There are two options for humanity at this moment: take advantage of its nature to impulse organic autonomy and collective health or, continue (what little time we have left) with the obsolete model of industrialization that prioritizes production over the stability of the planet.
Without a doubt, the first scenario sounds more desirable. And although I usually think that sustainability In certain countries it is unfeasible, the reality is different. In fact, Are the communities of America who show us how organic autonomy is possible with few resources and a lot, a lot of awareness.
Indigenous and local communities have inherited for centuries the best sustainable practices and community organization to live in harmony with their habitat: nature. It is these exemplary models who show us the beneficial results at the individual and collective levels of moving our civilization and economy to the rhythm of nature.
The planet urgently needs to turn to sustainability.
And understand that nothing is a waste: everything is transformed.
Millions of people around the world know this, and in one way or another we are seeking to alleviate or mitigate the damage we cause to the environment, our living space, which is ultimately part of us. These individual efforts are as valid as they are necessary, but there is probably no struggle more effective than that which is carried out collectively.
The sustainable communities that are flourishing around the world today
In Latin America there are hundreds of sustainable communitiesboth in rural and urban environments, which are expanding contemporary consciousness and promoting eco-evolution.
Each one carries out struggles against different problems caused by the voracity that has distinguished contemporary modes of consumption and lifestyles. But even more: These sustainable communities develop new ways of producing –for example, energy, food, packaging–, and with this they demonstrate that change must be organic and integral and involve all spheres of reproduction of life.
There is no doubt: life will be sustainable or it will not be. But these five sustainable communities in Latin America They show us that we still have time to choose the option that will save the planet.
Autonomous Municipality of Cherán, Mexico
Many things have changed in Cherán since the inhabitants decided to take control of their own lives – in a broad sense. Its community management models have made this municipality, perhaps, one of the most sustainable in Mexico.
Deforestation stopped thanks to the fact that the community members produce 1.5 million a year. In addition, there is a megaproject in an extinct area that functions as a rainwater collector that is later converted into drinking water.
As if that were not enough, since 2016 Cherán became the first waste-free municipality, since absolutely all the waste produced by the population is recycled.
San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala
For the Mayan conception of the world, what we know as “objects” does not exist, because all things have life, even if they are inanimate. Perhaps it is that ancestral wisdom that is behind the praxis that has led the inhabitants of San Pedro La Laguna to be the first Guatemalan municipality 100% plastic-free.
The Tz’utujil ethnic group that populates San Pedro La Laguna has replaced plastic by using other traditional materials, since they respect the life of all objects and do not see them as something that only “uses and throws away.” And fortunately, their example is radiating to other parts of the territory.
Ecovilla Gaia, Argentina
This town is a sustainable utopia that emerged in 1992 and is deeply rooted in Argentine territory, more than 2 hours from the nearest community. In Gaia, everything is organic; even the houses, since they are made of alternative materials and not cement.
The inhabitants live from permaculture, a form of sustainable agriculture that provides them with food autonomy while caring for the planet.
Ucareo, Mexico
In this community, work is being done for sustainable energy autonomy through the collective management of solar panels, which are being built with the collaboration of the LiCore organization.
This will not only make Ucareo shine without costing the planet, but it will be the path to the empowerment of the inhabitants of this community, as it will chart the course towards social development with economic justice for all.
Velatropa Ecovillage, Argentina
In a peculiar place, a few from the University City of Buenos Aires, is this sustainable enclave. The Velatropa Ecovillage is an oasis in the middle of the city; Its inhabitants – most of them young – are vegan and grow their food, while experimenting with alternative ways of living in the city.
On the site now occupied by Velatropa, if it had not been appropriated by those who now inhabit and promote it, there would probably be one more parking lot or shopping center. Without a doubt, this is a great example that community sustainability in the city is possible.