The Journey of a Friendly Giant

Ecuador is not a perfect country, I’m not even such a thing exists. Each country has mastered a few things that have made them stand out from the rest. The more I learn about Ecuador, the luckier I feel being here. Though they have yet to develop and improve in many ways, Canada, and the rest of the world for that matter, can still learn a lot from Ecuador as far as the environment is concerned. Frankly, today’s environmental laws are failing. Though Canada's environmental laws were adopted in the 70s, the environment is in worse shape then ever before. The Canadian environmental law has gone through very little changes since its creation over 30 years ago. “Canadian Environmental law lacks in policy innovation and environmental performance.” – Dr David Suzuki, The Sacred Balance  However, since then, countries around the world have sought to replicate these same laws.  Yet, species worldwide are steadily declining, global warming is far more accelerated than predic...

This passed week has been the week of connections and discoveries. When it comes to my plans for Puerto Hondo, the community I am working with, I’ve met many people that have inspired me to think BIGGER. It all began with an Ecuadorian friend of mine, Raquel, who owns a small NGO consulting organization here in Guayaquil. When she told me about her organization a few months ago, I instantly offered my help if she ever needed any volunteers. Her few months of silence led me to believe that help wasn’t something that she required. Nevertheless, to my surprise she called me one evening after work and asked for a strange favor. “Can Lindsay and you go to Bucay to do some food tasting please?” My love for food forced me to instantly agree with excitement. The conversation was very short because she had a meeting to attend; she thanked me for the favor and quickly hung up. After my happy dance was finished, I began to realize that I had absolutely no idea exactly what I was doing for her. ...