Eco Tourism
Volunteering

VOLUNTEER IN BRAZIL AT A PERMACULTURE FARM

Author: bart bijen

  • An island in the middle of the mountains

    An island in the middle of the mountains

    When you arrive to Nova Friburgo, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, and you ask people how to get to the rural neighbourhood of Cardinot, they answer: “Cardinot? It’s kind of far, you take a bus to get there, but I don’t know when it arrives or how long it will take to do so.” Others will say it’s a pretty isolated place.

    In Portuguese the origin of the word “isolated” is related to “island”. Well, if we think of an island as being capable of providing food and energy and not being self-destructive, we could say that what we are trying to create in Cardinot is an island. And without a sea around it, there is no island: just as without interaction with neighbouring and other communities we would not be fulfilling a part of our goals, which is social development, the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and smiles.

    Here at Eco Caminhos, that island in the mountains, we are making the way that is going to take us to those dreams day by day. We have the challenge of dealing with our own micro-community, the cultural and behavioural differences in it, understanding that the project can only advance if we see every possible conflict in a positive way and if we look for inner change instead of changing the other.

    That’s one of the motivations to be working on a project that we ourselves have chosen. If I am uncomfortable with the amount of toxins and synthetic hormones that I eat per year, if my job does not contribute to society in a way I would want to and only takes a ton of hours of my life, leaving me without time for my dreams and somehow forcing me to consume pre-made products or services because I have to try to compensate for all the lost time that I could not dedicate to me, then why not instead just change myself?

    What is the project that I want to help grow? That’s one of the questions everyone frequently asks around here. The idea of Eco Caminhos is to give the opportunity to people to develop the projects and ideas they like, to offer positive experiences to the community outside and that at the same time give them a chance to supply for their own needs, energetically, food wise, or economically, and always keeping the balance with whom provides all of this to us: planet earth. There is a ton of work to do around here, and the most important thing is that what you do and produce is in line with what you believe in, and that is beautiful!

    Here we use a lot of our physical energy and that reconnects us to the earth; this might lead us to discover pains of long forgotten muscles and invites us to look at the things we do with care and attention. Once I was asking about how to plumb a cob wall (cob is a mixture of sand, clay, water and straw) and I was taught that we should leave is straight, but at the same time leave it with smooth and soft shapes. One of the volunteers here, Roger, said at the end of the lesson with his still-evolving Portuguese “Eu gosto de fazer isso! De trabalhar para que as coisas fiquem bonitas.”

    Later on we’ll talk more about the people, the projects that will be coming next, and the knowledge and experiences here in our day to day life: sharing is caring, compartilhar é cuidar, compartir es cuidar, partager et proteger, delen is weten 🙂

    Read more about the volunteer opportunities Eco Caminhos offers.

  • Which tragedy represents you? Or which tragedy does the media make you represent?

    Which tragedy represents you? Or which tragedy does the media make you represent?

    Journalism is -or should be- a daily practice of intelligence and character, according to journalist Claudio Abramo. Hence, nowadays, if it wasn’t for this kind of natural selection between the different media, in which the elite is always at the top and in front of any shred of truth (like an apex predator), we could have a more fair and less chaotic game of interests.

    The biggest environmental disaster in Brazil’s history occurred in the city of Mariana on the 5th of November, caused by the irresponsibility of the mining company Vale do Rio Doce, and it didn’t even receive the same level of attention as the bloody day of the bombings in Paris on the 13th of November.

    Tragedies and bad news should not have this sort of variation on the amount of attention they get from the media or even less when only some have specific reserved spaces in the traditional media, to be instantly devoured by the spectators, while others barely get mentioned at all. Because of this sometimes people get obsessed with the images and news of ‘the others’ while not really paying attention to what happens locally.

    There certainly isn’t a way to compare and fairly measure different tragedies against one another, especially when their location, causes and social consequences are widely different. Still there is no explanation or justification when certain things happen, like the total silence of traditional media in Brazil, once the bombings in Paris happened, about the tragic environmental disaster that occurred in Mariana. How could this be? Did they forget? How do you forget a local tragedy where hundreds of people, fauna, and flora were devastated by the tons of toxic mud that suddenly flooded the area due to the irresponsible practices of a famous mining company? How can the tragic events in Paris justify this media silence?

