OK I Spoke too Soon..
Archive for the ‘MSI News’ Category
Snow Goes Nowhere
14/08/2011Limiting Machu Picchu Visits?
01/08/2011
Machu Picchu ©Mtnspirit.org
Peru Gov’t looks to increase visitor limit to Machu Picchu
From: Andean Air Mail & PERUVIAN TIMES
Peru’s Ministry of Tourism and Foreign Trade said Tuesday that a recent study supports more than doubling the number of visitors to Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca citadel perched on a mountain top in Cusco region.
Currently, the daily limit on tourists that can enter the Machu Picchu site is set at 2,200. According to state news agency Andina, the ministry’s study suggests the citadel can withstand 5,479 visitors a day. This would allow Machu Picchu, a World Heritage Site, to receive approximately 2 million tourists a year.
The study is in direct contrast to the opinion of UNESCO, read the rest of this story..
Chimu Inka’s New Band Member?
31/07/2011
Guillermo and Family
Guillermo Seminario, leader of the Peruvian band, Chimu Inka, with is wife Lourdes and their new son, born in Trujillo, Peru about 8 months ago. They just sent us this shot, which we wanted to share with you. Congrats to Familia Seminario. Chimu Inka has come to the U.S. under sponsorship from MSI in the past and will be visiting again in 2012.
MSI Adds Advisory Roles, Two Named
18/04/2011Jen White, Kathleen Hurley join Mountain Spirit Institute in Advisory Role
Jennifer White of New London, NH and Kathleen Hurley of Portsmouth, NH, have been recently named advisors to Mountain Spirit Institute. In the newly created advisory role, both White and Hurley will contribute expertise and advice to the organization based on their respective fields of experience. Mountain Spirit Institute, founded in 1998, runs wilderness based programs both domestically and internationally, as well as a wide variety of workshops and retreats. The newly created advisory role broadens the scope of the institute while providing support to the board of directors. The role also engages those individuals in the community who are interested in, and have strong skill-sets and knowledge related to, MSI’s mission.Kathleen Hurley
Kathleen Hurley
Kathleen Hurley brings a wealth of corporate and online communications skills plus enthusiasm, writing and publishing acumen and keen business management experience to MSI’s advisory board. Kathleen has been a contributing writer to various New England magazines, and a director-level Marketing and Communications executive for almost a decade. Hurley was also a founding member of the steering committee for the successful Sunapee SunFest, a holistic health, alternative energy, and sustainability festival which Mountain Spirit Institute created and ran for a number of years in Sunapee. Hurley currently serves as the Director of Corporate Communications for Actio Corp, Boston, MA.
Jennifer White brings a purpose-driven, holistic approach to sustainability education at MSI. White has been an educator for over fifteen years in a wide variety of academic and community settings, and has a multidisciplinary
Jennifer White
background in physics, psychology, systems science, permaculture design, and sustainability. She served as the Executive Director of a national nonprofit called the Simplicity Forum, and was the Co-Founder and Director of Education for the Green Heart Institute which was created to help people “understand the global impact of their choices, connect with their values and live sustainably from the heart.”White has a long history of dedicated volunteerism with community based organizations including being a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Earth Institute and Transition Town Lyons, both in Colorado. She is currently the Sustainability Coordinator and an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH and founder of the Root Systems Institute.
Creating A Sustainable Lifestyle with MSI
10/04/2011As our world moves closer to facing climate change and its consequences, MSI is doing our part to provide education and awareness on how to achieve some measure of personal sustainability.
We invite you to come to Vermont on June 10-12, 2011 for a weekend retreat to explore how to make healthier choices about food, relationships and navigating everyday life in a healthier and more conscious way.
In our upcoming Creating A Sustainable Lifestyle program, we feature some of New England’s most gifted teachers and facilitators.
Henry Homeyer
Henry Homeyer, author of four gardening books and New England garden columnist, will share insights from over 60 years of organic gardening experience.
- Jen White
Jen White, Sustainability Coordinator at Colby Sawyer College, will help us understand the global impact of our choices, connect with our values and live sustainably from the heart.
- Miles Sherts
Miles Sherts, author and founder of Sky Meadow Retreat in northern Vermont, has been teaching about conflict resolution and communication skills since 1990. Miles will lead a workshop on Conscious Communication.
So please think about joining us at Sky Meadow Retreat in June – at the very least it will get you thinking about what you can do to live more in alignment with the earth, and we guarantee, you’ll learn a few good things about Creating A More Sustainable Lifestyle.
