This is a collection of Peter Berg’s writings during time he spent in Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador. The city had experienced devastating mudslides and an earthquake in 1999 but resolved to rebuild as an Ecological City. Peter was invited to be a consultant and he organized ecological projects that included revegetation, recycling and composting, alternative energy, and education. On each visit Peter sent back Dispatches containing his observations, progress reports, events, and even recipes. On some visits Judy Goldhaft, Planet Drum’s Managing Director, accompanied Peter and occasional letters from her are included.
(Dates & Dispatches are most recent first.)
2010 Dispatches from Ecuador
Peter returned to Ecuador in November 2010 to initiate the Bioregional Sustainability Institute. He sent this essay about his thoughts and activities.
- A Call for Students: Bioregional Sustainability Institute (BSI) Nov. 30, 2010
- Dispatch #1, A School to Retrieve the Future Nov. 18, 2010
2009 Dispatches from Ecuador
Peter returned to Ecuador in February 2009 to attend celebrations for the Tenth Anniversary of Bahia’s Eco-City Declaration.
- Dispatch #3, How Eco-Bahia Was Rescued Feb. 25, 2009
- Dispatch #2, Discovering the Status of Some Things to Come Feb. 22, 2009
- Dispatch #1, In the Season of Rising Expectations Feb. 16, 2009
2008 Dispatches from Ecuador
Peter visited Bahia in both March and October 2008. His Dispatches in March include Bahia’s Eco-City Mandate 2008 (English & Spanish) and a celebratory dinner with the landowners who worked with Planet Drum this year. Judy Goldhaft sent a series of Journal Entries describing her adventures in Bahia and as a Planet Drum revegetation volunteer. In August Peter investigated Ecuador’s new constitution and its innovations including its granting “Rights of Nature.” He also worked with the Bioregional Education classes and produced a document considering what Planet Drum’s Bioregional Sustainability Institute might include.
- Autumn Dispatch #3, A Slice Through Layer of Days (Oct. 25, 2008)
- Autumn Dispatch #2, An Experience of Social Worth (Oct. 17, 2008)
- Autumn Dispatch #1, Introduction to Interview with Maria Soledad Vela
About “Rights of Nature” in New Ecuador Constitution (Oct. 16, 2008) - Dispatch #3, A Celebration & Reflection (Apr. 5, 2008)
- Judy’s Journal #3, (Mar. 31-Apr. 4, 2008)
- Judy’s Journal #2, (Mar. 24-28, 2008) (includes Planet Drum’s Eco-Ecuador Work)
- Judy’s Journal #1, (Mar. 8-21, 2008)
- Dispatch #2, National Transformation Can Inspire Local Progress (Mar. 24, 2008) (includes Eco-Mandato 2008 in English & Spanish)
- Dispatch #1, Tropical Winter Sketches (Mar. 17, 2008)
2007 Dispatches from Ecuador
Peter made trips to Bahia in March and September in 2007. In March he writes about the land that Planet Drum has purchased for a Bioregional Institute and setting up a meeting with the Amigos de la Eco-ciudad, a coalition of individuals and groups who are interested in the eco part of the eco-city. In September, two letters by Judy Goldhaft describe the happenings in Bahia, including a visit by the new president of Ecuador.
- Autumn Dispatch #3, September News from Judy (Sept 12 & 22, 2007)
- Dispatch #2, New Accomplishments, Partial and Complete (Mar 22, 2007) (Includes a letter arranging a presentation to the Amigos de la Eco-ciudad.)
- Dispatch #1, On the Way to a Road (Mar 12, 2007)
2006 Dispatches from Ecuador
Peter returned to the Eco-City project in Ecuador in March and later in September, 2006. He sent the following dispatches to report on the project’s progress as seen through his eyes.
- Autumn Dispatch #3, The Core of Eco-tourism, (Sept 20, 2006)
- Autumn Dispatch #2, Reality Checks, (Sept 12, 2006)
- Dispatch #1, Winter’s Wet Green Heat, (Mar 10, 2006)
2005 Dispatches from Ecuador
Peter returned to the Eco-City project in Ecuador in early February, 2005. His first Dispatch arrived near the end of February.
