EcoWatch
21
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I WAS RECENTLY FACED WITH
A DILEMMA: HOW AM I TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY
CONSCIOUS WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK OR UNDULY
SACRIFICING THE COMFORTS FOR WHICH I HAVE
WORKED SO HARD TO OBTAIN? AS A RECENT COLLEGE
GRADUATE LIVING IN LOS ANGELES, I HARDLY
HAVE THE CAPITAL TO BUILD A GREEN HOME THAT
UTILIZES ALL THE LATEST, MOST EXPENSIVE
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES. BUT AS I
GAZE OUT THE WINDOW FROM THE 30TH FLOOR
OF MY OFFICE BUILDING EVERY DAY AND SEE
MY CITY SHROUDED IN THICK SMOG, I CANNOT
HELP BUT THINK THERE MUST BE SOMETHING,
HOWEVER SMALL, THAT I CAN DO TO HELP.
ONE DAY WHILE I WAS PERUSING
THE INTERNET ON my lunch break, I came across
an answer to my problem in the form of the
most popular article on The New York Times
website, “The Energy Diet”,
in which Andrew Postman begins by saying,
“I’ve tried to be responsible.
I’ve thought pro-green thoughts and
occasionally even done pro-green things.
I’ve run the dishwasher and washer-dryer
only with full loads. I’ve recycled,
as ordered, though like every New Yorker
I’ve ever met, I suspect the system
does more good for our feelings than for
the environment. I’ve shaved while
showering, although I can’t remember
anymore whether that’s a good thing
or a bad thing.” Mr. Postman’s
feelings, I suspect, reflect the sentiments
of many people who want to do good for the
environment, but also do not want to give
up comforts, conveniences, or routines.
Mr. Postman offers a very
realistic “Energy Diet” with
which we can do a lot of small things that
have disproportionately large effects. With
the guidance of leading environmentalists
and ecoexperts, Mr. Postman reviews his
daily activities and decides which ones
he can reasonably sacrifice and which ones
he just cannot afford to live without. After
all “this [is] the lazy man’s
diet: minimum effort,” he says.
The “Calculate Your
Impact” survey on climatecrisis.net
found that Mr. Postman’s household
produced approximately 20,000 pounds, or
10 tons, of CO2 last year. Using a diet
as a metaphor, Mr. Postman asks himself,
“As a family…couldn’t
we drop a half-ton, a mere 5 percent of
our weight?” Seems like a very sensible
goal, right? Here are some of the things
he did to achieve that goal in a mere eight
hours.
The 50 compact fluorescent
light bulbs (C.F.L’s) he bought after
the wave of guilt he experienced after seeing
Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth made
his house reminiscent of a “bus station
bathroom”. Amazingly,
using only two bulbs reduced Mr. Postman’s
CO2 emissions by 300 pounds in only 20 minutes.
Lowering his thermostat at night by only
one degree saved him 79 pounds. Though he
refused to completely forego his morning
ritual of turning on the shower and leaving
for several minutes until the water was
hot, he could compromise and run the shower
for only two minutes, saving him 342 pounds
per year. Washing white loads on warm/cold
instead ofwarm/warm saved 62 pounds.
Appliances that are not
being used need not be plugged in incessantly.
Also known as “vampires” for
their tendency to suck energy from the wall,
things such as toasters, coffee makers,
and cell phone chargers can simply be unplugged
when not in use. Using surge protectors
and turning them off at night is also a
good idea. Thermal insulating blankets can
be purchased at Home Depot, and can be used
to save energy by wrapping them around your
water heater. No need to rinse dishes in
hot water before putting them in the dishwasher
to be washed with even hotter water, either.
By implementing some of
these very simple lifestyle changes, Mr.
Postman saved 1,700 pounds with only 68
minutes of effort. He blew past his goal.
If Mr. Postman’s exercise
isn’t an indication that we can all
save energy without sacrificing our favorite
comforts and excesses, then I don’t
know what is. If we each make an effort
to alter our lives just a little, we end
up influencing others. It doesn’t
take much to conserve, and the benefit is
a world we can walk about without worrying
we are inhaling toxic fumes. It is, as Mr.
Postman would say, “Very little pain,
not insignificant gain.”
–BRITTANY PARKIN, Environmental Affairs
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Ecology
Project International Launches
Blue Whale Monitoring Program
By Scott Pankratz
IN EARLY MARCH OF THIS YEAR, WE
ENJOYED AN unbelievable opportunity to spend 15
days cruising the Sea of Cortez in search of the
largest animal on the planet. During the first
of three voyages, thirty-five Blue whales were
sighted and with the assistance of whale expert
Dr. Jorge Urban, 10 high school students from
Loreto assisted with data collection for a critical
monitoring and conservation research project that
began this year.
