Q. I’ve raised my daughter to look carefully at recycling symbols and sort trash accordingly, but the other day she looked a little bit closer than I had expected and asked me who invented the three-arrow recycling symbol. I couldn’t answer her! Do you know? – Tim, AZ
A.Trivia! As reliable an information source as Wikipedia is, we went to the American Forest and Paper Association to answer your question. Turns out, the person you’re looking for is a guy named Gary Anderson. Here’s how it all went down: In 1970, the Container Corporation of America (CCA), the largest paper recycler at the time, was using recycled content to make its paperboard, and really wanted to brag about it… I mean, let consumers know. Continue reading Guess who invented the recycling symbol?
I recently toured Bhutan. And it was a long-held dream for me. Some 40 years earlier, in teaching classes on design, calligraphy and illustration to support tuition in college, I referenced some imagery from Bhutan in our exploration of design strategy. The idea of the power of writing, in prayer wheels, as a device of spiritual magnitude was part of that study – the wheel turns, the prayers unfold, visions emanate, dreams emerge, answers are found. There is profound power in that concept – and I’ll never forget that time, nor my firsthand experience of seeing this in Bhutan, finally, after all these years.
The beauty of this premise is found everywhere in Bhutan; the wheel of prayer – it’s at the heart of the spirit of this amazing land. And that’s what I came looking for – to find the spirit of the people and the vision of this explication in every detail of their lives. And this can be found in the simple, honest character of the food, the music, poetic refrains, mysticism, the deeply enriched and symbolically profound nature of the arts, the potent structures of the dzong and the stable siting and earthbound permanence of the villages. While there are surely plenty of examples of the power inherent in the cultures of the Himalayas, these characteristics are distinct to Bhutan. Continue reading The dilemma of progress!Finding the middle path
He looks like a demon from an especially bad nightmare: a blue monster with horns and three eyes on his head, which is in turn topped by another eight heads, culminating in a strangely serene Buddha face. His main hands hold a chopper and a cup made from a human skull. Thirty-two other hands wield an array of weapons. He wears a belt of human heads and his 16 feet trample small humans and animals. A nimbus of orange flames surrounds his body. Even his penis is angry, brandished like an avenging sword.
It’s a shocking and fascinating image, not one immediately likely to conjure up the peaceful kingdom of Bhutan, a Switzerland-size country in the Himalayas that extols “gross national happiness” rather than gross national product as a measure of its wealth and development. Continue reading Fierce Imagery, Serene Tone
Wanwisa’s Dream Trip A week in the Maldives with a stopover in Hong Kong
Dream Trip 2008 Finalists: The 2008 winner(s) snapped a shot of a monastery in Tigers Nest, Bhutan, as they hiked up a long, windy road riddled with shear drops (the young honeymooners were both battling severe fear of heights).
This photo was taken at the last viewing point on our hike to Tiger’s Nest, a monastery perched on a 900 foot cliff in Bhutan. My husband and I are both afraid of heights and the next part of the path to reaching the monastery from this viewing point involves sheer drops, narrow paths and lots of tourists traversing to and fro. We were probably the youngest tourists (honeymooners) by 30 years and felt quite ridiculous standing there pale with fear as troops of senior citizens passed us on their return from the monastery. One older gentleman told us we would regret not completing the hike, he told us that he has a fear of heights and only has one functioning eye so his depth perspective is not so great. After hearing this, we were inspired to muster up some courage and finish our pilgrimage.
Had I been asked what my dream trip was a year ago, my answer likely would have involved some remote locale and some exotic itinerary (say a trans-Siberian journey from London to Japan via Mongolia). These days, however, nothing could make me happier than an empty beach and beautiful blue horizons. Continue reading Conde Nast Dream Trip Finalist
Phuensumgang Community Primary School – The school of hard knocks
Senior citizens and children alike suffer and sacrifice at the altar of education
CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD? – Taking care of themselves and their education
A six-hour climb from Bhurchu, about 94 km away from Dagana proper, up on a hill, is Phuensumgang community primary school. Except for the Lajab gewog office, RNR centre and BHU, there is no settlement around. The nearest village is a two-hour walk away from the school.
But about 20 tiny, one-storey bamboo huts, located near the school, look like a village to any newcomer. These are the boarding hostels, constructed by parents of the 156 students in the school. In one of the huts, Kinzang Drakpa, 64, is making fern curry for his grandchildren, studying in classes four and two.
A retired soldier from Pemagatshel Shaligamong, Kinzang resettled a decade ago in Sipa village, two hours by foot from the school. In the absence of any school near the village and at his niece’s request, the lanky old man has spent the last few years in Phuensumgang school, cooking and looking after his niece’s children.
Kinzang spends his day collecting firewood and wild vegetables. “The children get breakfast and lunch from the school, so I only need to prepare their dinner,” he said. Continue reading The Cost of Education in Rural Bhutan
Bamboos dying in large numbers on the hills of Jarey gewog in Lhuentse worry villagers, who depend on the plant for roofing and other domestic purposes. About 150 houses in the gewog with 221 households have bamboo roofing, while others use bamboo to roof animal sheds and make products for domestic use.
“Most houses in the gewog have not changed their roofs over three years,” said a villager, Ugyenmo, 66. Normally, villagers redo their roofing once every two years. “The roof is leaking and my house is rotting but we can’t do anything. There’s no bamboo in the forest and we don’t have money to buy other types of roofing,” said Ugyenmo, who lives with her daughter and three grandchildren. She owns a big two-storied traditional house, but the roof has been he same for the last six years.
