Earth Rhythms

03/11/2025

Breathe in the salty ocean air as you navigate the storied landscapes of Atlantic Canada on a 13-day road trip. Explore New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island on a route that starts and ends in Halifax. Visit the lighthouse in Peggy’s Cove, cross the Confederation Bridge and step into...

03/11/2025

Staying in Canada this year to discover some of the beautiful landscapes, remarkable hosts, and special stories is made possible by , one of Canada's best travel companies who match legendary accommodations with remarkable Canadian experiences. Do take a look at landsby.ca

Breathe in the salty ocean air as you navigate the storied landscapes of Atlantic Canada on a 13-day road trip. Explore New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island on a route that starts and ends in Halifax. Visit the lighthouse in Peggy’s Cove, cross the Confederation Bridge and step into...

03/10/2025

It's been a few weeks since I returned from IMPACT, Canada's National conference on sustainable and regenerative tourism. There were many take-aways:
-Bob Sanford's opening presentation on Climate Reality check (always takes my breath away)
-Isabell Hill's instructive advice about the madness we are going through at the present time in the US, and its impacts. "Don't let fear be your guide!). She told us what would be happening...First, loading the zone with multiple simultaneous orders and actions; second, the creation of chaos; third loading the media to broaden and intensify the actions; and finally they would try to swoop in as rescuers. Don't fall for it.
-Keith Henry's always direct and passionate messages and calls to action to all of us to be active participants and financial supporters of indigenous tourism. The Indigenous Tourism Destination Fund is a good place to start (https://lnkd.in/e9ZhVi6y)
-More practical examples of circular thinking
-Sophia Hyder Hock's session on the tourism lexicon with Destinations International (https://lnkd.in/eC3quymY). Everyone should be reading this. This tool helps change the minds of who are not operationalizing sustainability, including politicians stuck in old paradigms.
-Lauren Semple's clear and articulate presentation on Building Inclusive Destinations & Community Empowerment
-Lots of 7 Minute Solutions that are cutting edge in sustainability impact
Destination Canada's Wealth and Wellbeing index (https://lnkd.in/ePxjRDwd), https://lnkd.in/eG-QCj-T
-Hege Vibeke Barnes' presentation Collaborative Pathways: Learning, Leading, and Acting Together for Sustainability: Innovation Norway was instructive.
-Wade Davis' fire in the belly inspirational talk on Beyond Climate Fear and Trepidation
-Gunjan Menon's beautiful presentation on the transformative power of storytelling in tourism was inspiring
-Reinventing the Workforce in an Ever-Changing Industry, an insightful look at the tourism labour force across Canada at this time
-The messages from inspiring young leaders studying tourism at various academic institutions in Canada
-Ensuring that all of our meals were low carbon

And, of course, the many lobby conversations, the Day of Impact, and the awareness of being in a room full of change-makers.

I was humbled and grateful to receive an IMPACT award for the work I have been doing in collaboration with so many others across Canada. Thank you! See you in 2026.

01/21/2025

Seeking this, and finding peace.

01/17/2025

What took my breath away at the first IMPACT conference I attended, and continues to be practiced. I look forward to being reminded of this, when I arrive.

IMPACT's Beliefs:
-We need to have tough conversations
-The knowledge we collect is accessible to all
-We are not afraid to be vulnerable
-Financial success is a force for good
-Tourism can help reverse global warming
-We create safe places for candid discussion
-We need to push the boundaries and find common ground
-We engage people from all value sets, perspectives, provinces and territories

This year's schedule is inspiring, challenging, grounding, and real.

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

01/15/2025

I am chuffed about this opportunity + responsibility. To help all of us listen to participants unite, commit and share personal actions. This session has always inspired and moved me in the last six years of attending this conference.

We are pleased to announce Celes Davar, experiential tourism operator with a 2025 IMPACT Award! 🏆 🌎

Celes is the President of Earth Rhythms, a tourism company that provides creative, immersive experiences in remote locations along the Bay of Fundy and in the Annapolis Valley region.

Working with Mi’kmaw, Acadians, and other local communities to deliver exemplary storytelling and sense-of-place, Celes’ passion for sustainability shines first-hand in Earth Rhythms’ experiences which are embellished with nutritious food, cultural tradition, and themes of climate change, art, live music, and nature. He believes in tourism as a force for good, which he communicates through well-crafted visitor experiences.