Spearheaded by the U.S.-based nonprofit
Ecology Project International (EPI), this voyage
was the culmination of a unique partnership for
conservation and education that brought 30 high
school and university students from Loreto together
with Dr. Urban, leader of the Marine Mammal Research
Program (PRIMMA) at the Autonomous University
of Baja California Sur. EPI staff and instructors
spent the two months preceding the voyage preparing
for the participation of the local students and
research scientists.
Ecology Project International’s
mission is to improve and inspire science education
and conservation through field based student-scientist
partnerships. In addition to Baja California Sur
(BCS), EPI involves youth in critical conservation
projects in Costa Rica; the Galapagos Islands,
Ecuador; and in Montana, USA. At each site, students
spend multiple days in the field collecting data
and exploring their relationship to the natural
environment. Students study and monitor critically
endangered leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica,
restore giant tortoise habitat in the Galapagos
Islands, and assist the U.S. Forest Service with
bear and wolf surveys near Yellowstone National
Park. During their time in the field, students
learn what scientists do and why they do it; most
importantly they become a part of the conservation
solution.
EPI started working in BCS in 2005,
involving students from La Paz and the USA in
research and conservation efforts on spectacular
(and well-known sea kayaking destination) Espiritu
Santo Island, a recently declared Natural Protected
Area in the Sea of Cortez. The whale program initiated
EPI’s first involvement in the community
of Loreto, and the first student-scientist partnership
with Dr. Urban and the incredible Blue whales
(Balaenoptera musculus) which reach up to 100
feet in length and find their way into the Sea
of Cortez for a few short weeks each winter.
Three groups of students spent five
days each aboard Dr. Urban’s research vessel
learning about the size and health of the Blue
whale population. Each day the students stood
sentry in search of whales as they cruised between
Loreto and Cabo Pulmo. When a whale was spotted,
a group of six students and researchers hopped
into a panga and headed off as close to the whale
as possible in order to take identification photos,
environmental data and genetic samples. This information
will increase the researchers’ understanding
of the structure and health of this migratory
population of endangered cetaceans.
Searching for whales is unpredictable:
you never know how many (if any!) you’ll
find. But our timing was impeccable. In the first
week alone, the students spotted 35 Blues and
several Fin, Pilot and Bryde’s whales in
the same waters. In addition to the whales, they
were surrounded at times by enormous schools of
dolphins, hundreds to thousands all swimming together,
jumping and playing in front of the boat. The
Pilot whales were particularly stunning; one even
splashed everyone on the boat with a slap of its
tail on the water.
If you would like to support or
get involved with the work of Ecology Project
International, they can be contacted at info@ecologyproject.org
or in the USA at (406) 721-8784.
www.ecologyproject.org
Eco Centro
Del Mar y El Desierto
On August, 25, 2006, Grupo Ecologista
Antares, A.C. (GEA) sponsored a reception and
symbolic “groundbreaking ceremony”
on the building site of GEA's future home, Eco
Centro Del Mar y El Desierto. The Friday night
event culminated three days of educational programs
celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Bay of
Loreto National Park.
GEA's greatest achievement for the
protection of the ecosystems in the Loreto region
of the Sea of Cortez has been the creation of
the National Park which was decreed by President
Zedillo on July 19, 1996. Another importantmilestone
occurred when the Parkachieved international recognition
and was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage
Site on July 14, 2005.
GEA's present location has served
the organization well in the past - but the small
offices and museum are not sufficient for its
growing specimen collection, library and programs.
The current location for GEA is very limited in
museum, office and meeting space and is in serious
need of repair. To help fulfill GEA's long-held
dream of a home of its own, one of GEA's loyal
supporters purchased a strategically located parcel
in the Loreto historical center, near the marina,
and donated the land for GEA's new headquarters.
This purchase has catalyzed the GEA Board of Directors
and staff to consider a vision for GEA's next
steps in its marine conservation, environmental
education, urban and coastal conservation projects
and freshwater programs.
Considering the central geographic
location and the important historical significance
of the Loreto region with its National Park, GEA
believes Loreto is the optimal location to build
a Center for education and research dedicated
to the protection of the marine and terrestrial
environment and nearby protected areas. The facility
will be a 6,000 square-foot building to house
a museum showcasing marine mammals and fish from
the Sea of Cortez (a whale skeleton), library,
office and lab space, a roof garden of endemic
desert species, conference and meeting rooms,
office space for GEA staff, students, researchers,
volunteers, guest lecturers, and other conservation
NGO's working in the region. There is a second
floor dormitory for visiting students and researchers
working at the Center.
