Latest news with #NgorongoroCrater
New York Times
27-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
To Take on Trump, Think Like a Lion
One late afternoon long ago at the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, I was with a group of birders when we located a pride of sleeping lions. As evening approached, they yawned big-fanged yawns and slowly roused. About 10 in total, scarred veterans and prime young hunters. It was time for them to hunt. But first they licked one another, pressed bodies and indulged in much face rubbing. They reaffirmed, 'Yes, we are together, we remain as one.' Only then did they set off. Their tawny bodies flowed up into the tall golden grass along the ridge of a low hill. One sat; the others kept walking. Ten yards on, another sat while the others walked. And so on until the ridge was lined with a hidden picket fence of hungry lions all attentively gazing onto a plain where a herd of unsuspecting zebras grazed. Then one, who'd remained standing, poured herself downhill. Her job was to flank and then spook the zebras into running uphill, directly into her veteran sisters and their spry younger hunters. Rubbing noses does not catch a zebra. But only after the lions rubbed noses and reaffirmed a shared identity were the zebras in any danger. Those lions showed me that a sense of community is prerequisite for coordinated strategy. They did not succeed in that hunt. But they would try again. Failure, these lions had learned, is necessary for success. Like the lions, I learned about success through failures. My earliest lessons were in seemingly lost causes. As a child poring over picture books in Suffolk County on Long Island, N.Y., my favorite was about birds of prey — eagles, ospreys, peregrine falcons — all endangered at the time. By my teens I'd read sickening accounts of how DDT was causing their eggs to break. I assumed I'd never see any of these magnificent raptors: Complete extinction was expected. I had seen 'landscapers' in our neighborhood spraying trees, insects raining down, and robins eating those insects and going into convulsions right in the street, while I was walking home from school. But in 1966, several adamant people sued the county's mosquito commission to stop the indiscriminate spraying of DDT in our salt marshes. They shocked everyone by winning, a prelude to the banning of the destructive pesticide nationwide in 1972 when I was in high school. Half a century later, those doomed birds have recovered. Art Cooley, a high school biology teacher who led the effort in Suffolk County, reflected years later, 'It's possible for a small group of people who are committed and have their facts right to really make a change in the way society does business.' Sometimes facing what seems hopeless is how we realize what is possible. As individuals we cannot always formulate the full fix. But we can be a part of a movement to forge one. And I believe a fix to correct the depredations of the White House's current occupant is coming. The Trump administration continues slashing funds and services that have protected families and seniors; kept our land, air and waters clean; kept poor children fed and vaccinated; enabled American science to be on the cutting edge of medicine and technology; honored the nation's social safety net; and on and on. Summer jobs that our students had lined up on public lands and in laboratories have been canceled and former students have lost their full-time dream jobs. Everyone will be touched by one or more of these assaults. We have seen acquiescence by tech billionaires, big law firms caving to the president, and dozens of colleges and universities abandoning their commitment to diversity. But acquiescence is futile. Keeping one's head down is stupid. As the historian Timothy Snyder noted in his book, 'On Tyranny,' appeasement is how people cede their power to would-be tyrants. The public, states, the judiciary and private institutions are stepping up. The administration is facing a barrage of legal challenges to its policies. So far, as of May 22, in at least 170 rulings, courts have stayed some of the administration's polices. We are now seeing united opposition by 150 universities and several big law firms. As the administration dismantles agencies and policies that protect people, we must all say, very publicly, what is on our minds. We must support the courts and people skilled at defending the Constitution. We can reverse fear and acquiescence, energize public engagement, and demonstrate how unpopular these moves are. If the rule of law holds, if voters wake Congress, the country will come back on keel. We need a laser focus on election integrity for 2026 and 2028. Without functional elections, we're lost. We must support independent media. The huge cuts to scientific research and government agencies threaten to derail cutting-edge medical and environmental research that can save lives and perhaps protect agriculture and coastal communities from the chaos of warming and extreme weather. We must loudly oppose those cuts. Already universities are slowing admissions of Ph.D. students. One missing generation of scientists means the end of U.S. dominance; no one will be on hand to train a new generation. Like those waking lions, we don't know how the coming challenges will play out. We know that there will be failures and that success is possible. But it's important that we now reaffirm our sense of pride, our shared purpose, our dedication to our common good. As the lions showed me, community comes before strategy. So many people are waiting in the tall grass of decency, ready to rush out to restore the nation that we have all loved, the great America that promises liberty and justice for all. So let us rouse and rub noses and greet and remind ourselves who we are.