As an early supporter and past speaker at IMPACT, Celes will return to the 2025 stage to close this year’s conference with our powerful ‘Unite. Commit. Act.’ finale.

Thank you for your work, Celes! Meet him, and other inspiring industry leaders, at this year's IMPACT - still 1 week left to register. ⏳

01/15/2025

This conference. One of a kind. So much we learn. So much we experience deep insights. So many examples of how businesses and communities are shifting tourism to be more community-engaged, sustainable, and meaningful. These are the people who, year after year, make it happen. What inspiration!

01/14/2025

In a couple of weeks, I look forward to participating in this conference. For six years, has filled my well and then invited commitment and action.

I invite you to join this gathering of change-makers.

01/13/2025

Interested in sustainability applied to tourism in impactful ways? IMPACT in Victoria, BC, Canada Jan. 26-29 has remarkable experiences, sessions & engagement with change-makers in sustainable & regenerative tourism, tourism operators and indigenous leaders.
I return this year for my 6th annual opportunity to learn, be challenged, see evidence of sustainability in action, and be in the presence of remarkable tourism change-makers helping to shift tourism to be responsible, sustainable, regenerative, and a force for good.

IMPACT Conference Canada | View our IMPACT Summit program or download the IMPACT App for live updates. Our program is updated regularly.

12/01/2024

Landsby up for a regenerative travel award. Kudos!

The Storyteller of the Year category honors individuals and organizations whose powerful storytelling catalyzes change by inspiring conscious travel and environmental stewardship. These finalists are masters of their craft, using diverse mediums to amplify voices, protect cultures, and spark transfo...

11/21/2024

In a nutshell. The real issue.

11/18/2024

When we travel, we have an opportunity to acknowledge the cost of carbon associated with our choice to travel. What I am interested in doing is making a small donation to a local Nova Scotia land trust that actually purchases habitat and land that is already rich with biodiversity and carbon sequestering plant communities on land, and in the sea. My organization of choice is the Nova Scotia Nature Trust

So, how might anyone make a donation to acknowledge the cost of carbon emissions associated with our travel (using carbon based fuels)?
1. Go to this website: https://sustainabletravel.org/our-work/carbon-offsets/calculate-footprint/, or any other website that offers a travel carbon calculator.
2. Calculate your travel footprint by both air and car (if using a car), and you will immediately see the resulting amount of carbon and a suggested cost to offset.
3. What I do is that I at least double the recommended cost to offset, because it is so small (A return trip for two from Halifax to Toronto is less than $15), and usually end up just making a $50 donation to the NS Nature Trust for each planned trip.

I see donating to an active, results based conservation organization that purchases existing biodiversity and forests as a pragmatic and realistic way to contribute to the protection of forest and marine ecosystems and processes. Because governments are not moving fast enough to set aside the amount of protected areas that we need for a population of 8 billion on this planet, and climbing.

Use our carbon footprint calculator to calculate and offset the CO2 emissions of your flights and other travel. Purchase carbon offsets that support certified climate projects.

11/18/2024

Congratulations to for winning Large Business of the Year Mobius Award for their environmental practices. Pictured is Eric, Production Manager along with part of the team of Valley Waste.

11/18/2024

Don't forget about tomorrow night's Nature Talk and Annual General Meeting!

11/14/2024

This project team with Foodartnature is helping to coach, and create the marketing tactics for over 5 new experiences that are being birthed and will be available in 2025.

Very exciting new experiences for the leisure and group markets - archery and healing with horses (Wild Mountain Adventures), print-making (Julie Rosvall - Textile Artist, luffas (AnnapolisValleyLuffa), and herbalism (Ramblewood Herbals).

These folks are amazing hosts, with legendary stories about what they do, and why they do it. What we are learning from them is simply amazing.

11/14/2024

I had an opportunity to create, facilitate and present a major session at the Fundy Summit last week, hosted by the Friends of Fundy and Upper Fundy Partnership. In collaboration with Joanne Wolnik Ontario's Southwest and Trevor Norris at the Bay of Quinte regional marketing board, we shared three very different case studies for how experiential and regenerative tourism is being invested in, developed and implemented. These case studies demonstrated how the investments have had impact, have launched many new revenue-generating experiences, and are leading examples of how revenue weative tourism is actually being applied and done.

Inspiring work, good people, collaboration