- Autumn Dispatch #4, Careers of Improvisation – Part I (7 Sept 2005)
- Autumn Dispatch #3, At Last, The Hard Part (5 Sept 2005)
- Autumn Dispatch #2, Land Found But Not Quite Located (3 Sept 2005)
- Dispatch #1, Eco-Bahia Becomes an Adult at the Age of Six (27 Feb 2005)
2004 Dispatches from Ecuador
Peter returned in early June, 2004, to the Eco-City project in Ecuador. He began sending dispatches soon after. The first Dispatch is the often-reprinted essay Learning to Partner with a Life-Place.
- Dispatch #6, A Re-birth of Ecologics (30 June, 2004)
- Dispatch #5, How a Day Passes Here (28 June, 2004)
- Dispatch #4, Seeing the Future in the Past, Again (26 June, 2004)
- Dispatch #3, Close Call, Solemn Solstice (23 June, 2004)
- Dispatch #2, The Next Five Years Begin on a Dry Note (19 June, 2004)
- Dispatch #1, Learning to Partner with a Life-Place (12 June, 2004)
2003 Dispatches from Ecuador + A Presentation
We started out the new year with one volunteer, Simon Winch, working on the Eco Ecuador Project. In early January Peter arrived, and about a week later Brian Teinert, who has been hired as chief of operations for Planet Drum’s projects, arrived to carry on the work. Peter was busy organizing the projects in Bahia and introducing Brian to everyone. On January 17 Peter sent a comprehensive dispatch which reviews Planet Drum’s accomplishments and visions over the past five years in Ecuador. On February 21 he gave a presentation in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s large port city on the Pacific. This talk represents the latest strategic thinking on creating sustainable bioregional activities. He returned to Ecuador in November and continued sending Dispatches.
November Dispatches
- Dispatch #6, Wild & “Wild” Encounters (26 November, 2003 )
- Dispatch #5, Pique y Pasa (Choose What You Like) (22 November, 2003)
- Dispatch #4, For Indoor Use Only – A Meditation (20 November, 2003)
- Dispatch #3, Reiterating the Ecological City (15 November, 2003)
- Dispatch #2, Re-emerging Indigenas (13 November, 2003)
- Dispatch #1, Natives are Harder (12 November, 2003)
January/February Dispatches + A Presentation
- Guayaquil Green City 2003: an outline for bioregional action (21 February, 2003) (strategic thinking creating sustainable bioregional activities.)
- Dispatch #2, Revelations in a Cattle Slough (19 January, 2003)
- Dispatch #1, Ecuador and Planet Drum Undergo Major Transitions (17 January, 2003)
2002 Dispatches from Ecuador
We started out the new year with one volunteer working on the Eco Ecuador Project. Yijin Woo left in mid-January, after completing many tasks on the Fanca Produce work. In early February, Peter and three others arrived to carry on the work. Peter began sending dispatches soon afterward. Later, in the Fall, a large core of Planet Drum workers had several projects to finish before the winter rainy season began.
September Dispatches
- Dispatch #2. Governments International, National and Across the Street (25 Sept 2002)
- Dispatch #1. Closing Circles and Emerging Angles (21 Sept 2002)(includes Management of Fanca Produce)
February Dispatches
- Report #4. The “Bear” in the Bosque and Other Outcomes (22 Feb 2002)
- Report #3. Dancing Public Revegetation onto Private Land (17 Feb 2002)(includes Statement of Intent to revegetate eroded hillsides)
- Report #2. Carnaval Heat (12 Feb 2002)
- Report #1. Rain Included at Extra Cost (7 Feb 2002)
2001 Dispatches from Ecuador + Reports, City and Recycling Plans + An essay
Peter Berg returned to Ecuador in late August, 2001, for further work on the Eco City project. Shortly after arriving he began to send back dispatches for his faithful readers on the web site.
