Adopt a Tree-Save the Paramos

Adopt and Tree-Save the Paramos www.fundetecuador.org

It’s funny how small the world is! My second cousin, Gail taught school for years and years in Vermont. She rented out a room in the home of a lovely older couple. This couple has a granddaughter, Lindsay, working here in Quito on her PhD in anthropology. I met with Lindsay the other day and she invited me to a meeting of a program that her boyfriend, an indigenous leader from the province of Cotopaxi started called, “Adopt a Tree, Save the Paramos.” Now you know all the background.

I went to this group’s second meeting, -a really neat group of young people, passionate about saving their environment. I love being around folks who have a vision, an idea and are doing concrete things to solve problems. So many times folks just talk talk talk about global warming or erosion or water problems. But what’s a concrete thing you can do to solve the problem? Well, this group found a solution-plant native trees. They encourage folks (from Quito or the US/Europe) to pay $10.00 and adopt a tree. Then they (the group of young people, along with friends and family in the rural communities) reforest the eroded paramos. This is important because when there are no trees, the wind causes crop problems (and leads folks to use many dangerous chemicals in their farming practices), and having a tree line helps confront global warming because the trees store atmospheric carbon.  

They also educate members of the rural communities about using organic farming practices, and have begun the idea of starting an eco-tourism project. They are also organizing ecotourism project where they will bring folks from Quito for a weekend trip, take them to waterfalls, hiking, camping and finally to plant the trees on the weekends.

Right now, the project is just getting off the ground. I might go with them one weekend, soon to help lead an environmental education workshop and help plant some of the trees they have donated so far. I’ll post photos when I do! This idea, “Plant a Tree, Save the Paramos” is a simple program that one group of young people has started so try and solve the complicated problem of global warming. If you’d like to contribute to their project, please check out their website (www.fundetecuador.org). They have a link for PayPal and some wonderful photos. Muchisimas Gracias,