Day 1 Journal Entry

Today we listened to five very different people each speak about very different aspects, issues, and opinions of Belizean society. Of these five speakers, I most enjoyed Melanie, who spoke on the culture and history of Belize, and Pablo, who spoke about Maya land rights. Melanie’s lecture about the history of Belize was insightful and important to our understanding of current Belizean problems socially, economically, and environmentally. Her talk about Belizean culture and different types of people was also instrumental o our education on the ways in which Belize is trying to achieve sustainability. Melanie’s speech included the history of the Mayan people and that knowledge was essential when hearing Pablo speak about the land rights of his people. The way he talked about individuals’ Mayan identity being tied to their land and integrated with their natural resources, gave a very distinct picture of what the Maya are actually fighting for. This is a very unique issue, unseen by most of the world. The Maya do have a right to that land because they have existed there for hundreds of years. In a truly evolving and improving world, exploitation and domination of any group of people should not occur. This idea is an example of the equity/equality part of Edwards’ definition of sustainability. “Community-building recognizes the importance of cooperation and concern for one’s neighbor” (Edwards 23). I think this aspect of sustainability is most often overlooked or not included because in contrasts so greatly with the economic aspect of sustainability. Mainstream economics avoids adding a value judgment when analyzing a society or decision, however. Including social issues into sustainability requires that value judgment to decide what is equitable. Edwards also describes that “a high quality of life need not depend on material wealth” (Edwards 132). This was displayed in Filiberto’s discussion of the Maya and their way of life. He described that the Mayan people of Belize did not know they are poor until society and government told them numerous times. They do not require material wealth to be happy or successful in their society. And their way of life, even though it is vastly different from westernized and developed societies, still needs to be protected. 

Case Study: Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry is in charge of keeping track of Belize’s business and economic standings.  There objective is: “To foster the economic growth and social well being of the nation through the free enterprise system at all levels, by promoting and protecting, both nationally and internationally, commerce, and all sectors of industry which includes agri-business, tourism and manufacturing, the professions and the trades.”  With this in mind, they keep track of over 300 Belizean businesses in order to help Belize grow in a sustainable manor.  Kay Menzies, President of Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, gave us a further look into the statistics and guidelines that allow her to do her job.   

Currently Belize has a population of 312,917 people who come from one of six districts in the country.  Each individual is placed in a tax bracket based on his or her income for that year.  The highest income tax is 25% for those who make over $25,600 a year, which compared to American standards is quite shocking.  Kay mentioned that the average Belizean is roughly twelve times poorer than the average American.  She made it clear that Belize is still considered a young country, and with that said, Belize’s economy is growing faster and faster every year.  She said this was mostly due to the oil Belize has struck, as well as the tourism and fishing attraction that Belize has.  Belize considers trading to be one of the most important aspects of a growing nation.  Right now, Belize exports lots of citrus, oil, and marine life, which can account for their recently high GDP.  New statistics do seem promising for Belize, but challenges are met everyday with keeping up their progression.

Kay answered many questions concerning the future of the economy.  If Belize wants to continue to grow as they are, they need more oil, and Kay made that clear.  She even brought up the name BNE (Belize Natural Energy) and admitted that they are so soul reason for Belize’s recent success.  Kay got the same encouragement as BNE did when discussing alternative energy.  They need to think about the consequences their economy will face when no more oil can be found.  This may not happen in the near future, but the future of sustainability should always be in the back of their mind. 

Tuesday December 4th

Tuesday December 4^th

            We all gathered around the big table at which we had had our very first meal on Long Caye. Sarah and Blake went into more detail about their values, principles, and practices. It was interesting to learn how they evolved. It is crazy to think that they never read The Sustainability Revolution because they had many of the exact same concepts incorporated into their operation. They had the three C’s and Edward’s had the three E’s. And their principles were nearly identical as well. At first it seems a bit uncanny, but then you have to think that there is not really any other way to do sustainability. You have to constantly consider the triangle of sustainability otherwise real, lasting progress cannot be made. Through their own trial and error and personal journey they have come to develop much of the same understandings and practices discussed in Edwards’ book.

