Earth Day

When I first came to Mexico and, again, to my site in Pachuca I was told fairly consistently that the environmentalism movement had not yet arrived in Mexico. I was told that the people here lacked the culture of thinking about how they can impact such issues as global warming and over or mis-use of our natural resources. At first I bought into it, but I now realize that the story is more complex than that.

Over the past few weeks I have been participating more in the presentations that we give to the school groups that come to the park, even leading one. In the course of these presentations I have had the opportunity to open the floor up to the students to discuss the importance of conserving our biodiversity and have been more than impressed with the rational, and deep, thinking of some of the students. I have been equally impressed with their knowledge of how simple everyday actions can have such profound impacts on the environment. I have been even more impressed with their apparent willingness to listen to my thoughts and to share theirs.

Despite the prevalent poverty in Mexico, which does not necessarily characterize the country for it is also equally modern and affluent in parts; the next generation is displaying reason to hope. Still, there is plenty ground to cover in the advancement of deep ecology, critical thinking and compassionate thinking. I guess I like to think of Mexico as being where we were only a decade ago. They know there is a problem and that something must be done. Some are more open to the idea of participating in the solution than others, many are still unsure of what the solution is. I guess that is why I am here.

If the next generation did not provide enough reason for hope today definitely reinforced my faith in humanity. While Earth Day is a decidedly larger and more celebrated event in the U.S. and other more wealthy countries (who also happen to have the wealth to afford the luxury of such considerations and the dubious distinction of being the major causes for our environmental plagues), it was still a day to celebrated here. We hosted a conference all morning in the park with guest speakers which included the head of the Secretaria del Medio Ambiente and Recursos Naturales for the state of Hidalgo and a professor of ecology from the state university. The turn out was estimated at a respectable 100 people, about 40 of whom were high school students. Even the local news station arrived to cover the event.

As I stood there listening to the onslaught of officials preaching the call to action to the audience and to the level of comprehension exhibited by the professor; I could not help but to feel inspired, to feel hopeful. Then came the question and answer session, some students posed questions that displayed a deep understanding of the complexity of the socio-economic layers in environmental problems, other attendees proselytized the need for a change in the Mexican culture. Again, my hope was reinforced. And when all was said done, everyone picked up a garbage bag and a pair of latex gloves began walking portions of the roads and trails in the park, picking up trash for about two hours. I have celebrated Earth Day before in the States, but I have never celebrated it the way it should be… taking part in part of the solution and not just talking about it.