The envisioned Eco Center, now in
the planning, architectural and engineering development
phase is the outcome of an early brainstorming
process, voted three years ago as number one priority
by the Board. This important building will give
GEA visibility and added prominence to further
enhance GEA's presence in the community. The Eco
Center will become a center of influence for local
decisionmakers by hosting meetings, workshops
and conferences that are now held at hotels or
government buildings. The facility will provide
GEA with a stable and permanent presence, which
will in turn increase local involvement, including
memberships, docents, visitors and eco tourism.
The Center will serve as an educational "hub"
for local schools with field trips to the museum
and the marine park, summer programs, and educational
films. It will also offer opportunities for local
citizens, tourists coming from cruise ships, the
boating community, sport fishermen and second
home buyers to learn about the fragile marine,
desert and coastal environment and the reason
for protecting this special place on the planet.
The building itself will be a model
for a "green ethic" - an energy-efficient,
water efficient building full of features that
stress the natural over the chemical, the recycled
over the new. The Eco Center will utilize design,
construction and maintenance practices which significantly
reduce or eliminate the negative impact of the
building on occupants and the environment. Integrated
strategies that solve multiple problems will be
used.
The plans include a state of the
art building system that allows architects and
designers to create beautiful, environmentally
sensitive structures. The structural concrete
insulating panels withstand hurricanes, retard
fires, defend against pests and mold, and provide
the highest levels of energy efficiency. The building
system produces massive energy/power savings.
The Eco Center will feature a "Green Roof
" specifically designed to mimic the endemic
ecosystems and habitats found in the coastal and
mountain region of Loreto and will build community
and visitor understanding and appreciation for
the fragile desert environment. GEA is also considering
solar heating for its hot water system and other
"green" techniques as part of its final
design process. Utilizing “green”
building processes will provide local architects,
engineers, construction companies, and real estate
developers with tangible examples of sustainable
practices that can be replicated in commercial
and residential buildings in Loreto and beyond.
www.geantares.org.mx
Sea Watch
Alert #24
Anew method utilizing hooka divers
and long inshore monofilament gill nets allows
pangas to clean the
inshore reefs of the lower gulf Islands. On the
reefs, each panga kills from 1,000 to 1,500 reef
fish daily. Unless there is the political will
to stop inshore monofilament gillnets, the fisheries
declines in the Sea of Cortez cannot be stopped.
Most of the fish are already gone
from the Sea of Cortez. One of the only areas
left with a few fish are the southern gulf islands,
located between Loreto and La Paz in BCS. These
islands are some of the most beautiful and at
one time these islands and the nearby seamounts
were a major attraction to divers from around
the world. The majority of the world dive community
moved on long ago, due to depleted fisheries on
the sea mounts, but novice divers, snorkelers,
kayakers and other ecotourists continue to arrive
to enjoy the tropical waters and reef fish around
the islands. Millions have been spent on these
islands to stop their commercialization, but nothing
has been done to protect the waters around the
islands and now they are becoming a wasteland.
Two La Paz fishing cooperatives
with at least nine boats are targeting the reef
fish populations around the lower gulf Islands.
This new fleet of boats and the young fishermen
running them are armed with new 225-meter long
inshore monofilament gill nets. They have new
large Yamaha motors, new dive compressors and
the latest diving gear. Five of these boats were
observed working the Islands of San Jose, Santa
Cruz and San Diego for the last several weeks.
On one day at Santa Cruz Island, it took the Bahia
de La Paz just over 3 hours to kill over _ ton
of small reef fish (about 1,000 reef fish). They
can easily set their net two to three times each
day. The 250 meter monofilament net is set at
the base of the reef along the rocks and then
both ends are brought up over the reef. 2-4 divers
using compressors (hooka) then swim into the semicircle
of the net and drive the fish into the net. The
divers can within one hour drive all the fish
inside this 250 meter semicircle into the nets.
This scenario is being repeated many times daily
along the shores of the southern gulf Islands
between Loreto and Cabo San Lucas. Local fisherman
say they have repeatedly reported this to Sargarpa
and as always nothing has been done.According
tolocal fishermen from San Evaristo, thecommercial
fishermen operating from Playa Blanca in the Loreto
Marine Reserve are even worse offenders.
The Federal Government (SARGARPA)
and/or the new BCS State Consejo Estatal de Pesca
y Acuacultura must ban inshore gillnets from the
Sea of Cortez, or they shouldn't waste their time
trying to stop the destruction. By eliminating
the gillnets, they will stop the worst destruction
of all, the killing of huge schools of breeding
pargo and other snappers every spring. Nothing
short of a complete ban will stop the decline.
All the commercial fishermen we interviewed this
summer (except those using these gillnets) said
the nets had to go if the Sea was to survive.
The dramatic declines in the Sea of Cortez started
with the advent of monofilament gillnets in the
mid 1970s. Now there are thousands of these nets
in use in BCS. The last of the fisheries here
will soon end with those same nets.
www.seawatch.org
Click here to download
a Pdf of this article Featured in Baja Life Magazine.
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