Pastime for Environmental Education. The game of the growth crisis.

(Or what can you do in order to move forth towards auto-sufficiency.)

It is a game (or not) in which, if your answer is not the right one, or you do not answer in time, you loose and we all loose. If your answer is correct, you may win, and not only you, but also your family, your friends, your neighbours… everyone. So, think very well your answer!.

Everything might seem much alarming and unreal to you. Maybe as much as the 17 alerts for extreme meteorological conditions that we just had in a lapse of 100 days. Experts say that this is only the beginning of what is yet to come: extreme droughts, floods, gale-force winds, huge snowfalls, etc. Meanwhile, big companies with no concern for energetic saving or efficiency keep saying that “consumption must increase in order to improve economy”. But… whose economy? Theirs or yours?

It is not by chance that Repsol-YPF sponsors the ‘time people’ in TV, as much as there is no coincidence in Gas Natural sponsoring “environmental” programs. What do they want us to believe? What do they want us to do with climatic change?

* At present, each one of us produces more than 400 Kg of garbage every year. Do you know where does your garbage go?
* Do you know that by means of pharaonic businesses like eco-parks and incinerators, which benefit only a few and damage too many people, our air, water, land, food, health, economy, and future are in danger?
* Do you think that we still have to use disposable containers and wrappers? Why do you think some of these are illegal in several countries and in ours is permitted its production and usage?
* At which distance from your home do you think your organic matters should be recycled?
* At how many meters from your house do you think that the electricity you need should be generated?
* Or, from how many meters away should the water that you drink come?
* Why do you think that a country, which used to have a cistern in every house to collect rain, nowadays it is not even obligatory? Who do you think obtains benefit from this?
* Why do you think that countries that do not have an abundant share of sunlight, such as Austria, Denmark, Germany or Norway, are way ahead in the use of domestic solar cells, and ours (well admired by its sunlight) is way back on this subject? Who do you think gets the benefit?
* From what distance do you think the food you eat should come? Do you think it is an exaggeration to force that all agriculture should be ecologic and 100% transgenic free? Or do you believe that the commercialization of seeds should be engaged with the use of fertilizers and pesticides produced by the same factory?
* Do you think that the exchange of local variety seeds between peasants should be illegal? In countries like France, the multinational producers (of transgenic seeds with “added” fertilizers) have succeeded with such illegalisation.
* The problems produced by the entry of exotic species of plants or animals have already started: tiger mosquitoes, zebra mussels, etc. In your district, do they still make garden with non autochthones plants? Why it is not prohibited? Who gets the benefit, so it is not forbidden? Who gets the damage?
* How many people do you think should live in municipalities 100% auto-sufficient regarding food, energy, water, materials, jobs, happiness? In how much time do you think we should make so?

THIS APPLE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO 7 CHEMICAL TREATMENTS…
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… WE’VE GOT TO CHANGE SOMETHING
Have you ever asked yourself why is it legal to produce and sell non-ecologic products? Damage for human health as well as for natural environment very often cannot be demonstrated until several generations later. By then it might already be too late

SOLUTIONS (up side down as in the usual pastime solutions):
In order to find the best answers, some times we have to turn upside down what we have right under our nose. The same thing you just did to read this information. There are no magic solutions. We are not a TV spot. You are intelligent enough as to be critic with all information that gets to you. If you search well, you will find solutions for the steps that you chose in the previous pastime.
Nevertheless, you will find hereby some samples of websites that might be helpful. There are many more and maybe better ones…

A BIT OF EVERYTHING
www.ecoterra.org “Perspectiva Ambiental” (environmental perspective) is a magazine in which every edition is monographic, on subjects as energy, water, food, sufficiency, etc. Within each publication you will find a number of useful websites with available information that you can download in PDF, in Spanish as well as Catalan. When you visit the site, go to publications->perspectiva ambiental->ver todos (see all).

STILL SOME MORE
www.larevistaintegral.com An interesting website where you can find many solutions for your doubts, practical and theoretical as well.
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COOKING WITH THE SUN
www.solarcooking.org According to your geographic zone, you will find different advices on how to cook with solar energy. This means, you can start depending less and less of the usual energy suppliers with names similar to REPSOL-YPF, IBERDROLA, ENDESA, ENEL, etc. But, it is more difficult to prepare your first dish, if you do not have a window facing south, however it is a good start. Don’t you think so?

CREATE YOUR URBAN VEGETABLE GARDEN
www.horturba.com It seems incredible what we can grow in a flower pot or a balcony. Theoretically we would need 80 sq. m. vegetable patch in order to be auto-sufficient, but here you will find useful tools to make it. Also, in the book ‘El Huerto Urbano’ from Serbal Editions, you can have information. It is available in Catalan too.

BE RESPONSIBLE AS CONSUMER
www.opcions.org Opcions magazine, also available in Catalan, offers you the opportunity to access information about what you consume and on what you should consume.

PUT INTO PRACTICE PERMACULTURE
www.permacultura-es.org It is a website in Spanish. But on this subject you can also visit www.EarthRights.net The interesting thing is that permaculture is a system for designing and building sustainable homes that takes into account, all necessary components in order to increase performance of resources, reducing pollution and waste, saving energy.

ORGANIZE IN (AND FOR) YOUR TERRITORY
www.ecologistasenaccion.org Nation wide, this is the group most expanded. However, there are many others similar to this group, which are not federated, but actives and very important local and regionally. Maybe, there is one next to you to get information and advice.