Arundhati Roy said that "everything can happen to anyone, things can change in a day, its better to be prepared". this blog collects my views as things happen, things change, and i try to make sense out of them
Over two hundred children have gathered in Putrajaya, Malaysia to voice their concerns and provide their ideas to protect the environment over the past week. The children, from over 67 countries, attended the United Nations Environment Programme International Children Conference with the goal of learning from each other and forming a coalition of youth environmentalists taking firm steps to protect the world's environment.
The 2006 Children Conference focused on protecting biodiversity, and allowed children to nourish their perspectives through exchanging ideas and concerns with their peers. The children gathered in Putrajaya are leaders in the communities and will bring back to their home countries a sense of hope. As the future leaders of the world, these young entrepreneurs renew the hope of the older generations. They also remind us that , if 200 children from 67 nations can come together to collaborate, adults need to bring up the child within them to solve the problems that affect our world today and that will affect generations to come.
The International Children Conference and the UNEP Children Board are part of the UNEP Tunza Strategy, an ongoing effort to engage children and youth in the policy making and implementation of UNEP's work.
This past weekend SustainUS had its annual retreat at the Black Rock Forest Lodge, upstate New York. The retreat served to energize the work of our organization and to give a sense of direction to the amazing programs we have successfully developed since the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.
An intense weekend, no question of that. Concrete ideas for actions ranging from local energy efficiency campaigns run by high school students to international coalitions meeting in the heart of Africa.... All of it organized by a youth network of people committed to advance our fight for a more sustainable world.
SustainUS has been the most influential organization in my life. It has empowered to make a change and to become an active youth leader. I feel I ought a lot to SustainUS, and I will have the opportunity to give back tot he movement this coming year serving as the External Relations and Partnership Coordinator. My job includes developing and maintaining relationships with a diverse assortment of current and potential partner organizations. I will also get to work closely with Communications, the Agents of Change and Citizen Science Coordinators, and the National Programs coordinators. I am particularly excited because, along with the Chairperson, the External Relations coordinator is the “Face and Voice” of SustainUS, and represents the organization to governments, the UN, potential funders, and other outside organizations. So, an exciting year ahead of me. Sustain what? SustainUS!!! Pictures above: Picture One- A working group during the afternoon session on Saturday afternoon talking about National Programs. Picture Two- Dinner session to discuss local projects and outreach. Picture Three- one of my best friends, Mark Moroge, who spent the entire retreat eating watermelon. Picture Four- Michael Gale taking notes during the Communications session of the retreat.
Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Costa Rican cloud forest, Monteverde, where the legendary Golden frog used to exist. I entered the cloud forest with some good friends from the UN University for Peace trying to discover the wonders of this very specific type of wilderness. Unfortunately, it did not take us long to realize that the cloud forest is no longer the cloud forest. Deforestation and climate change have already changed the microclimate so much over the last few years that many species have disappeared and the forest has turned into an entirely new ecosystem.
Though still a forest, the change in temperatures in the atmosphere and wind patterns has changed the average elevation of clouds by several hundred meters. Now, instead of mist and clouds, you have tropical downpour. The cloud forest is similar to the rain forest, but its unique location immerses the vegetation in clouds coming from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, reducing the solar radiation and outgoing longwave radiation, and increasing humidity and water inputs from mist and direct depositions of cloud droplets (Lawton, 2001). The change in climate and the deforestation of the Atlantic Coast has made the precipitation and temperature change, and reptiles and amphibians used to cloud forest don’t have a place to go.
However, kids have been taking action! There are two reserves created through the efforts of children from around the world to protect the cloud forest. The Children Eternal Forest, for example, was founded with the donations coming campaigns around the world to save the forest. So, next time you see someone raising funds to protect the rain forest, know that funds are being used to provide a home to small and unique climate refugees…. Like the family of the disappeared golden frog! We need to take action, some creatures are not able to adapt to climate change (and other anthropogenic non sense) on their own.
On a more cheerful note. Monteverde was a lot of fun. Hiking in the tropics is very different from the hiking in Acadia. Plus, we got to do a canopy tour that left some breathless trying to pull ourselves to the next trees (verdad doctor?).
I had very illustrious and notable group of friends joining me in the forest, starting with the infamous Molly Cheatum (aka molichiton, who is absolutely insane and would do anything to see me suffer), the Lauras (who lost their notion of morality weeks ago), Paula (who left her Spanish passport and decided to turn Japanese with her video camera), Amy (David’s wife, who is wicked cool and knows everything about bugs and makes 45 minutes hikes turn into 2 exciting hours of your own Discovery Channel), and David (who clearly didn’t get his PhD crossing the canopy). Fun times…. In fact, a little too much fun! More Photos, here
That night we also went to hang out at the local pub where my value system collapsed again thanks to my distinguished Spanish friends.
My time in Costa Rica is coming to an end. In a few hours I will present my research with Paula (a good new friend who I will miss dearly, just like Laura -even if she is a callejera-) to the community of Llano Grande. We are very nervous and we are hoping that the community will embrace our work and make it theirs.
The next days few are going to be hectic and beautiful. For my last weekend in Costa Rica we have planned a nice group dinner on Friday, white water rafting on Saturday followed a crazy night of house music at a trendy bar in the capital. Sunday will include some well-deserved rest and then a going-away gathering for my distinguished Spanish friends at my cuate’s house, David (another one on the “miss dearly” list…. God, so many awesome people around the world that always have to say good-bye to… I hate my life). I hope to have more news after my presentation tonight.
Ps- I am purposely omitting the fact that I got stomach sick in Monteverde and that Carlos and Elizabeth ditched us.
Hello friends, I normally like to keep my page updated for friends and others to stay informed of my doings and whereabouts. Unfortunately I won’t be able to update my page for a while, or at least until I have reduced my “To-Do” list to half its current size. After that, I will share exciting experiences from the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
To-do list until I leave Costa Rica on august 25th:
Finalize housing document for the Guidos Slum in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Finish emissions baselines for biodigestors project.
Finish reforestation plan for reforestation project
Complete the strategic plan for Llano Grande.
Finish policy report on energy and climate change for UN Secretary General.
Prepare input for UNEP meeting in Malaysia.
Get ready for SustainUS National Retreat in New York.
Organize North American conference call for COP12 in Kenya
Enjoy my last week in Costa Rica with awesome new friends
Prepare article for UN UPeace
Blog on Its Getting Hot in Here
Blog on my own blog again….
See you then (picture above: Children's Eternal Rain Forest in Monteverde... a new take on community managment)
I am currently chairing a policy review on behalf of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) Youth Caucus for the Secretary General review of Energy and Climate Change Policy for Sustainable Sevelopment.
I came across a statement I made at the UN a few months ago during the a plenary session and I got inspired to keep revising policy for a few more hours. I thought i should bring the essence of the statement to this page. For the full statement, please visit the UN website.
....We have come to review work, not to anchor profit at the center of our efforts. We believe in environmental justice and encourage to remember that, as embodied in the Rio Declaration, "Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development". We believe the private sector can play a role in achieving more sustainable development, but only if governments take leadership, and provide them with the policy framework and incentives to make that possible. In addition, we must recognize that the goals of Agenda 21 will never be accomplished entirely by the private sector. Government delegates do not ignore the responsibilities which you signed on to in Rio, and affirmed in Johannesburg. Fellow human beings - indeed - we are the peoples, not the market. ...
