ahhh haha. I laugh at myself for not being ready for brazilian style business. much like in india, a meeting may not happen when you thought you set it up for, and much like i did in india i need to chill out and just let life happen. i am trying to plan everything and schedule everything but that is not how things work here. i am surprised with how difficult i am finding it to slow down my life. i often feel unproductive and restless, but i know i should just be relaxing and taking it all in.
i am in the midst of making arrangements to visit IPEC - Instituto de Permaculturea e Ecovilas de Cerrado. they are a training center to teach people about how to live sustainably and are huge advocates for ecovillages. IPEC is not an ecovillage itself, but it trains people to start their own ecovillages. i learned that there is a group of american university students there right now and oh man oh man how i'd love to converse with them and network so that i can have eco-friends back home.
i am also in the midst of buying a plane ticket from brasilia to rio de janeiro for next monday and i'm finding it quite difficult. the cheapest flights are only listed on the website that are only in portuguese. also my credit card was not accepted even though my mom was sweet enough to go to WaMu today to make sure it's approved in brazil. pooooooop. this is complicated. i will have to try again to purchase the flight tomorrow, but it will be more difficult because i can't call the airline company on the phone (today i borrowed the ecovillage's phone but i feel bad asking again).
and so i watched Shakespeare in Love on my computer tonight to relieve me of the stress of not knowing when and where i will be for the next few days and if i will make it to Rio (well i know i'll make it to rio, its just a matter of how much $$ i'll spend on the ticket).
oh what a hollywood film can do for you. everything always works out in the end. :)
boa noiche
ninita
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
day 2 - santa branca ecovillage
put your volume all the way up when you listen to this one.
Sunday June 5, 2011
My access to internet has been much greater than expected, which is awesome cuz I can share more with you guys (and feel more connected to home)! Pat lets me use her internet whenever we’re at home and she isn’t using it – and we are home quite a lot.
Today was really interesting – we visited the Santa Branca ecovillage, which is about a 20 minute drive from Pat’s house on a dirt road. The ecovillage is an enclosed area of about 70 acres – it’s a huge area of land, but not all of it is used. Today I got to see the recreation area for the ecovillagers (tennis court, sitting area), one ecovillager’s home, and the ecotourism center. The ecotourism area reminded me of a recreation center at a public park in America – a lake to swim in, paddle boats, horses to ride, etc. The ecovillage itself along with the tourism site was all so beautiful. Instead of cars and planes, you hear crickets and wind. And instead of buildings and smog you see trees and birds.
I interviewed two people today, one of which spoke English and that was a great interview. His name is Antonio and he had some really strong points about how the ecovillage movement can grow and be strengthened. He mentioned that one of the main problems with the ecovillage movement is the stigma about the movement’s spirituality and association with hippies. For those of you that don’t know, ecovillages are often based not only on communal living and environmentalism, but also on some type of spirituality. For example, an ecovillage in Scotland believes that meditating in the same room as one’s plant’s will allow him or her to communicate with the plants and know if they need more sunlight/water, etc. This ideology is common among the members and provides for a commonality between the people.
Antonio believes that ecovillages need to be marketed as communal living styles, and less focused on the spirituality. He made the analogy that the spiritual side of an ecovillage is a filter that turns away many people from even considering living there.
This is true, and although I do agree with Antonio that spiritualism can be a turn-off, I also see how spirituality can closely bring a group of people together, which can only strengthen the community aspects of the village. Additionally, if spirituality is present at an ecovillage’s core, that spirituality needs to be communicated to prospective members in order for them to fully understand what they will be getting involved with. Therefore, I think spiritual ecovillages need to be transparent with their ideologies, but I also believe that it is important for other ecovillages (based solely on community and sustainability) to up-play that they are NOT spiritual, or at least intentionally include no mention spirituality in their marketing communications. Non-spiritual ecovillages will be a strong point in spreading sustainable lifestyles to the general public.
After a tour of Antonio’s green home, Pat and I headed home for her afternoon nap.
Fun facts about Brazil/Santa Branca:
- EVERYONE has at least two hammocks outside their house (great for falling asleep in)
- No one puts toilet paper in the toilet. The plumbing isn’t hardy enough, so instead toilet paper goes in the trash next to the toilet.
- They drink a lot of coffee but instead of one large mug in the morning and one large mug in the afternoon, its tiny shots of coffee all day long.
I am happy that I’ve written two research papers on ecovillages; I feel much more prepared to discuss ecovillages with the ecovillagers and I can better relate to their lifestyles.
Tomorrow I am going to interview the founder of Santa Branca Ecovillage – Jeremias. He speaks English, so it should go pretty well!
Boa noiche,
Ninita
Sunday June 5, 2011
My access to internet has been much greater than expected, which is awesome cuz I can share more with you guys (and feel more connected to home)! Pat lets me use her internet whenever we’re at home and she isn’t using it – and we are home quite a lot.
