Clik here to view.
Painting the ecobolsas (Photo: Beatrice Murch)
Sunday 5th June El Galpón farmers’ market in Chacarita played host to celebrations for World Environment Day, organised by Ambientate. The day-long event included, among other things, an array of bands, a bicycle fashion show and some excellent organic food.
The wide range of groups who took part give us a good snapshot of Argentina’s fledgling ecological movement. One of the most interesting of these groups was EcoBolsas. A cooperative for social inclusion, it trains homeless people to make sustainably produced bags, providing them with skills and employment while helping to reduce our reliance on plastic bags.
A clothes swap aimed to raise awareness of the huge environmental impact of producing clothing and show how making responsible choices can dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. They highlighted how by re-using the wealth of unused clothing in circulation instead of buying new we can avoid consuming ever more raw materials.
Another hidden, but considerable, contributor to our carbon footprint is in what we eat. Alicia Bersi was on hand to demonstrate the benefits of a more sustainable diet: choosing organic, buying from local producers, and reducing our meat consumption. For example, producing one kilogram of meat emits twelve to fourteen times the amount of carbon as does producing one kilogram of apples. Bersi was also distributing delicious vegetarian recipes to help win over those reluctant to give up their carne.
Attempting to bring these promising green shoots together into a credible force for change were Ambientate, an umbrella group for the environmental movement in Argentina. Organisers of the event, they also helped make Argentina the first country in Latin America to sign up to the global 10:10 movement to reduce carbon emissions.
Wherever you find politics in Argentina music is never far away, and a selection of bands played to entertain visitors and spread awareness throughout the day. The Indy spoke to members of Sueños de Libertad and Tres Arroyos to ask what World Environment Day meant to them.
Clik here to view.
Tres Arroyos playing in the cool evening event (Photo: Beatrice Murch)
Lukas from Sueños de Libertad underlined why, as artists, they felt so proud to be involved, because “the movement to protect the environment is the only cause we have to care about absolutely, because if there’s no world, there’s no life. And if there’s no life, there’s no art.”
But their views echoed a consensus that eco-consciousness as a nation was low, and that big corporations, soya farmers and an unwilling government were among the biggest threats to protecting the environment in Argentina.
However, when asked if they had hope for a greener future all answered a resounding “yes,” confident awareness was increasing. Fernando from 3 Arroyos emphasised “this is why we play: to keep the fire behind the movement going.”
Argentina’s greener future looks set to arrive on two wheels, as the evening was dominated by cycling groups. The monthly Critical Mass bike ride was re-routed to El Galpón and the evening saw the event invaded by an army of cyclists. One of the groups who pedalled along were Fabricicleta, a non-profit workshop who provide free bicycle repair and instruction on cycle maintenance. The project also find abandoned bikes, work to repair them, and then pass them on free of charge to anyone looking for a carbon neutral method of transport.
Clik here to view.
Rolling down the runway of the biciconga (Photo: Beatrice Murch)
Representatives of the city government’s Mejor en Bici were also on hand to demonstrate how through the construction of a comprehensive network of bicisendas they are putting the bike at the heart of Buenos Aires’ transport policy.
But the highlight of the day was Biciconga‘s hugely entertaining cycle fashion show. Through their imaginative and unique events they aim to spread a love of cycling. They bring people together and show that the bike is even more than just a free, green, and healthy way to get around.
Biciconga’s message echoed that of the event as a whole: that being green is about more than just hard choices, it is about joining a vibrant community of cool and creative people who want to come together to share the embrace of a better way of life.
The post Argentina Celebrates World Environment Day appeared first on The Argentina Independent.