It’s been two weeks since I returned from the Bard CEP field course on watershed management in Oaxaca, Mexico, and the trip feels surreal now. Surrounded by snow andpreoccupied by schoolwork, sometimes I catch myself daydreaming about the beautiful Sierra Sur mountains, my favorite place from our journey. We spent …
As I reflect on my recent field work in Oaxaca, Mexico with the Bard MBA in Sustainability I am most struck by the work grassroots groups are doing to develop community-based solutions to the environmental and social issues they face. Due to the lengthy dry season from November through June, …
By a happy coincidence, the writing of this blog coincided with the start of a new year and the last semester of our graduate program (almost there!!), setting the stage for some reflection on how the past year and a half has prepared me to embark on my professional journey. …
Professor Monique Segarra is the lead faculty for our January Term in Oaxaca, Mexico. She wrote this letter on January 27, 2017. Dear All, We are having an amazing January term –in large part due to the tireless work of Sebastian. Yesterday we rested and recovered from a pretty grueling …
I am one of those oddball people who tend to travel only out of necessity, and feel ready to return home halfway through a vacation. Oaxaca is different, though. The first day I was here I fell in love, and as anyone who was on last year’s Bard CEP J-term …
Having the opportunity to come to Oaxaca and closely study the region’s water crisis and reform process was a great experience. It gave me the chance to learn more about the politics of water but also to understand those politics in relation to how a lack of access to …
We met Señor Juan José Consejo, Director of the Institute of Nature and Society of Oaxaca (INSO ), again on a cool morning in the mountains above the central valley. Upon stepping out of the van I immediately noticed the contrast between the urban center of Oaxaca de Juarez and …
Author: Kevin Zhou Photo Credit: Gabrielle Weiss On our second day in Oaxaca, we were fortunate to have an INSO staff member, Vincent Aba, introduce us to the Intelligent Water Use Program (PIA). PIA is one solution to solve the shortage and cost of water for users in the city …
Author: Gabrielle Weiss, CEP Student Our class arrived in Oaxaca late on Monday the 25th and on Tuesday morning, we began our studies. We walked down the cobblestone streets of the colonial center of the Ciudad Oaxaca de Juárez (Oaxaca City) toward the central square, called the Zócalo. Flanked by …
The city of Oaxaca de Juarez in southern Mexico and the surrounding communities in the Central Valleys are facing a serious water crisis. As a result of sprawling urban development and the degradation of mountain forests, croplands, and pasture, rainy season precipitation has become fast water, washing away topsoil, flooding …
