What is the Balanced, Exemplary Steps for Sustainability in San Cristobal?

What is the Balanced Exemplary Steps Project (Proyecto Pasos Equilibrados Ejemplares)?

This is an initiative begun by the author, Ashleigh D. Klingman de Sarigu, Galapagos resident through marriage, and continued through collaboration with local institutions and foundations through a seed grant from the Galapagos Conservancy. The project design has evolved since April 2012 in line with local needs and desires. In general, we (myself and local contributors) seek to organize activities and programs that promote shared actions towards a more harmonious coexistence with others and nature on the islands. The project name means:

·         Steps (Pasos) = concrete actions with a social commitment towards positive change, evolved beyond ideas and words

·         Balanced (Equilibrados) = as a responsible citizen, I seek to balance human needs with those of the environment, my daily actions with my values

·         Exemplary (Ejemplares) = rather than suggest what others need to do to change, I seek to be the change. We seek to exemplify Ghandi’s wise words: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

What are the key disciplines?

Community education and outreach, conservation, sustainable development, citizen science, (socio-ecological) leadership, public affairs, volunteerism

Where do we work?

The project works on the island of San Cristobal, population roughly 6,500 people, in the province of Galapagos, Ecuador.

With whom do we work?

The team is currently composed of myself: Ashleigh Klingman, Masters in Public Affairs and Latin American Studies with a focus on Education for Sustainable Development, as a member of the Governing Counsel planning department, and two local high school students: Adrian Rodriguez and Mariuxi Torres (part-time assistance). We are currently drafting a cooperative agreement to work with a local foundation based on Santa Cruz Island: Un Cambio por la Vida (A Change for Life) that promotes active citizenship and small community development projects.

We work directly with local youth and educators through the Youth Council for Social Services, the School District, Student Governments, Ecology Clubs, and the local Cultural Chapter (Casa de la Cultura) among others. In 2012, we had 60 direct beneficiaries and hope to increase that number to 100 in 2013.

What activities do we do?

In 2012, I coordinated meetings and activities with the groups mentioned above promoting beautification projects in schools and a campaign to reduce the use of plastics and trash in the ocean. In September, I joined the Governing Council’s planning team to help structure the regional plan in terms of education, health and culture.

In 2013, we are working to build spaces for citizen science around current public affairs related to conservation and coexistence including animals’ rights and reduction of waste generation.

One step in building these spaces is to strengthen local youth groups. A key activity is the Youth Leadership and Service Learning Course this vacation period (February through April) that will help prepare student leaders to better facilitate democratic learning activities and promote volunteerism. This activity has been designed to support the annual vacation day camps to collaboratively facilitate the sharing and implementation of alternative teaching methods and promote volunteerism among local institutions, youth, children and their families.

A second step in building these spaces is creating and sharing tools to communicate successes. We will develop a compendium of practical socio-environmental activities for students and teachers and promote online sharing through social media like Facebook and blog spot.

What is the long term vision of this project?

The long term goal is for the Governing Council planning department to absorb the project and its philosophy into daily planning processes, promoting citizen science and community education and outreach around current public affairs that offer platforms to analyze conservation and human development in the islands. Through this incorporation, the project activities will also indirectly encourage education reform towards a more democratic, innovative and experiential model by offering alternative spaces and methods of interaction in the community. 

Photos and Reflections from the Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Endeavor Cruise, March 30 - April 7, 2012

Commemorating 30 years of life and 5 years of marriage for Geovanny and me

Before taking my first ever cruise of the islands I had many doubts. Before I had criticized this luxury tourism of the islands because most local people and Ecuadorians are prohibited from participating due to high prices (average is $5,000 a person for 7 days which includes visits, food, lodging, etc. but doesn’t include airfare and entry into the national park). If only a few can participate and I try to be an examle of social justice, was I being hypocritical by becoming one of the few for a week? While the restricted access factor remains true and still bothers me to some degree, Lindblad and NatGeo brightened my perspective of the cruise option as ecological, educational and socially-responsible.

The lodging, programming, food and service were all of premium quality, but the crew emphasized our responsibility to minimize our ecological footprint and respect national park rules and local culture. The boat desalinizes its own water and we were given water bottles to overcome the need to buy water in plastic bottles. Fresh ingredients are carefully selected, washed and shipped in secure packaging in the airplane carrying passengers to the islands to diminish potential introduction of exotic species and combine two previous trips into one. Guests pre-choose their meals at dinner time to help the chef and cooks better calculate food, reducing waste. We reused our towels for several days and had the option to not have our bed linens changed halfway through the week (I saw about 1/3 of guests opt for this option, ~30/93). We received a presentation on the human history of the islands by our expedition leader, heard a representative from the Charles Darwin Foundation talk, and enjoyed local music and dance performed by a group of musicians (Ecoarte) from Santa Cruz Island. Furthermore, I estimate (because for privacy not fully disclosed) that at least 10 guests had paid either a reduced fare or won their trip through a raffle. For me, these examples represent balanced steps towards ecological, educational and social responsibility in tourism in Galapagos.

In short, we visited 18 amazing, pristine protected sites, saw all the wildlife we set out to see (collectively, not individually, but regardless, this is not always possible!), and learned about local Galapagos residents and efforts to safeguard the islands. We even had the pleasure of sharing our expedition with the Editor-in-Chief of the National Geographic magazine and his family!

