Latest news with #DavidLeventhal
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Parkinson's Foundation Expands Roster of Accredited Exercise Education Providers
NEW YORK and MIAMI, May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parkinson's Foundation is pleased to announce the accreditation of Dance for PD and Parkinson's Pointe as Parkinson's Foundation Accredited Exercise Education Providers. The designation recognizes exercise education programs and courses that meet rigorous standards designed to reduce variability in knowledge and skill among exercise professionals who work with the Parkinson's community. Joining organizations like Rock Steady Boxing, PWR!Moves, Movement Revolution and MDT Education Solutions – Dance for PD and Parkinson's Pointe demonstrate alignment with the Foundation's Criteria for Exercise Education Programs and Courses and Competency Framework for Exercise Professionals. By establishing consistent benchmarks, accrediting providers aim to ensure that individuals living with Parkinson's disease (PD) receive the highest-quality and safest exercise programming to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. "Exercise is an increasingly essential part of a comprehensive Parkinson's care plan," said Lisa Hoffman, MA, senior director of professional education at the Parkinson's Foundation. "Providers that receive accreditation have shown clear evidence of aligning their curriculum with our established competencies. We are grateful for their dedication to providing expert-led, PD-specific training." The Parkinson's Foundation is currently inviting public comment on the Parkinson's Exercise Guidelines, which were developed by an international team of experts using a Delphi consensus method. The Foundation encourages all Parkinson's health professionals, exercise professionals and members of the community to provide feedback through July 1st via an online submission form. "We're honored to be named a Parkinson's Foundation Accredited Exercise Education Provider," said David Leventhal, program director and lead trainer of Dance for PD. "This recognition affirms the rigor of our established, global training program and the value of dance as powerful exercise for people living with Parkinson's." To learn more about the Exercise Education Accreditation Recognition Program, send direct inquiries to healthprofs@ About the Parkinson's Foundation The Parkinson's Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson's disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson's community. Since 1957, the Parkinson's Foundation has invested more than $474 million in Parkinson's research and clinical care. Connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram or call 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636). About Parkinson's Disease Affecting an estimated one million Americans, Parkinson's disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the U.S. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson's and nearly 90,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S. MEDIA CONTACT:Melissa Nobles GonzalezParkinson's Foundationmgonzalez@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Parkinson's Foundation
BBC News
12-05-2025
- BBC News
8 ways to travel more sustainably in 2025
You're ready to book your next holiday, and you're aware of the importance of minimising your travel footprint. But where do you begin? If you're stumped, you're not alone. A new report found sustainability is important to 84% of global travellers. But while the desire to travel greener is strong, the path to eco-tourism is unclear for many. A study found that nearly half of travellers are confused about what sustainable travel actually means, while a 2025 World Travel & Tourism Council report revealed that cost is a major barrier. With global tourism bouncing back and environmental pressures intensifying, 2025 is a crucial year to rethink how we travel. Here are some simple, practical ways to make more impactful travel choices this year – without sacrificing joy or comfort on the road. 1. Choose trips that give back As you plan your holidays for 2025 and beyond, experts recommend asking yourself whether you want to be a passive tourist or a visitor who makes a positive impact on the destination. A regenerative-focused trip could involve hands-on conservation at an Ecuadorian ecolodge or choosing an Australian hiking experience helping to revive Aboriginal culture. Fiji's new Loloma Hour encourages travellers to dedicate at least one hour of their stay to a positive environmental, cultural or social impact activity, while Hawaii's Mālama experiences encourage visitors to give back to the environment and local communities through habitat restoration, beach cleanups and more. "We must do better than just sustain travel," said David Leventhal, eco-hotel owner and co-founder of Regenerative Travel, a leading provider of educational courses aimed at transforming the travel industry into a force for positive change. "We must reverse damage, and regenerate working at a whole systems level to integrate people and planet better." 