An eco-friendly alternative to your vacation

Just as the weather was starting to look like spring in Massachusetts, a nice cold front has moved in to remind us New Englanders that it is still in fact winter. So as the cold wind howls outside my window, I turn to my computer to find a nice warm place to mentally vacation to. During my search I found in a New York Times article a new program called Seacology which satisfies those who are looking to see exotic parts of the globe as well as help give back to the place which you visit. Each Seacology expedition is chock-full of cultural experiences. If this sounds like something that might interest you please read this clip:

Seacology, a Berkeley-based nonprofit organization seeks to preserve island environments and cultures by providing services in exchange for local conservation efforts.

As exotic destinations become more commonplace and travelers seek out more unusual and broadening experiences, nonprofit groups are responding. By promoting and helping to organize eco-tourism, nonprofits benefit by raising awareness — and money — for their causes. The draw for travelers? Gaining access to places that they wouldn’t be able to get to otherwise.

Duane Silverstein, executive director of Seacology, said, “These people are looking for two things: access to unique areas that most tourists can never visit, and a way to improve the quality of life of the people and places they do visit.” This year, the group opened its fund-raising expeditions to the public for the first time. These trips visit project sites in remote places like Fiji, where the group built a kindergarten in return for the establishment of a 17-square-mile marine reserve, and Tonga, where a floating medical clinic was set up as incentive for the creation of a nature preserve.

To read the rest of the article and more about Eco-Tourism go to http://travel.nytimes.com