Tag Archives: Berkeley

Ethical Traveler Announces 2025’s ‘Ten Best Ethical Destinations’ Awards

BERKELEY, Calif., March 4, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Every year, California-based Ethical Traveler reviews the world’s developing nations for their commitment to human rights, social welfare, environmental protection, and animal welfare. The ten destinations showing the most impressive progress are honored with “Best Ethical Destinations” Awards. These worthy countries, many of which are island nations, stand to benefit greatly from our travel dollars. In a world challenged by climate change and a rise in political polarization, recognizing and rewarding best practices is essential.

Image caption: Ethical Traveler.

After the global shut-downs and loss of revenue wrought by COVID-19, we enter 2025 with renewed wanderlust. But the world won’t recover overnight. This is especially true of the international travel industry — which employs one out of ten people worldwide. The recent challenges to travel and tourism have had a lasting impact across this vast sector of human society.

Visiting our winning destinations will help these nations continue their impressive work in social justice and environmental stewardship. By “voting with our wings” we can reward these nations for their efforts and motivate neighboring countries to do the same.

Ethical Traveler congratulates the 2025 honorees of the Ten Best Ethical Destinations Awards.

IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (NOT IN ORDER OF MERIT), THE WINNERS ARE:

Barbados
Botswana
Cabo Verde
Chile
Costa Rica
Dominica
Fiji
Palau
Panama
Uruguay

“With the pandemic hopefully behind us,” says Ethical Traveler’s executive director Jeff Greenwald, “all of us can play an active role in redefining what travel is, and how it might enhance the lives of people around the world. When we visit the countries on our list — all of which have taken extraordinary steps to increase the welfare of their people while safeguarding their natural treasures — we’re expressing our admiration and support in a tangible and meaningful way.”

Adds Greenwald, “Since the launch of the first smartphone in the summer of 2007, the world has become ever more interconnected. Yet as all enterprising travelers know, there is still plenty of ‘out there’ out there. The winning countries on our 2025 list are great alternatives to the over-loved canals of Europe and beaches of Southeast Asia. Not only are they gorgeous and uncrowded, their national leadership has demonstrated a sincere commitment to practices that protect the environment and benefit Indigenous populations.”

“We inhabit and share the resources of a small planet, stunning in its beauty, diversity, and fragility,” says Greenwald. “Our only path to survival lies with taking care of each other. And this begins with knowing each other. We at Ethical Traveler passionately believe that travel can be more than a personal voyage of discovery. It shows us what it means to be human.”

Concurrent with the announcement of the winning countries, Ethical Traveler will launch a new photo gallery, featuring images by renowned photojournalist Robert Holmes.

ABOUT ETHICAL TRAVELER:

Ethical Traveler is a project of Berkeley-based Earth Island Institute, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The mission of Ethical Traveler — “Empowering travelers to change the world” – highlights the economic clout of travel and tourism to protect human rights and the global environment.

No money or donations of any kind are solicited or accepted from any nations, governments, or travel providers in the countries under consideration for our annual list. All parts of our 2025 report may be shared freely, with accreditation.

For Further Information please visit https://ethicaltraveler.org/

For inquiries, please email info@ethicaltraveler.org

Ethical Traveler c/o Earth Island Institute, 2150 Allston Way #460, Berkeley, CA 94704

*LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0216s2p-ethical-traveler-300dpi.jpg

NEWS SOURCE: Ethical Traveler

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Ethical Traveler), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/ethical-traveler-announces-2025s-ten-best-ethical-destinations-awards/

Covenant Winery Announces 2023 Summer Concert Calendar: Second year of popular series at the urban winery tasting patio in Berkeley, California

BERKELEY, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- The Covenant Winery Summer Music Series, now in its 2nd year, will kick off at their Sixth Street Winery in Berkeley on Sunday, April 23rd, and continue through the end of July, just before harvest season starts. Showcased at the winery's new outdoor tasting lounge, fans of wine and music can enjoy the vibe of the Berkeley Drinks District, while sipping a nice array of wines from throughout California's diverse wine regions.

Covenant founding winemaker Jeff Morgan, who owns the winery with his wife and CEO Jodie, has a deep history with music as a performer, specifically as a saxophone player. After a formal education at the French National Music Conservatory in Nice, France Jeff became a co-band leader for the house band in Monte Carlo at Prince Rainier's Grand Casino in Monaco. He took a hiatus from playing music for the last 20+ years, but during the COVID lockdown, he had some time on his hands and returned to his saxophone.

