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Turtle Village is a ‘glampsite’ and indigenous experience inside Riding Mountain National Park, Canada. It’s run by the delightful Ashley Smith and her family from the Gambler First Nation. Like many First Nations peoples, Ashley grew up on a small reserve – now she wants to preserve their culture and share their traditions with visitors.
Tucked away in the boreal forest, Turtle Village offers a unique off-grid camping experience in ‘Turtle Shell’ cabins, powered by solar energy and designed to leave zero impact. These weatherproof, sustainably sourced units offer a chance to spend time in nature while protecting you from the elements and wildlife.
Turtle Village also offers Indigenous experiences. In winter you can go ice fishing on the frozen lake; when I visited in summer we learned how to make traditional bannock bread over a fire while listening to tales of how the family’s ancestors survived in this harsh environment.
Turtle Village isn’t just a place to stay; it’s about living in harmony with nature and embracing a way of life that helps protect the planet for future generations.
This blend of cultural preservation, community support, and environmental stewardship makes Turtle Village a deserving candidate for the Better World Award.
Finalist
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in-person tourism isn’t currently possible. Instead, alternative experiences of Ukrainian culture are coming to would-be travellers.
Written in Ukrainian and English, the book “Contemporary Ukrainian Crafts” champions conservation of Ukraine’s unique identity by exploring how artisans are interpreting heritage craft techniques and materials into modern forms.
Potential tourists learn about creative workshops they could participate in once peace returns, sustaining hope for these artists that better times will come. The book is also connected with the "Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine" exhibition currently at the Royal Academy of Arts London and previously shown in Madrid, Cologne, Brussels and Vienna.
Created with backing from Lviv-based KredoBank, the book supports entrepreneurial craftspeople and their global brand recognition, since these artists have online marketplaces. Symbols, shapes and patterns rooted in ancient mythology and religion take on new meanings in crafts including ceramics, carpets, tapestries, home textiles, candles, timber carving, paper cutouts, glassblowing and furniture – primarily made from circular, biodegradable materials sourced from nature.
“Contemporary Ukrainian Crafts” uses the ‘soft power’ of the arts to amplify the country’s right to exist as an independent nation with a distinct culture that, one-day, will be safe for in-person visits.
Focused on introducing electric cars (and the required infrastructure) to the rural network of Portugal's 12 Historical Villages, the Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Mobility project was established as a (successful) pilot project in Spring 2022 – particularly led by the towns of Fundão and Castelo Novo in partnership with Renault Portugal.
Established to both improve tourism to the area (in particular increasing the length of trips and sustainability when visiting the network of villages) and to aid social mobility for local residents (on certain days, the vehicles are used solely for projects such as delivering community meals to aged citizens).
The project offers free of charge EV rentals for up to three days to explore the lesser-visited hinterlands, promoting fully sustainable journeys by meeting those arriving by train from Lisbon with the EV ready to depart on a road trip from the station.
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