A few days after we arrived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Allan started pointing out all of these trees that had walls and houses built around them.
In most other countries, if a tree is in the way of a fence or house, it would immediately be removed, and that would be the end of it. But in Mexico--at least in San Miguel--it is different. I asked a neighbor about it, and he said it's because there are fines for cutting down trees...this is a desert after all. But I like to think that the people here simply recognize that a life without trees is no life at all.
Think of how you feel when you drive past a forest that has been clear-cut. It literally hurts me to look at it. Yet when I'm buying wood furniture, or looking at a new house being built, my mind doesn't automatically connect the two...
In addition to saving trees (for whatever reason), Mexicans are also keen on compact fluorescent light bulbs. As in many other parts of the world we visited, Mexicans put CF bulbs in almost all of their light fixtures--to the point that aesthetic beauty is compromised for energy efficiency. Take note of this light fixture from the church in San Miguel de Allende:
Not pretty to look at, but oh my, the energy they save! This "efficiency over aesthetics" is also quite typical in Egypt, India, China...all over the world, actually. A few times we have seen more attractive versions of the CF bulb, but the spiral is still #1 around the world, regardless of what fixture it is coming out of. I remember buying my first compact fluorescent in 1993. It was GIGANTIC, very expensive, and wouldn't fit in any of my light fixtures...so I put it in the bathroom where I had a pull chain fixture. It was my first attempt at being more energy conservative, and I was so proud of it. Now my whole condo has CF's--they are small now, and much less expensive.
I started recycling my glass, plastic, paper and tin long before it was convenient or fashionable--and my friends and family have endured more than one rant from me on the subject. (One person, in defense, simply said to me, "I'm not that anal, David.") After all these years, anally separating my trash is second nature to me, but unfortunately, not many other places in the world recycle....but then, the poorer the country, the less need to do so since hardly anything is ever thrown away. In China, one night we saw several people sifting through huge bags of garbage, pulling out anything that could be reused or sold...In Mexico, you'll see stuff like this, a traffic cone made of recycled materials. Cool!
Our stay at Lapa Rios was beyond fabulous, and aside from the spectacular wildlife and scenery, one thing I really loved and appreciated was how every detail at Lapa Rios included a focus on the environment. The entire lodge occupied only 5% of the total owned land, and there are no plans to add more structures. Plastic was virtually unseen, and there were very few disposable items. Our room even had two wastebaskets--one for recycled materials, one for trash. (Fat chance we'll ever see that at The Hilton Hotel!) It was encouraging to see a resort take such a stand, and the more I learned about our ecosystem, the more I felt like we as humans have a LONG way to go. But even with all that they do at Lapa Rios, I couldn't stop myself from having the gall to ask why the resort served meat, when studies have shown that many rainforest's are mowed down in order to graze cattle for meat production, and that water is polluted by pig farms. (There's nothing worse than an uppity vegetarian asking self-righteous questions!) They didn't need to answer me, however, because I already knew the answer: The typical tourist expects meat, and the whole operation would probably go under if they didn't offer meat. You gotta do what you can, I guess. Even some of my environmentalist friends have no problem eating meat, it being their guilty pleasure. And I have learned that it's best not to question what people put in their mouths...comfort, tradition, taste...they all work together to give a sense of well being and happiness. Who am I to mess with that? It took me five years to finally and fully become a vegetarian, and I did it in my own way, on my own time, for my own reasons...the environment being one of them.
To follow this environmental thread, Allan and I worried about leaving a trail of water bottles on our trip, so we both bought Kleen Kanteen stainless steel bottles to bring with us, and they have saved us from buying bottled water. But still, in China, India, Egypt, and Morocco, we had to buy our water--and unfortunately, the same countries that required bottled water purchases do not have recycling programs, so all those bottles end up in the trash. (Luckily our apartment in Mexico has it's own water filtration system, so we can drink the tap water.) I've had the feeling that Nestle, Coke, Pepsi, and other water bottlers are paying these countries a lot of money to keep their tap water undrinkable. They make a lot of money off of bottled water, and so why allow a water treatment plant to ruin your profits? And ever notice how impossible it is to find a drinking fountain these days? In many airports that had drinkable water, we discovered that there were no water fountains, and some restrooms only had hot running water so that we would avoid filling up our Kleen Kanteen's, and buy cold bottled water instead. It was discouraging...
