans to bring solar-powered rickshaws to the Indian subcontinent.
  • Returned study abroad student Leanne Cameron reminisces about London's pedestrian-friendly streets and laments America's over-dependence on cars.
  • Eco-village volunteer Flora Lindsay-Herrera questions how this model of sustainability can be applied to the urban world.
  • Canadian backpacker Leona Baldwin gets off the beaten path in New Zealand to work for food on an organic farm.
  • Study abroad student Amanda Spector struggles with trash disposal issues in rural Madagascar.
  • Young journalist Sabrina Mondschein learns about prudent resource management from her roommates in Xi'an, China.
  • Plus: Top picks for green travel gear, adventures on public transit around the world, and small solutions to the planet's 13 largest environmental problems.


Feature Stories:
All authors are available for interviews
    SUSTAINABILITY IN CHINA - Story Title: THE CHINESE WAY, by Sabrina Mondschein
    Sabrina Mondschein learns lessons on sustainability in the most unlikely of places: the smog-ridden, coal-burning city of Xi'an, China. The story outlines her experiences with her Chinese roommates, who embody thriftiness to the highest degree: they save every plastic bag, mend all clothing and utensils and sit at one desk to study so they can share the light from one lamp. Through observation and experience, Mondschein is made acutely aware of the costs of her consumption-based lifestyle. (Page 22)

    **Also includes a sidebar on China's evolving struggle between industrial growth and sustainable development. (Page 27)

    CAR CULTURE SHOCK - Story Title: THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING, by Leanne Cameron
    Study abroad student Leanne Cameron returns from England to find a land dominated by different royals: King Ford and Queen Chevy. After having spent three months in London, walking virtually everywhere - to the grocery store, the post office, the movie theater - she finds herself disgusted by America's over-dependence on cars and frightened to walk in neighborhoods that lack the infrastructure to accommodate pedestrians. (Page 30)

    **Also includes a sidebar on the United States' best and worst walking cities, as well as case studies on "pedestrianizing" cities. (Page 34)

    ADVENTURES ON PUBLIC TRANSIT - Story Title: A TO B, compiled by Glimpse Staff
    Global explorers chronicle their adventures by boat, train, truck, taxi, bus, bicycle and motorcycle through anecdotes and photographs. While alternative forms of transport may be less time-efficient than a personal car, everyone agrees that they are the best way to truly get to know another country - not to mention your own. Includes commuter and public transit stats from around the world. (Page 36)

    WILLING WORKERS ON ORGANIC FARMS - Story Title: WILL WORK FOR FOOD by Leona Baldwin
    Tired of New Zealand's adrenaline-packed tourist attractions, round-the-world backpacker Leona Baldwin takes up temporary residence at an organic farm. While the experience challenges her romantic visions of farm life, she learns firsthand how easy and economical it is to live without the aid of supermarkets and plastic packaging. (Page 56)

    **Also includes a sidebar on volunteer and study opportunities to get global explorers off the beaten path. (Page 60)

    RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL - Story Title: EYES WIDE OPEN, by Kerala Goodkin
    Glimpse Quarterly Editor in Chief speaks with experts from the sustainable travel industry to reveal the shocking and devastating consequences of mass tourism. Includes tips on how to make your next trip sustainable, as well as stats on the economics of tourism and the environmental and cultural impacts. (Page 62)

    ENVIRONMENTAL SACRIFICE - Story Title: TREAD LIGHTLY, by Flora Lindsay-Herrera
    After Flora Lindsay Herrera volunteers at the Gaia Eco-village in Argentina, she wonders how she can apply what she's learned to her urban lifestyle in Cambridge, MA. In this essay she poses provocative questions: Is environmental consciousness always what it seems, and what is she "supposed" to give up for the sake of the world? (Page 74)

    UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - Story Title: DOWN BY THE RIVER, by Amanda Spector
    While interning in rural Madagascar, Amanda Spector becomes acutely aware of trash and the problems that arise when a developing country like Madagascar lacks the infrastructure to effectively manage plastic and other non-disposable waste. (Page 78)

    **Also includes a sidebar on landfill fun facts, including the world's first ecological landfill. (Page 83)

    SOLAR-POWERED RICKSHAWS - Story Title: GREEN RICKSHAW, Interview with Nithy S.R.
    Acclaimed Malaysian adventurer Nithy S.R. has already bicycled from Argentina to Minnesota, and through 31 African countries. He speaks with Glimpse about his next expedition: through the Indian subcontinent on solar-powered rickshaw. (Page 88)



Glimpse Quarterly is supported by the National Geographic Society. It represents the official print publication of the Glimpse Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that fosters cross-cultural understanding and exchange, particularly between the United States and the rest of the world, by providing forums for sharing the experiences of young adults living and studying abroad. The magazine has a circulation of 10,000. It is sent each quarter to individual subscribers and member colleges and universities. It is also available on newsstands for $4.95 a copy. Single copies can be ordered by calling (800) 549-4802 or visiting store.glimpse.org. The magazine's Web site is at www.glimpse.org. Download a PDF of our Winter 2007 issue here; review copies are available upon request.

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For more information, please contact:
Kerala Goodkin, Editor in Chief
editor@glimpsefoundation.org
Tel: (800) 549-4802 | Fax: (202) 775-6500