There's a particularly interesting meeting of Cambridge Forum next week (Tuesday April 18th) with Gabriele Reifenberg describing the fantastic work being undertaken to secure a sustainable future in Ladakh (trans-himalayan India). Gabriele knows what she is talking about because over the last twelve years she has been out there working on voluntary projects in Ladakh for several months each year.
The people of Ladakh have age-old methods of building and agriculture, well adapted to their mountain terrain. In many other countries in the 'developing world', skills and knowledge of this kind have been lost in a blind rush for so-called modernisation - for example, traditional buildings being replaced by concrete houses, that are too hot in summer, too cold in winter.
The hope in Ladakh is to preserve the social cohesion that is part of the culture and to avoid the environmental harm associated with changing lifestyles in other parts of the Himalayas - damaging loss of tree cover for example.
Several different NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) are at work in Ladakh, encouraging people to value and preserve their traditional techniques, while introducing some forms of modern technology - such as solar power - that can vastly improve people's lives without negative effects on the environment.
Gabriele will also talk about a potential threat to this whole way of life - the impact of climate change on Ladakh, as the lack of snow and receding glaciers jeopardise agricultural production.
Gabriele will show some of her slides to illustrate the talk.
Hope to see you all there, With best wishes, Linda
** If you get this e-mail as a forward, and would like to join our mailing list, please contact me: Linda Gamlin on lgamlin AT compuserve.com The meetings are held at CB1 café, 32, Mill Rd, just down from Parker's Piece and the swimming pool, on the right, by the bus stop. Entrance to Cambridge Forum is free. The meetings are non-smoking and run from 8pm to10pm. **
The hope in Ladakh is to preserve the social cohesion that is part of the culture and to avoid the environmental harm associated with changing lifestyles in other parts of the Himalayas - damaging loss of tree cover for example.
Several different NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) are at work in Ladakh, encouraging people to value and preserve their traditional techniques, while introducing some forms of modern technology - such as solar power - that can vastly improve people's lives without negative effects on the environment.
Gabriele will also talk about a potential threat to this whole way of life - the impact of climate change on Ladakh, as the lack of snow and receding glaciers jeopardise agricultural production.
Gabriele will show some of her slides to illustrate the talk.
Hope to see you all there, With best wishes, Linda
** If you get this e-mail as a forward, and would like to join our mailing list, please contact me: Linda Gamlin on lgamlin AT compuserve.com The meetings are held at CB1 café, 32, Mill Rd, just down from Parker's Piece and the swimming pool, on the right, by the bus stop. Entrance to Cambridge Forum is free. The meetings are non-smoking and run from 8pm to10pm. **