Environmental Films

I am sure you are one of the thousands of people who have watched the Al Gore film, An Inconvenient Truth (http://www.climatecrisis.net/an-inconvenient-truth.php). If not check out the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAK8Cd4t0WA



It is movies like “An Inconvenient Truth” that get people excited and probably scared. Scared to a point of not being able to see how they can take action that will make a difference.

So I was really excited when friends started saying to me that I must watch the movie Home. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/user/homeproject as it has some superb scenery.



Though when I was half way through the movie I got this concern that the movie was going to leave me once again in a place of being paralysed to take action. Thank goodness it did finish with some positive news and ways people are making a difference. However, after the 1h30m I was left thinking what are really positive movies I could be sharing with people to give them the courage and inspiration to know that we all can make a real positive difference to our climate.

Well a good friend of mine said check out the 22 minute film called “Hope in a changing climate” (http://hopeinachangingclimate.org/). Well I did and I was very impressed. It is about ecological restoration projects of huge scale happening across China and Africa that are producing superb results for their communities in terms of food and water security.

If you are looking for a boost on what you can do then I do encourage you to watch this short movie at http://hopeinachangingclimate.org/.


The programme documents the remarkably successful efforts of local people to restore denuded, degraded ecosystems – transforming them into verdant, life-sustaining environments which enable people to break free from entrenched poverty. The film contains breathtaking before and after footage of large-scale restoration projects. Presented by John D. Liu, founder of the Environmental Education Media Project (EEMP) and creator of the film Lessons of the Loess Plateau, the new programme is directed by Jeremy Bristow from the BBC, the award-winning producer of the acclaimed David Attenborough series The Truth about Climate Change.

The area of restoration on the Loess Plateau in China is the size of Belgium and thousands of years of subsistence farming had made it barren and unfertile. In 1995 The Chinese Government, with support from The World Bank, took drastic action to rehabilitate the plateau, and local people – seen as both perpetuators and victims of the devastation – became part of the solution.

Looking forward to hearing about similar films that give us solutions not just problems.

Grow well
Dr Merrin

Climate Change and Blogging

I love communicating with people especially when it involves great ways to help us all understand better the sustainability of the human population on planet earth.

I am regularly involved with community awareness raising projects whether they be online using social media or personal events where people really get their “hands dirty” by being connected. Whether that is planting trees, making compost or picking vegetables at places like Ark Eden (www.arkedenonlantau.com) on Lantau Island or a beach clean up with say DB Green in Discovery Bay (www.dbgreen.org). Hong Kong has amazing choices.

To me taking action is far more important than talking about it. However communicating the message so that more people become aware of the issues is really an important step so hence I am involved with groups such as Green Drinks (www.greendrinks.org), Earth Champions (www.earthchampions.org) and Clean Air Network Hong Kong (www.hongkongcan.org) which give people the ideas and support to take the action they are most comfortable with. A superb format for getting to know what issues you are passionate about is the Pachamama Alliances – Awakening the Dreamer Symposium. Check out where a symposium is near you at www.awakeningthedreamer.org

Now that you are sitting in front of your computer reading this, how about responding to this blog with your thoughts or start your own blog and help more people understand what climate change means to us all.

I wrote this posting on Blog Action Day ’09 Climate Change (www.blogactionday.org). Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. I hope my contribution to Blog Action Day 2009 will help it be one of the largest-ever social change events on the web.

Check out this suggested list of Ways to get Involved from www.blogactionday.org

1. Sign the Tck Tck Tck campaign's "I am ready" pledge supporting an ambitious, fair and binding climate agreement in Copenhagen this fall: tcktcktck.org/people/i-am-ready
2. Register for the 350.org International Day of Climate Action October 24: www.350.org
3. Join the UK Government's "Act on Copenhagen" effort to promote a global deal on climate change: www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk/en
4. Learn and act with The Nature Conservancy's Planet Change site: change.nature.org
5. Watch and help promote Current TV's green-themed video journalism at: current.com/green
6. Support strong climate legislation in the US by making calls to your Senators with 1Sky: www.1sky.org/call
7. Put yourself on the Vote Earth map and upload your photos, pictures and weblinks to show the world future you want to see: www.earthhour.org/home
8. It was a repeat of Number 7 so I suggest you stop and take a break with either a nice fresh juice or an organic beer!
   
9. Join the Greenpeace cool IT challenge campaign to turn IT industry leaders into climate advocates and solution providers: www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/climate-change/cool-it-challenge
10. Add your personal story and tell the world what you will miss the most when you lose it to climate change with the United Nations Foundation Climate Board: www.unfoundation.org/global-issues/climate-and-energy/its-getting-personal
11. Find the latest and most popular climate change actions online at globalwarming.change.org
12. Join the Causecast community and find new ways to get involved with organizations working to end climate change. Watch videos, read news and support one of the many environmental nonprofits on Causcast. www.causecast.org/environment
13. Post to your blog or Twitter account about the impact of climate change on the world's poorest, and then take action with Oxfam International: www.oxfam.org.uk/climate

Enjoy your day of blogging and taking action on climate change everyday.

Grow well

Dr Merrin Pearse

P.S. who said blogging cannot take place with your mates!

