Innovations in the Arts - Newark Academy

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22 Making a Difference Ben Bressler ’80 A Modern-day GREENKEEPER by Stacey Kaplan-Layton Some people like to spend their vacation time sitting on a beach watching the waves roll in; others prefer to tour great museums or visit ancient ruins. But for Ben Bressler ’80, it’s really not a vacation unless he’s half-dressed kicking a soccer ball to natives across the great plains of Namibia or fighting with an arctic polar bear over who gets to eat his lunch. It’s this adventurous spirit and love for the unusual that’s made Ben so successful as the founder and director of Natural Habitat Adventures, a premier eco-travel company offering extraordinary wildlife encounters in 30 different countries with 160 distinct itineraries. And although Ben certainly doesn’t take himself too seriously, his company’s ethos is guided by some pretty serious environmental concerns.
“Travel itself is more than mere luxury. It brings life changing economic opportunities into parts of the world that might otherwise have none, encouraging them to protect their local habitats,” Ben remarks. “It promotes awareness among visitors and encourages concern toward wildlife and habitat conservation.” Ben takes the classic ecotourism model to heart, putting money into the hands of the locals in the places he visits, helping them to develop businesses and products to market to visiting tourists. Such economic development shifts the local focus from practices that may have been harming wildlife, to awareness and support for environmental concerns. For example, the endangered mountain gorillas of Uganda and Rwanda have historically been hunted by locals for food. By marketing these majestic animals in their natural surrounding to tourists, eco travel brings awareness to the gorilla’s plight, as well as pumping dollars into the local community allowing them to find alternative sources for food. This practice of giving back to the communities it visits has become a Natural Habitat Adventures hallmark everywhere the company travels. Student and Alumni Sustainability Initiatives And, although the company prides itself on such activities – operating ethically and responsibly everywhere it runs its trips – Ben believes that this is simply not enough. “The irony remains that that the very act of travel increases greenhouse emissions, contributing to the climate change that threatens species such as the polar bear.” To counteract this impact, Natural Habitat Adventures has racked up a number of climate-friendly firsts, including becoming the first carbon-neutral tour company in the U.S., sponsoring the world’s first carbonneutral soccer team, and offering the first carbon-neutral travel expedition to Antarctica. Natural Habitat Adventures has racked up a number of climate-friendly firsts... Partnering with respected nonprofit Sustainable Travel International, Natural Habitat Adventures has calculated the greenhouse gas emissions released as a result of every aspect of each of its trips, including hotel operations, food preparation and water and air transportation. The company then pays to offset these emissions by funding renewable 23
Page 1 and 2: outreach NEWARK ACADEMY SPRING 2008
Page 3 and 4: Contents 14 21 22 Features 14 Ignit
Page 5 and 6: Perspectives FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOO
Page 7 and 8: Last January, Elizabeth Barbato (En
Page 9 and 10: WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE A SCHOOL-WI
Page 11 and 12: Fabulous Fibs Mathematician Leonard
Page 13 and 14: When Someday BY MARCIA WORTH-BAKER
Page 15 and 16: NA ATHLETIC TEAMS HAVE A NEW LOOK!
Page 17 and 18: Fresh Faces In September 2007, Vira
Page 19 and 20: Winter Musical: The Klemperers’ N
Page 21 and 22: THE 2008 ANNUAL FUND PHONATHON MORE
Page 23: A “GROWING” EFFORT During the w
Page 27 and 28: own carbon footprint on the earth,
Page 29 and 30: Some of measures that Crystal Sprin
Page 31 and 32: from the Archives by Blackie Parlin
Page 33 and 34: Alumni News & Events From the Presi
Page 35 and 36: 1 2 4 6 5 3 NEW YORK CITY December
Page 37 and 38: Alumni Soccer The annual alumni soc
Page 39 and 40: Class Notes 1930 Bob Busse was rece
Page 41 and 42: ecently been appointed director of
Page 43 and 44: suffered from this illness and is n
Page 45 and 46: him rollerblading around his neighb
Page 47 and 48: The Hinson family: Laura, Eli ’85
Page 49 and 50: Emily Uddin-Alves ’91 and husband
Page 51 and 52: Melanie Richards ’95 and her husb
Page 53 and 54: Clockwise from the top: Rachel Klin
Page 55 and 56: Newark Academy Minuteman Golf Invit

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