An Island On the Brink of Collapse Makes a Huge Comeback

August 1, 2019 1:28 PM

A video showing how a community can work together to create a sounder environment. With help from the neighboring island of Pemba, and its Community Forests International organization, Kokota is rebuilding its forest. We the people can create change. Don't wait for the big bosses to initiate. (But do apply for money when you are ready).
posted by mumimor (4 comments total)

From the film:

"Our model is that economic development is directly opposed to environmental conservation. We can't conserve the natural world because we need jobs. Yes we need to fight climate change, but look at the cost. We can't afford to do that, we're in a recession.

"That's a completely ludicrous way of thinking, and Pembans showed us that. Economic development and environmental conservation are not opposed. They're actually intertwined."

We monkeys need to let go of the banana and pull our paws out of the cocoanut.
posted by Twang at 4:03 PM on August 1, 2019

So excellent, thank you for this link.

My current life circumstances do not allow for it, but if anyone is currently planting trees, would much appreciate you do a few for me as well?
posted by Meatbomb at 6:21 PM on August 1, 2019

Meatbomb, you might want to look into non-profits like the National Forest Foundation that have $1 = 1 tree planted programs or similar! I set up a small recurring donation and even that's waaaay more than I'd ever be able to plant myself.
posted by jason_steakums at 9:27 PM on August 1, 2019 [2 favorites]

I haven't watched the video yet (bookmarked for later, though), but I love all the inter-related Pemba projects at the website - the roof-based rainwater collection system, the cooking technology projects ("Collectively they built over 600 stoves before CFI lost count.")

I'm not a starry-eyed "technology will save us" person (we all have to save ourselves, together), but I love the ways we can develop technologies that make people's lives better. ("These stoves use half the amount of wood as the conventional method, reducing the impact on the environment and saving women hours each week spent collecting wood for fuel." Saving women time! Yay!)

This is a great story, mumimor - thank you so much for sharing it!
posted by kristi at 9:52 AM on August 2, 2019