Ecuador Dispatches, Jan/Feb 2001
Report #3 from Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador
By Peter Berg
February 1, 2001
Bahia is a decidedly urban place. Some people do not often leave the
environment of a relatively small number of streets and city blocks, and
some don't ever go to truly wild areas which are extremely close by. In
this regard they are nearly as citified as denizens of local neighborhoods
in Paris, Tokyo or New York. Trappings of global monoculture such as cell
phones, computers, television, and nearly everything else are handy to
induce hypnosis. For part of the population, attitudes about nature are
not unlike those of average city dwellers anywhere in the world.
Regardless of this seeming urbanity, there is a decided difference in
the impact of natural forces on the eastern Pacific Rim near the equator.
They are stronger than most urbanites feel elsewhere and more continuous
than they have possibly ever felt. It's the rainy season now and everyone
is aware of and linked to it in powerful ways. In some years rainfall can
be as persistent as a monsoon. Roads become sealed with mud and wearing
high rubber boots is a necessity for everyone. Because it hasn't rained
much so far this year, Bahia is ironically out of water. Rain-catching
cisterns are generally empty, and normal uses for toilets, showers,
laundry, and so on are temporarily suspended in many households. The
presence of rain is felt significantly whether it falls or not.
It is mosquito season because they breed in pools left behind when it
does rain. It is also a hot season when the sky is clear of rain clouds
and radiator-like sunlight from directly overhead empties the streets of
people who retreat to the cool shade of their houses. It is the season for
cheap queso fresco (fresh cheese) because with the initial return of rain
cows got more feed and water, so they are producing more milk. It is the
beach season for locals who spend weekends with their friends immersed in
the ocean or catching whatever breezes are fanned inshore. Metallic
yellows and shades of rose at sunset bring dozens to the Malecon every
late afternoon to enjoy the cool onset of night.
Some of the same natural effects are felt in other places to be sure,
but they are more evident here. That's why the image of restoring and
maintaining natural systems shouldn't be a garden catering to peculiar
human tastes. It should be Ecuador's own wild Galapagos Islands that
definitively prove the case for preserving wildness for its own sake.
In pace with other recently heightened levels of ecological activity in
Bahia, Flor Maria Duenas has enlarged her "eco-kids club" vision
considerably. A well planned compound-like structure for the use of over a
hundred members of Club Ecologico is being erected in the formerly
homeless and still notably poor barrio of Fanca. It contains a large
building with rooms for meetings, classes and workshops such as recycled
paper-making. There's also an outdoor area covered by a ramada of thatch
that is already in use for growing hundreds of seedlings, and another
unwalled space for choral singing and other pursuits. This wide-spectrum
effort is aimed toward broadening consciousness and teaching ecological
values as well as producing immediate practical results. It is undeniably
one of the most worthwhile eco-ciudad projects since its eight- to
fourteen-years old participants are the upcoming generation who in less
than a decade will build a bioregional and sustainable city.
It's worth keeping those children in mind when dealing with cautionary
recitations that flow regularly from even well-meaning adults. Although
this week has been particularly productive for realizing the dream of an
ecological city (details in the next report), it has been so despite
friendly warnings from almost everyone involved. Both public agency chiefs
and leaders of citizen groups list similar problems: there isn't any money
for projects, bureaucracies drag their feet, there aren't enough skilled
personnel, people have too many economic problems. They are without doubt
concerned and being helpful to point out obstacles that make the
transformation difficult. At this point, I'm not willing to modify the
unique and hopeful vision that they also hold. There is always a potential
for negativity simply because this is a relatively small community.
Personal impressions and conflicts can quickly be magnified by a power of
ten. But it's necessary to see these flare ups for what they are because
the benefits of sticking out differences are tangible and growing. Destino
(fate) is casting a long shadow in Bahia at this time, and the city will
benefit exponentially by any positive efforts that are made now.
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