Nowadays, tourism reprensents 12% of the worldwide GDP, which means it’s the first worldwide industry. From 10 to 20 millions of tourisctic trips in the fifties, we are now close to 900 millions.This means that the impact of tourism is huge, and is getting bigger and bigger.The Association Aventure du Bout du Monde is convinced that responsible tourism can have a positive impact in the developing countries.That’s why they organize this year the fourth edition of the Festival “Partir Autrement”.Over the last 23 years, this association has been promoting a diffenrent way of traveling, one that is respectful of the countries we visit.This year they present a major program to raise awareness and create bonds between the travellers.Among the numerous debates and projections, film makers, speakers and authors will come and share their experiences of this new kind of tourism.Make sure not to miss the movie about coachsurfing in Argentina by Nicolas Emard, and the discovery of “another Iran”, with Françoise Beauguion et Marion Touboul.

The Festival Partir Autrement, organized by the Association Aventure du Bout du Monde (ABM), will take place on April 2nd and 3rd, 2011.

Rates : Non members of ABM : EUR 12 for one day or one evening. Members of ABM : EUR 8 for one day or one evening.Open from 10h30 am to 6h30 pm

Festival Partir Autrement
11, rue des Coulmiers
75014 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.45.45.29.29
www.abm.fr

Building something with your own hands is very rewarding, but it’s important to know exactly what your doing!Jean-Claude Mengoni, a trained computer engineer, and passionate about green building; wrote a book called “La construction écologique”, very useful if you want to avoid very expensive mistakes or if you want to talk on equal terms with architects and other craftsmen. You will find in this book a very complete description of all the green building materials and the different ways of using them.From the foundations to the roof, all the main elements needed to buid a “low consumption”and green house are llisted.This book is really like a Bible for beginners in green building, talking about all the different building techniques and the materials needed, insulation and sealing ,and the different choices of framework.

« La Construction écologique » by Jean-Claude Mengoni, Published by Terre vivante, EUR 28

Priscilla Telmon is a photographer, a writer and a traveller.She spend her time between her personal trips and humanitarian missions, all over the world.She’s always eager to discover unknown land, and new cultures. In the exhibition called “Himalaya, following the steps of Alexandra David-Neel”", she follows the steps of the first western woman to enter Tibet, walking in the highest mountains of the world.Presented in the MK2 movie theater, in a authentic himalayan decor, this exhibition offers you a one way ticket to this very high country, throughout large size photographies, a documentary, and footages of the explorer herself, Alexandra David-Neel.Let’s not forget to mention the workshop of Dorjee Sangpo et Sonam, who helps you discover the living traditions of calligraphy and Tibetan tangkas, for a total immersion.

Exhibition « Himalayas, sur les pas d’Alexandra David-Neel » until March 30, 2011.

Open access every day from 10am until 4pm, and from 5pm with a movie ticket

MK2 Bibliothèque
128, avenue de France
75013 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)8.92.69.84.84
www.priscillatelmon.com

When you think about the Kyoto protocole, you know it’s about environment, but to be honest,it’s a little hard to explain. That’s why Kyogami was created.It’s a board game directly inspired from the main clauses of the protocole,allowing a large number of people, young and old, to understand the strategy behind it. The rule is quite simple : every player is an entrepreneur who, while developing his own company, must control his greenhouse gas emission.Funny, yet instructive!

Price : 34,90€.

michel.cruciani@kyogami.com
www.kyogami.com

Chocolatitudes was created by Laurence Alemanno, who has a passion for cocoa. Throughout her researches and her travels, this trained naturalist has decided to pay a special tribute to it. That’s why she created this shop, totally dedicated to every kind of chocolate, organic and/or fair trade, and coming from many parts of the world. It’s specificity is that it is largely made by small craftsmen and producers.Organic, healthy, unique and of excellent quality, these are the ethical attributes the owner looks for in her chocolates. Laurence Alemanno also speaks at conferences,leads testing workshops and write books about chocolate recipes. This is a 100% gourmet adress!

Chocolatitudes
57, rue Daguerre
75014 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.42.18.49.02
contact@ChocoLatitudes.com

Raising kids awareness towards the environmental problems is now a very important issue at stake.Since those young minds will have to endure a sick planet, it is crucial that we train them now on how to have the right behavior, and through games it’s even better!
Pascal Carre has had the simple but brilliant idea to offer a complete and educational guide to the different games that are useful for the planet . Those green friendly games are made with green friendly materials (coming from the fair trade market) and methods, and are dealing with issues such as protecting the environement. All those games have the same purpose :raising the awareness of our young seeds to the environmental issues at stake.Another very convenient thing : those games are classified by age and types.

« Le Guide des Jeux pour la Planète » by Pascal Carré published by Editions Yves Michel collection

ymichel@souffledor.fr
www.souffledor.fr

Squisit, a Spanish company made in Barcelona, is specialised in selling organic food. Squisit delivers the essence of the sunny Mediteranean sea throughout its products. All of them are top quality organic products, with European certification labels.All you have to do now is oder on their shop online delicious Spanish ham and sausages, olive oils and fine wines!

Squisit
Centro Empresarial Agora Plaza del Agora 1 Nave
3-E 08720 Vilafranca Del Penedes Barcelone
Espagne
info@squisit.com

The winter season of 2010/2011 was very expensive for France.The record of 1.9 miilions of tons of salt poured out on the roads will definitely be broken this year, without a doubt!The Federation of Green Associations, France Nature Environment, reminds, and rightly so, that the constant salting of roads is bad for the environement, because for exemple it dryes up the trees roots and causes problems of ground permeability. France is very bad placed on an international scale when you think that several countries, such as Austria or Finland are already limiting road salting.In Japan, innovative techniques are used to warm up the roads, by geothermal energy or with electricity of eolian origin. The Federation also reminds that alternative techniques already exist, such as limiting the trips when it’s snowing, using snow tyres more often, or using sand.

In January, The French sidewalks are often strewn with dying Chritmas trees.. They are brought to the numerous collection points where they are recycled for mulching.But here comes a revolutionary idea from accross the Atlantic…Not so long ago we were talking to you about renting luxury handbags, well now the renting fever is spreading to Californian Christmas trees!The Living Christmas Company, founded by Scott martin in LA, offers natural Christmas trees in pots!Once the holidays are over, the company takes them back to plant them again in their tree nursery until the year after. For your order you can choose between five varieties, and you can also choose the size.Prices range from 25 USD for a tree less than a meter hight, to 110 USD for those of more than 2 meters high.You can rent them for 2 or 3 weeks. The goal is to reduce the size of the cultivation and therefore the use of chemical fertilizers. This is the renting era, but when will it reach France?

www.livingchristmas.com

Also read our article about the rental of luxury handbags

Since the beginning of the year, real estate listings now present the result of the Energetic Performance Diagnosis
This diagnosis has been compulsory for the last 3 years and has to be presented during the first visit since last July.It presents the housings under 7 classes according to their energy consomption (from A : under 50 kWh/m2/an to G : above 450 kWh/m2/an) This diagnosis is far from being anecdotic since for a housing of 100 m2, with gas heating,the energy bill goes up from EUR 250 to EUR 2250 between cat A and G. Eventually the Energetic Performance Diagnosis will become a criteria as important as the size of the housing or the number of rooms (if not more). Especially considering that, after the statistic survey made in 2008 by the pap.fr website on housing in the Paris area, 3 out of 4 housings are classified between D and F!Let’s just hope that this criteria will affect the prices and that the owners will start make the neccessary changes in order to save energy!