Developing a common understanding and language is essential to any community-based program.  It is especially important when working in the realm of education and the environment.

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Nova's World in Balance site helps us explore the impact of human population growth from both social and environmental perspectives.  I took their interactive quiz and noted some interesting facts.  If you'd like to take this quiz and learn more about this issue, please follow the following link:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/trends.html

Developed Countries Population Impacts

1. Roughly 240 million people, or 20 percent of the developed-world population, are 60 years or older. By 2050, the ratio will be 1 in 3.

2. Only about 20 percent of older Americans live in extended-family settings—a century ago, 70 percent lived with their grown children and extended family.

3. By 2035, the ratio youth to elderly will be roughly 2.5 to 1. The low ratio of taxpayers to retirees will have significant economic consequences. In the 1960s, when many entitlement programs were established, the ratio was closer to 7 to 1.

4. Estimated that payroll tax rate would need to be 31.9 percent in the US to cover public pensions and health benefits. It would be even more severe in Japan and Italy, where the tax rates would need to be 53.2 and 71.5 percent, respectively.

Developing Countries Population Impacts

1. Fertility has plummeted from 6.1 to 3.3. Yet populations continue to skyrocket because of ever-increasing numbers of young people who are having babies—a phenomenon known as population momentum.

2. The World Health Organization estimates that 527,000 women in the developing world died in 2000 from maternal causes. The lifetime risk of maternal death is 1 in 61 for women in the developing world, 1 in 2,800 for women in more developed countries.

3. There are 1.6 billion people under the age of 15—more than a quarter of the world’s population. In India alone there are roughly 550 million people under 25. Even if fertility rates decline sharply, the large numbers of young people in the developed world will fuel population growth.

4. Roughly 40 percent live in urban areas, compared with 76 percent in the developed world. But the developing world is becoming more urban; by 2030, nearly 60 percent of people may live in cities. With urbanization, consumption patterns may increasingly mirror those in the developed world—creating a potential host of environmental problems.

Environmental Impacts

1. High levels of consumption of everything from freshwater to fossil fuels to kitchen gadgets is the greatest cause of environmental damage in more developed countries. These high consumption patterns also affect environments in the less developed world.

2. In a single year each North American consumes roughly 230 gigajoules of energy, or the energy in 92 barrels of oil. This is twice as much as Europeans, eight times as much as Asians, and more than 15 times as much as Africans.

3. In China there are only 15 cars for every 1,000 people. In most developed nations there are more than 200, and in the U.S. there are nearly 600.

4. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, roughly 34 million children, women, and men are undernourished in the more developed world, but the vast majority—nearly 800 million—live in the developing world.

5. As a country gets richer, a middle class develops and the more affluent population demands a cleaner environment. Older equipment is replaced by more expensive but cleaner technologies. England, the U.S., Germany, and Japan all followed this pattern.

The facts presented in this quiz, along with those on this site and other, only illustrate the dire situation in which we have put ourselves. But by outlining the problems, these sources give us a much clearer peek at the solutions. While it may seem that the problems are monumental, we can see one by one, little by little how they came into being. If we approach the solutions in the same manner, we could see a monumental movement towards a healthy sustainable future.

The facts regarding affluence are also critical. Many look at the US in particular, as a nation of plenty and a nation of waste. As economist Simon Kuznets observed, with sustained affluence comes a focus on a better and cleaner environment, which is often overlooked as people are fighting for survival. I have had the opportunity to observe this phenomenon. What I observed had less to do with the physicality of being poor or the differences of living in a developing country, but the differences in thought processes. It’s the thought process that equalizes being in poverty in a developed nation and a developing nation. However separates the two by the access and opportunity to acquire and utilize this thought process. The thought process is actually fairly simple, and is summed up by a popular saying in the 2008 presidential campaign, “Yes We Can!” When I heard it, I recognized that this is a thought process brought about by affluence and/or ones exposure to it. Those of us who have experienced poverty know that the impoverished have not had the opportunity to think,” yes we can.” Yes we can, requires us to have a vision about our future, much longer term than poverty can afford. It requires access to tools and resources that shows us how, which never quite trickle down to the poor. However, the exposure to this thought process can ignite a people and spread like wildfire, because people have the desire to do what is healthy and sustainable providing they have a real means of survival. For me this means that part of my responsibility as one who seeks solutions to environmental issues, is to also ensure that I provide the necessary tools, guidance, and resources that empower others, especially the impoverished, with the opportunity to believe and implement the “yes we can” thought process.

  What is Aspire.Attune.Animate or A³?

A³ is a nonprofit organization established to design and build earth and human friendly communities.

  What does A³ do?

1. Builds earth friendly homes and other community buildings

2. Assists community members in identifying and establishing their own businesses

3. Trains residents and other interested people in natural building methods

4. Conducts conservation efforts on organization sites and its surrounding areas

  Where is A³ planning to do this?

A3’s first development site will be in the Dominican Republic. Our intention is to grow to the US & Caribbean.

  Who can be involved?

· People who believe in community service

· People who like working with their hands

· People who love the great outdoors

· People w/bilingual abilities (Spanish-English)

· Business people/ Entrepreneurs

· Travelers

· People who like meeting and working with people of different cultures

  When are these events going to take place/ what time frame?

· March – Sustainability Festival in Collaboration w/ El Fuego del Sol

· March – May – Training for staff & Residents in DR

· In Progress – Site Identification/ Purchase

· Ongoing – Fundraising for our initial project is ongoing

Why is A³ doing this?

