so its been a while since I posted something but I have finally found some more inspiration and the time to write a little bit. A couple friends and I are exploring opening a sustainable clothing company so I am doing some research on companies that are already focusing on this. Here is a list of my favourite ones:
Toms Shoes You buy a pair of very cool shoes and they give a pair to children in need
MODROBES Sustainable Clothing Company with nice, comfy and sporty apparel made out of recycled pet bottles, eucalyptus trees and organic cotton
GRASSROOTS Great shop where you can buy sustainable products ranging from amazing organic cotton towels and linen to toys and laundry detergent (I have linen and towels that I bought here from Coyuchi and they are awesome!!)
Right now, I am about to go on a mission and take some pictures of some of these stores to give these companies a bit of life in my blog...
It has been a while since my last post but I am back in an inspiring place where it is a lot easier to focus and write something meaningful.
Today I am in San Pancho, Nayarit (Mexico) with my friend Pierre. We have been in the area for the past 4 days trying to unwind and get in tune with the beach life. Unfortunately, the first few days were not very relaxing. Last week was Semana Santa in Mexico and EVERYONE heads out to the beaches. We were in Sayulita the first few days and it was totally inundated with some conscious and many more not so conscious tourists generating tons of garbage, noise and other sorts of pollution daily. We did our best to try and escape and found a few empty beaches a few kms north of Sayulita. Less crowded and especially empty beaches at this time of year can only be empty for a couple reasons... They are either really hard to reach and/or the water conditions and currents make them very dangerous for the average tourist.
As some of you might know, I sometimes like to test the limits of things a bit but this time I crossed the line a bit too far... Observing the beautiful crashing waves with no one in the water I decided it would be a great experience to swim past the sets of 3m waves to reach the calm waters of the ocean. Thankfully, I enlisted a local, muscular surfer (Jose Carlos) to "show me the way" and off we went. Jose Carlos and I picked our timing right and swam through and then past the waves into a calm, very nice swimming spot. This perfect spot was about 100m away from the beach and by the time we decided to head back I was a bit tired... To avoid being hit by the set of waves coming back in, you need to pick the right moment between wave sets and start swimming back determinately and keep going until to reach the beach. That is all easily said and done until you start fighting a current and your muscles just do not want to cooperate anymore. There is a point where they simply seize creating any meaningful force. Long story short, I could not swim fast and consistently enough so a new set of large waves started pounding me hard... Jose Carlos was able to keep me calm even though I started swallowing lots of salt water and I did not feel like I was breathing in enough air. At one point, I just could not handle it anymore and Jose Carlos had to pull me for 5-10 meters until I regained a bit of strength to continue swimming to reach the damn beach. I do not think I have ever felt so weak and helpless in my life... Once on the beach, I literally fell on the sand and I could not get up for 10 min. Needless to say, this was a very frightening experience I would be happy not to ever repeat again in my life. But why is this story relevant for this blog? Well, because it was an extremely humbling experience and it made me realize how lucky we are to live in this planet and how important it is to live meaningful lives. We just do not know exactly when it is all going to end so why not make the most of it? We are part of an immensely larger organism that is millions of times more powerful than we are. The fact is this organism, though relatively kind to us, does not need us and will eventually destroy us unless we learn how to live in balance and start adding some real value. We are currently mere parasites in the grand scheme of things consuming our host.
I strongly believe it is in our best interest tourgently learn how we can add value to this larger organism. I think by creating enduring symbiotic processes with our planet, we will guarantee the long-term win-win relationship we require to survive.
That little pale blue dot on the right is the Earth pictured in 1990 by the spacecraft Voyager 1. Here are Carl Sagan's thoughts on our dot:
"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar', every 'supreme leader', every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
Today I purchased my first 4 tons of CO2 offsets for 55 CDN dollars. This represents the plane and car emissions I have generated this year so far. I plan on doing this on a monthly basis both to keep track of my direct emissions and also to at least feel like I am generating immediate results. I heard about carbon offsets in Al Gore's new book "Our Choice". Carbon offsetting does not solve global warming or puts us on a sustainable path but it should be seen as a short term strategy while we invest in longer term projects like increased efficiency, a healthier lifestyle and most importantly a different thought process.
