Voluntary Ecotourism

WWOOF-World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms
is a global placement program for volunteers who are genuinely interested in learning about organic farming. Both hosts and volunteers pay a small fee for the sake of maintaining this system of contacts. There is no monetary compensation for these workers, however they do receive free accommodations on the farm of their choice. Typical work days will last 5 to 6 hours. In exchange for this free labor, WWOOFers get to learn about organic and ecologically sound growing methods. They interact among each other and experience living in a rural setting in a different country. An example could be harvesting coffee beans in Thailand. If you happen to stumble upon a nice, hospitable host family, you could very well become acquainted with the locals and going to the farmers’ market every weekend.

Every aspect of this program intrigues me in so many ways. I’m basically ready to buy myself a plane ticket once I can prove to my parents and myself the legitimacy of this program. I’ll admit I just couldn’t resist the urge to use school time to research on matters related to personal pleasure. But, the other reason I chose this topic to explore is the ample opportunities I see in eco-tourism. This is a delightful blend of two things we as Americans openly endorse, the evergreen obsession with traveling, and the new hot topic that’s gaining more momentum as we speak, GO GREEN. According to the International Ecotourism Society, the definition of ecotourism is, "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." I think WWOOFing definitely qualifies. It’s such a proactive way to seek out alternative venues of preserving the earth.

WWOOF has websites and forums but it doesn’t make enough revenue to conduct mainstream marketing or advertising. Mostly it relies on buzz marketing, word of mouth. I first heard this term from a friend and thought to myself woof? Like a dog? But since then I’ve done my best to spread this epic idea of a get-away that encompasses much much more than just being a photo-snapping tourist. Granted that it might be necessary to set aside time for that kind of touring when you’re not working up a sweat harvesting coffee beans. I have, however, encountered many skeptics while preaching WWOOF. One friend right away mentions the risk of being sold into slavery or god forbid, prostitution. Another friend jokes about picturing me with a community of hippies or communists on a farm. Conflicted, I turn to Google Almighty and look into WWOOFER forums.One forum entry claims that “WWOOFing is a marvellous concept. And you're not working for free, you're working for lodgings and a very rewarding cultural experience (the stuff money can't buy!)” Here’s the link to the forum (http://www.travelpod.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13084). You could also read about one volunteer feeding pigs three times a day. Now that’s what I call reassuring! No sarcasm intended. Both of my parents came from villages in China. My dad was the first college graduate in his village where everyone had the same last name.So I have for a while secretly wondered about living on a farm and the simple pleasures of it.

Now that I've proved my personal interest in this topic, I want to dwell more on the customer experience involved and the marketing opportunities stemmed from it.There are WWOOF hosts in 99 countries around the globe, but there is no single compiled list of contacts or one set of standards across the board. Each country to its own in this case. Choosing the right country and the right host would make a world of difference to the WWOOFING experience. Most blogs and forums are saying great things, like "ideal for eco-conscious travelers who want to reduce their environmental impact, but not miss out on new cultures, destinations, and foods." However, as a potential consumer of this product, I need to see more evidence.There are books that you can buy from their website to familiarize yourself with the concept. They do have a Facebook page, even a movie trailer about their very own WWOOF documentary in the making with video submissions from worldwide WWOOFERS (http://wwoofthemovie.com/wordpress/). I'm not sure on the release date but I think this is a great marketing technique.

My current thoughts are:
-How can WWOOF better organize and coordinate among its many international components?
-Can WWOOF make more revenue and maybe donate to related causes?
-How can WWOOF market itself even better to push this ecotourism movement?
-Who is WWOOF working with? Partner organizations?
-How can WWOOF better prepare its volunteers and become more accessible?
-Do WWOOFers see this as a cheap get-away or do they continue practice ecologically feasible farming when they go home?
-What expectations do they have when they go into this and what lessons do they take away with them?
Overall, how can this experience and the publicity of it be enhanced so that more people like me will dare to try.

What happens at IHOP does NOT stay at IHOP

On a beautiful Saturday morning, my friend and I, being the cool college kids that we are, stepped into an IHOP to carry out one of our favorite weekend rituals, eat pancakes and gossip. After our satisfying and delightful meal, we proudly presented to the waitress our coupons for a free Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity, which are the results of our joining the Pancake Revolution by filling out a survey some weeks ago. The waitress took the coupons, but out came the manager. I will not describe his appearance here because I try not to judge a book by its cover. Let’s just say I would not trust him with my kids if I had any. He told us that he could only take one of our coupons because the other one, printed from the exact same email, did not have an image so he could not scan the bar code. All prejudice aside, he was making a reasonable claim. His voice, though, was filled with sentiments that I could not put a finger on but which felt demeaning to me. I told him I could show him that specific email right there with my phone. He refused to see it and said corporate policies forbade him from accepting the coupon and that he was not trying to argue with me. Huh? Weird. The defensive tone he used sounded a lot like arguing. Our very nice waitress later came back, apologized and complained about the manager being a jerk.

So on another beautiful Saturday morning, we venture into the same IHOP, determined to have that free Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity and hoping not to run into the same manager again. But fate is funny in the way it works. Of course we get the same manager, who takes my coupon this time but refuses to take another one that my friend brought. His exact words were “my job is too important for me to do this for you guys”, said with contempt. So I get that a manager position at a respectable chain restaurant gives you the right to be snobby because college students are just so inferior that we are not worth your time? I shall not waste more words to describe this guy’s demeanor. I will just say it was distasteful.

I was too cool to let this customer experience ruin two beautiful Saturday mornings, so I told our waitress to tell him that we are going to Denny’s next time and never coming back. I know he’s probably crying in a dark corner right now for losing these fiercely loyal IHOP customers. The truth is this story is not about saving a couple of bucks; it’s not about how broke and cheap we are as college students; it’s not even about the bad karma this certain someone has managed to get himself into. It is very simple really. He should’ve been told this during his management training. No matter how insignificant or unreasonable your customers are, please at least pretend that you care about how they feel. Please be tactful in telling them things that they don’t want to hear. I almost wanted to write to the IHOP corporate headquarters and complain about the inflexibility.

I am a passionate consumer. I feel empowered spending my hard-earned money. All I ask for is to be valued for my loyalty. I dismissed the idea of going to Denny's years ago because they made bad omelets and that was unacceptable for an omelet-lover. But in the future, I dare say I am willing to put up with bad omelets for an enjoyable and peaceful Saturday morning. No, I do not want other customers to stare at me as you reject my coupon and as I try to talk sense into you with whatever I learned from negotiation class which obviously didn’t work.

There is a very old Chinese idiom that teaches business-doers that AMIABILITY BRINGS WEALTH. In reality, it seems like it’s easier said than done. But shouldn’t that be the cardinal rule for whoever wants to make some money? Honestly, I will hand you my wallet if you just make me feel warm and fuzzy all over. That is what consumerism is all about, in the simplest terms ,to make yourself feel good. I do not want to spend my money and end up feeling crummy, with a bad aftertaste.The bottom line is, I need to feel respected. My power as a consumer comes from the ample amount of alternatives that I have. I could very well never return to that restaurant. IHOP is probably filing Chapter 11 due to my absence.