Those small little things...

...take the time to look for them and the time to experience them.

Fair Trade Lebanon has spent yesterday 3 hours in a classroom with 28 graduate students in Advertising and Marketing at the USJ University. The discussion was about Responsible Marketing (Benoit and myself participated from FTL) and Eco-Tourism (explained by M.Pascal Abdallah, a pioneer & consultant in Eco-Tourism in Lebanon).

We had set forward the importance of marketing...marketing not only a product, but a story, a reality, a person. Our approach is to quench the thirst of a consumer with a deeper experience, a social impact. And the small thing in this is the satisfaction that comes from a state of mind, that of choosing to support long-term sustainability. Our society has imposed on us a very fast rhythm of life...we consume, work and live so fast that we forget and often refuse to take the time to Stop. and See the small things.

Eco-Tourism is about contributing financially, physically and scientifically to the well being of our protected natural sites. It's about hearing the story behind the smallest elements defining our ecosystem. Believe it or not, if we don't react to the incompetence reigning in our country, we will head right into the wall. Our children and grandchildren will hold us responsible for our passiveness. And we will live with the guilt.

The society as a whole must take action; M. Everyone will not save Lebanon alone and we know that, but Universities and Students, Governments and Researchers, Specialized NGOs and Careful citizens WILL. I want to thank Professor Zeina Adaime for having chosen to point out the small things and for proposing new solutions and ideas to her students. It is about capacity building and about completely assuming the role of education for a greener and more responsible future.

Sometimes it takes one leap to create a thousand others, just like a ricochet on water. Isn't that simple?

Thank you for having taken the time to read…