            The things that stuck out most to me were just some of the broader concepts they advocated for or advice they gave. First was that if you are interested in pursuing some sort of involvement with advocacy (as I am) you need to recognize that there is a very high burnout rate and you need to learn how to deal with that, because you can’t quit. That’s definitely something even at my stage of advocacy I’ve experienced. I obviously haven’t been burned out, but there have definitely been times where I have been incredibly discouraged.

            The second thing was that you want more than compliance you want commitment from people. Sometimes I think that is easy to forget. In almost anything you do you don’t just want have a superficial impact. Really getting through to people so they become involved is critical in most revolutions/movements and especially the one that I am fighting for. So often I get through to people on a certain level, but not deep enough. And if I just coerce people into going vegan it will be all that much harder for them and they will be so much more likely to quit later on. It’s frustrating because that means you need to use different strategies and usually you have to use tactics that have more of a gradual affect.

            Lastly, I appreciated their advice to not forget to have fun. What a seemingly random piece of advice. It goes back to the burning out. Your own enthusiasm is so important and your excitement for the future is critical to the promotion of your cause. Recognizing the beauty and possibilities of the world. Not losing sight of those things and having the ability to imagine a better tomorrow. Perhaps that is not exactly what I meant, but that is part of how I interpreted it. 

Friday November 30th

Friday November 30^th

So…BNE. I didn’t really know what to expect. The intro video thing didn’t really work so we jumped in with questions. The guy seemed to obviously know a lot about the company and how it operates. We kept asking him questions about what is not sustainable with the company, what are you doing to be more sustainable, etc. and his answers were not super conclusive. Looking back at the sustainability and natural resources section of Edwards’ book there is definitely truth to what he talks about. The contradictions, the inability to really have both a business and environmentally sustainable practices. Especially since we’re talking about oil drilling. I think, their product aside, BNE is a great, very well run organization. They seem very invested in the community and their employees. They are knowledgeable about their operation. They are interested in minimizing their environmental impact, but they also display some stubbornness and ignorance. They kept trying to tell us that drilling, in a way, doesn’t have much of an impact and certainly not as much as other industries. Maybe others do have more of a footprint (sugar being his example) but oil certainly does also. It is not just those two acres they need to cut down; it is the roads there, the fuel for travel and transport, the disruption of neighboring ecosystems, etc. Even if they make their company, operation, etc. as clean and environmentally friendly as possible the nature of their product is detrimental to the environment. He kept trying to justify the destruction of some habitat by explaining how they’re helping the economy. I understand sustainability is about more than the environment and that environmental sustainability won’t happen without some degree of economic stability. That doesn’t mean you sacrifice the environment or that you should only think about your most profitable path without considering alternatives. As Edwards also says, they will eventually have to shift towards alternatives. In the long run the environmental degradation might hurt the future Belizeans significantly more than the economic impact of not exploiting the oil reserves now. Daniel, from BNE, said the company’s current thinking is to just shut down when they run out of oil or if they cannot obtain another license. This flabbergasted me the most. Why would you shut down an extremely well run company, that undeniably is serving a positive purpose and giving support to the community (for example through their very impressive employee education system)? Why would they not even consider looking into alternatives? I understand they may not currently have the knowledge, the research, or the equipment, but those are things they can work on attaining while still producing oil. Whether they look into alternative forms of renewable energy or they shift to something totally different (sort of going back to what Mr. Ruiz said the other day) they could reopen under a difference name, have a new product, but remain the same core company. I understand that is much more complicated and difficult than I just made it sound, but it’s possible. For a company that wants to be environmentally friendly and also help their country economically and socially why wouldn’t they want to move in that direction sooner than they even have to? Use the oil only until they can reimagine the company. Does that mean profit is more important to them?

Case Study Review: Dr. Colin Young

Dr. Colin Young spoke to the class about environmental sustainability in Belize. He defined sustainability, as many do, as development that meets the needs of present population without compromising the needs of future generations. However, this definition is rather vague and does not give us a great understanding on how to achieve sustainable development, especially in a small, developing such as Belize. Young explained that the idea of sustainable development is misunderstood at the national level and must be recognized as a transborder, supra national program that is transformative and a normative, long term process. Unfortunately, humankind tends to strive for short-term progress but that is an unrealistic because the solutions of creating a sustainable framework is an ongoing, long term process that has no simple solutions.
Dr. Young specifically outlined the six major issues with sustainable development in Belize. The high deforestation rates pose a significant threat to the native animals and plants; if the deforestation rate 2.3% per year continues, the Belizean forests will seize to exist in the next forty years. Second, the lack of liquid/solid waste systems force the population to burn their own trash, posing both environmental and biological threats to the country. With roughly one million tourists per year, the development of a waste management system is vital in saving the environment while meeting the social and economic needs of the country. Third, the rising poverty rates of Belize must be addressed in order to promote sustainable living. With 43% of the population living in poverty it is near impossible to urge them to respect the environment when they are living day by day just trying to put some sort of food on the table. Fourth, with beautiful beaches attracting foreign investors, the rapid coastal development is detrimental to the natural marine habitat. The removal of mangroves and other vegetation makes the oceanfront properties prone to worse effects of hurricanes while ruining the habitat of hundreds of species. Fifth, ineffective institutional and legal frameworks creates more difficulty in creating a sustainable system of development. Without proper governmental backup and adequate infrastructure conservation efforts are extremely difficult. Lastly, the recent oil discovery in Belize has attracted 17 companies to buy plots of land in Belize, many of which are home to abundant forests, reef, animals and plants in protected areas. If companies are to continue to search for oil and destroy these plots of land, the species are significantly threatened. Overall Dr. Young did a fantastic job outlining the main issues of sustainable development in Belize, specifically pointing out the need for humans, plants, and animals to all be equally considered in the solutions to ensure a balanced system in which economic, social, and environmental sustainability can be achieved.

Day One

11/27/12

Last night was our first night sleeping in the jungle.  After a long travel day, I thought I was ready for bed, however, I thought wrong.  Our beds are short, moist, and completely covered with a mosquito net, something I had never experienced before.  The bed experience was unique in itself, but the jungle noises that surrounded it added all the fun.  I must have woke up 5+ times that night due to the rain, monkeys, and the sweat that was building up on my body.  I can’t even explain how happy I was to finally see the sun in the morning.  I had been up for a long time. 

After that, we ate a quick breakfast of oatmeal and pancakes, and then drove off to listen to a panel of sustainability activists in Belize.  I found most of the speakers to be very knowledgeable and interesting, however, after the first three, I got a little anxious and found it hard to sit still.  I would say that if all of them were as knowledgeable as Collin Young, this would not have been a problem.  His discussion on the environmental challenges and sustainability in Belize was fascinating.  Instead of having immediate plans of change, he understood that a long-term process would be the most successful.  One of my favorite points he brought up was that if a hurricane the size of Katrina hit Belize, it would set the country back 100-200 years.  His ideas of coastal development seemed just as important as the protected area system, and deforestation problems that occur in Belize everyday.  The guy was incredibly professional.  It was hard to watch some of the other panel members try to get my attention after hearing someone as professional as Collin speak. 

After the last couple of speakers, we were free from the classroom!  After feeling liberated from class, all of us were ready to enjoy the rest of the sunny Belizean day, however, it seemed as if the sun went down immediately as we exited the classroom.  Definitely disappointing, but the whole crew was still just happy to be outside.  It was a great feeling knowing that today would be our longest day inside; I was very happy to get it out of the way early in our trip.  After a short drive home, we relaxed, and even went down to the creak to take a dip.  None of us had water shoes at the time, but our feet luckily made it out fully intact.  However, Mike being Mike decided to flop/roll in the creak, and of course cut his hand slightly on a jagged rock.  It was just a layer of skin, but the small ones always hurt the most.  After a dinner of cornbread and tomato soup, we went back to the Toucan cabin and hung out, talked, and listened to familiar music.  Again, the dudes are getting along great, and I am very happy with the group.  What’s cool is that these are all guys that I would have probably never met otherwise.  Cant wait for what is to come.  Praying I sleep like a baby tonight.  Until next time!