Villagers have started penetrating into deeper forests, but say there are not many bamboos around. “Whatever’s available is very far and difficult to transport,” said another villager. “We’ve started scaling the other side of Jarey hill in the hope of finding bamboos to re-roof our houses before monsoon sets in.” Continue reading Bamboo demise leaves Jarey roofs bereft
Miles of Smiles Around the World – Alvaro Neil fulfils a dream
After covering more than 59,275 km on his bicycle around the world, Alvaro Neil is all smiles and looks strong. Yesterday, the 41-year-old Spaniard adventurer was in Thimphu on the road toward fulfilling a dream he calls “Miles of Smiles Around the World.”
“The people here are very friendly and helpful,” said Alvaro, who stayed in Thimphu for three days. The globetrotter quit his job as a lawyer and began his adventurous journey from his hometown Oviedo, Spain, to South Africa through the west coast in November 2004. He has already covered 51 countries, including Egypt, Africa, China, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Continue reading Global bicycler in Bhutan
The old saying goes—money can’t buy you happiness. But, as a study finds, spending money on experiences—like a vacation—will bring more happiness than buying material things such as jewelry or clothing.
Choosing between a new sweater and a pair of concert tickets? Buy the tickets, suggests a study on whether our spending habits are likely to make us happy.
Philosophers since Aristotle have claimed that experiences fulfill us more than material goods. To test this claim, a pair of psychology professors examined discretionary spending on material purchases (such as jewelry or clothing) and experiential ones (such as vacations or tickets to a concert). In a nationwide phone survey of 1,279 adults, respondents were much more likely to claim that a prior experiential purchase made them happier than a material one—57 percent versus 34 percent—even after accounting for differences in price.
Of course, some items—such as books or sports gear—are both material and experiential. And one person’s splurge may be another’s must-have. So the researchers simply asked respondents to think of purchases they’d made “with the intention of advancing their own happiness.” Continue reading Buying Happiness
Here in Bhutan, we are exactly one hour away from observing the Earth Hour 2009.
From melting glaciers to increasingly intense weather patterns, we know that climate change is already impacting life on our planet.
On Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 8:30 pm, Bridge To Bhutan will take part in Earth Hour – the world’s largest global climate change event. By simply turning out all non-essential lighting for one hour at our company buildings and in our own homes, we will join tens of millions of concerned citizens throughout the world in calling for action to save our planet for future generations.
We’d like to encourage you, one of our valued visitors, to join us in this important and inspiring effort.
Led by the World Wildlife Fund, more than 50 million people in 370 cities around the world took part in Earth Hour last year. The lights went out at Sydney’s Opera House, Rome’s Coliseum, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. Even the Google homepage went dark for the day.
This year, Earth Hour will be even bigger. It’s true that the effort may not seem significant in the developing countries, including Bhutan, where the luxury of having lights is a rarity; people can still make a difference.
It’s the gesture that matters! Let’s do what we can in support of this timely effort. Spread the awareness!
Around the world, cities large and small have said they’ll participate with more signing up daily. They will join international cities such as Beijing, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow, New York, Paris, Rome, and Toronto. So far 2,140 cities, towns and municipalities in 82 countries have already committed to VOTE EARTH as part of the world’s first global election between Earth and global warming. So if you’re traveling or flying and all of sudden, all the lights go out for an hour (the Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge and Sydney’s Opera House are a few of the participating landmarks around the world) – don’t be alarmed. It’s just Earth Hour.
To get a better sense of the magnitude and inspiring nature of the event, take a moment to watch WWF’s video about Earth Hour 2009:
Participating in Earth Hour is easy, fun and absolutely free. To get more information and to sign up to for Earth Hour 2009, just visit www.earthhour.org (choose your country) and agree to turn out your lights from 8:30-9:30 pm on March 28, 2009. If you are in Bhutan or any other developing countries not listed on the site, you can still make a difference by turning off your lights for an hour at the same time.
Energy efficiency isn’t just good for the bottom line. As citizens of the world, we all have a stake in the future of our planet and must seek to operate in ways that don’t deplete our world’s limited natural resources.
In the weeks and months following the Earth Hour, we will continue to look at ways we can operate more efficiently, waste less and reduce our environmental footprint – not only in our own operations, but throughout our supply chain (partners and visitors). That’s because all of us here at Bridge To Bhutan care about the future of our world and want to do what we can to make a positive difference.
We want the world to do more than just turn out lights during this historic event; we hope you’ll join us, and encourage people you know in the community to also take part and learn about global warming. Don’t forget – tonight at 8:30 pm, switch off.
Let’s not stop here; we can do more. Let’s be conscious!
Bhutan soars high at the Wanderlust Travel Awards 2009 in two categories: Top Country/Destination and Top Worldwide Airport.
————————————————————————————————— Bhutan ranked in Top 10 tourist destinations in the world Bhutan has been ranked the fourth top tourist destination in the world by Wanderlust, an internationally recognized travel magazine based in the United Kingdom.
The Tourism Council of Bhutan has received a certificate from Wanderlust.
This photo was taken at the last viewing point on our hike to Tiger’s Nest, a monastery perched on a 900 foot cliff in Bhutan. My husband and I are both afraid of heights and the next part of the path to reaching the monastery from this viewing point involves sheer drops, narrow paths and lots of tourists traversing to and fro. We were probably the youngest tourists (honeymooners) by 30 years and felt quite ridiculous standing there pale with fear as troops of senior citizens passed us on their return from the monastery. One older gentleman told us we would regret not completing the hike, he told us that he has a fear of heights and only has one functioning eye so his depth perspective is not so great. After hearing this, we were inspired to muster up some courage and finish our pilgrimage. 
