The Elephant, Monkey, Rabbit, Peacock & YOU
Environmental conservation is a cornerstone of the Bhutanese constitution. The country’s commitment to preserving and protecting its natural resources is a remarkable and enviable jewel!
With that in mind we wanted to share the story of The Four Friends, it is a classic Bhutanese fable.To it we have added the concept of a Fifth Friend! A twist, for modern times in light of conservation issues. Enjoy!
The Four Friends and Eco Travel
The Four Friends is a story well known to all Bhutanese and visitors to Bhutan. The image of the Four Friends happily sitting on each others backs is painted in many public places in Bhutan. There are several versions of the story, here is one example:
The elephant, monkey, peacock and rabbit, all needing to eat to survive, discovered that by working harmoniously together, they could create a continual supply of delicious fruit. The peacock found a seed and planted it, then the rabbit watered it, the monkey fertilized it and the elephant guarded it. This way, a beautiful fruit tree grew and one day the tree had juicy fruit that was ripe enough to eat! This tree grew very high, and the fruit was way up in the lofty branches, so that each alone could not reach the fruit! Then it dawned on them that by working together they could create a special ladder to reach the fruit, and by climbing onto each others backs and working together they soon were high enough to pluck the fruit from the tree and eat to their hearts content.
“The End”
BUT, HOLD ON, NOW YOU CAN BECOME THE FIFTH FRIEND!
How?
By being the friend who visits in an environmentally friendly way and
who respects the natural world you come into contact with.
Lets protect our natural resources; we need them.
ECO TRAVEL IDEA’S
1. Travel less! Less travel helps the planet. When you do travel, go somewhere really special. 2. Bring your own reusable bags for shopping. 3. Airplane travel is hard on the planet. Emissions at higher altitudes result in a greater global warning impact. Ask your airline if they are using the latest technology, like Hawaiian Airlines is. Check out this link for more info- Hawaiian Airlines earns credits. 4. Keep plastic waste to a minimum. 5. Use biodegradable cleaning products when you bathe. Products from companies like Dr Bronner, Weleda, Dr Hauschka and Kiehls for instance. 6. Try staying away from checking your email, facebook, twitter, whatever, while on vacation. The amount of electricity we now use as a result of being connected to the internet 24/7 is a big change compared to the power load and thus CO2 emissions, before computers. 7. Buy locally made souvenirs. They are much better than stuff shipped in from China for instance and locally made handicrafts help the local economy.
(Hint, Hint)