The company I chose to purchase my offsets from is called the Carbon Neutral Company and its mission is "to be the trusted partner to companies (and individuals) committed to reducing their carbon footprint with solutions that strengthen their business". I am currently exploring engaging this company to help my company (ET Group) develop a comprehensive carbon offsetting program that will be one of many tools and initiatives of our sustainability strategy going forward.
I consider "Our Choice" to be a must-read introductory book to learn about many of the problems we are facing that are directly affecting global warming and sustainability at large. When I get some time, I will post a more detailed summary/review about this book but go get it or borrow it as it is well worth it. The book is a well written and it will definately teach and explain you many issues and some potential solutions to the issues and opportunities we will be facing in the decades to come.
Look at those roofs! Wouldn't it be great to see solar panels on all of them?
Today I spent some time boogie-boarding in the great waves of Playa Revolcadero in Acapulco. It is quite impressive to see how much it has grown over the years with 20-40 new condos lining the entire beach. What is sad, is not that there is so many more people than 10 or even 5 years ago but that all of these new buildings are not built in a smart way. I bet none of those condos have greywater recovery systems, highly efficient cooling and heating systems or even dual flush toilets and effiicent lighting but I obviously hope I am wrong. Also, Acapulco probably has 320+ days of sunshine per year and a nice consistent breeze yet there is no sign of a single solar panel or windmill in sight.
Apparently there is a few hotel pioneers that are starting to implement some solar panels but it would just be nice to see one of the staple hotels, like the Acapulco Princess or the Pierre Marquez (both very popular and famous hotels owned my Fairmont) set an example by investing heavily into significantly lowering the environmental footprint of their properties. Fairmont actually has a Green Partnership Program which is a great program that will surely gain more popularity and strength but it does not feel alive in these properties yet. There was no mention of any sustainable initiatives in the room, lobby or anywhere I looked. I do not want to pick on Fairmont because they could be considered one of the more conscious chains but I beleive its precisely leaders across all different industries who need to take drastic action to prove a point. I am sure Fairmont follows and sets best practices but it is not all about gaining efficiencies in operations, why not actively educate your customers? Myself, and many others would prefer to stay in a hotel that is doing everything it can to minimize its footprint even if it meant paying 10-25% more per night. The encouraging fact is that applying the right technologies could significantly lower the operating costs of these hotels, allowing them to increase their margins and cash-flow. In turn, they could reinvest that extra money in further improvements or in marketing their sustainability practices which will undoubtedly attract more, higher quality patrons.
Yesterday night I took my mom to "El Olvido", which is a fabulous high-end restaurant hidden right in the craziness of Acapulco bay. The meal was superb but the most rewarding thing is that I got 15% off, simply because I indicated I did not want bottled water to complement my wine. Instead, I asked for glasses of water to avoid sending two new pet bottles to the landfill. The waiter ended up telling the restaurant manager and at the end of the meal we got a special 15% discount for being eco-conscious. Here is the link to the restaurant: http://www.elolvido.com.mx/
I want to share my thoughts and actions, large and small, with everyone interested and committed to help this planet, and all of its inhabitants, flourish.
This quick overview of myself is simply here for whoever is interested in learning more about me and my upbringing as it has definitely influenced the way I think and do things.
I consider myself an extremely lucky person. I am healthy, confident and possess a fair amount of usable braincells. I have always been someone with great dreams and ambitions that seizes opportunities without hesitation. I strongly believe we are only limited by our own ideas and imagination.
I was born and raised in Mexico City by my amazing parents who have encouraged me to travel, and have always allowed me to pursue whatever interests I had. In Mexico, I attended a German high school and later on moved to Canada to get my degree in business administration. I currently own a mid sized telecommunications and integration business in Canada. I have had the chance to meet and share part of my life with many wonderful people that support me, believe in me and push me to achieve the goals I care about the most. I am 27 years and this year, my life is changing drastically, as I finally realize my true passion and goal in life is to help this amazing world, and all of its inhabitants, flourish.