Growing our ECOnomy

We all felt the chills of those winter days in late 2008 while the “financial storms” swept the world. Many people were locked inside their own business world just making sure they survived the impact of these financial storms on their business. In the middle of the storm the business reality set in and some people could not be supported any longer by their companies. As a result they were “put outside” to weather the storm themselves.

We are now able to look back over those wintry days from a place where we are beginning to feel the warmth of spring days. New ideas are emerging and many people are looking for new business seeds to grow, that will provide sufficient resources before the end of the next autumn, so as to ensure they are better prepared for the next winter cycle. Yes the business cycles keep happening just like the seasons.

Some parts of the world weathered the financial storm relatively better than others. For example Singapore and Hong Kong survived quite well (maybe like their weather the seasons are not too varied or perhaps they just were more prepared for the storms). Meanwhile the Banking and Automobile sectors in the USA were almost putout to weather the storms all by themselves. The most important factor in any cycle is to look for ways of developing and growing so as to be stronger and more effective in the future.

What has really been highlighted during this latest financial storm is the importance of business looking even more closely at its role in a truly global economy. By global economy, I mean the impact that people have on the sustainability of the planet. We have all heard the messages from the likes of Al Gore through the film “The Inconvenient Truth” however this latest storm shifted the way in which many organisations conduct their business.

Many businesses have changed, well it is actually the people operating those businesses that have changed. Though the real question is have enough people changed? Asking that in a more direct way, have you changed? The changes you may have made are to now look at your business choices by taking into account equally the considerations of:

• Is this a good choice for me (myself and my business),
• for you (my suppliers and customers) and
• the planet (my home)?

Lets look at each of these 3 questions in turn.

Is it good for me? Of course you need to look after yourself and your business. You need to consider both the short term and long term impacts of your decisions. For example, if you make a product by cutting costs and lowering the quality, then your brand may become know as an inferior one that does not last.

Is it good for you? Making products that may give you great financial short term gains while compromising the health or safety of your suppliers or customers is not likely to lead to them continuing to use your products. Think about the examples of the Melamine in Milk or the Lead in the paint of children’s toys.

Is it good for the planet? As you know, we only have one world to live on and keeping that healthy is important for us all. Using production processes that pollute the water we need to drink or the air we need to breathe can be a significant problem for all people and creatures. Look at the example of how plastic is not degrading in the environment, it is accumulating in our waterways and being ingested by fish and animals where it stays in their stomachs and eventually feeds back into our own food.

Do you have defined systems in place to actually assess opportunities against these three questions? As you know having systems in place helps ensure consistency between different meetings and workshops. However, having the system in place is only one step. The second step is ensuring that the system is followed. Do you ensure your meeting and workshop facilitators know how your system works?

When facilitating workshops and meetings I like to remind people that it is the quality of the people’s input that creates great products, which in turn allows integrity of those products to have a great perception in the market place. This leads to your increased market share and hence increased profit. It does however not stop there. The way the company shares their profits creates even greater loyalty with people both inside the organisation and of course this also follows on to the wider community.

So how do you share your company’s profits with your suppliers, customers and the community? Are you creating a win-win-win situation in terms of the three areas of looking after me and you and the planet?

This leads companies to look at their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives and their Philanthropic Initiatives. No longer is just good enough to give away money to causes. Knowing those causes and actually participating with those causes through staff programmes is becoming the norm. Partnering with these causes gives a new meaning or purpose to making profits for the company.

Now where do you hold your team meetings and workshops? Are they always in the same meeting room? Why not vary the venue so you get to see different people shine. You could even use the venues that your CSR cause has available. I particularly like walking meetings in the outdoors. Have you tried a picnic at the botanic gardens, walking along the waterfront or heading out on a boat cruise? Naturally people will behave in different ways outside the meeting room and therefore their thinking will also change. When outside take note of what is going on with the different seasons and how the different plants and animals adapt. You may even see a natural example of an issue you are facing in your own business and can take that approach “back to work”. It may be to do with your waste products and you see that there is a natural way to decompose or reuse it as part of an additional product line. As you know, ideally in business (just as in nature) there should be no waste that can not be used by another business (organism) to support its niche in the market place (environment).

So rather than considering how you can grow your economy again with only a main stream approach why not start with an eco-logical perspective as you can not have an ECOnomy without an eco start!

Grow well
Dr Merrin

(written for http://www.walkyourtalk.asia/)

20 years of GPS for Dr Merrin

Wow,
I have been using GPS technology to support survey and mapping activities since 1989. How the technology has changed and the range of applications expanded!!!

During a meeting in Hong Kong with WONG Chung-hang (Deputy Director of Survey and Mapping Office), Gordon ANDREASSEND (Former Head of Survey and Mapping Office) and Simon Chi-wo KWOK (Chief Land Surveyor) on 29 July 2009 it came up in discussions that I had been using the GPS technology now for 20 years. I was amazed. So decided to write about it to capture some of those 20 years.

(Mr Kwok, Mr Wong, Mr Andreassend and Mr Pearse)

So, where has GPS taken me? Further than I ever thought.

