Our Carbon Footprint...

During these harrowing times of climate change, everyone is always talking about their carbon footprint and last night we began discussing the ways that we have been(voluntarily involuntarily) reducing ours. par example:

1.We use less elctricity.
In general, we don't use any. We do use an alarming number of candles at night, however to try and stimulate ourselves to staying awake. But in general, our days follow the movements of the sun. We wake with it, and are ready for bed not long after it sets. Our time with Conakry is marked (and well celebrated) with an overabundance of air conditioning, movie viewings and long nights on the computer but it is certainly less then we have been accustomed to. The absence of electricity can allow us to be more productive....sometimes....as we can't distract ourself quite as often. But with the ipod and the copious quantities of books and magazines that we stockpile, there are always other amusments. We are constantly using batteries for headlamps, speakers, our radio. We try to use only rechargeable but after a time these do corrode or lose their charge quickly so sometimes we have little choice. We do use our little solar panel but often will wait to charge it up with electricity then lay it out in the sun.

2. We use less water.
As all of our water is now carries to us from our students, we are very careful with its usage. We reuse greywater from our laundry to "flush" out latrine. We take very short showers with 5-8 goblets of water, economizing the water as much as possible. We are constantly drinking water but even so, you can easily dehydrate with the dry winds, dust, and heat. We are hoping to renew our attempts at a garden soon once we repair our fence, but hopefull that will not require much more water perday to support. Its interesting to think about if our concerns regarding water usage will follow us home or not. I think there will be many changes to re-adjust to, not the least being overuse and accessibility of water.

3. We throw away less.
Here in Guinee, tin cans are toys, plastic bags are always reusable, and bottles are treasures. I was just told about a voluteer who gives her old water bottles to a lady at the market who then gives gifts of onions or sugar and is convinced that she is always getting the better deal. The garbage that we do accumulate we burn every few weeks which, although is not great for the environment, is better then the alternative of just throwing it in a pile. All excess food gets given to petites or the animals and in general, the world is out compost pile. One thing that I have really come to appreciate is the ability of Guineans to reuse just about everything. I was chatting with a friend yesterday about how much we throw away back at home. I am contantly reminded of the bins outside of any university during move in/out day just piled with tvs,rugs, chairs, foam pads...all these things that we find so necessary and yet so disposable. We live in a disposable nation and the more I see, the more sickened I become. For example, I was informed yesterday that a medication that costs 70 bucks a pop that we were just given is going to expire soon, and that we are forbidden by law to give that medicine to any other entity to use, even health clinics here that would happily take even older expired medicines. But instead $13,000 worth old meds will be inceinerated. And this happens on every level of our lives: it costs less to destroy or dump then to find any other solution. Its sickening and yet its so ingrained into this culture of consumerism. In our village, we have and "need" far more then any other person to be comfortable. Our shelves are filled with spices and special foods, we have hammers and multitools, saws, and shovels: all these things just to feel at ease. This is not too mention all the toiletries that we all want and need to survive that are eventually are thrown away. I'm not really sure that we can escape it, I think it is somehow part of it. Maybe we can only recognize it and try to make more informed decisions.

4. We Carpool
Not only do we carpool, but we carpool with 8 or more other people depending on the size of the vehicle. It really is not a true bush taxi ride if you aren't straddleing the stick shift and sandwiched between to very sweaty strangers with your head buried in their armpit. Of course, that being said, these are some of the oldest, most beatup junkers in the world that leak oil and gas like sieves and I'm sure would so soil the emmissions tester with their fumes that it would never recover. Not to mention that the gas tank is a yellow bidon in the trunk or that the winsheild is held together with a Bob marley sticker.

Well of course we also have taken planes, and keep the AC on full blast when we have it and there is never a real neutrality there....but there is some beauty in the aknowledgement that we have so far to go and that we can always try harder, we can always consume concientiously, reduse, reuse, recycle.

Thats all for now.
We have a break coming up in the beginning of April and we will be on vacation for a week!
Take Care and Be Well.