Friday June 10, 2011
After interviewing a pair of the American students here at IPEC, a number of us got into a conversation about environmentalism in America. It was so exhilarating to be around youth that, like me, not only see environmental issues as extremely pressing, but that also have the drive to DO something about it. We of course spoke of the ideal society that would incorporate ecovillage lifestyles into mainstream culture. We questioned when and if this would really happen and I posed the question of what would come first – if the people would change, or if the creation of laws would force the people to change. While most of the students I spoke with believed that environmentalism will only catch on in a grass roots, bottom-to-top, fashion, few of us believed that laws would play a large role. Although I do believe that the individuals must care about the issues themselves, I believe that enough restriction and enforcement can change any culture. The only problem is actually getting legislation passed, which takes years and years...
And again, like it always seems to, the conversation about environmentalism boils down to education and knowledge. If only people really knew the implications, the details, etc, THEN they would care and THEN they would do something about it… And so environmental education continues to be, in my opinion, one of the main solutions to our earth’s problems.
Brazil passed a law about three years ago requiring all youth to get some type of environmental education. Wow, yes yes, you go Brazil! But why hasn’t California, one of the most progressive states in America, done something similar? We need to require that all public elementary/middle/high schools provide some type of (in my opinion extensive) environmental education programme. How can I help make that happen?! And who wants to help me?!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Santa Branca Ecotourism center
I made this little video just so you guys could see what Santa Branca was like. It's a very rural, large piece of beautiful land. The video shows you just their ecotourism center, which is open to the public for recreational use and is located about a quarter of a mile from the ecovillage itself.
IPEC
Thursday June 9, 2011
IPEC
I arrived and asked “hablas espanol o ingles?” and the woman responded “yes.” The receptionist, Lyla, is an Australian born Brazilian that grew up mostly on the IPEC ecovillage. She is probably my age, if not younger, and her mother runs the ecovillage. She was homeschooled here by her mom and now works with her mom to help IPEC operate.
IPEC is not technically an ecovillage – instead, it’s labeled as an eco-training center. IPEC holds courses for students, professionals, and people that are just curious about living sustainably. Most of the courses have the umbrella theme of Permaculture (designing your life to function in harmony with the environment). Some courses are more focused on specific topics like Bio-construction (or green architecture), natural water filtration, or natural waste management systems. There is a group of about 15 American university students on a summer program taking a 3 week permaculture class. The program is through an organization called Living Roots that I have heard about because Kibbutz Lotan in the Negev in Israel also has a Living Roots program.
It was so nice to find a group of young, enthusiastic Americans that share the same passion as me. Although I cannot participate in their courses during the day (since I am not paying for their program), I see them at meal times and enjoy see them just walking around the ecovillage. I hope they can give me a two day concentrated lesson about all they’ve learned so far while I am here!
IPEC is much more of a typical ecovillage set up than Santa Branca was. Santa Branca was spread out and new and modern. IPEC is like a small campground with a junkyard to use recycled materials for projects, earth domes to sleep in, an organic garden, compost toilets, and lots of benches made from clay and adobe. It reminds me of the Adam and Eve Ecological Farm in Modi’in in Israel, with a few things from the LA Ecovillage incorporated.
It’s a bummer that IPEC is mostly just a training center. I think this would be a lovely ecovillage where people could permanently reside and make a living off of the training programs. I will do some interviews tomorrow, Friday, and hopefully find out the visions of IPEC for the future.
In the mean time, I will walk around and try to comprehend the Portuguese written explanations of the compost toilet, water filtration systems, etc, and just relax and read my book!
Check out more photos here!
IPEC
I arrived and asked “hablas espanol o ingles?” and the woman responded “yes.” The receptionist, Lyla, is an Australian born Brazilian that grew up mostly on the IPEC ecovillage. She is probably my age, if not younger, and her mother runs the ecovillage. She was homeschooled here by her mom and now works with her mom to help IPEC operate.
IPEC is not technically an ecovillage – instead, it’s labeled as an eco-training center. IPEC holds courses for students, professionals, and people that are just curious about living sustainably. Most of the courses have the umbrella theme of Permaculture (designing your life to function in harmony with the environment). Some courses are more focused on specific topics like Bio-construction (or green architecture), natural water filtration, or natural waste management systems. There is a group of about 15 American university students on a summer program taking a 3 week permaculture class. The program is through an organization called Living Roots that I have heard about because Kibbutz Lotan in the Negev in Israel also has a Living Roots program.