So after several paragraphs of me patting myself on the back for being such a good environmentalist, I must admit that I am a hypocrite....As they say, for every finger I point at someone else, four are pointing back at me....First of all, let's face it. Flying around the world is not environmentally friendly. I did a quick and unscientific calculation online that says I spewed nearly 20,000 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere over the last 13 months. That is about the equivalent of me driving my car from Portland to New York and back again 10 times. Strangely enough, if I pay a carbon offset company about $120, that will "balance out" my carbon footprint for the flights. According to Wikipedia, in 2008, about $705 million of carbon offsets were purchased in the voluntary market, representing about 123.4 million metric tons of CO2 reductions. I suppose this is meant to make even a hypocrite like me feel better, and justify all this air travel. And in a way, it did. And didn't. How can over 20 flights cost just $120 to offset? If it's that cheap to help the environment, why we don't just add the offset charge to the price of an airline ticket? It would just be a couple of dollars--nothing compared to taxes, security, and all those other add-ons we pay. But then, what about all those folks who think global warming is a hoax, and that carbon offsets are a scam? As Kermit says, it's not easy being green.
All uncomfortable subjects aside, one thing I know for sure is that I am concerned about the environment. Sure, it is said that the earth would be going through a climate change anyway--scientists say the magnetic fields of the earth are in the process of flipping, which will send us into...another ice age, I believe? But why aggravate the process? Even if all of this eco talk is baloney, and Al Gore is just a jerk in a suit, don't we want clean air, clean water, and rich soil anyway? I don't have children, but if I did, this would be a major concern of mine...If we can't drink the water, breathe the air, or plant crops in the soil, what good is our financial gain as we pollute the earth? We'll be dead before we can spend the cash on a new SUV.
These are the things I have thought about during the past year, especially after my visits to Ranquilco, Lapa Rios, and San Miguel. A tree is such a humble thing. It stands and lets us do whatever we want, and just keeps on doing what it does (clean the air of CO2, for example) until it dies--or is cut down. It doesn't rant or rave, it doesn't shrink back in fear, and it doesn't condescend. I could learn a lot from a tree. I suppose that is why I have been paying extra attention to them these past several weeks.
I could also learn a lot from the Mexican people. They too are a humble lot, quietly going about their business, never in a rush, and never stressed. And I really am liking that siesta concept. A siesta under a tree...How great is that?
In most other countries, if a tree is in the way of a fence or house, it would immediately be removed, and that would be the end of it. But in Mexico--at least in San Miguel--it is different. I asked a neighbor about it, and he said it's because there are fines for cutting down trees...this is a desert after all. But I like to think that the people here simply recognize that a life without trees is no life at all. Think of how you feel when you drive past a forest that has been clear-cut. It literally hurts me to look at it. Yet when I'm buying wood furniture, or looking at a new house being built, my mind doesn't automatically connect the two...In addition to saving trees (for whatever reason), Mexicans are also keen on compact fluorescent light bulbs. As in many other parts of the world we visited, Mexicans put CF bulbs in almost all of their light fixtures--to the point that aesthetic beauty is compromised for energy efficiency. Take note of this light fixture from the church in San Miguel de Allende:Not pretty to look at, but oh my, the energy they save! This "efficiency over aesthetics" is also quite typical in Egypt, India, China...all over the world, actually. A few times we have seen more attractive versions of the CF bulb, but the spiral is still #1 around the world, regardless of what fixture it is coming out of. I remember buying my first compact fluorescent in 1993. It was GIGANTIC, very expensive, and wouldn't fit in any of my light fixtures...so I put it in the bathroom where I had a pull chain fixture. It was my first attempt at being more energy conservative, and I was so proud of it. Now my whole condo has CF's--they are small now, and much less expensive.I started recycling my glass, plastic, paper and tin long before it was convenient or fashionable--and my friends and family have endured more than one rant from me on the subject. (One person, in defense, simply said to me, "I'm not that anal, David.") After all these years, anally separating my trash is second nature to me, but unfortunately, not many other places in the world recycle....but then, the poorer the country, the less need to do so since hardly anything is ever thrown away. In China, one night we saw several people sifting through huge bags of garbage, pulling out anything that could be reused or sold...In Mexico, you'll see stuff like this, a traffic cone made of recycled materials. Cool!