Initially in New Zealand the technology took me via with the Government survey department (DOSLI) from one end of the country to the other teaching people to use the equipment and undertaking surveys. I either drove, walked, flew (yeah in helicopters) or sailed to forests, mountain tops, farms and to out to sea. Then into a research and application role which included:

• my PhD studies in Australia
• implementing the new geodetic datum in New Zealand (NZDG2000)
• investigating GPS height modelling with the use of geoid models, and
• undertaking audits of surveying and engineering consultancy firms.

Globally I have been involved in projects and events that utilise GPS technology in the following countries:

• Australia
• Fiji
• Iraq
• Kuwait
• Ethiopia
• Eritrea
• Nigeria
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Brazil and
• Antarctica

(South Pole Jan 2000 - fixing cables in -52DegC)

That is pretty amazing. Let me highlight these projects.

• Australia – Processing data to help establish the new Geocentric Datum of Australia (GDA)
• Fiji – Terrain surveys for a new coastal resort involving 4wd quad motorbikes and boats all mounted with GPS receivers
• Africa – Quality Assurance of boundary surveys between countries for the United Nations
• Brazil – Geoid modeling workshop with other global experts
• Antarctica – Tracking ice flows at South Pole and Earth Deformation Monitoring in Trans-Antarctic Mountains including the Dry Valleys.

What a journey so far! Now back to that meeting in Hong Kong, it finished with a tour of Hong Kong’s Satellite Positioning Reference Station Network Control Room. This is where they monitor via 12 GPS receivers the status of the GPS satellite signals in the Hong Kong region.


And to think that after 20 years I finally bought my own GPS receiver. Yeah, now I walk around with a GPS unit in my pocket disguised as a phone (Love my Nokia E71).

Grow well
Dr Merrin

Professional Speaker

Looking for a Professional Speaker that can motivate your staff and inspire them to perform nearer to their full potential, well there are many choices.

However, if you want to have an environmental and sustainability focus from someone that has been out there connecting with nature and the business community your options are more select.

This may be why you are looking at this site. Thanks for visiting. Here is a little more about myself, Dr Merrin Pearse, the Professional Speaker.

I specializes in connecting businesses with their environment, in particular the natural environment. As an Ecoprenuer, I am an ecologically-focused entrepreneur. Raised on a New Zealand dairy farm and with a PhD in Geodesy (read expert in GPS Technology and Mapping) my career has connected me with all the continents of the world, from surveying at the South Pole to nature conservation projects in the tropics. I have been recognised with the Award of Merit for my work on the International Border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, voted the best conference presentation (topic: quality assurance) and is active on numerous business sustainability committees.

Through my surveying experiences I have witnessed the destruction of unique natural environments which could have be avoided with more sustainable design and build options. These experiences have focused me on this journey of speaking to others about the beauty of nature and how we can all live and work in harmony with our natural environment. I have lived in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong and travelled extensively. I have spoken with groups such as Land Surveyors, Property Owners/Developers, Rotarians, Entrepreneurs and School Classes.



If you are looking for a dynamic and passionate speaker that can bring together the realities of business with the desire for staff and colleagues to perform at their full potential then I am your speaker.

To find out if I am available then contact one of my preferred Speaker Bureaus:
- in Hong Kong - Speakers Connect http://www.speakersconnect.com
- in Singapore - SpeakerStation.asia http://www.speakerstation.asia

Of course once the date is confirmed we can discuss the format for the Keynote Presentation that will be serve your requirements and the audience. Here are some of my presentation topics:

• A Path Towards to Sustainability - An inspirational personal storey of my own journey from a land surveying career to being an Ecopreneur.
• Living with Eggs - Explores how people’s passions can be hidden within an organization and if not hatched then their full potential is not being utilized.
• GPS - Getting People Smiling - Delivered as Dr GPS the presentation provides people the chance to reveal their creative abilities while reducing their barriers to communication, resulting in stimulated and supportive staff.
• Awakening the Dreamer – Changing the Dream Symposium - A half-day guided interactive video workshop developed by the Pachamama Alliance (http://awakeningthedreamer.org/) designed to awaken and inspire people to take action in the pursuit of a fair, peaceful and sustainable future.

Looking forward to speaking to you soon!

Grow well
Dr Merrin

P.S. - I also provide MC services, check those out at
http://asia-ecopreneur.blogspot.com/2008/12/hong-kong-mc.html

I am ready to travel to your event!

An eco week in London

I have had a great time connecting with such inspiring people that are making an incredible difference to the way we are living on this planet. Thanks to you all so much for sharing your time.

I thought that it would be quite interesting to let you know who I have met up with as I am sure there are some exciting opportunities to work together.


So here is a list of the people I met in the order I caught up with them. Having said that I am going to start with one of the people that I did not catch up with though who was instrumental in my introductions to many people. Thanks Gina.

Gina Lazenby - http://ginalazenby.wordpress.com/ is inspiring women for success in business & at home.

Katie Young - www.katieyoungdesign.com is pioneering ethical and eco design & product development, and has recently produced stylish raincoats from fabric made from plastic bottles.

Chris Le Breton is part of a team of people promoting The Awakening the Dreamer Symposium in London. He is active with the Transition Towns initiative. He is also planning a bicycle tour from New Zealand to London via Asia in 2010.

