In January of 2020, my Bard College Master’s of Environmental Policy classmates and I traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico to learn about community-led watershed management, conservation, and sustainable development. We had opportunities to visit communities, homes, and schools across the state of Oaxaca and to learn from communities, organizations, and individuals …
In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to create a standard of quality for public water systems and protect citizens from waterborne disease. Faced with the costs of drinking water filtration infrastructure and upkeep, New York City officials chose to instead adopt a watershed management program to …
Since returning from the BCEP trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, I have had time to reflect and appreciate the width and depth of my experiences. The food, the people and the environment of Oaxaca provided a rich cultural experience, that continually challenged my perceptions and expectations. Even though it was easy …
A new way to view conservation The recent J-term in Oaxaca provided me with a new way of viewing the motivations of conservation. A major part of the conservation in Oaxaca is done in Voluntary Conservation Areas, land that is designated and managed for conservation by communities. In Oaxaca, of …
During the 2019 January term in Oaxaca, Mexico, Bard CEP and MBA students visited various locations devoted to conservation and sustainable development. Each day was equal parts educational and inspiring, but our visit to La Mesita in San Pablo Etla stood out to me in a particular way. La Mesita, …
I duck under the tin roof of the cooking enclosure and my lungs immediately fill with smoke. Gabby is explaining how they use the ash from the cooking fires in their newly installed dry bathrooms at the #131 Secondary School of San Miguel Suchixtepec. We are 8,000 feet above sea …
What do coastal resort towns and mountainous coffee farms have in common with peri-urban Oaxaca? Other than places visited by Bard CEP during our time in Mexico this January, they are home to communities that recognize the value of nature and natural spaces and are working at the local level …
This January, Bard CEP students visited the state of Oaxaca, Mexico to study watershed management and sustainable development. While traveling to the Pacific coast, we met with Omar Gabriel Gordillo Solís, a Director at the National Commission on Protected Natural Areas (CONANP). Omar told us about the history and …
Mist billows up from the valley, swirling around the green mountains of San Miguel Suchixtepec. Standing by the snow-white superadobe house of Don Claudio, I see a kaleidoscope of alternating bright greens and dark greys, as the sun breaks through the clouds and then ducks behind them again. Looking out …
This past January, I and my fellow Bard CEP classmates went on a two week research trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. During our time in the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca, we visited the town San Miguel Suchixtepec, where we spent time at a local public school with a high regard …