    Two horrible tragedies, that’s a fact, but what can be concluded when looking at the behaviour of both traditional media and its spectators when these two tragedies occurred? Did both incidents get the level of attention they fairly deserved? Was it clear for the public who the culprits where? What can be concluded about how information is consumed and absorbed from looking at how people changed their profile picture on facebook to support Paris or Mariana?

    I’m left with just my indignation, and I prefer to leave these questions open for the readers to reflect and think about how media information and symbols are absorbed, to quote BAITELLO JR., Norval (2005, p. 54):

    Like this, at the same time, images come from other images, they originate from devouring other images. That would be the first level of Iconography. The images that populate our visual media are mostly constituted by echos, repetitions, and reproductions of other images, which starts with the consumption of images from the large pool of images around us.

    I’ll finish with a final question: Are we echoing what really represents us?

  • Research shows that social circles determine the adoption of sustainable habits

    Research shows that social circles determine the adoption of sustainable habits

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    The habits and example given by friends, family and coworkers is a determining factor when adopting new attitudes related to a more sustainable behaviour in everyday life, this according to the study “Pathways to a more sustainable lifestyle”. Several men and women from different social classes and ages were interviewed, half of them already engaged in some sort of sustainable practice while the other half was not. This research managed to identify nine factors that promote the adoption of more sustainable attitudes, and six that inhibit a change in lifestyle. This research was released on Conscious Consumption Day, celebrated on October 15th.

    According to the results of these interviews, feeling part of a group will determine if someone will take actions in favor of sustainability or make him resistant to changing his habits: “When someone feel part of a group this will either hinder or help this process of change”. A “group” here does not only to just family, is can also be a group of friends, coworkers, your children’s school,” according to the communications manager at the Akatu Institute, Gabriela Yamaguchi. Akatu is a non governmental organisation that raises social awareness about conscious consumption.

    Among the factors that benefit the practice of more sustainable habits, as identified by this research, are: the possibility that those actions make your life simpler; a positive balance resulting from this change of habits, in terms of finances, practicality or comfort; the opportunity to help change and improve the world, inspire other people, to feel like you are part of something bigger, the sensation that people are changing their own lives positively and the possibility of starting with small steps.

    Among the obstacles identified by the study are the perceived discomfort with the new sustainable practices, physical obstacles (such as age, health and physical condition), limitations in terms of (living) space, higher costs, cultural valorization of cleanliness and hygiene (hindering the reduction of water and electricity usage), and the sensation of isolation.

    According to the study, separating waste and recycling are activities that help people think more about the rational use of resources. “The first step is recycling, dealing correctly with waste. People that already know and engage in these activities understand how to recycle, they have already taken that first step. For them it will be easier to take the necessary steps that follow,” Gabriela stated.

    Professor Ricardo Abramovay, from the Institute of Energy and Environment of the University of São Paulo, reminds us that companies also play an important role when it comes to the adoption of sustainable habits by the population. “Changes in a company’s behaviour are strongly influenced by what people do. We tend to invert that equation when talking about changes in people’s behaviour; as if companies adapt to people’s preferences,” Abramovay explained.

    Gabriela also reminds us that companies play an important part in all of this. “As more sustainable goods and services are made available by companies, it will be easier for customers to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. Companies are facilitators of sustainable practices in people’s households,” she said. Besides offering products, Gabriela also reminds us of the need for company campaigns to explain to people the reasons, arguments and importance of choosing a more sustainable path. “The research has that objective: to help companies that are launching such products, so that people become aware of the importance of choosing them and changing in favour of more sustainable practices”.

    Source: Agência Brasil.

  • Eco Caminhos in the Newspaper A Voz da Serra

    Eco Caminhos in the Newspaper A Voz da Serra

    The newspaper A Voz da Serra, from Nova Friburgo, published today a very interessting text about Eco Caminhos.  Our team  was very pleased with the result: a entire page with photos and with many knowledge about our goals as a company and social project.

    For sure this is the first of many others news disclosures about us. We beleve that disseminating ideas that bring together  sustainability, education, inovation and social projects are good ways to implement change within each citizen, thus providing positive trasnformations necessary for life in society. Com certeza esta é a primeira de muitas outras matérias e divulgações.

    Check out the online text here.