NESTVAL Nicaragua Follow-Up

Sustainable tourism was a central theme of the 103rd Annual Meeting of NESTVAL, hosted this weekend by the Department of Geography at Bridgewater State University. Among the highlights was a plenary session led by my good friend Nohelia Talavera, who traveled from Nicaragua to share her experience as a part of Matagalpa Tours, our partner on almost a dozen travel courses between 2006 and 2020. 

Nohelia and the Coffee Maven with
a photo from the Origen project.

As she explained -- and as my students and I know well -- Matagalpa Tours is far more than a tour operator. It is far more, even, than a tour operator with sustainability credentials. It is a vital member of the coffeeland communities of northern Nicaragua. They not only connect visitors to those who produce coffee; they also use their skills as guides and educators to improve those communities. 

Among the many connections Nohelia shared with the NESTVAL audience are the Origen photography project, the weaving cooperative of El Chile, and the environmental education project of Agualí. She also brought coffee, woven crafts, and photographic prints -- all of which are available for sale. All of the proceeds go directly to community-development projects in the coffeelands.

Origen photos and El Chile handcrafts. Many BSU students have 
learned about weaving first-hand from this women's cooperative.

And now to the purpose of this post: Nohelia still has some of each of these beautiful/delicious items for sale (cash/check/Venmo -- no cards). She will be offering them in the geography conference room (DMF 272) on Tuesday afternoon, October 14. You can buy coffee by the pound and I will also be serving (for free) coffee by the cup -- all from Nicaragua, of course! 

We will be in room 272 from 12:30 to 4:00 on Tuesday, October 14.