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!
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