Today was really interesting – we visited the Santa Branca ecovillage, which is about a 20 minute drive from Pat’s house on a dirt road. The ecovillage is an enclosed area of about 70 acres – it’s a huge area of land, but not all of it is used. Today I got to see the recreation area for the ecovillagers (tennis court, sitting area), one ecovillager’s home, and the ecotourism center. The ecotourism area reminded me of a recreation center at a public park in America – a lake to swim in, paddle boats, horses to ride, etc. The ecovillage itself along with the tourism site was all so beautiful. Instead of cars and planes, you hear crickets and wind. And instead of buildings and smog you see trees and birds.
I interviewed two people today, one of which spoke English and that was a great interview. His name is Antonio and he had some really strong points about how the ecovillage movement can grow and be strengthened. He mentioned that one of the main problems with the ecovillage movement is the stigma about the movement’s spirituality and association with hippies. For those of you that don’t know, ecovillages are often based not only on communal living and environmentalism, but also on some type of spirituality. For example, an ecovillage in Scotland believes that meditating in the same room as one’s plant’s will allow him or her to communicate with the plants and know if they need more sunlight/water, etc. This ideology is common among the members and provides for a commonality between the people.
Antonio believes that ecovillages need to be marketed as communal living styles, and less focused on the spirituality. He made the analogy that the spiritual side of an ecovillage is a filter that turns away many people from even considering living there.
This is true, and although I do agree with Antonio that spiritualism can be a turn-off, I also see how spirituality can closely bring a group of people together, which can only strengthen the community aspects of the village. Additionally, if spirituality is present at an ecovillage’s core, that spirituality needs to be communicated to prospective members in order for them to fully understand what they will be getting involved with. Therefore, I think spiritual ecovillages need to be transparent with their ideologies, but I also believe that it is important for other ecovillages (based solely on community and sustainability) to up-play that they are NOT spiritual, or at least intentionally include no mention spirituality in their marketing communications. Non-spiritual ecovillages will be a strong point in spreading sustainable lifestyles to the general public.
After a tour of Antonio’s green home, Pat and I headed home for her afternoon nap.
Fun facts about Brazil/Santa Branca:
- EVERYONE has at least two hammocks outside their house (great for falling asleep in)
- No one puts toilet paper in the toilet. The plumbing isn’t hardy enough, so instead toilet paper goes in the trash next to the toilet.
- They drink a lot of coffee but instead of one large mug in the morning and one large mug in the afternoon, its tiny shots of coffee all day long.
I am happy that I’ve written two research papers on ecovillages; I feel much more prepared to discuss ecovillages with the ecovillagers and I can better relate to their lifestyles.
Tomorrow I am going to interview the founder of Santa Branca Ecovillage – Jeremias. He speaks English, so it should go pretty well!
Boa noiche,
Ninita
videos = no go for now
so i've tried uploading some flip cam vids but they are way too large to upload on this internet connection. i'll try shrinking them on my computer and then uploading them after... videos are the best!
day 1
Saturday June 4, 2011
Day one:
So I’ve never traveled this alone before… The traveling part is fine – I sleep easily on planes and I love people watching during layovers, and boy does my i-pod keep me sane. But to be by myself when I arrive at my destination is something different. In Israel I’ve done that, but I speak the language and am familiar with where I would want to go.
This isn’t the type of alone like how it was to be an RA and have my own room, bathroom, free time etc. This is the type of alone where I’m currently staying on a farm-like piece of land right next to a vast jungle and the only other person I’m with is an older woman whom I just met this morning – granted there are some monkeys, a bunch of birds, and some wild night time creatures… I think I will really grow into myself during the next two weeks.
I don’t mean to sound so sad! The place where I am staying is absolutely gorgeous. Pat has a large property with a nice home and a huge garden in which she grows vegetables and has fruit trees. I can’t get over the fact that she has monkey’s in her backyard! Wow. I LOVE monkeys if you didn’t know :) Pat does not live on the Ecovillage, but she lives just outside and we will venture there tomorrow.
Driving from the airport to Pat’s house reminded me so much of India. The dirt is that orangey brown clay, and there are plots of land along busy streets that are undeveloped. The darker skinned Brazilians work away in the hot sun and their clothes are stained the color of the clay. There is dirt in the air and graffiti on the walls and India rushes back into my body and soul. The two biggest differences are that here, it’s hot, but not too hot (plus I can wear shorts), and tropical green plants overpopulate the sides of the streets (in India the city I lived in had sparse trees and hardly any grass). It’s crazy how different Teresopolis/Goiania are from Rio, where I was last year. This type of living is so serene and most surrounding people are poor. Rio felt a little like a tropical European city, with nice restaurants and cobblestone sidewalks.
I’ve already learned so much from Pat about environmental living and the hardships that ecovillages face. For example, a bank will not give a loan to an alternative building project, so it’s very hard for their ecovillage to fund their new buildings/residencies. I also learned that in this particular state, it’s mandatory to teach environmental education to children! That is wayyy awesome and something that I’ve advocated for in a few papers I’ve written at USC.
Ok it’s 9:45pm and I’m going to get ready for bed!
Much love,
Ninita
on sunday we are going to the santa branca ecovillage! yay! i can't wait!