August/September Dispatches
- Report #4. Transforming Trash to Fruit Trees (10 Sept 2001)
- Report #3. How to Biosphere (7 Sept 2001)
- Report #2. Now and Future Water (30 Aug 2001)
- Report #1. Counsel from an Unusual Source (23 Aug 2001)
Peter Berg returned to Ecuador in January, 2001, to continue work on the Revegetation project and to participate and collaborate with citizens of the in the growing Eco-Ciudad movimiento (Eco-City movement) in Bahia de Caraquez. These are his reports from the scene. The series of meetings that Peter describes is important because it represents the institutionalization of an ecological agenda that has developed over the past two years. (For convenience links to the Recycling & EcoCity Plans and Hillside Erosion Report are included here.) Peter also lays out numerous opportunities for individuals or groups to contribute to the success of this experiment in creating green cities.
January/February Dispatches + Reports on Hillside Erosion, City Plan for Bahia and Recycling Plan (by Amy Jewel)+ An essay
- Preliminary Recycling Plan (Feb. 22, 2001). [Versión en Español]
- Report #6. History With Some Inevitable Loose Ends (Feb. 18, 2001)
- Ecological City Plan for the Development of Canton Sucre (Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador) [Versión en Español] (Final version approved by the Public Meeting, Feb. 15, 2001)
- Report #5. Maniaca and Loco (Feb. 13, 2001) including an essay, The Culture of Complaint
- Report #4. A Remarkable Week For Pacha Mama (Feb. 4, 2001)
- Report #3. Destiny Under a Florid Sky (Feb. 1, 2001)
- Report #2. Still More Levels (Jan. 28, 2001)
- Report #1. Moving Several Levels Higher (Jan. 23, 2001)
- Report on Bahia de Caraquez Hillside Erosion Suitable for Revegetation Using Plantings Without Physical Alterations of the Landscape(Jan. 23, 2001)
2000 Dispatches from Ecuador
Planet Drum staffers Peter Berg and Judy Goldhaft returned to Bahia in early September 2000 for further work in various areas of urban sustainability. These are the latest dispatches telling the status of their efforts in the hillside revegetation, water supply, alternative energy and other projects.
September Dispatches
- Why “Revegetation” Rather Than “Reforestation”… and Where? (September 27, 2000)
- Two Steps Forward Without Any Backward (September 22, 2000)
- Unsorted Impressions (September 16, 2000)
- From a Park to a Plan (September 14, 2000)
- Ecological City Plan for Bahia De Caraquez, Ecuador (September 11, 2000)
- The Restoration of Bahia is Underway (September 9, 2000)
January/February Dispatches
- Rebellion Comes to Bahía a Month Late, But Nonetheless Verdad (February 14, 2000)
- A Natural Hothouse (February 5, 2000)
- Ojala! (January 30,2000)
- Why Did I Come To Ecuador To Live With A Lumber Mill On Each Side Of My House? (January 29,2000)
- Growing Into the Dry Tropical Forest (January 27, 2000)
- The Peaceful Roar (January 26, 2000)
1999 Dispatches From Ecuador
In order to get a first hand view of the situation since the Eco-Gathering, Peter made a second visit to Bahia in August, 1999, accompanied by Judy Goldhaft, Planet Drum’s Managing Director. They wanted to survey the positive activities that the Bahians had already started, what support they needed, and how their projects could be tied to large-scale infrastructure improvements. The resulting report by Peter Berg outlines the Planet Drum proposal.
August Report
Ecuador Green City Revisited (August 1999)
Peter Berg went to Ecuador in February, 1999 to attend the International Eco-Gathering and help the local ecologistas organize in the midst of natural disasters that beset the Bahia de Caraquez region over the previous two years. The following include his reports over a two week period.
February/March Dispatches
- At the Threshold of a Sustainable Future (March 24, 1999)
- “Viva Eco-Bahia!” (February 25, 1999)
- “Put some air into our lungs!” (Bahia audience member) (February 21, 1999)
- Letters of Support Requested (February 20, 1999)
- 3rd World or 3rd Planet? (February 18, 1999)
- Eco-Bahia Support Group Forming (February 17, 1999)
- Two And a Half Doses of Realidad (February 16, 1999)
- “Will It Rain Forever?” (Flor-Maria Tamariz) (February 12,1999)
- Latitude 0 Degrees, 36 Minutes South (February 11, 1999)