TerraCurve.com: Go beyond green. | Responsible travel news, places, people and events.

Now Trending:

The Bodhi Tree Foundation launches to protect the world through travel

  • Share
  • Share in Google Buzz
  • Share this

Founded by travel industry veteran Jena Gardner, The Bodhi Tree Foundation aims to unite travelers to protect places, help people, and preserve cultures.

feature photo

Founded by travel industry veteran Jena Gardner, The Bodhi Tree Foundation aims to unite travelers to protect places, help people, and preserve cultures.

Gardner, President and CEO of JG Black Book of Travel founded The Bodhi Tree Foundation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that identifies and offers assistance to highly-effective, community-based non-profit organizations that have a proven record of inspiring positive change within the communities they serve.

“Travel today is not only a means of enjoyment and enrichment, but also an invaluable portal to understanding the urgent need to protect the natural and cultural heritage of our planet and the well being of local communities around the world,” said Ms. Gardner. “The Bodhi Tree Foundation was established to harness the significant resources of the travel and tourism industry to directly benefit local communities and the travelers who gain immeasurable joy by visiting them.”

Entrepreneur, travel industry icon and marketing expert Jena Gardner has won several accolades and awards, including a 2009 Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing HSMAI Adrian Award, 2009 Enterprising Women of the Year Award and Diversity Business’ Top 100 Women Owned Businesses in the State of New York. Ms. Gardner’s successful growth strategy has also landed JG Black Book of Travel on the 2009 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Assisting Ms. Gardner is a dynamic and forward-thinking Board of Directors that sees both the significant responsibility and unique opportunity leaders in the industry have to meet the challenges of our time. Directors include: Javier Arredondo, CEO of Editorial Mapas; Melissa Biggs Bradley, Founder of Indagare; Melanie Brandman, CEO of The Brandman Agency; Costas Christ, Global Travel Editor for National Geographic Adventure and Chairman of the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards; Tom Jolley, COO and General Counsel for The Sundance Group, LLC; James Saleh, CEO of Habiquad; and Rina Spence, Founder and President of SpenceCare International.

For 2009, The Bodhi Tree Foundation will provide funding to five benefactors:

  1. Fundacion Haciendas Del Mundo Maya: Established to rebuild highly marginalized indigenous communities in the Yucatan Peninsula by developing and implementing social projects based on five areas: health, education, housing, environmental and productive projects.
  2. The African Wildlife Fund: Provides support to the people of Africa to ensure protection of the continent’s wildlife and wild lands. The Foundation is funding conservation efforts directed at the endangered black rhino population of the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.
  3. Protravel/FXB International Rwandan Village: Established in 1995 in the wake of the AIDS pandemic and devastation from the genocide to provide support to families and communities faced with the challenges of caring for thousands of orphans and vulnerable children left homeless.
  4. The Southern Environmental Association of Belize: Works towards improving stewardship and the environmental integrity of key marine areas in southern Belize, including the Belize Barrier Reef System, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the second-largest coral reef in the world.
  5. Heritage Watch: Dedicated to protecting Cambodia’s cultural treasures by working to prevent the looting and illicit trade of antiquities while promoting responsible, sustainable tourism and economic development.

The Power of One

The Bodhi Tree Foundation asks travelers and the travel industry to consider the Power of One – a campaign that will unite travelers around the world to stand as one in order to make a difference.

The campaign will shine light on the power of adding one dollar to every trip booked in order to change lives and give back to the people and places that make travel so rewarding. With 100% of Bodhi Tree Foundation’s donations going directly to the programs it supports, one person and one dollar can be a powerful force of change.

To help spread the word about the Power of One campaign and further engage travelers, The Bodhi Tree Foundation has enlisted the support of some of the most socially aware travel companies across the globe. The Bodhi Tree Foundation’s Leadership Council will lend their expertise, knowledge and leadership to support the Foundation’s efforts, while The Bodhi Tree Foundation’s Advisory Board will be more actively engaged in the Foundation’s growth strategy.

A number of founding partners have pledged to support the foundation through their business endeavors. David Morris International, a travel based sales and marketing firm, will add $1 to every customized travel program they book, travel specialist Entrée Destinations will add $1 per room night booked for their Canada and Alaska itineraries and Hotel Plaza Athenee New York is offering their guests the opportunity to donate to The Bodhi Tree through their guest amenity program.

For more information, visit www.thebodhitreefoundation.org.

  • Share
  • Share in Google Buzz
  • Share this

Tagged as:

, , , , , , ,

About the Author

Kristen is a student and freelance writer as well as an active member of Greenpeace. She has most notably published journals documenting environmental tourism studies in Fiji, The Galapagos and Costa Rica.

See more contributions (40 so far) from Kristen Geis.

You can also connect with other eco-minded travelers, businesses and events by joining the Responsible Travel LinkedIn and Facebook groups.

Buzzing on Google @TerraCurve Buzz

loading..
blog comments powered by Disqus

Subscribe Hotels and Accommodations

Latest Headline

Carlson Hotels promotes responsible business one hotel at a time Unveiled at its recent Global Business Conference earlier this month, Carlson Hotels has established a strong commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility in line with the United Nations Global Compact initiative. Full story

Subscribe Destinations and Tourism

Latest Headline

Professional birdwatchers touch down in Guyana From March 12-23, the group of eight birding and natural history tour operators, journalists, and photographers from the US, the UK, and South America will be chasing Guyana’s 815 species of birds around the country. As the seventh tourism product familiarization (fam) trip organized by the Guyana Sustainable Tourism Initiative, the trip is a joint project of the Guyana Tourism Authority and the United States Agency for International Development / Guyana Trade and Investment Support project. Full story

Subscribe Airlines and Transportation

Latest Headline

Powwownow vs. The Airlines Business travel can wreak havoc on the environment and corporate social responsibility – not to mention corporate budgets. One UK conferencing company aggressively answers criticism ofbusiness travel alternatives. Let the fight begin! Full story

Subscribe Products and Services

Latest Headline

Expedia to include green stats in hotel details Leading online travel site Expedia.com has launched a new initiative to display properties’ “eco-friendliness” in hotel search results – giving mainstream online buyers more opportunity to travel green. Full story

Subscribe Awards and Events

Latest Headline

New York welcomes the return of Go Green Expo The premiere event for eco-friendly products and services kicks off its NYC run for 2010 on March 19-21 – a place for business leaders, eco-minded consumers and their families to explore the latest in every aspect of green living and sustainable business practices. Full story

Subscribe Society and Lifestyle

Latest Headline

Disney inspires 1 million volunteers Disney Parks’ “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” campaign has officially reached the ambitious goal of 1 Million People Inspired to Volunteer in 2010. Full story

Subscribe Business and Politics

Latest Headline

Bridging the environmental gap: Abu Dhabi sets its ‘Eye on Earth’ Building on recent successes, popular tourism destination Abu Dhabi is calling for an ‘Eye on Earth’ Global Summit to address an array of global environmental issues. Full story
Brighter Planet Eco Green Hotel Go Green Expo NaturCert