Maple Syrup Builds Up in Trees
01/04/2011
A downturn in the maple syrup market is having harmful side effects for trees in northern New England. For the first time in decades, the maples are remaining untapped, with sometimes-dangerous results.
At right: Maple-syrup maker Ryan Tilley braves a forest aflame with exploded maple to tap his trees.
Hear the mp3 story here.
A Small World Indeed
07/03/2011 An email from some good folks in Sunapee NH
Dear Randy,
Bill and I just returned yesterday from an amazing trip to Ecuador (Galapagos Islands) and Peru (Lima, Cuzco, Machu Pichu). Our tour group was treated to a performance by Chimu Inka at a local restaurant in Cuzco for our farewell lunch…we thoroughly enjoyed their music.
- Chimu Inka photo shoot 2004
I purchased their CD but didn’t open it until we were back at our hotel. Little did I know I’d see Sunapee, NH on the inside cover…the name Dexter didn’t ring a bell, but I suspected it was you as I recalled your last name. Sure enough, I called Carol and she confirmed it. Wish I’d opened the case while at the restaurant. Our tour guide was an amazing guy, born and raised in Cuzco, G. Walter Rodriguez, in case you might know him.
They had a group of 4 dancers performing with them…I was privileged to be pulled into the dance with one of the guys…it wasn’t easy at that altitude! But what a great memory! It was exciting to have that connection and a great memory of our trip.
My Response..
Hi Sharon,
Chimu Inka Album #3
Thanks for your email, and great to read your story! I do remember you both, and was thrilled to read of your experience in La Ratama restaurant with Chimu Inka. Yes…too bad you didn’t know about the connection while you were there, as the band would have loved to know that you’re from Sunapee, and would have given you a real local connection. They are like family to me. (more…)
How Life Changes in a Second
04/03/2011Although we weren’t downtown when the Christchurch earthquake hit, (we were there the day before) we are still recovering from the experience of being in our home 1km from the epicenter, and about 20 min from Christchurch. We’ve since relocated to the Wanaka/Queenstown area.
Dust rises as the Quake hits Christchurch
We hadn’t been in the Christchurch area more than a week or two. We had just unpacked after having arrived from the U.S. via a short trip to Australia for Christmas. But we were getting to know the city. We had gotten our library and metro cards. Amanda had signed up for art classes in Lyttelton.
I thought I’d share this post, and…. Here is an interactive look of before and after satellite images of the hardest hit areas of this wonderful town. The Queenstown District Council had, at last count, recorded about 75,000 people having left Christchurch and come into the their region as either temporary or permanent residents.
"Christchurch Before and After" Scroll/Slider
The Christchurch Earthquake
26/02/2011When the Earth Shakes, and We Humans on it.
Make a *donation directly to NZ Red Cross Christchurch Fund
Epicenter: Lyttelton from above our house, a day before the quake
Amanda and I escaped. We were in Christchurch about 19 hours before the earthquake hit, just in front of the main church , which is now collapsed, in the square dropping off my passport and work visa application at New Zealand immigration, We also ran some errands, and split up in the afternoon, Amanda stopping by a store, and I picking up our van at the bus depot.
When the earthquake did hit we were both at home. I was in the hallway, and all of sudden, I was being thrown about. I was disoriented for a few seconds, then ran down the hallway to grab my pregnant wife’s hand. She looked as confused as I, as we ran for the door. We had just experienced the earthquake 1km from the epicenter. Our rental home is just across the Lyttelton Inlet in Diamond Harbor’s Charteris Bay. As I grabbed Amanda’s hand and we ran out of the back door of the steel-framed house, I thought, “This isn’t good for Christchurch.”
Little did I know how bad it was. Just over the crest of Port Hills, 20 min away, it was Hell. (more…)
We’ve Gone Ad Free
16/02/2011
Never Too Late to Stop Ads
We’ve been meaning to do it, but finally got around to it today. No more ads on this blog. In the spirit of being a nonprofit (Mountain Spirit Institute is indeed a non-profit) we thought this would be the better route. As editor, the ads never showed up on my screen, but I assume they were there. It was easy to put this task on the back burner because I never saw one. I hope they weren’t advertising for hosiery or wellness pills. I assume the revenue went to wordpress.com, as well is should. They’re a great company. We’ll be paying for the privilege of an ad-free blog, and hope you’ll like it. Let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, let us know if you saw any hosiery ads or the like.
Enjoy,
R. Richards
PS: Your donations, for this blog, or for helping to further our organizational mission is always welcome. You can donate here.
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