19 April 2009
Although Cuba is usually thought of as the small communist republic once ruled by the infamous Fidel Castro, this island has proved itself environmentally-friendly since the late 1990's.With a loss of supplies from Russia and the prevention of other imports to the island in 1991, Cuba dove into a severe recession, also known as, "The Special Period of Cuba". The previously oil-reliant Cuban society's hydrocarbon energy reserve diminished, leaving its population with very little fossil fuel to use. Without the means to import oil, the island was forced to grow food for themselves, leading to a gigantic increase in urban organic agriculture. The organic growing process was more labor-intensive, yet it was much healthier for the environment and the people. Despite organic production, Cuba still had difficulty providing food for the public because the food took longer to grow and there was less of it.
All throughout Cuba, especially in Havana, small organic gardens were tended to on rooftops, backyards, and even empty parking lots. Farmer's markets were used to sell products, making them readily available to the people. Despite previous use of chemical fertilizers and degraded pieces of land, the Cubans managed to change their way of living to become a more energy-efficient society. Their influence has spread widely, even outside the country. The UK's Cuban Organic Solidarity Group is one of the organizations that this change in agriculture has influenced.
Changing an entire country's way of living is not an easy task, but in hard times, it is what must be done in order to save the people. Cuba has undergone one of the largest initiatives in the world, but it is not alone; "transition towns" are just as motivated to create an eco-friendly world. These towns have changed the way their community lives drastically. Their measures are extreme, but not unfeasible.
Totnes a transition town initiative 1
Totnes #2
Life During the Special Period:
An American town in transition
Thank you all for contributing to the last "Plastic Planet" blog. Your responses were thorough and valid. Great work! For this follow-up blog, please answer the following questions.
1. How was it like to live without your plastic item for a week? If you did not live without it for a week, tell us how you think it would be like to extract it from your daily routine. State your ideas in at least five sentences, please.
2. Reflect on the "Special Period" in Cuba. Do you think that the United States has the ability to go through similar change as Cuba? How do you think that the public would respond? Would this have an affect on our economy, standards of living, etc.?
3. How would the change in America's agriculture affect your life and the lives of the people around you? What would a typical day be like under these circumstances? Use information from the link, "Life During the Special Period". State your opinion in at least six sentences.
4. Are there other alternatives to saving our environment besides such a radical idea as this? Do you think that reforming major cities (like New York, San Francisco, or Seattle, etc.) into transition towns would be a good idea? Why? Give a link that provides another alternative, or a link that supports this idea.
# posted by Henry @ 5:02 PM 
