Wednesday, 04-14-2010

Unsustainable Tourism: Seattle Premier Screening of “Jamaica for Sale” & Conversation with Co-Producer Diana McCaulay

Tourism can be a force for positive change in economically disadvantaged countries, but what are the negative impacts that come from development that caters to foreign tourists while ignoring the environmental, economic, and social needs of the local culture? Using Jamaica as a case study, what can be done to counteract the forces of unsustainable tourism? What are principles of eco-tourism or sustainable tourism that work?

Join the World Affairs Council as we present Diana McCaulay, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), for a discussion of her film “Jamaica for Sale” which shows the destructive side of Jamaica's tourism industry.

Born in Jamaica, Diana McCaulay holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Studies from University of the West Indies (UWI). In 1998, she left her private sector job to join the Jamaica Environment Trust as full-time Chief Executive Officer. The Jamaica Environment Trust focuses on environmental education and advocacy, and Diana is a leading advocate on a range of environmental issues.

Diana was the recipient of a Hubert Humphrey Fellowship in 2000 and studied a range of environmental subjects at the University of Washington. She went on to complete a Master's Degree in Public Administration, with majors in environmental policy and international development. Between 2003 and 2005 and again in 2008, she served as a member of the Board of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority, the government regulatory body for environmental issues. She is also a past Chair of the National Environmental Societies Trust, an umbrella organization of environmental groups, and has served as Treasurer and Vice Chair of the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, a local funding agency. She was a weekly columnist for The Gleaner for seven years (1994-2002), writing on environmental, gender and social issues. Her first novel "Dog-Heart" will be published in March 2010.

Co-Sponsors:
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW), a global network of local advocates who use law and science to advance environmental justice.

William H. Gates Public Service Law Program

Wildland Adventures, founded in 1986 with the intention of offering authentic worldwide cultural and natural history explorations for active and inquisitive travelers.


Co-Presenters:
Crooked Trails
CulturaLinks USA
EarthCorps
Northwest Film Forum
University of Washington, Program on the Environment