Mike Southon - http://www.beermat.biz/mike_southon.php Thanks for sharing the wonderful space at the Adam Street Club and your wonderful insights into business via your knowledge of the Wealth Dynamics profiling. If you really want to experience the energy of Mike then check out Mike Fab-Gere (www.fabgere.com) and book him for an extremely entertaining and educational event.

Joining Mike and I at the Adam Street Club were:
- Shaylesh Patel - www.healthyplanet.org - Healthy Planet enables you to support conservation by adopting plots in protected parks throughout the world and helping to map the parks, monitor the parks and fund conservation actions in the parks.
- John Grant - http://greenormal.blogspot.com/ - is a green marketing expert.
- Al Tepper - http://www.linkedin.com/in/altepper - who is an integral part of Natural Collection (www.naturalcollection.com) the UK's leading green amazon.com type etailer
- Susan Mills and Adam Pattantyus who are driving forces in the Resilient Cities Initiative which is model for swift, aligned action for climate and other social issues. They are yet to have details online about this initiative. They both work for www.merrimackmanagementassociates.com

Catching up with Oliver Tickell was going to be in Oxford and then we discovered he was going to be in London at the Sustainable Development Commissions Break Through event. So as his Kyoto2 (www.kyoto2.org) proposal was one of the 20 projects being presented.

At the SDC event I got to meet the following great people
- Maria Adebowale from Capacity Global (www.capacity.org.uk) was talking about cultural diversity. Loved her approach. Their mission statement is "A fair and equitable society can only exist if everyone has a right to participate in the major decisions that affect their lives. Only with full public participation can effective strategies for social justice, eradication of poverty and a healthy environment be found."
- Lesley Lambert from Compassion in world farming (www.ciwf.org.uk) which certainly struck an accord with my upbringing on a farm and the various situations animals can be raised.
- Mark Shearer from ProjectDirt.com (www.ProjectDirt.com) who are providing a wonderful online platform for groups and business to let people know via maps where they are making a difference in their community.
- Duncan Kay from the Sustainable Development Commission (www.sd-commission.org.uk) where he is a Transport Policy Analyst. Duncan turned up at the conference wearing a suit and riding a bike! Sounds like my travel to work in HK.
- Chris Church from Mapping for Change (www.mappingforchange.org.uk) who specialise in providing participatory mapping services to communities, voluntary sector organisations, local authorities and developers using a suite of innovative tools for communication.

A day around Charing Cross was had meeting up with:
- Jon Ralls who is a leading part of the Be The Change Initiative (www.bethechange.org.uk). One of the components of the Be The Change Initiative is hosting the Pachamama Awakening the Dreamer Symposiums.
- Leon Aarts who is a Social Innovator and the founder of Extraordinary Ones (www.extraordinaryones.com) which is helping individuals make a difference with every purchase they make.
- Jeff and Julie Wicks who are superb couple that base themselves between Hong Kong and Australia (yes they were in London). They support a number of social causes as well as providing great mentoring.
- Ashley Blackmore who I had not seen since being in Bali together in 2005. Ashley provides guidance & stimulus to organisations with sustainable environment & healthy living agendas. http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=65773
- Cyrille Jegu from www.naturalstep.org. The Natural Step is an international not-for-profit organisation dedicated to education, advisory work and research in sustainable development.

The Triumphant Events Team - http://www.triumphantevents.co.uk/
Michael Clarke offered me the chance to crew at Topher Morrison (www.tophermorrison.com) The Winning the Game of Wealth 3 day seminar. What a great event and thanks to Daniel Priestley and the TE Team. Daniel looking forward to hosting your social media seminar in Hong Kong. For those of you in London check out when the next seminar is at http://www.triumphantevents.co.uk/events?access=social-media-affiliate-marketing

Other crew members at the TE Event were:
- Janay Alexander is doing wonderful work helping mothers to keep the child birthing process simple www.thebirthspecialists.com (The website should be active by the end of July)
- John Hancock is giving pets an eco bed option. Check out www.petlifeonline.co.uk
- Justine Clare is doing great things assisting people to utilize Social Media tools. For ideas head to http://Triumphantmedia.wordpress.com

Final thanks must go to Christine and Steve for allowing us the use of their car and house. The house did come with Christine’s mother and sister, which was superb. Thanks Kath and Katy for your hospitality. Katy is a UK immigration specialist and her company is www.definitive-is.com

So a superb week was had and I look forward to hearing the successes of your respective projects.

For those of you who have not met me you might like to check out the view from our place in Hong Kong at http://asia-ecopreneur.blogspot.com/2008/02/magic-of-mui-wo-lantau-island-hong-kong.html

Grow well
Dr Merrin

HK websites

Thanks to my friend Adrienne who sent me through this list of "useful" Hong Kong Websites. I asked her how you find out where the buses and mini-buses run. Got this response so thought that I should share this with others as I found it useful.

Happy public commuting!