Jeff's funk band-Free Run-will launch the series on April 23; and his jazz quintet-Jeff Morgan Jazz-will perform on April 30. Free Run returns May 14, June 11, June 25, July 16, and July 30. Other bands to be featured in the music series include French Jazz pianist, Franck Amsallem, bassist Jeff Denson's trio, jazz ensemble Charged Particles, Conjunto Guarajuba (soulful Bossa and Brazilian) and the classic rock band Felsen.

For the complete Covenant Winery concert schedule, and to purchase tickets, go to https://covenantwines.com/visit/.

Performances take place between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets can be purchased in advance, and $20 will get you a glass of wine (choice of white, rosé, or red) and concert admission. Reservations can also be made at wine@covenantwines.com.

In honor of the winery's 20th anniversary, 2023 features several special events, tastings and celebrations commemorating the family-owned winery's achievements.

Stay tuned for more details by following the winery on Instagram @CovenantWines or signing up for one of several winery clubs at https://covenantwines.com/ or emailing wine@covenantwines.com.

The Covenant Winery Summer Music Series, now in its 2nd year, will kick off at their Sixth Street Winery in Berkeley on Sunday, April 23rd, and continue through the end of July, just before harvest season starts. Showcased at the winery's new outdoor tasting lounge, fans of wine and music can enjoy the vibe of the Berkeley Drinks District, while sipping a nice array of wines from throughout California's diverse wine regions.

Related link: https://covenantwines.com/

Ethical Traveler Announces ‘Ten Best Ethical Destinations’ Awards for 2023

BERKELEY, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Every year, California-based Ethical Traveler reviews the world's developing nations for their commitment to human rights, social welfare, environmental protection, and animal welfare. The ten destinations showing the most impressive progress are honored with "Best Ethical Destinations" Awards. These worthy countries, including several island nations, stand to benefit greatly from our travel dollars in a post-pandemic world.

Despite the chaos wrought by COVID-19, we enter 2023 seeing rays of hope. But the world won't recover overnight. This is especially true for the international travel industry, which employs one out of ten people worldwide. The recent challenges to travel and tourism have had a devastating impact across this vast sector of human society.

Visiting our winning destinations will help these nations emerge from the pandemic's shadow, and continue their impressive work in social justice and environmental stewardship. By "voting with your wings" (once you are vaccinated, of course!), you can reward these nations for their efforts and motivate neighboring countries to do the same.

Ethical Traveler congratulates the 2023 honorees of the Ten Best Ethical Destinations Awards.

In alphabetical order (not in order of merit), the winners are:

* Barbados

* Belize

* Botswana

* Cabo Verde

* Chile

* Costa Rica

* Mongolia

* Palau

* Seychelles

* Timor-Leste

"At long last, travel is returning," says Ethical Traveler's Executive Director Jeff Greenwald. "And as it does, we hope our international community will rise to the occasion. As 2023 unfolds, all of us can play an active role in redefining what travel is, and how it might enhance the lives of people around the world. When we visit the countries on our list - which have taken important steps to increase the welfare of their people while safeguarding their natural treasures - we're expressing our admiration and support in a tangible way."

Adds Greenwald, "One lesson we learned from the pandemic is that our borders are imaginary. We inhabit and share the resources of a small planet, stunning in its beauty, diversity and fragility. Our only path to survival lies with taking care of each other. And this begins with knowing each other. Travel and exploration - whether to the jungles of Belize, the steppes of Mongolia, or the reefs of Seychelles - brings more than a new awareness of this world. It shows us what it means to be human."

About Ethical Traveler:

Ethical Traveler is a project of the Berkeley-based Earth Island Institute, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The mission of Ethical Traveler - "Empowering travelers to change the world" - highlights the economic clout of travel and tourism to protect human rights and the global environment.

No money or donations of any kind are solicited or accepted from any nations, governments or travel providers in the countries under consideration for our annual list. All parts of our 2023 report may be shared freely, with accreditation.

For Further Information please visit https://ethicaltraveler.org/

For inquiries, please email info@ethicaltraveler.org

Ethical Traveler, P.O. Box 5883, Berkeley, CA 94705 USA

Every year, California-based Ethical Traveler reviews the world's developing nations for their commitment to human rights, social welfare, environmental protection, and animal welfare. The ten destinations showing the most impressive progress are honored with "Best Ethical Destinations" Awards. These worthy countries, including several island nations, stand to benefit greatly from our travel dollars in a post-pandemic world.

Related link: https://ethicaltraveler.org/

Covenant Winery Summer Music Series Announces July Calendar Berkeley, CA Drinks District is Hopping

BERKELEY, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- The Covenant Winery Summer Music Series, which kicked off on Memorial Day weekend in Berkeley at their Sixth Street winery, continues through July with four concerts, July 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2022. Showcased at the winery's new outdoor tasting lounge, fans of wine and music can enjoy the vibe of the Berkeley Drinks District, while sipping a nice array of California and Israeli wines.

