Going green in Mexico

I mentioned in a previous post that Jalisco is trying to implement a reclycing/composting aspect to garbage collection. Up to now everything has gone to landfills. Thus, this is really a quantum leap here in Mexico, especially because awareness among Mexicans is still rather low. It has been the ex-pats who have tended to take a leading role in arousing ecology awareness, although there is a growing ecology awareness movement in Mexico. The problem here is that the state government passed laws and regulations for a change to the 3 stream system in June with municipalities supposed to implement and have suitable systems operating by September. There is only an embryonic recycling infrastructure and no composting; most municipalities already have garbage collection contracts in place. Thus, everyone knows that such systems cannot be implemented according to this timetable. However, there is movement and over time it will gradually be implemented.

BTW, Barb did get her composter. It is almost exactly like the ones Halifax was selling in terms of size and appearance, except this one is made of fibreglass (rather than plastic--perhaps more durable) and is green instead of black. She has used all the kitchen waste and yard waste; she was wondering (in jest) if she should go down the street and pick up some of the horse manure! We are assured that, because of the hot weather, materials decompose and are ready for use in 6-8 weeks and this can be done year round. Barb can hardly wait to get some for her garden. The woman selling the composters in Zapopan (one of the municipalities of Guadalajara in the north-west corner) is very interesting. She lives in a gated community, called Rancho Contento, with a golf course. There was a gatehouse with guards and getting in was almost like going through US Immigration or a military establishment. She had been importing composters from Germany but found it was such a hassle; she finally found a manufacturer in Guadalajara who makes these composters for her. They have a waterless, composting toilet outdoors in the back yard. She proudly showed it off to us. In fact, it did seem ingenious, and unlike outdoor toilets that I knew, this one had little smell. The juxtaposition was interesting though; here is an outdoor toilet in a very high priced residence. Except perhaps at times in the rainy season, there should not be the uncomfortable conditions that one experienced in outdoor toilets in Canada in the winter.

On Friday afternoon and evening we went to a BBQ at LCS put on by the Red Cross of Mexico. The local chapter is run by volunteers, mostly ex-pats. They do an amazing amount of good. They have 3 ambulance crews (fully trained in first aid, resusitation, etc.) standing by 24 hours a day at 3 different spots in the area. They claim that response time is 15-20 minutes anywhere in the Lakeside area. Clients are given a breakdown of costs for any assistance given, but payment is voluntary, with about 50% paying some or all of the costs; the others are serviced for free. The bulk of their funding comes from fund-raising and donations. We have been greatly impressed by what they do and have been trying to support them in little ways. The event was very interesting for us. We were joined by 4 other couples at a table for 10. They, like the ex-pat community in general, are very interesting and diverse. All have been here for much longer than we, 3 years, 5 years, etc. One of the women is a nurse and was able to give us valuable information about medical practitioners and facilities here. She was especially adamant that she had had bad experiences with Dr. Leon, the doctor we are going to presently, and the lab he operates. Barb has been getting uneasy about him already. This woman, Jane, had someone else she recommends highly. Anyway, we greatly enjoyed getting acquainted with these people. The affair lasted for about 4 hours.