Tourism Pilot Project - European Destinations of Excellence

The European Commission launched, in 2006, the first phase of the pilot project "European Destinations of Excellence". The broad aim of this initiative is twofold:

• to draw attention to the value, diversity and shared characteristics of European tourist destinations;
• to promote destinations where the economic growth objective is pursued in such a way as to ensure the social, cultural and environmental sustainability of tourism.

For the year 2006, the theme of the pilot project was related to rural tourism. The subtitle of the award for this specific year was “Best Emerging Rural Destinations”. Eligible destinations are those which have implemented in any of the last 3 years initiatives that have contributed to the promotion of the local tourist offer through a better appreciation of the rural natural and cultural heritage. Moreover, each participating Country has outlined more specific criteria of eligibility. The European Commission has recently launched the second phase of the project with the new theme "tourism and local intangible heritage". Those destinations which have developed a new tourism offer based on the appreciation of their specific local intangible heritage will have the possibility to compete at national level and be selected as 2007 destination of excellence. 18 countries will be participating in the project this time.

More on the pilot project here.
Visit the 2006 winning destinations here.

Microcredit Summit Campaign

The Microcredit Summit Campaign is a 2006 re-launched campaign which objective is two-fold: to ensure that 175 million of the world's poorest families can have access to credit for self-employment and other financial and business services by the end of 2015; and that 100 million families rise above the US$1 a day threshold, between 1990 and 2015. The original campaign was launched in 1999 and reach is 9 years-goal by 2006. The campaign website has numerous resources for those involved in microcredit. However, the 2006 State of the Microcredit Summit Campaign Report is a must-read, as are some of the papers commissioned by the Microcredit Summit Campaign in 2006.

Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming

Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming represents around 100 national public interest organisations working at international, national, regional and local level and advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity. The Projects and Campaigns section and the searchable Publications section provide some interesting resources for those interested in sustainable food production and consumption. The alliance also produces a number of quarterly magazines.

Communities and Local Government

The UK Communities and Local Government sets UK policy on local government, housing, urban regeneration, planning and fire and rescue. In the Publications section one can find a huge amount of useful information including good practice and guides, impact assessments, legislation and policy, manuals, reports and summaries, and strategies and action plans.

Leading Practice in Local Government

The Australian Government's Department of Transport and Regional Services provides a very useful search tool on best practices in local government. These are government-awarded practices since 1997 which provide valuable experience on different thematic areas.

Social Enterprise Coalition

The Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC) is the UK's national body for social enterprises. Social enterprises are dynamic businesses with a social purpose working all the world to deliver lasting social and environmental change. The SEC website includes policy documents, training materials, best practices guides, and a exhaustive case studies database.

Smart Growth Online

The Smart Growth Network was formed in 1996 in response to increasing community concerns about the need for new ways to grow that boost the economy, protect the environment, and enhance community vitality. The Smart Growth Online website provides a a searchable catalogue of reports, websites, tools and case studies dating from 1997 until today, which can be brwosed by issue, principle, type and State.

The Economic Value of Walking in Rural Wales

Health, entertainment, jobs and sustainable development all come together in simple initiatives with large impacts. A Welsh scholar has evaluated the economic impacts of walking in the Welsh countryside and some findings are unexpected:

"(...) focusing on rural impacts alone, a conservative estimate of the current impact of walking in Wales shows it to be responsible for generating incomes of £55 million and 3,000 jobs, if both direct and indirect impacts are included. If mountaineering activities were also taken into account, a further £22 million and 1,250 jobs would be added.These figures represent around 2 per cent of rural GDP, and about 1 per cent of rural jobs; (...) Creating a job via the mechanism of supporting and improving walking opportunities in the Welsh countryside may be estimated to involve public cost of £433; in contrast, the direct and indirect public cost of supporting a job in agriculture is almost ten times higher, at £4,279."

Full study here.
More information on walking and footpaths in the UK here.

Sustainable Communities Network

"Imagine what a safe, livable, healthy community might look like. Around the country citizens are coming together to create a vision of what their community might be and to develop steps toward making these visions come true. Alternatively called "healthy," livable" or sustainable communities, these efforts are integrative, inclusive and participatory. In many communities -- large and small, rural and urban -- issues are being addressed in an interconnected manner. They are demonstrating how innovative strategies can produce communities that are more environmentally sound, economically prosperous, and socially equitable."

The Sustainable Communities Network is a experience-sharing network for sustainable community and rural development. It has USA-wide case studies section which has invaluable experiences and a a very useful funding sources section for American practioners. Other resources include guides and a library.

Business Week has named Dr. Yunus as one of "The Greatest Entrepreneurs of All Time"

Amongst visionaries like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin and John D. Rockefeller, Dr. Muhammad Yunus has been distinguished as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all times.

Read the Business Week article on :
The Greatest Enterpreneurs of All Time

See the Business Week slide show of :
Greatest Enterpreneurs

Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, founded a banking system 30 years ago to lend small amounts of money to the rural poor in Bangladeshi villages. Most of the low-interest microloans go to women, who use them to start their own profit-making enterprises, mainly in agriculture, crafts, or services.

Grameen Bank now has 2,422 branches, employs more than 20,000 people, and has loaned more than $6 billion since its founding. Borrowers own most of the equity in the bank. The company has been profitable in all but three years since it was founded. Read more about Dr. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank