Transportation

Medellin and Manizales, both hilltop cities, have state-of-the-art aerial trams, enabling residents to travel affordably and safety over the steep terrain - and their availability must ultimately reduce the number of buses belching black exhaust. The examples shown here are from Manizales.

Urban Agriculture

Citizens of Bogota are offered excellent instruction in the techniques of affordable, organic food production. I.P.E.S., a non-profit organization, and the Jardin Botanica (Municipal Botanical Gardens) make important contributions by adding green to a rice and protein diet.

Urban Parks

“If we in the Third World measure our success or failure as a society in terms of income, we would have to classify ourselves as losers until the end of time,” declares Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogota. “So with our limited resources, we have to invent other ways to measure success. This might mean that all kids have access to sports facilities, libraries, parks, schools, nurseries.”
Peñalosa uses phrases like “quality of life” or “social justice". "Happiness itself is a commons to which everyone should have equal access."

During Penalosa's term, 1200 parks and playgrounds reportedly were upgraded or added. It seems like there is some green space within a short walk for most citizens, including the core city. Given the population density and intense traffic, these public spaces are a delight - and a necessity.

So much to praise. Still so much to accomplish.

Saludos!

Intensive farming in Rio Hondo outside Manizales.

I have just returned from another stunning month in Colombia. I was able to cover a lot of territory, visiting Bogota twice, Manizales in the Coffee region, Cali and the sugarcane fields of the Valle del Cauca in the Southwest and remote fishing villages on the Pacific Coast, north of the port, Buenaventura. I was also fortunate to speak with some of the leading ecological practitioners in the country and gain some remarkable insights. The purpose of this blog is to share this growing body of information with a wider public, especially those who may only associate Colombia with the war on drugs and large scale defoliation.

The entries are organized by theme: Transportation, Organic Farming, Urban Agriculture, Ecologically Appropriate Construction  - and more.

Please share your helpful comments so we can all become better informed and inspired!