Day one:
So I’ve never traveled this alone before… The traveling part is fine – I sleep easily on planes and I love people watching during layovers, and boy does my i-pod keep me sane. But to be by myself when I arrive at my destination is something different. In Israel I’ve done that, but I speak the language and am familiar with where I would want to go.
This isn’t the type of alone like how it was to be an RA and have my own room, bathroom, free time etc. This is the type of alone where I’m currently staying on a farm-like piece of land right next to a vast jungle and the only other person I’m with is an older woman whom I just met this morning – granted there are some monkeys, a bunch of birds, and some wild night time creatures… I think I will really grow into myself during the next two weeks.
I don’t mean to sound so sad! The place where I am staying is absolutely gorgeous. Pat has a large property with a nice home and a huge garden in which she grows vegetables and has fruit trees. I can’t get over the fact that she has monkey’s in her backyard! Wow. I LOVE monkeys if you didn’t know :) Pat does not live on the Ecovillage, but she lives just outside and we will venture there tomorrow.
Driving from the airport to Pat’s house reminded me so much of India. The dirt is that orangey brown clay, and there are plots of land along busy streets that are undeveloped. The darker skinned Brazilians work away in the hot sun and their clothes are stained the color of the clay. There is dirt in the air and graffiti on the walls and India rushes back into my body and soul. The two biggest differences are that here, it’s hot, but not too hot (plus I can wear shorts), and tropical green plants overpopulate the sides of the streets (in India the city I lived in had sparse trees and hardly any grass). It’s crazy how different Teresopolis/Goiania are from Rio, where I was last year. This type of living is so serene and most surrounding people are poor. Rio felt a little like a tropical European city, with nice restaurants and cobblestone sidewalks.
I’ve already learned so much from Pat about environmental living and the hardships that ecovillages face. For example, a bank will not give a loan to an alternative building project, so it’s very hard for their ecovillage to fund their new buildings/residencies. I also learned that in this particular state, it’s mandatory to teach environmental education to children! That is wayyy awesome and something that I’ve advocated for in a few papers I’ve written at USC.
Ok it’s 9:45pm and I’m going to get ready for bed!
Much love,
Ninita
on sunday we are going to the santa branca ecovillage! yay! i can't wait!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Brazil, here I come! woo woooo
Friday June 3, 2011 The time has come for me to set out into the world again!
A serious long-term threat facing the world is the danger that human actions are producing irreversible, harmful changes to the environmental conditions that support life on Earth. I want to solve this problem and am devoted to learning how people can change their lifestyles to do so.
I am off to Brazil, supported by a USC SURF grant (http://dornsife.usc.edu/surf)to do research for two weeks. I have two research initiatives:
• To learn about the lifestyle practices that ecovillages exhibit in order to live in a more environmentally sustainable way
• To assess the role that Brazilian ecovillages play in greater Brazilian environmentalism I will explore the first initiative in order to better understand each ecovillage and be able to evaluate which practies are most effective and can be adapted for life outside the ecovillage.
When I return home, I will be an agent of change and will bring these lifestyles practices back to USC with me. Over the summer, I plan on making a short video about ways that the ordinary individual can transform his or her life to be more environmentally sustainable.
The second initiative will be a bit more challenging to rightly assess, especially in the given time frame of two weeks. I will interview ecovillagers, as well as city dwellers to find out what role ecovillages play in national environmentalism. In a world approaching peak oil, global warming, and possible water shortages, Ecovillages provide the perfect model to be emulated world wide.
Can these ecovillages be agents of change for Brazil’s devastating environmental state? In what ways can ecovillages maximize their impact in the environmental movement?
Over the summer, I will write a short paper on my findings and turn it in to the SURF grant foundation in September.
So why did I choose Brazil, you might ask? For a few reasons – I went to Brazil in March 2010 just for ten days and I fell in love with the culture, the people, the lifestyle, the language, everything. So I’ve since had a yearning to return…
More importantly, Brazil has a very unique and wonderful position in terms of environmentalism. Unlike other developing nations, Brazil has enough money and has the desire to invest in environmental initiatives. Sustainable development is not common for developing countries because of the large upfront costs that it requires. Brazil, however, is home to one of the greenest cities in the world (Curitiba) and has made valiant strides towards ending the accelerated deforestation of the Amazon. These, among other efforts (such as ecovillages), show that Brazil is prioritizing saving the natural world when the incentive is strictly environmental and not monetary.
As environmental issues world wide intensify, Brazil has the ability to set a model for other developing nations to follow – what if all developing nations were to start incorporating environmentalism into their development in small ways? The future would look much greener :)
And so Brazil it is! I arrive tomorrow and have no idea what my internet situation will be, but I will do my best to keep you guys updated on what I find. I love you and miss you all!
Chao,
Ninita
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Maitri
Metta (Pali - pictured above) or Maitri (Sanskrit- pictured below) means unconditional and unattached loving kindness. What a wonderful outlook with which to approach the people in your life. Thank you Buddhism for keeping me in line with what is good in life.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Open Mind, Open Heart
College is a time for trying new things. As a friend told me - it's like ripping a band aid off - Just get out there and do it. If not now, when?
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