Covenant founding winemaker Jeff Morgan, who owns the winery with his wife and CEO Jodie, has a deep history with music as a performer, specifically as a saxophone player. After a formal education at the French National Music Conservatory in Nice, France Jeff became a co-band leader for the house band in Monte Carlo at Prince Rainier's Grand Casino in Monaco. He took a hiatus from playing music for the last 25 years, but during the recent Covid pandemic, he had some time on his hands and returned to his saxophone again.

Today, a year later, Jeff has regained his playing chops. His funk band, Free Run, will perform July 17 and 24 this month.

Other bands to be featured in the music series include: Dave Eagle's Brazilian Trio de D and the original rock band, Felsen, with all musicians hailing from the Bay Area.

For the complete Covenant Winery concert schedule, go to https://www.exploretock.com/covenant-wines/event/342902/summer-concert-series.

Performances take place between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets can be purchased in advance, and $20 will get you a glass of wine (choice of white, rose or red), light snacks and concert admission. Advance reservations can be made at wine@covenantwines.com.

Covenant Winery is located at 1102 Sixth St. in Berkeley, California.

LEARN MORE: https://covenantwines.com/

The Covenant Winery Summer Music Series, which kicked off on Memorial Day weekend in Berkeley at their Sixth Street winery, continues through July with four concerts, July 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2022. Showcased at the winery's new outdoor tasting lounge, fans of wine and music can enjoy the vibe of the Berkeley Drinks District, while sipping a nice array of California and Israeli wines.

Related link: https://covenantwines.com/

Covenant Winery Summer Concert Series Debuts Memorial Day Weekend – Monday May 30

BERKELEY, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- The Covenant Winery Summer Concert Series kicks off Memorial Day weekend in Berkeley with acclaimed French/American jazz pianist, composer and arranger Franck Amsallem. Franck has recorded ten CDs under his own name as well as a collaboration, "New York Stories," with (Berkeley's own) Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, and Danny Gatton on Blue Note.

Born in Oran, French Algeria in 1961, Franck grew up in Nice, France. He spent 20 years in New York City, where he played as a sideman with Gerry Mulligan, Charles Lloyd, Jerry Bergonzi, Joe Chambers, Maria Schneider, Kevin Mahogany and Harry Belafonte as well as Gary Bartz, Bobby Watson, Rick Margitza, and Blood Sweat and Tears.

In 1992 Franck released "Out a Day," an award-winning trio CD with the late bassist, Gary Peacock, and drummer Bill Stewart. The recording established him internationally as an in-demand jazz pianist and composer. Franck returned to France in 2001, and his most recent album recorded there is "Gotham Goodbye," a quartet featuring Cuban saxophonist Irving Acao. It has garnered superb reviews worldwide.

East Bay Connection

What brings Franck to Covenant Winery, in Berkeley? In the mid-1970s, young Franck was part of a jazz big band at the French National Music Conservatory in Nice, France. Also in the band was Covenant founding winemaker (and saxophonist), Jeff Morgan, who eventually performed with Franck for some 20 years in New York and Europe before trading in his horn for a wine thief and a second career as a winemaker. But in 1987, the two musicians were co-band leaders for the house band in Monte Carlo at Prince Rainier's Grand Casino in Monaco. Their last gig together was New Year's Eve 1995 at Gotham Bar and Grill in New York City.

That's the year Jeff officially retired from the music business to become a wine journalist and winemaker. During the recent Covid pandemic, Jeff had some time on his hands and started practicing his saxophone again. It had been more than 20 years since he'd touched the instrument. Today, a year later, Jeff has regained his playing chops. He'll be joining Franck at Covenant Winery for their first performance together in 27 years on May 30. Also performing will be Bay Area musicians Gerald Cleaver on drums and Jeff Denson on bass.

"Franck and I have been best friends for nearly 50 years," says Morgan. "But I've been steeped in wine for so long, I never thought I'd play music again - especially with Franck. It's a little scary to get on the bandstand with one of the world's top jazz pianists. But it's also really exciting! I'm looking forward to this long overdue musical reunion."

Other bands to be featured in the music series include the Cyril Grimsich Trio, Felsen, and Morgan's own funk band, Free Run, featuring personnel from the Bay Area. For the complete Covenant Winery concert schedule, click here - https://www.exploretock.com/covenant-wines.

