In this site's Home page you saw images showing the different realities that coexist in the same place: Planet Earth, the only planet we have. In this world, there are "developed" countries, which have an unsustainable consumption level, others which possess vast natural resources and whose richness has historically led to their waste and irresponsible use, and others which in many cases don't even have enough to satisfy the basic needs of their people.

Unfortunately, our country belongs in the second group. Argentina has little to be proud of when it comes to protecting the environment and the natural resources. This is not included in our basic education programs and, for that reason, it is usually left aside governments' political agenda. Only isolated projects, generally driven by NGOs, appear as little oasis within a conscious-less and commitment-less society.

 

Our country's hydrographic map contains countless of blue lines, and the cultivable land extension can only be compared to a few countries in the world: even within the Latin American region, Argentina is the country with more cultivable land in relation to its own territory—according to the FAO, it exceeds 14%,— over Mexico and Brazil. Furthermore, it has an Atlantic coast of almost 5,000 km long, which not only guarantees the development of fisheries, it also favours wind flows capable of making wind farms operate all year. Wind energy, however, takes a minimal part in energy generation in our country.

 

In that light, we can see two things; first, we are depriving ourselves from a natural renewable resource, and second, we are overusing or misusing other non-renewable ones: mining over-exploitation, unlimited water use, and pollution of rivers, lakes and groundwaters due to industrial activities, which contribute to staining with dark tones a scenario where the lack of government involvement has led to the development of an unconscious society, unwilling to change its unfriendly behaviour towards nature.

 

We live in a country where people unashamedly throw garbage in places their neighbours, children and friends visit; a country where hotels and apartment buildings have a single water meter, so there's no incentive for users to make a rational use of that resource, even if it is for the sake of economy. Legislative gaps concerning environmental issues and the lack of political attention paid to those matters have a common origin: ecology and environmental protection topics are not included as a priority in the schools' educational programs.

 

It is commonly said that he who has a lot puts little value on things, and Argentina has build an identity where man, with his egotism and arrogance, has detached himself from everything that surrounds him. Man has created a scenario where flora, fauna, natural resources and the environment are no more than the set that has him as a unique actor. Learning and understanding the importance of environmental protection is the key to a gradual transformation of the way in which we see and relate to that environment.

 

Here you'll find posts on sustainable projects in Argentina and the world; videos and papers developed by researchers; news on environmental emergencies; existing laws and legislative projects inspired on other regions and countries.