It was so nice to find a group of young, enthusiastic Americans that share the same passion as me. Although I cannot participate in their courses during the day (since I am not paying for their program), I see them at meal times and enjoy see them just walking around the ecovillage. I hope they can give me a two day concentrated lesson about all they’ve learned so far while I am here!
IPEC is much more of a typical ecovillage set up than Santa Branca was. Santa Branca was spread out and new and modern. IPEC is like a small campground with a junkyard to use recycled materials for projects, earth domes to sleep in, an organic garden, compost toilets, and lots of benches made from clay and adobe. It reminds me of the Adam and Eve Ecological Farm in Modi’in in Israel, with a few things from the LA Ecovillage incorporated.
It’s a bummer that IPEC is mostly just a training center. I think this would be a lovely ecovillage where people could permanently reside and make a living off of the training programs. I will do some interviews tomorrow, Friday, and hopefully find out the visions of IPEC for the future.
In the mean time, I will walk around and try to comprehend the Portuguese written explanations of the compost toilet, water filtration systems, etc, and just relax and read my book!
Check out more photos here!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
a wonderful turning point
Read my post and then this video might make more sense....
Wednesday June 8, 2011
Today was such a lovely turning point in my trip. Instead of feeling alone and foreign in such a large country, I now feel excited to explore and get out there.
The day started as I left Pat’s peaceful home on the farm and headed to the Santa Branca Ecotourism centre. I said my gracious gracious thank yous to Pat for hosting me and feeding me for four days and letting me enjoy her wonderful natural lifestyle. Everything I ate was fresh off the stove or picked from the garden in the backyard. Pat taught me that energy in food is directly transferred to us, so the fresher the better.
As sad as I was to leave a free place to stay and free food and have someone communicate for me in Portuguese, I was excited to get out and really experience Brazil.
I met up with a man named Marcelo at the ecotourism center. Marcelo works for the Ecovillage tourism center leading hikes and taking care of the land. From 9am-noon we explored the trails, ate grapes off the vine, and had lots of laughs. Marcelo speaks no English, but my Spanish as well as lots of miming and repetition served as a wonderful way to get along. In just those few hours I more than doubled my Portuguese vocabulary. I loved seeing the jungle and learning about the different plant species.
After a lunch/snack, Marcelo took me into town on his motorbike, with my backpacking backpacking on my back and my day pack on my front. Marcelo treated me very well – demanding I wear a helmet, and asking a man on the bus to carry my backpack for me. I didn’t need to speak Portuguese to understand Marcelo’s kind heart and cheerful spirit.
There I caught a free bus to Anapolis as I started my journey to the next ecovillage, IPEC. The guy that carried my backpacking backpack for me was very friendly and I spoke with him in Spanish/Portuguese about my name and where I came from and what I was doing, etc. Once we arrived at the Anapolis bus station he was sweet enough to carry my bag for me again and escorted me to my next bus stop, so Pirinopolis.
I love riding public transportation in foreign countries. Specifically on buses, I love looking out the window to see the scenery and listen to the language spoken around me. After a while I turned on my i-pod and played some wonderfully calming music as I anticipated what was to come at IPEC.
I would be arriving unannounced, with no idea if there would be an available room to stay in, or how far away it is from civilization in case I needed a plan B. I arrived in Pirinopolis with plenty of daylight to spare, so I decided to venture to IPEC today, and knew I would have daylight lef to figure out housing elsewhere if it didn’t work out.
I didn’t have to say much for the Taxi driver to know where I wanted to go. Apparently IPEC is a training center that takes in lots of foreigners who want to learn about permaculture.
IPEC is an oasis of trees, green, and “bio-construction” in the middle of lots of pastureland a few kilometers outside of Pirinopolis. I arrived with a big smile, finally having experienced Brazil on my own and having not only survived, but really enjoyed the journey. I am so excited for the next week, especially to be here at IPEC, and I am already afraid the time will pass too quickly!
More to come about IPEC soon!
Wednesday June 8, 2011
Today was such a lovely turning point in my trip. Instead of feeling alone and foreign in such a large country, I now feel excited to explore and get out there.