Our stay at Lapa Rios was beyond fabulous, and aside from the spectacular wildlife and scenery, one thing I really loved and appreciated was how every detail at Lapa Rios included a focus on the environment. The entire lodge occupied only 5% of the total owned land, and there are no plans to add more structures. Plastic was virtually unseen, and there were very few disposable items. Our room even had two wastebaskets--one for recycled materials, one for trash. (Fat chance we'll ever see that at The Hilton Hotel!) It was encouraging to see a resort take such a stand, and the more I learned about our ecosystem, the more I felt like we as humans have a LONG way to go. But even with all that they do at Lapa Rios, I couldn't stop myself from having the gall to ask why the resort served meat, when studies have shown that many rainforest's are mowed down in order to graze cattle for meat production, and that water is polluted by pig farms. (There's nothing worse than an uppity vegetarian asking self-righteous questions!) They didn't need to answer me, however, because I already knew the answer: The typical tourist expects meat, and the whole operation would probably go under if they didn't offer meat. You gotta do what you can, I guess. Even some of my environmentalist friends have no problem eating meat, it being their guilty pleasure. And I have learned that it's best not to question what people put in their mouths...comfort, tradition, taste...they all work together to give a sense of well being and happiness. Who am I to mess with that? It took me five years to finally and fully become a vegetarian, and I did it in my own way, on my own time, for my own reasons...the environment being one of them.To follow this environmental thread, Allan and I worried about leaving a trail of water bottles on our trip, so we both bought Kleen Kanteen stainless steel bottles to bring with us, and they have saved us from buying bottled water. But still, in China, India, Egypt, and Morocco, we had to buy our water--and unfortunately, the same countries that required bottled water purchases do not have recycling programs, so all those bottles end up in the trash. (Luckily our apartment in Mexico has it's own water filtration system, so we can drink the tap water.) I've had the feeling that Nestle, Coke, Pepsi, and other water bottlers are paying these countries a lot of money to keep their tap water undrinkable. They make a lot of money off of bottled water, and so why allow a water treatment plant to ruin your profits? And ever notice how impossible it is to find a drinking fountain these days? In many airports that had drinkable water, we discovered that there were no water fountains, and some restrooms only had hot running water so that we would avoid filling up our Kleen Kanteen's, and buy cold bottled water instead. It was discouraging...
So after several paragraphs of me patting myself on the back for being such a good environmentalist, I must admit that I am a hypocrite....As they say, for every finger I point at someone else, four are pointing back at me....First of all, let's face it. Flying around the world is not environmentally friendly. I did a quick and unscientific calculation online that says I spewed nearly 20,000 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere over the last 13 months. That is about the equivalent of me driving my car from Portland to New York and back again 10 times. Strangely enough, if I pay a carbon offset company about $120, that will "balance out" my carbon footprint for the flights. According to Wikipedia, in 2008, about $705 million of carbon offsets were purchased in the voluntary market, representing about 123.4 million metric tons of CO2 reductions. I suppose this is meant to make even a hypocrite like me feel better, and justify all this air travel. And in a way, it did. And didn't. How can over 20 flights cost just $120 to offset? If it's that cheap to help the environment, why we don't just add the offset charge to the price of an airline ticket? It would just be a couple of dollars--nothing compared to taxes, security, and all those other add-ons we pay. But then, what about all those folks who think global warming is a hoax, and that carbon offsets are a scam? As Kermit says, it's not easy being green.
All uncomfortable subjects aside, one thing I know for sure is that I am concerned about the environment. Sure, it is said that the earth would be going through a climate change anyway--scientists say the magnetic fields of the earth are in the process of flipping, which will send us into...another ice age, I believe? But why aggravate the process? Even if all of this eco talk is baloney, and Al Gore is just a jerk in a suit, don't we want clean air, clean water, and rich soil anyway? I don't have children, but if I did, this would be a major concern of mine...If we can't drink the water, breathe the air, or plant crops in the soil, what good is our financial gain as we pollute the earth? We'll be dead before we can spend the cash on a new SUV.
These are the things I have thought about during the past year, especially after my visits to Ranquilco, Lapa Rios, and San Miguel. A tree is such a humble thing. It stands and lets us do whatever we want, and just keeps on doing what it does (clean the air of CO2, for example) until it dies--or is cut down. It doesn't rant or rave, it doesn't shrink back in fear, and it doesn't condescend. I could learn a lot from a tree. I suppose that is why I have been paying extra attention to them these past several weeks.
I could also learn a lot from the Mexican people. They too are a humble lot, quietly going about their business, never in a rush, and never stressed. And I really am liking that siesta concept. A siesta under a tree...How great is that?
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