Grow well
Dr Merrin

Information:

http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/homepage/cust_index.html very good at public transportation- can put point to point and will tell you route,time and cost for MTR/KCR

http://www.ypmap.com/en/viewer.asp?mapService=LocationMap map to locate building, villages, streets etc.

http://www.nwfb.com.hk/opening.asp bus routes – does point to point and timing

http://www.nwfb.com.hk/chi/index.htm bus routes – does point to point and timing

http://www.td.gov.hk/transport_in_hong_kong/public_transport/minibuses/index.htm Mini bus routes

http://www.asiaxpat.com/ ***expat site with information on just about everything include buy/sell, amahs, movies

http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm Hong Kong gov’t

http://parks.afcd.gov.hk/newparks/eng/index.htm HK parks

http://www.underground.org.hk/ **** weather

http://www.td.gov.hk/publications_and_press_releases/publications/free_publications/annual_transport_digest_2000__/franchised_ferries/index.htm Ferry

http://www.hkkf.com.hk/en/ferry/index.html ferry

http://www.starferry.com.hk/new/en/index.asp ferry

Events Cultural and movies:

http://www.hksingers.com/ musicals

http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/CityHall/index1.html cultural events

http://www.hkculturalcentre.gov.hk/index_e.htm cultural events

http://www.hkculturalcentre.gov.hk/eindex.html cultural events

http://www.hkac.org.hk/ art centre

http://www.operahongkong.org/ Opera

http://www.hongkongplayers.com/ Plays

Clubs

http://www.rgshk.org.hk/ --***club

http://www.asiasociety.com/ club

http://www.awa.org.hk/ woman’s club

http://www.royalasiaticsociety.org.hk/ ****club

http://www.textilesocietyofhk.org/default.asp club

http://www.cathaycameraclub.com/ Photo club

http://www.hongkongphotoclub.com/ Photo club

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SaturdayHikers/ great hiking club

http://www.hkadventurer.com/ hiking club

http://hkwaterfall.net/hk_falls/hkwf_mnp.htm hiking club

http://www.hkcrystal.com/hiking/ hiking sunday

http://hktrampers.com/ hiking club

http://www.gthhh.com/database/counsrch.asp?srchcoun=Hong%20Kong%20SAR

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saturdayhikers/ ****hiking

http://home.netvigator.com/~hasher/ hash club of hk

Look at the chambers—USA, AUZ,British they have cocktail mixers all the time.

My 40th birthday

What a great day I had on my 40th Birthday. The morning started with an awesome thunder and lightening show. Over 230 lightening strikes were record in Hong Kong between 4am to 5am. See and hear some of those flashes in this video.



Headed off to the beach while it was still raining. With over 90mm of rain in the hour the water at the beach was very muddy so we (Lulu and I) decided a splash rather than a swim.

I wrote a list of 40 things I wanted to do for my fortieth and so some of them were certainly completed early that day. For the full list check out http://asia-ecopreneur.blogspot.com/2009/06/21-days-till-i-am-turning.html

For my day I was with fellow Pachamama Facilitators experiencing the 2 day of the deeper facilitator training. It was superb and they also created a birthday atmosphere for me. A glimpse of the fun can be viewed in this video clip.



For the evening I met up with friends on top of the Central Star Ferry Pier building at Pier 7 Café. Great spot to share some drinks with friends!

21 days till I am turning ...

4T
(yeah it looks better than as a word (Forty) or a number (40), and Yes it is one of those big round numbers!)

So I thought, how can I make this another memorable birthday.

I would love to be with you all on my birthday.

Then I realised it is possible! You may be asking how.

Well I have decided to write down 40 things that I would like to do for my fortieth birthday. They are listed below. Once you have looked at them I am sure there is at least one you might like to consider partaking in with me.

So on the 21st June I look forward to being with you all in this special way.

So here we go

1) Have Friends For Tea (both over a cup of tea or a meal)
2) Share 40secs of Laughter Yoga
3) Wash windows on the 40th floor (preferable from the outside)
4) Smile at 40 strangers
5) Listen to “It is a beautiful day” by U2
6) Listen to “The Gambler” and “The Coward of the County” by Kenny Rogers
7) Donate $480 ($1 for every month of my life)
8) Hug Louise
9) Hug a dog
10) Hug a tree
11) Eat 40 pieces of wonderful fruit
12) Hug 40 friends
13) Drink a nice cold beer with friends
14) Watch the sunrise
15) Hear a bird sing
16) Drink fresh clean water
17) Go for a swim
18) Draw a Mandela
19) Plant a tree
20) Have 1 minute silence to acknowledge those who have touched my life
21) Talk to my mother
22) Talk to my father
23) Talk to my sister
24) Talk to Louise’s family (affectionately know as the outlaws)
25) Record a video of my day
26) Watch the stars (I mean the ones outside in the night sky)
27) Learn 40 new ideas or concepts
28) Dance to some great music
29) Write a new quote to capture the day
30) Blog my experience of the day
31) Share one things about myself that others probably do not know about me
32) Do 40 press ups
33) Do 40 sit ups
34) Share my vision of free access to nature parks
35) Donate 40 pieces of clothing
36) Drink 42 Below Vodka
37) Pick up 40 pieces of rubbish
38) Eat chocolate that is at least 40% Cocoa
39) Take 40 deep breaths
40) Acknowledge the wonder of my first 40 years

So I am really looking forward to my fortieth birthday.

