Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Network Participating in MEDIET 2007 in Athens

Athens, Greece April 16, 2007: Nikki Rose, founder of Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries (CCS), an internationally acclaimed eco-agritourism network, will be speaking at MEDIET 2007, the third international conference focusing on the traditional Mediterranean diet, on April 25-26 at the National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens, Greece.

The conference brings together specialists covering the Mediterranean diet and healthy-sustainable lifestyles. Rose’s presentation is “Eco-Agritourism as a Means to Preserve Culture and the Environment.” Rose is an award-winning Greek-American professional chef, writer and visionary socio-cultural activist. In 1998, she founded CCS to support people actively working to preserve cultural heritage and the environment, including organic farmers, chefs, ecolodge owners, holistic health practitioners, and nature conservationists.

Ms. Rose said, “The renowned traditional Cretan diet is not a diet but a way of life. The roots are deeper than eating healthy food. They begin at the sources of wild edible plants, sustainable organic agriculture, a clean environment, exercise and a healthy social life.”

Small-scale, sustenance farming has been practiced in Crete for over four thousand years. Modern researchers are using these traditional models to provide solutions to today’s issues relating to industrial farming and toxic pesticides, proven to be damaging the environment, safe food sources and health.

Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries works to rekindle resident and visitor interest in Crete’s culture and natural beauty -- the primary reasons why people visit the island. Conservationists warn that mass tourism and unsustainable development is rapidly depleting precious resources. CCS builds alliances between the agricultural and tourism sectors in an effort to curb the damage.

CCS was selected as an outstanding example of sustainable tourism by the World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development, The World Travel and Tourism Council, et al., and is benchmark for field research.

CCS organizes eco-agritourism workshops for practitioners and tailored seminars for small groups. Seasonal programs cover healthy cuisine, history, nature and agriculture and include the production of organic wine, olive oil, cheese, honey and other delicacies. Visitors have a rare opportunity to experience Crete from an insider’s viewpoint and learn lifestyle practices that can enrich their quality of life.