GLN Discretionary Grant Awards
Michael Caduto – The Garden of Wisdom: Middle Eastern Stories for Environmental Stewardship
QLF Alumnus Michael Caduto, with support from the GLN, recently published the long-awaited The Garden of Wisdom: Middle Eastern Stories for Environmental Stewardship, a collection of stories and folklore on the relationship between Middle Easterners and their natural environments. This book illustrates how, even in the midst of great conflict, a shared commitment to environmental stewardship unites us all.
The book is available online worldwide in paperback, hardcover and eBook formats. Signed, personalized copies can be purchased directly from Michael at: www.p-e-a-c-e.net
The Garden of Wisdom was recently nominated for the prestigious Middle East Book Award; the award is described on the website of the Middle East Outreach Council, which will announce the winners in November 2018: http://www.meoc.us/book-awards.html
Alix Hopkins – Courage in Conservation
After QLF’s First Alumni Congress, Alix Hopkins facilitated several QLF exchanges, becoming inspired by Middle Eastern Alumni who maintain the courage to work across borders – geographic boundaries; political borders; and social, cultural and religious contexts – using the environment as a bridge to common understanding and reconciliation. To celebrate them and inform others, Alix is writing a new book to highlight the cooperative work undertaken despite difficult circumstances.
Muscat, Oman. Regional Meeting participants on the steps of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Front row, from left: Lauren Marano, Massachusetts; Alix Hopkins, Maine; Stephanie Clement, Maine; Manal A-Foqaha, Jordan; Dawn Leaness, Massachusetts; and Beth Alling, Massachusetts. Back row: Kristin Marano, North Carolina.
Michelle Portman – Land-Based and Artisanal-Fishing Sources of Marine Litter
Michelle Portman, former Sounds Conservancy grantee, is working with support from the GLN on a pilot project that examines the main challenges to the prevention of near-shore marine litter from artisanal-fishing and land-based practices in Gisr-A-Uzarka, Israel. This research will serve as the springboard for a shift in waste management methods in the small Arab village, which aims to expand its ecotourism sector in order to showcase the its rich marine habitat and artisanal fishing industry.