As you will see, number 30 is to Blog my experiences of the day. So it would be great if you could post your comments on what you did on 21 June on this blog that would be superb.

Grow well
Dr Merrin

The World According To Monsanto

What is happening to our food?

Having been bought up on a diary farm, I certainly have seen some of the farming practices.

This film does give you something to think about (well I hope it does).

Having the 10 minute sections does give you extra time to absorb the contents!

Enjoy or at least hear about another world (here in our world)!

Keith Vincent on Tourism and Conservation

Had a great and inspiring night listening to Keith Vincent. When you hear so much about the trouble travelling is causing in this world it is certainly worth remembering that there are great stories too! Thanks Keith

Info about the Safari's can be found at www.wilderness-safaris.com and bookings in Hong Kong can be made through www.atoasafaris.com.
Here is what the RGS (www.rgshk.org.hk) said to promote the event.

The Royal Geographical Society is pleased to welcome to Hong Kong at short notice Keith Vincent, Vice Chairman of the Botswana Tourism Board, which is tasked with developing the tourism industry and setting the tourism policies for the country's legendary wildlife reserves. Mr Vincent is a world expert on developing sustainable tourism in the environments of Africa. With a passion for conservation, his vision, which he is able to achieve and implement through his position, is to conserve and increase Africa's wildlife areas for future generations.

Mr. Vincent's wealth of expertise on conservation on the great plains of Africa comes from over 20 years experience running "Wilderness Safaris", a conservation organisation and ecotourism company promoting responsible tourism throughout the areas in which it operates in southern Africa. Its goal is to share these wild areas with guests, while at the same time helping to ensure the future preservation and regeneration of Africa's spectacular wildlife heritage.

Mr. Vincent runs camps and safaris in Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Seychelles with a group of like minded wildlife enthusiasts who came together to ensure that southern Africa's pristine wilderness areas remain sustainably preserved. They operate privately on 6.5 million acres of southern Africa's finest wildlife reserves in some 60 lodges and camps from Hwange National Park to the great Okavango.

They have been nominated for and won numerous international awards for their work.

Mr. Vincent explained how to run tourism sustainably, with eco-friendly practices. This involves the methods of construction of the camps, the reduction of waste, the use of solar power, ensuring the elimination of damage to the local environment. He also speaks of the right ways to conduct safari tours to ensure game viewing with minimum damage to local environments, while allowing animals to be watched without disturbance. Mr. Vincent argues that it is essential to preserve pristine wilderness areas and the flora and fauna, or biodiversity, that they support. Preserving these areas is essential for Africa and ultimately the world's great wilderness areas.

Mr. Vincent was educated in Zimbabwe. During this time he developed a love for the outdoors and natural history of the country and became a professional guide, working for various safari companies throughout the country, before settling in Victoria Falls in 1984. He joined Wilderness Safaris in 1993, becoming the Managing Director of the Company in 1996. In March 2001 he moved to Maun in Botswana and became the Managing Director of both Wilderness Safaris and Okavango Wilderness Safaris. He is presently the Vice Chairman of the Botswana Tourism Board, which is tasked with developing the tourism industry and setting the tourism policies for the country.

Grow well
Dr Merrin

Speakers Boot Camp

John Shackleton’s Speakers Boot Camp is all set to happen for the first time in Asia!

Let me outline a couple of the benefits of attending the Speakers Boot Camp here in this blog.

Would you like to:
· Fast Track your Speaking Business?
· Earn a 6 figure income from speaking?
· Rise to the top of the best profession in the world?
· Learn the secrets of successful speakers?
· Get more bookings from the Speakers Bureaus?
· Avoid the pitfalls that many speakers make, early in their career?
· Know what promotional materials you must have to succeed?
· Have more control over your audience and get standing ovations?

Do check out the attached flyer, watch the video and visit John’s Website to get a more complete picture of what you will gain by participating.


John Shackleton (http://www.johnshack.com/) is Australasia’s number one performance expert, with more than 25 years experience in the speaking industry throughout Europe and the USA. John emigrated to New Zealand in 2003 and built a 6 figure speaking business from scratch in his first year! He went on to achieve his CSP qualification from NSAA in only 3 ½ years. This qualification is only awarded to the top 5% of speakers worldwide and usually requires 5-7 years to complete. On this Boot Camp John will share exactly how he achieved this phenomenal success in such a short period of time.

Watch John’s video about the Boot Camp and view testimonials from boot camp attendees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3KGcmb6wog)

I look forward to joining you on this Speakers Boot Camp on 5th, 6th and 7th June.

To book check out the contact details in the flyer.

Yes I will personally be participating as I have been attempting to attend this Boot Camp myself for the last 3 years in New Zealand and Australia, so instead I have convinced John to come to Hong Kong!

Grow well
Dr Merrin

A Weekend in Zhaoqing

Louise and I had an exciting adventure, heading off from Hong Kong at 6pm on Friday 17 April and returning 6pm on Sunday 19 April.

Here is Louise's account of the trip...enjoy!