Although I still hope access can be expanded to allow local residents the possibility to better appreciate the beautiful islands in which they reside, I saw many examples of how Lindblad and National Geographic are making this happen. Hands down, I recommend if you save up to visit Galapagos, please consider taking this cruise. You will have no regrets. http://www.expeditions.com/Ship_Detail92.asp?Ship=5

On the other hand, if the price-range out of your budget, come visit us at our Hacienda Tranquila: www.haciendatranquila.com ! The only favor I ask anyone visiting these beautiful islands is to think about how you can help conserve your local beautiful and unique places. There are countless ones around the world- we just need to open our eyes and appreciate them.

Please see my photos below- I will write more up about each day with more photos in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, here is a preview. I would love to receive your thoughts and comments. J  

Saturday, March 31, 2012: San Cristobal Island, Cerro Brujo

I love this part of San Cristobal because of the view of Leon Dormido in the background and the circuline sand. Unfortunately, I did not walk around much as I needed Saturday to get my sea legs under me!

Sunday, April 1, 2012: My 30th Birthday on Espanola Island

Me posing by a Nazca booby and the mini geyser formed from an underwater cave on the rocky coast. We also blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and waved albatross. I even got a special birthday cake at dinner. What a day!

Monday, April 2, 2012: Floreana Island

Yet another magical island, our visit to Floreana was mesmerizing. We saw female sea turtle tracks from hours earlier when they came to lay their eggs, Floreana mockingbird, finches, lava lizards and even flamingos.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012: Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz

No visit is complete with a giant tortoise! This lady (or gent- not sure!) just emerged from a nice mud bath to remove parasites and relieve the heat.

The human-animal interactions has impacted natural behavior, or has it? All animals in Galapagos live in harmony- if a sea lion starts to live in harmony with the fisherman, isn't this another example of harmony in the animal kingdom?

These lovely ladies performed for us as part of the local group Ecoarte with beautifully designed and hand-painted Galapagos skirts. I am sending them this photo and hope to stay in touch. We need more positive programming like this for youth in our islands!

Wednesday, April 4: Santa Cruz, Eden and Daphne

Yet another day of magical, volcanic places! Here is a marine iguana taking a sun bath. (Can you find him? Like his fellow galapaguenans, he camouflages well!)

We also got to play "hide and seek" with the land iguanas, spotting 10! This one looked like he wanted to give a high five of congratulations! Can you make out some of the metamorphological differences between the marine and land iguanas?

Here is a Geo iguana enjoying the fabulous Ecuadorian buffet at lunch.

Thursday, April 5: Famous Bartolome and Sombrero Chino Snorkeling

Yet again a must, a visit to Pennacle Rock or Bartolome- 6:30 am is the best visiting time!

Geo's brother and guide Fernando showed them an underwater cave- likely Geo's highlight of the trip.

 We were also happy to see some little black and white friends there- Galapagos penguins!

Friday, April 6, 2012: Genovesa, bird paradise

We got to see tens of red-footed boobies in the red mangroves. This one looked right at me as if to say, "This is my home. Can I help you?"

The baby boobies were so curious to see us- this one is a Nazca booby (if I recall correctly).

This juvenile frigate bird seemed to be wondering why the male was puffed up looking up at the ladies in the air. I imagine him saying, "Dad, what are you doing?"

And I think I have it bad… reflections on beginning the Balanced Steps Program in San Cristobal Island, Galapagos

Having just disembarked from a luxury Galapagos expedition cruise three weeks after permanently moving from Washington, DC, I am yet again facing the phenomenon of culture shock: Galapagos volcanic and tropical island culture shock to be exact. Our large and spacious home has no air conditioning, and upon our return after a week of rain and closed dank air, mold was growing on surfaces I have never before seen. The dirt that comes in through the window screens from the unpaved, volcanic rock street is my constant enemy as I sweep and mop the tile floors for hours on end. My washing machine mysteriously still leaves brown spots on my husband and my favorite clothes, despite my best efforts of a two hour deep cleaning and regular wipe downs. Water is often scarce, and even though we have a sizeable cistern and expense water pump, the water pressure and quality still are lacking in comparison with my native USA. And yet, I pause and pull myself out of my self-pity to analyze: do I really have it so bad? Sure, internet access is a major limitation to contact with the outside world and knowledge sharing, but at least I can afford to pay a few cents to use the super slow cyber café. Yes, my house is dank and musty at times, but at least my enclosure is secure to limit insects and rodents that must be obnoxious, unwanted house guests for my neighbors with boarded houses and no insulation at all. Yes, my main option to dry my clothes and delicates is in direct site of my mechanic neighbor and his complete family and friends constantly hanging around close to our backyard. Yet really, if I want the simple life with balanced steps towards sustainability, I need to ask myself the question, do I really have it so bad? To which the obvious answer is “no.”

We Americans have these expectations of the good life that include a great deal of expendable income to travel and buy what we like, central cooling (and heating) in a luxuriously furnished home, and the convenience to do what we like when we like, with the obvious basic needs of comfortable shelter, food, water, electricity, trash and sewer all taken care of without much question. However, very rarely do we question our ecological footprint: how many acres of land are necessary to provide the raw products and how many people’s labor are essential to create these final products and services for our consumption? This is an issue I am hoping to address with my program; however, I do recognize I must address it personally first and provide an example if I hope that others may be interested in researching the issue and working on their ecological footprints as well.

Thus, the Balanced Steps program is slowly coming along in the planning phase. I have applied for external funding and won the mayor’s agreement to receive municipal sponsorship and funding in the out years. I am exploring the possibility of teaching English for this year with environmental subject matter to begin the bilingual environmental education experience in a formal setting, and hopefully we will expand into extracurricular activities as well. This process will definitely follow one balanced step after another!