The day started as I left Pat’s peaceful home on the farm and headed to the Santa Branca Ecotourism centre. I said my gracious gracious thank yous to Pat for hosting me and feeding me for four days and letting me enjoy her wonderful natural lifestyle. Everything I ate was fresh off the stove or picked from the garden in the backyard. Pat taught me that energy in food is directly transferred to us, so the fresher the better.
As sad as I was to leave a free place to stay and free food and have someone communicate for me in Portuguese, I was excited to get out and really experience Brazil.
I met up with a man named Marcelo at the ecotourism center. Marcelo works for the Ecovillage tourism center leading hikes and taking care of the land. From 9am-noon we explored the trails, ate grapes off the vine, and had lots of laughs. Marcelo speaks no English, but my Spanish as well as lots of miming and repetition served as a wonderful way to get along. In just those few hours I more than doubled my Portuguese vocabulary. I loved seeing the jungle and learning about the different plant species.
After a lunch/snack, Marcelo took me into town on his motorbike, with my backpacking backpacking on my back and my day pack on my front. Marcelo treated me very well – demanding I wear a helmet, and asking a man on the bus to carry my backpack for me. I didn’t need to speak Portuguese to understand Marcelo’s kind heart and cheerful spirit.
There I caught a free bus to Anapolis as I started my journey to the next ecovillage, IPEC. The guy that carried my backpacking backpack for me was very friendly and I spoke with him in Spanish/Portuguese about my name and where I came from and what I was doing, etc. Once we arrived at the Anapolis bus station he was sweet enough to carry my bag for me again and escorted me to my next bus stop, so Pirinopolis.
I love riding public transportation in foreign countries. Specifically on buses, I love looking out the window to see the scenery and listen to the language spoken around me. After a while I turned on my i-pod and played some wonderfully calming music as I anticipated what was to come at IPEC.
I would be arriving unannounced, with no idea if there would be an available room to stay in, or how far away it is from civilization in case I needed a plan B. I arrived in Pirinopolis with plenty of daylight to spare, so I decided to venture to IPEC today, and knew I would have daylight lef to figure out housing elsewhere if it didn’t work out.
I didn’t have to say much for the Taxi driver to know where I wanted to go. Apparently IPEC is a training center that takes in lots of foreigners who want to learn about permaculture.
IPEC is an oasis of trees, green, and “bio-construction” in the middle of lots of pastureland a few kilometers outside of Pirinopolis. I arrived with a big smile, finally having experienced Brazil on my own and having not only survived, but really enjoyed the journey. I am so excited for the next week, especially to be here at IPEC, and I am already afraid the time will pass too quickly!
More to come about IPEC soon!
shout outs
big happy blog post to come tomorrow, but here is something short and sweet for now:
First I want to give my parents major props for naming me Nina because it's been easy to make friends with foreigners with a name that is so translatable. Everywhere I go people can pronounce it just fine!
This video goes out to my dad, who just got back from the French Open, but also shout out to Catherine and Lily!
First I want to give my parents major props for naming me Nina because it's been easy to make friends with foreigners with a name that is so translatable. Everywhere I go people can pronounce it just fine!
This video goes out to my dad, who just got back from the French Open, but also shout out to Catherine and Lily!
Monday, June 6, 2011
monday june 6
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 $$ i'll spend on the ticket).
oh what a hollywood film can do for you. everything always works out in the end. :)
boa noiche
ninita
i am in the midst of making arrangements to visit IPEC - Instituto de Permaculturea e Ecovilas de Cerrado. they are a training center to teach people about how to live sustainably and are huge advocates for ecovillages. IPEC is not an ecovillage itself, but it trains people to start their own ecovillages. i learned that there is a group of american university students there right now and oh man oh man how i'd love to converse with them and network so that i can have eco-friends back home.
i am also in the midst of buying a plane ticket from brasilia to rio de janeiro for next monday and i'm finding it quite difficult. the cheapest flights are only listed on the website that are only in portuguese. also my credit card was not accepted even though my mom was sweet enough to go to WaMu today to make sure it's approved in brazil. pooooooop. this is complicated. i will have to try again to purchase the flight tomorrow, but it will be more difficult because i can't call the airline company on the phone (today i borrowed the ecovillage's phone but i feel bad asking again).
and so i watched Shakespeare in Love on my computer tonight to relieve me of the stress of not knowing when and where i will be for the next few days and if i will make it to Rio (well i know i'll make it to rio, its just a matter of how much $$ 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
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
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