The word ‘sustainability’ seems to be in vogue at the moment. Not just in the UK but all over the world. It seems that people are realising that the rate at which we presently consume resources is unsustainable, and is causing lasting damage to the earth’s climate.
After receiving a presentation from some of the national volunteers earlier this week, I learnt that there’s already a strong emphasis on adapting to the effects of Climate Change in Nicaragua. Nicaragua and Central America’s location in the tropics and between the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans leaves it particularly vulnerable to the long term effects of Climate Change, making it all the more important to find ways of adapting.
Of course, teaching children about new ways of adapting to a changing climate is a vital part of this process. Immediately after the presentation we went down the road to the local pre-school in Mozonte, where we began digging a vegetable patch. The school teacher explained to me that it will be be used to prepare healthy meals for the children, and also to help them learn about the benefits of healthy eating and growing your own veg. She continued to say that if children could learn how to become more self-sufficient, it would better prepare future generations for a potentially harsher climate.
While some of us were digging a vegetable patch at the school, others in the group worked in the school playground to repaint the climbing apparatus, putting in a path made from tree branches, building a sand-pit, and painting a nature-themed mural on the wall of one the classrooms.
Blog by Jack Dangerfield.