With a visa for a trip across the border to China soon to expire we checked out the option of traveling beyond Shenzhen but only within a few hours travel of Hong Kong. After an hour or so research of guide books in Dymocks and Bookazine we settled on Zhaoqing, which is about 120km west of Guangzhou. We read that it had a limestone landscape similar to Guilin so we thought we’d give it a go. Our research showed that one could either catch a ferry from the China ferry terminal or a train from Hung Hom, however neither of these options were suitable as they left in the middle of the day and we could not leave Hong Kong until around 6pm.

We therefore decided to travel by local trains…MTR to Lo Wu, walk across the border and then a train direct to Zhaoqing. Well, that was the plan however when we got to Shenzhen we found out that there were no trains to direct to Zhaoqing so the only option was to jump on a train to Guangzhou and then change for Zhaoqing.



We arrived at Guangzhou Main station and followed the crowd off the platform, finding ourselves outside the station and part of a substantial Friday evening crowd. We then had a bit of drama trying to locate the ticket booth for our onward journey to Zhaoqing. Thought we had to go back inside so we got in a queue and ended up “breaking” through security by vaguely waving our used train tickets from Shenzhen, only to find ourselves inside the concourse walking around in circles at various departure gates, where only onward ticket holders were supposed to be. We finally located the ticket office outside the station building.

We then had a bit of drama trying to locate the ticket booth for our onward journey to Zhaoqing. Thought we had to go back inside so we got in a queue and ended up “breaking” through security by vaguely waving our used train tickets from Shenzhen, only to find ourselves inside the concourse walking around in circles at various departure gates, where only onward ticket holders were supposed to be. We finally located the ticket office outside the station building.

With the help of props such as the very handy ‘used Shenzhen train ticket’ and a printout of Google Map in Chinese from the internet showing the Guangzhou – Zhaoqing) area, we managed to communicate where we wanted to go, only to find that there were no trains available till the next day. Plan B find a hotel (wondered how easy this would be on Canton Fair weekend). It proved not that difficult. Found a basic hotel just around the corner from the station. Here the reception staff spoke good English and were very helpful, so we were able to get advice about traveling to Zhaoqing the next day.

The advice was to catch a bus and not the train, so off we set the next day in search of the bus station. We had been pointed to the other end of the plaza in front of the railway station so we quite simply followed the crowds (including those with chickens in boxes) until we happened upon the intercity bus terminal, actually just around the corner from the station. Managed to secure a ticket and find the right bus (no chickens on this bus). Half an hour later we were on our way. First traveling though Guangzhou city then through the countryside beyond. It was a grey day made even greyer by the pall of smog in this, the industrial south of China.



It seems that every spare square inch in China is cultivated. There certainly are not many areas that are under utilized with the edges of the fields all planted with crops where in NZ there would just be grass and weeds. As we got deeper into the countryside the landscape along the plains of the Pearl River formed a patchwork of farmland interspersed with small ponds of geese or duck farms. Closer to Zhaoqing we started to run alongside the limestone hills that are a feature of the area and soon we arrived in the city.

On entering Zhaoqing the bus skirted Xinghu Lake (Star Lake), which surrounds the Seven Star Crags for which the city has become famous. Not that we could see the Seven Star Crags as the “haze” was rather thick, and rain was threatening so the resulting visibility was very low. The Seven Star Crags are limestone crags arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper and are one of the main tourist attractions of the city.

On arrival I was desperate to find a loo so followed my nose (literally) to the Ladies toilet at bus station where I was horrified to find that none of the toilet stalls had doors! You had to walk down the row (about 6 stalls) past ladies squatting inside, to find a vacant space. When you got to go, you got to go!

We had lunch at a street cafe where we had a great view of the comings and goings of the locals. Many motorcycles raced by, most motorcyclists “protected” by plastic helmets perched on the top of their heads with undone straps flapping in the wind. Local rickshaw drivers touted for business to take us around the sights however we chose to head for the hills instead of staying in the city over night.

Just 18km northeast of Zhaoqing is Mount Dinghu (Dinghu Shan). Dinghu Shan is renown for its beautiful mountain and forest scenery with tumbling waterfalls and ancient temples. The region has been named a World Nature Protection Association and is one of UNESCO’s ecology research centres. Dinghu has various accommodation options but we were more interested in finding a room within the park. We again used our trusty map as a prop to find out which bus to catch (local bus #21). Once the bus was sussed we went for a bit of a wander on the promenade by the lake. The rain was now setting in, so we ducked into a shopping mall to escape the deluge.

Outside motorcyclists had now all donned their poncho raincoats with even pillion passengers catered for with ponchos with double head holes! I decided that I needed a poncho (single) to wear on my mountain bike to dodge the downpours when heading from our house to the ferry terminal in Mui Wo, so we set about hunting for them in the mall. While riding an escalator in the mall 3 teenage boys decided to start a conversation to practice their English. They asked if they could help us, so we engaged them in showing us where to buy said ponchos…at the super market of course! I bought my single and I must say that I was very temped to buy a double one for my sister Ange and brother in law Glenn so that they could use it when riding with the HOG crowd on Harley Davidson rallies! The boys enjoyed the interaction with us and confessed that it was the first time any of them had ever spoken to a foreigner.