Travel Daily News
14-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Lemala redefines luxury safari with regenerative sustainability and social impact
Lemala Camps & Lodges transforms safari luxury through regenerative design, community empowerment, circular economy, and sustainability-driven hospitality across East Africa. ARUSHA, TANZANIA – With the publication of its 2025 Untold Stories report, Lemala Camps & Lodges lifts the veil on a quietly radical transformation happening across East Africa's luxury safari landscape. In an era where 'eco-conscious' has become an industry standard, Lemala is reshaping the very foundations of safari travel – elevating sustainability from a sideline feature to the core philosophy of luxury in the wild. Through pioneering design, circular economies, and deep-rooted community investment, the Untold Stories report reveals how Lemala has created a new paradigm for what luxury in the wild can, and should, look like. 'We're not here to do less harm. We're here to do measurable good,' says Leanne Haigh, CEO of Lemala Camps & Lodges. 'We call it regenerative existence–a complete rethinking of hospitality that doesn't just preserve, but actively restores and enriches the ecosystems and communities around us.' 2025 Untold Stories and initiatives: Building with Purpose Lemala's architectural philosophy is a masterclass in regenerative design. The upcoming Lodge Lemala Osonjoi Lodge, opening in Tanzania's Ngorongoro crater in July 2025, is engineered to 'float' on the landscape, minimizing environmental disruption with rooftops that double as solar harvesters. Structures are built from recycled steel and composite decking, redefining how luxury can blend with the land without burdening it. At this high-altitude site, a bespoke high-voltage solar system, calibrated for the region's climate, reflects Lemala's commitment to solving environmental challenges with innovation and not by compromise. Across the portfolio, solar has replaced diesel entirely, delivering modern comforts with zero emissions. Each property now prevents approximately 150 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere annually. What's more, by the end of 2025, every Lemala mobile camp will run fully on solar power, eliminating legacy energy systems across even the most remote locations. Hydrological Mastery Luxury at Lemala means making the unseen exceptional. Across all properties, state-of-the-art reverse osmosis plants now deliver ultrapure drinking water without plastic. UV treatment, wireless-communicating pumps, and continuous circulation systems quietly ensure East Africa's scarcest resource is delivered with precision and sustainability. In 2024 alone, Lemala's system purified approximately 100,000 litres of drinking water, silently redefining what off-grid excellence looks like. Circular Economy in Action Where most see waste, Lemala sees material for change. Collaborating with Dunia Design, the company has transformed over 100 tonnes of plastic from Tanzania's national parks into 195 school desks, lodge furniture, and even entire floorings. At Lemala Ngorongoro, a 7.6-ton deck has been built from recycled bottles– proof that circular systems can underpin five-star design. At Lemala Nanyukie Lodge, damaged loungers have been replaced by eco-benches from East Africa Recycling–each crafted from 78 kilograms of recycled plastic, equivalent to 4,105 water bottles. While, 30% of the steel used in all lodge construction is sourced from scrap metal, a choice that blends sustainability with resilience. Communities at the Core Lemala's impact isn't just ecological, it's social. Since 2017, Lemala-supported Serengeti De-snaring Teams have removed over 100,000 wire snares, rescuing more than 600 animals and safeguarding future generations of wildlife. Meanwhile, 100% of guest fees flow directly into local development initiatives. Curio shops across the properties feature over 90% East African artisan products, supporting women-led and disabled-artist cooperatives. The Boma Solar Installation Project, in partnership with Dancing Zebra Safari Co., delivers clean energy to Maasai households at a cost of $1,530 per unit, dramatically improving safety, education and evening study conditions for children. Lemala's cross-border ethos took shape in 2024, when it facilitated first-time mains electricity to Uganda's Kasambya village, extending its regenerative footprint well beyond Tanzania. Through partnerships with local leaders like Chief Lebolo, who controversially mandated school attendance for all Maasai girls, Lemala supports indigenous progress through practical infrastructure like security lighting, enabling a new generation of girls to study after completing daily chores. The next generation is also being trained within Lemala's own ranks. Its collaboration with the African Amini Secondary School continues to place young graduates in industry internships–seven students in 2023 and 2024 alone–laying the groundwork for a future of African-led conservation hospitality. Women in Safari Leadership In a male-dominated industry, Lemala is rewriting the narrative. The brand's guide training program has produced breakthrough leaders like Mary Milanzi, its first female guide (2021), and Namsika Elihazina, who became Tanzania's first female walking safari specialist in 2024. Lemala's Reusable Sanitary Pad Project, is equally transformative: 1,890 sanitary kits have been distributed in rural Tanzania, with 200 more in production for Uganda. Funded entirely through $10 guest purchases in Lemala's curio shops, the kits are made by logical women's groups and are breaking the cycle of school absenteeism for over 400 girls, sparking vital conversations around sexual health and female empowerment. A Culture of Care Lemala's internal culture mirrors its external commitments. In 2024, the company celebrated 15 years of continuous service by multiple staff. Eight Tanzanian staff were rewarded with an all-expenses-paid trip to Uganda, while seven Ugandan colleagues crossed the border to experience their first safari, hot air balloon ride, and flight–a symbolic closing of the circle in cultural exchange. From management trainee rotation to frontline empowerment, Lemala is not only redefining luxury, it's redefining what it means to work, lead and thrive in the wild. The future of safari travel isn't just about seeing the wild–it's about protecting it in ways that go beyond superficial green efforts. Lemala Camps & Lodges is showing the world what evolution looks like when luxury is reimagined as a force for measurable, lasting change.
