THE SAMESUN NATION HOSTELLING MANIFESTO:

We are the young, who have inherited a planet that is in dire need of repair and attention.

Previous generations have been more focused on exploitation, greed, and short term gain then the long term viability of the earth, and now we are expected to pay the price.

And we are not happy about it.

We do not believe that the planet was intended to be mined, stripped, and polluted.

And we do not believe that the human race has the unilateral right to decide which species deserve to live and which we can eradicate at will.

We believe elephant tusks belong on elephants, not on pianos.

We believe rhino horns belong on rhinos, not on the mantles of the rich or ignorant.

We believe that killing thousands of whales each year in the name of 'scientific research' is disgusting and wrong.

We believe that shark fins belong on sharks, not in soup.

We condemn trading blood for oil, blood for religion, blood for borders.

We believe in peace.

We are not asking for our planet back, we are taking it back.

And finally, we believe that the greatest path towards understanding different people, places, and cultures comes from TRAVELING, and so that is what we yearn to do.

We are one people, under one sun. We are SameSun Nation.

For immediate release:
December 18, 2008

The problem with the world’s primary economic system is that it’s based on growth: monthly growth, quarterly growth, annually growth, whatever. If a company, a country, the "G7", the western powers, the world, whoever, grows less from one year compared to the year before that, it is considered an economic slide that is then labeled a recession, or if the slide is bad enough, a depression. But the main ingredient of GROWTH is CONSUMPTION. Consumption of oil, of resources, of plastics, of food, of land...anything and everything you can find on our planet needs to be consumed in order to sustain growth-based economies.

That’s a problem. A problem on many levels. First and foremost, the planet simply can’t sustain the current population at the current level of consumption. Forget the non-renewable stuff, we know that is going to run out but until that day finally happens, nobody seems to care too much (oil, gold, metals, etc). It’s scarcity is the stuff wars are made of.

But even the supposed renewable supply lines are getting thin: trees, lakes, fish...well, basically anything that lives on this planet except for humans. We’re running out of EVERYTHING, and any statistic or study under the sun indicates that will continue getting worse before it gets better. If you don’t believe me, read the WWF’s latest living planet report just released. We are truly running out of what sustains us.

Ironically and sadly, the countries that do most of the consuming aren’t the ones who are feeling the initial effects of what we’ve done to our planet. It’s the poorest people in the poorest countries. It’s the fisherman in the Philippines who can’t find a single fish where schools used to thrive, it’s tribes in Ecuador who have had all their rivers poisoned by oil company run-offs, it’s almost anyone living in the hottest African and Asian countries where a 2-3 degree rise in temperature means lakes have disappeared and sand has replaced land that was recently arable.

So you’ll have to forgive some of us over here at SameSun if we don’t consider the recent market crashes as all bad news. The bottom line is people - especially people from the richest countries – have been buying too much “stuff”, living beyond their means and necessity, and burning through the treasures of this earth without a second thought for decades. It’s time to pay the piper and if that means overhauling how we live, how we perceive the earth, and how our economies are based, then so be it. It’s sad that millions of people have seen their retirement savings plummet, it’s sad that thousands of families are declaring bankruptcies every day, and it’s especially sad that again, it is the smallest economies that will take the biggest hit from the greed and stupidity of the largest.

But if it means citizens of this planet will be thinking twice now about the speed and capacity of their consumption, then it was all somewhat a necessary evil.

At SameSun Backpacker Lodges we believe that the more communication and interaction the youth of this world has, the better, and we also are proud of the fact we appeal to a market who have already made the conclusion that memories are more important then possessions....in 15 years working the backpacker business, I’ve never heard of anybody who regretted the decision to see the world!

Craig Kelley
President, SameSun Backpacker Lodges

For immediate release:
Nov 29, 2007

When our website designer, Riaz Virani asked me to submit an introduction to our new website area “Doing our part”, I thought about it for days. I have a lot of thoughts about the world and in fact, I started SameSun Backpacker Lodges 12 years ago in order to try and make the world a better place by leaving a positive impression on young generations from around the globe (corny but true).

When he specifically asked me to submit my “wish for the world”, I was further perplexed. Where would I begin? My first thought was for the world powers to stop salivating at the oil coming out of Sudan long enough to acknowledge, and take action on the sickening genocide that is happening as we speak. Then I started daydreaming on a bigger scale: what if the rich western nations were to stop selling rifles, arms, and landmines to every Tom Dick regime that popped up? That would have to have a positive effect on the populations they are used on. Or how about the animals we are wiping off the planet? Elephants, rhinos, tigers, and maybe the worst environmental atrocity of our generation – slaughtered sharks at the rate of 80 million a year. What if I used my one wish to force people to acknowledge the fact humans don’t have the unilateral right to decide which species are to live and which are to die?!

As my brain continued to smoke, the Sum 41 hit “We’re all to Blame” played on the radio and it became clear to me: we ARE all to blame and my wish for the world is for citizens around the planet to start understanding the association between their actions and what is happening to our planet. The only way real change is going to happen is from a grassroots “groundswell” formed by the people. Businesses operate on quarterly cycles, governments on 3 or 4 year election terms. Planning our future on those two entities alone doing the right thing is woefully unrealistic.

Complaining about CO2 emissions while you drive your Escalade to Whistler for the weekend, or wondering why so many species are disappearing as you slurp your shark fin soup…buying shares in companies you haven’t researched or voting for political parties who have no stand on environmental issues…it’s all the same and we all need to take some responsibility to do the right thing.

Below are organizations I have chosen to support. There are dozens of other organizations that are of similar benefit to our world, it’s just a matter of picking something that is important to you and helping their cause. Remember, if you are looking at this website, the chances are you belong to the 15% of the planet’s population that doesn’t have to wonder where their next meal or cup of water is going to come from…and just a few bucks a month goes a long way. If you can’t afford it until after your backpacker expedition, then sign up after.

Greenpeace Amnesty International Sea Shepherd Conservation Society World Wildlife Federation MSF (doctors without borders) Thankfully, many creative, knowledgeable, and brave individuals have put out books, documentaries, movies, videos, etc, outlining aspects of the planet we need to educate ourselves on if we plan to improve this world and the living creatures who share the resources with us. Increasing the collective TRUTH has to be the starting point for real change. The following are media I was moved by, there are thousands others out there, but some personal recommendations: Inconvenient Truth Hotel Rwanda Sharkwater Blood Diamond Lord of War The Corporation (documentary) World over a Barrel (documentary) Confessions of an economic hit man - Author: John Perkins Thanks for your interest in SameSun Backpacker Lodges. Here, we do our best to “do our part” for this planet. Besides impressing our message that “we all live under the SameSun”, our operations is also focused on treading lightly on this planet: we use low watt bulbs in all our rooms, environmentally-friendly cleaning and supply products, and the company matches – dollar for dollar – charitable donations that our staff make to various causes. Enjoy your stay with us. Craig Kelley President, SameSun Backpacker Lodges

More related links:

1. Plight of the Polar Bear
2. Culling Dolphins in Japan
3. Peter Russell's World Clock
   
   FEATURED LINK:
   
   
4. Free Rice - Helping to end world hunger
5. Operation Musashi - The Entirely Possible Impossible Mission