We then headed to a bus stop and waited and waited watching every number bus come and go but no #21. Finally after about one hour a very rickety local bus 21 came along complete with metal tubular bar seats – very comfortable - NOT. We rattled along for the 30 minute journey stopping at every bus stop, as one would expect of a local bus. Arrived at Dinghu and were deposited at the end of the line just by the park entrance. We tried to find out about the park accommodation options from one of the local tourist operators but language difficulties put paid to that idea. Then a friendly American “local” told us that as well as the main hotel in the park there were a couple of monasteries that also offered accommodation.

We each paid our 50yuan for park entry then inside each bought a 15yuan ticket to ride the local transport to the top of the mountain. On the way up we were lucky enough to capture glimpses of the plains below. On a clear day it would have been a really cool view out over the Xijiang River plains.

The park itself is well worth a visit. Really nice bush and some cool pagodas and garden areas. At the top of the hill there were temples and lookout points set in gardens. It was pretty packed with local tourists but we were the only white faces in the crowd. Got talking to a group of university students who were of course keen to practice their English and all either individually or in groups of one or two wanted to have photos taken with us. We managed to escape the photo taking frenzy and headed off on foot down the other side of the mountain. About half way down we came upon a Buddhist monastery and temple with a hotel attached.



After taking a look at the rooms we decided to check in for the night. Not a bad deal – 380yuan for a spacious bedroom with adjoining small lounge area. It soon became obvious that we were the only guests for the night. By 6pm, after the monks drumming session on a huge gong outside the temple, all the other tourists had left and the place became airily silent. We were now the only non-monastery people there. It was a pretty cool atmosphere wandering around the temple in the pleasantly drizzling rain. Fragrant joss sticks and candles burning with their smoke diffusing in the low light and fog.

As we checked in we had arranged to go to dinner in the restaurant at 7pm, but upon arrival, the restaurant was completely dark with not a sole in sight. We went back and quizzed reception and they managed to find the one guy who spoke English who roused the chefs and helped us to order…vegetarian food duly cooked and delivered to our room.

The beds at this hotel lived up to the usual Chinese standard (our experience to date in 3/4 star hotels has been rock hard beds). At 3am the monks let loose on the gong again (we had been warned about this). It was not too loud and actually quite soothing in a weird sort of way. At 8am we checked out and started our wander down the valley. It was very pretty wandering through the bush and especially nice that we were the only tourists in the park at this early hour. We walked down the trail to the accompaniment of piped Chinese music eventually coming to a very pretty waterfall, which was famous for being where Sun Yat Sen used to swim in the cool waters.

Got back to Dinghu and wandered the streets before the #21 bus turned up to take us on the bone jarring trip back to Zhaoqing. Back in Zhaoqing we again found someone who could speak English (in Walmart no less) to tell us how to get to the railway station. This entailed catching the #1 bus, which being a “town” bus this was not quite as rickety as the #21. This bus seemed to circumnavigate the town so we had a local and very cheap tour where we got to drive alongside the river and see the Yuejiang Lu Tower and city walls built during the Song Dynasty.

We arrived at the station on the outskirts of the city and ascertained that the train to Guangzhou would leave in about an hour and a half. Not enough time to head back into the city for further sightseeing so we bought our tickets and wandered off to find food. First stop was a street fried dumpling vendor. These dumplings were so delicious we had to go back for seconds. Then found a local sidewalk café and had soup noodles before heading back to the station to wait for the train. Time for another toilet stop before our journey! When Merrin saw me walking back towards him grinning from ear to ear he knew he was in for another toilet story. This time not only were the stalls open, but instead of individual porcelain squat toilets there was one central chute that you squatted above. If you were lucky enough to be at the end of the row, you got to watch everyone else’s business floating on by!!!



Finally there was an announcement that the train was due to arrive. As soon as the announcement was made everyone jumped up to queue at the gate. As usual we did not bother trying to be at the front of the queue, but in retrospect this was a mistake. Everyone had their tickets checked at the gate and were then herded out to line up at the appropriate mark on the platform according to ticket number. Of course as soon as the train appeared the lines meant nothing…it was a free for all, everyone running and elbowing to get on to the train first at whichever carriage they were nearest to. Naturally we were about the last ones on the train and it was only at this point that we realised that we had no seat numbers allocated. This of course meant no seats! So we spent the first hour of the journey standing in the vestibule, which oh joy also doubled as the smoking area! After a couple of stops where more people got off than got on, Merrin managed to secure one seat next to a small boy (his mum was sitting opposite). When I took my turn sitting the kid obviously thought I was a scary monster and moved to squeeze in with his mum, so Merrin and I ended up having a seat each for the rest of the journey.

We arrived in Guangzhou and duly caught the fast “fancy” commuter train, back to Shenzhen (with allocated seats of course). We walked across the border and jumped on the MTR back to Hong Kong from Lo Wu then ferried back to our island.

It was a great weekend trip! There are of course easier ways to get to Zhaoqing from Hong Kong including the ferry from the China ferry terminal or a train directly from Hung Hom, but hey, our way was way more fun!

Grow well
Dr Merrin