Performances take place between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Except for Amsallem's Monday, Memorial Day appearance, all concerts are on Sundays. Door opens at 1:30.

Tickets can be purchased in advance, and $20 will get you a glass of wine (choice of white, rose or red), light snacks and concert admission. Advanced reservations can be made here - https://www.exploretock.com/covenant-wines.

Covenant Winery is located at 1102 Sixth St. in Berkeley, California. Learn more: https://covenantwines.com/.

The Covenant Winery Summer Concert Series kicks off Memorial Day weekend in Berkeley with acclaimed French/American jazz pianist, composer and arranger Franck Amsallem. Franck has recorded ten CDs under his own name as well as a collaboration, "New York Stories," with (Berkeley's own) Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, and Danny Gatton on Blue Note.

Related link: https://covenantwines.com/

Share International Announces Campaign to End All War

BERKELEY, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Share International USA, a non-profit educational organization, announced today the start of a daily prayer/meditation vigil designed to engage the power of the people to bring peace in the current Russia/Ukraine conflict as well as all others ongoing worldwide. Share International believes that the energetic power of thousands of people joining together consciously in an inner appeal for peace and the help of a higher power-whatever that might be for each individual-can begin to shift the balance between war and peace.

All people and organizations of goodwill are invited and encouraged to participate in this effort-many are already doing so independently-in order to create a unified voice and exponentially increase its effectiveness. To participate, individuals and members of religious, spiritual, or other humanitarian organizations everywhere are asked to spend at least 5 minutes at the same time each day-at whatever hour is convenient-to think, pray or meditate upon peace, justice, freedom, and sustenance for all beings, and to ask for Divine help. This non-religious campaign is meant for all people of goodwill, based on a communally-held belief that a realm higher than the human exists and is responsive to our needs.

Share International USA was formed in 1982 to present information about the imminent appearance in our everyday world of a group of perfected individuals known as the Masters of Wisdom, and their leader, Maitreya, the World Teacher for the Age just beginning. As the guides and keepers of the Earth's plan of evolution, they have long worked behind the scenes to inspire and stimulate cooperation, mutual respect, economic and social justice, and peaceful resolution of conflicts. Now, however, they are ready to come forward and work openly to better assist with the cascade of crises created by a still-learning humanity.

According to Share International, the Masters' appearance in the everyday world is dependent on many complex things, but humanity's readiness to end all warfare and relate to each other as members of one human family will allow them to help us openly without infringing our free will.

The End All War campaign is designed to signal that we are truly ready to accept their help and guidance, and the wider the participation in this or similar efforts, the sooner they can work among us. Belief in Share International's information is not required; a simple call to whatever higher power an individual recognizes will be heard. The campaign will continue for as long as it's needed.

More information about this campaign is here - https://www.shareinternational.info/EndAllWar/

Learn more about Share International here - https://www.share-international.us/learn/WorldTeacher/

Share International USA, a non-profit educational organization, announced today the start of a daily prayer/meditation vigil designed to engage the power of the people to bring peace in the current Russia/Ukraine conflict as well as all others ongoing worldwide.

Related link: https://www.share-international.us

Ethical Traveler Announces 2021’s ‘Ten Best (Post-Pandemic) Destinations’ Awards

BERKELEY, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Every year, California-based Ethical Traveler reviews the world's developing nations for their commitment to human rights, social welfare, and environmental protection. The ten destinations with the most impressive records are honored with Ethical Destinations Awards.

For 2021 - mindful of 2020's COVID challenges - we did something different: We reviewed our lists of recent winners, and determined which of these already worthy and fascinating countries will benefit most from our travel dollars in a post-pandemic world.

Our 2021 Awards underscore the fact that, despite the chaos wrought by COVID-19, we enter 2021 seeing rays of hope. But the world won't recover overnight. This is especially true for the international travel industry, which employs 1 out of 10 people worldwide. The free fall in travel and tourism has had a devastating impact across this vast sector of human society.

Visiting our winning destinations will enable them to emerge from the pandemic's shadow and continue their impressive work on all fronts. By "voting with your wings" (once you are vaccinated, of course!), you can reward these nations for their efforts and motivate other countries to do the same.

Ethical Traveler congratulates the 2021 honorees of the Ten Best (Post-Pandemic) Destinations Awards.

In alphabetical order (not in order of merit), the winners are:

Belize
Benin
Cabo Verde
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Jamaica
Mongolia
Nepal
The Gambia
Uruguay

"Though the travel suggestions in this report may seem wishful, they are actually aspirational, because this much is certain: Travel will return," says Ethical Traveler's executive director Jeff Greenwald. "And when we visit countries like these, which have taken extraordinary steps to confront the pandemic, we're expressing our admiration and support in a tangible way."