2. Think beyond the environment In 2025, travellers are increasingly aware of the social and cultural impacts of tourism, with 2025 Travel & Sustainability Report showing for the first time that more than half of global travellers are aware of tourism's impact on local communities as well as the environment. With overtourism protests – which are already ramping up in 2025 – and unaffordable housing in popular destinations, there's a growing call to be more mindful about how, when and where we travel. "That's not to say that the environmental elements of sustainable travel are less important – reducing carbon emissions and plastic are as important as ever," says Dr Susanne Becken, professor of sustainable tourism at Australia's Griffith University, "but the growth of tourism is putting more and more pressure on communities to a point where some tourism hotspots don't want to engage with it anymore." Steering clear of popular destinations at peak times, being more respectful of local cultures and people, hiring local and Indigenous guides and purchasing more mindfully – from accommodation to souvenirs – can all help to reduce pressure on communities. "Remember that the destination you are visiting is someone's home," says Becken. Looking for immersive, community-based travel? Nepal's Community Homestay Network has launched three new "community circuits" for 2025, including an itinerary traversing little-visited eastern Nepal; while a new Intrepid Travel trip offers an opportunity to engage with Indigenous elders on a journey to Colombia's "Lost City". From visiting a Thai island that has taken sustainability into its own hands to experiencing life in a groundbreaking Swedish town, there are now countless opportunities to visit communities in responsible and regenerative ways. 3. Hold hotels to higher standards Hotels and other holiday accommodations contribute a large proportion of the CO2 emitted by the tourism sector – but better options are emerging. The world's first carbon-positive hotel, Populus, opened in the US in 2024; and IHG launched its first branded net-zero hotel in the UK in March 2025, voco Zeal Exeter Science Park. In South Africa, Few & Far Luvhondo, which opened in January 2025, is among an increasing number of safari lodges prioritising sustainable innovation and eco-tourism. This zero-waste, renewable energy-powered lodge is working to rewild 50,000 hectares of highly degraded land in the Soutpansberg mountains – and even has Africa's first solar-powered cable-car experience. But you don't need a luxury safari lodge budget to make more sustainable accommodation choices. A network of UK hiking "hotels" offers free, minimal-impact stays, while Earthships in the US offer unique net-zero accommodation. In Europe, social impact-driven affordable accommodation provider The Social Hub opened a new hotel in Rome in March 2025, with another due to open in Porto this year. Becken recommends checking for international certification (like B Corp, EarthCheck, Green Globe and Green Key), which indicate a company is committed to energy efficiency and mindful consumption, and cares about how its people are treated. In the absence of certification, which can be financially challenging for small businesses to obtain, check the property's website for a meaningful sustainability policy encompassing environmental and social initiatives, or contact them directly to ask. The same approach can be taken with tour operators. 4. Consider the journey as well as the destination Many destinations are making it easier for travellers to minimise their impact when they arrive, via initiatives like zero-waste dining, electric safaris – or even decarbonising their entire visitor economies. But while destinations are getting greener, getting there often isn't. Air travel remains one of the most carbon-intensive parts of tourism, and Becken notes that "sustainable" aviation fuels alone cannot solve aviation's soaring emissions. In good news for rail travel enthusiasts, there are a slew of new opportunities in 2025 to take a memorable – and lower-impact – route to your destination. In Australia, the Indian Pacific has extended its journey from Perth to Sydney to five days with new off-train experiences on each leg; while La Dolce Vita Orient Express, Italy's first homegrown luxury train, made its inaugural journey from Rome to the Tuscan hill town of Montalcino in April. Expected to be completed in 2025, Portugal's Evora-to-Elvas route is the first link in a high-speed network that will eventually connect Madrid to Lisbon in three hours; and a renewed version of the legendary Orient Express carrying passengers between Istanbul and Paris, is due to roll in 2026, along with a new Budapest-to-Belgrade line. When you do need to fly, choose low-emissions flights with the help of booking platforms like Google Flights, which displays the average emissions for each route. Booking economy seats and prioritising direct flights also reduces emissions. Can't stand cabin wastage? Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, LATAM and SAS are just a few airlines that have taken meaningful steps to reduce single-use plastic on flights. And while carbon-offsetting your flights through verified schemes does not undo the damage, many experts agree it's better than doing nothing at all. Be curious and connect deeply Anthony Bourdain famously said that "travel is not a reward for working, it is education for living". It's a great philosophy for sustainable travel – and one of the most sustainable ways to learn more about the place you are visiting is to book an Indigenous-led tour. Record demand for First Nations experiences in Australia has coincided with the launch of new tours for 2025, including a Byron Bay storytelling walk that offers a powerful way to connect with one of Australia's most popular coastal holiday destinations. Native and First Nation tourism is also booming in North America, with the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association naming Oklahoma's Chickasaw Cultural Center, which offers guided tours and a daily stomp dance demonstration, as the best cultural heritage experience for 2025. Meanwhile, citizen science and hands-on conservation activities also allow travellers to engage with destinations on a deeper level. New for 2025, Natural Habitat Adventures' Kenya Rhino Conservation Safari includes behind-the-scenes talks with conservationists in three leading private conservancies; while Aurora Expeditions, the world's first major expedition cruise line to gain B Corp certification, recently added Eyesea, a platform designed to map global pollution and maritime hazards, to its robust citizen science programme. 6. Harness the apps Calculating the carbon footprint of your travels is a great way to track your impact (try the University of California, Berkeley's CoolClimate Calculator). But there are many other ways in which apps can help. Find new ways to immerse in nature with AllTrails, which features more than 450,000 trails across the globe including its top 25 trails to explore in 2025; and discover plant-based dining options around the world with Happy Cow, which named London as its number one vegan-friendly city for 2025. Connecting travellers with more than 800,000 drinking water sources worldwide, Droply makes it easy to avoid plastic water bottles. More like this:• Visiting Antarctica or the Arctic? Here's how to minimise your impact• Is it time to change how we buy travel souvenirs?• The African elephant in the room: Is there such a thing as guilt-free safari? And while social media has often been blamed for contributing to overtourism and other issues, research shows it can also be used as a force for good to share positive sustainable travel experiences. Did you enjoy a visit to Vilnius, the European Green Capital for 2025? Share it with your followers and inspire others to go. 7. Learn to spot greenwashing Deceptive sustainability claims – known as greenwashing – have become increasingly prevalent in the tourism industry as businesses try to capitalise on growing demand for eco-tourism. In 2024, major airlines including Air France, Etihad, Lufthansa and Qantas were accused of making misleading sustainability claims, and dropped its Travel Sustainable programme after regulatory backlash. "New legislation adopted by Europe [called the Green Claims Directive] will make it much harder for companies to greenwash, and I think we will see that roll out globally," says Becken. Until then, it's on consumers to stay sharp. Use resources like Sustainable Travel International's guide to avoiding greenwashing in tourism – and "don't underestimate the value of guest reviews", says Leventhal. "Platforms like Google offer honest insights into whether a property or tourism experience truly lives up to its promises." 8. Leverage your privilege Recognising the privilege to travel freely, as only a small percentage of the world's population is able to do, is the first step in making travel a force for good. Privilege gives travellers the power to spend our travel money on experiences that are good for people and the planet, from choosing animal-friendly experiences to ensuring activities we participate in keep vulnerable children safe and don't exploit culture or communities. It can be argued that privilege doesn't only come with power, but also a responsibly to pay it forward. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WVU hosts inaugural dance class for people with Parkinson's Disease
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — WVU hosted 'Dance for PD' class on Friday, which is a dance class program for people with Parkinson's Disease put on by the Mark Morris Dance Group in New York. People with Parkinson's Disease came to the Erickson Alumni Center from across the state to learn some Parkinson's friendly dances and were joined by WVU dance students with the College of Arts and Media. Friday's class was the inaugural one, and the feedback from class will go toward improving the program. David Leventhal of the Mark Morris Dance Group led the class into dances of various genres, including one inspired by West Side Story in which the class was divided into 'Sharks' and 'Jets'. Associate Vice President of Health Sciences Dr. Bill Ramsey laid out the benefits of dance to 12 News, explaining that it's a social outlet and that research shows it is a beneficial treatment for people with Parkinson's. 'If you think it's just dance, then you're missing the point. It's really exercise while having some fun. It's getting people involved in a program that hopefully we're going to take around the state of West Virginia here,' George Manahan of the Charleston Parkinson's Support Group said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