Our Philosophy: Aspire.Attune.Animate (A³) respects all human, ecological, and business systems. Aspire.Attune.Animate (A³) is conscience of the impact of decision-making and design can have on the natural and human environment. We strive to incorporate the many voices of our stakeholders. We believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to be good stewards of life, to listen, protect, and address the needs that affect the quality of life.

  Web address & Contacts

D Karim Johnson, President & Founder

Zuri Walker, Director Youth Initiative

http://aspireanimateattune.spaces.live.com

d_karim@yahoo.com

Re-posted from http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/profiles/documents/hondurasenglish.pdf

GUATEMALA AND HONDURAS BOTH HAVE protected wildlands near the Gulf of Honduras and are
promoting the parks as a destination for nature lovers and responsible tourists. The San Gil Mountain Springs Protection
Reserve in Guatemala and the Jeannette Kawas Park in Honduras are both two good examples of local governments,
residents and conservation groups can work together to conserve biodiversity while sustainably using natural resources.

Cerro San Gil Reserve is in the Caribbean coast of Guatemala and holds 116,139 acres, home to hundreds of bird species --
many of them migratory – scores of mammals, important wetlands and watersheds, which make the protected area a
vital source of fresh water for the region.

In addition to conducting biological research in the reserve, the Foundation for Eco-development (FUNDAECO for its
name in Spanish) has convinced local authorities to arrange for those who use potable water from the reserve to pay an
additional cost for this service. “Even though [the fee] is not the true value of the water, this is an example to be replicated
throughout Central America,” notes Néstor Windevoxhel, representative of The Nature Conservancy, which has collaborated
with FUNDAECO in reserve conservation projects.  The two groups also helped create recreational zones for
tourists and environmental education programs and handicraft classes for local communities. The goal is to foster a
greater commitment to conservation among the 36 neighboring communities.

Lucrecia Morataya of FUNDAECO explains that the NGOʼs programs have benefited Rainforest Alliance workshops on
sustainable tourism by providing specific information that can be passed on to local residents. Involving the community
and visiting tourists in conservation tasks is fundamental, he says, because there are only ten guards to watch over Cerro
San Gil Reserveʼs flora and fauna.  Just as the park rangers guard Cerro San Gil, Luis García
patrols Jeannette Kawas National Park on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. Not long ago, García hunted wild birds for the
pet trade, but after learning more about the damage he was causing and the possibilities of making a more sustainable
living, García became a strategic ally in the work of conserving the parkʼs biodiversity.

Established 10 years ago, Jeannette Kawas Park gives visitors the chance to interact with the indigenous Garifuna community,
plus see dolphins, whale sharks and resident and migratory birds; or simply enjoy the beauty of the coral reefs. The
Foundation for the Protection of Lancetilla, Punta Sal and Texiguat, or PROLANSATE, promotes sustainable tourism
initiatives in the park, particularly those that help involve local residents like Luis García.

Jeannette Kawas National Park is famous for its diversity of flora
and fauna. (Photo by Rosario Calderón, TNC)

Protected Areas of the Gulf of Honduras
PROLANSATEʼs work involves training so that allows community groups can offer sustainable tourism services to
visitors, plus occasionally providing needed equipment, explains José Antonio Fuentes, a trainer for the group. With
help from PROLANSATE, such enterprises as a bakery run by a womenʼs group; family businesses that prepare food and
offer shelter to tourists wanting to escape the mid-day sun; an association of boatmen who abandoned intensive fishing to
offer tours or sport fishing excursions; and artisans who sell handmade crafts have sprung up near the park.

According to Ronald Sanabria, director of the Rainforest Allianceʼs sustainable tourism program, “these efforts and
many more demonstrate that it is feasible to develop tourism together with good practices. Everything depends on the
responsibility assumed by the entrepreneurs, communities, organizations and the tourists themselves.”

The communities surrounding San Gil Reserve are committed to
conservation. (Photo by Rosario Calderón, TNC)

Jeannette Kawas Park, people can learn more about the garifuna
community.

The Rainforest Alliance's work in sustainable tourism in Latin America is supported by the Multilateral Investment Fund
of the Inter-American Development Bank, the Ford Foundation and Fundecooperación. This project is implemented in
cooperation with Asociacion Ecuatoriana de Ecoturismo (Ecuador), Asociacion Alianza Verde (Guatemala) and
Programme for Belize (Belize).

Learn more about the Alianza Verde:
www.alianzaverde.org
Alianza Verde is a local entity, private and non-profit, created in
1998, whose mission is participate in the conservation of the
natural and cultural resources of Petén, promoting sustainable,
responsible and low-impact tourism.

The mission of the Rainforest Alliance is to protect ecosystems
and the people and wildlife that depend on them by
transforming land-use practices, business practices and
consumer behavior. Companies, cooperatives and landowners
that participate in our programs meet rigorous standards that
conserve biodiversity and provide sustainable livelihoods.
Learn more about the Rainforest Alliance:
www.rainforest-alliance.org

Rainforest Alliance
New York . United States . Canada . Mexico . Costa Rica . Guatemala . Indonesia . Spain . Bolivia
665 Broadway, Suite 500 . New York, NY 10012-2331 . Tel: 212/677-1900 . Fax 212/677-2187
Apdo. 11029-1000 . San José, Costa Rica . Tel/Fax: 506/234-8916
Ronald Sanabria, Director, Sustainable Tourism. sustainabletourism@ra.org www.rainforest-alliance.org