Adds Greenwald, "If COVID-19 taught us one thing, it's that our borders are imaginary. We are the inhabitants of a small planet, stunning in both its beauty and fragility. We can survive as a species only by taking care of each other. This begins with knowing each other. Travel and exploration - whether to the reefs of Belize, the steppes of Mongolia, or the volcanoes of Cabo Verde - brings more than a new awareness of ourselves. It shows us what it means to be human."

Ethical Traveler is a project of the Berkeley-based Earth Island Institute. The mission of Ethical Traveler - "Empowering travelers to change the world" - highlights the economic clout of travel and tourism to protect human rights and the global environment.

All parts of our 2021 report may be shared freely, with accreditation.

For Further Information please visit https://ethicaltraveler.org/

For inquiries, please email info@ethicaltraveler.org

Ethical Traveler, P.O. Box 5883 Berkeley, CA 94705 USA

*LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0216s2p-ethical-traveler-300dpi.jpg

Every year, California-based Ethical Traveler reviews the world's developing nations for their commitment to human rights, social welfare, and environmental protection. The ten destinations with the most impressive records are honored with Ethical Destinations Awards.

Related link: https://ethicaltraveler.org/

Flightpath Biosciences Launches via Illumina Accelerator to Conduct Largest Clinical Biomarker Study in Lyme Disease

BERKELEY, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Flightpath Biosciences, a life sciences company, launched today claiming a spot in Illumina Accelerator's second global class to develop diagnostics and microbiome-targeted therapeutics to treat rare pathogen-driven diseases. The company has operated in stealth since its founding in mid-2019 and has built a pipeline of drug candidates for a wide range of diseases, starting with acute and Persistent Lyme Disease (PLD).

* Flightpath is led by an experienced team eager to execute deep data discovery and drive a pipeline of narrow-spectrum, targeted therapeutics into the clinic

* Company aims to combine deep genomic sequencing, metabolomics and immune-cell profiling with next generation machine-learning approaches to solve multiple pathogen-driven diseases and syndromes

* Company seeks to expand team to support operational acceleration and development efforts

"Today, more than ever, we understand that pathogen-driven epidemics like Lyme disease need to be more easily and accurately diagnosed and more specifically treated with narrow-spectrum, targeted therapies to avoid the microbiome damage that occurs with broad-spectrum antibiotics," said Matt Tindall, Flightpath Co-founder and CEO.

Of the 476K patients diagnosed with acute Lyme disease each year in the U.S., most are treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, but 10 to 20% endure debilitating symptoms such as fatigue, neurological complications, and myalgias after treatment, a condition known as Persistent Lyme disease (PLD). The etiology of PLD is not understood, and objective diagnostic tools are lacking.

Interestingly, PLD symptoms overlap several diseases in which patients exhibit alterations in their microbiome. In a recent study, published in mBio (September 2020), Lewis et al determined that microbiome sequencing data alone were indicative of late-stage Lyme disease, which presents a potential, novel diagnostic tool for PLD.

The authors found that patients with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, a subset of PLD, had a distinct microbiome signature, allowing for an accurate classification of over 80% of analyzed cases. Importantly, this signature supports the validity of PLD and is the first potential biological diagnostic tool for the disease.

"Our ability to analyze the microbiome, transcriptome and metabolome and identify disease signatures will give us new tools to unlock the potential of microbiome-based medicines in rare infectious diseases and potentially pathogen-driven cancers," said Mark de Souza, Flightpath Co-founder and Executive Chairman. "We're excited to get to work with the Illumina team and our world-class lab and academic partners to tackle this disease area with fresh perspectives, novel approaches and new data."

About Flightpath Biosciences

Flightpath Biosciences is developing microbiome-targeted therapeutics and advanced biomarker-based diagnostics for the treatment of infectious diseases. Flightpath's mission is to transform patient's lives with medicines developed using a multidisciplinary approach to human and pathogen biology.

Please visit us at https://flightpath.bio/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FlightpathB for more information.

Media Contact:
Michael Bellas
‪(510) 859-8668‬
https://flightpath.bio/contact-us/

*LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0209s2p-flightpath-300dpi.jpg

Flightpath Biosciences, a life sciences company, launched today claiming a spot in Illumina Accelerator's second global class to develop diagnostics and microbiome-targeted therapeutics to treat rare pathogen-driven diseases. The company has operated in stealth since its founding in mid-2019 and has built a pipeline of drug candidates for a wide range of diseases, starting with acute and Persistent Lyme Disease (PLD).

Related link: https://flightpath.bio/