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EcoPartners takes students to the Dominican Republic to develop
small scale energy and permaculture projects for local communities.
It is electrifying a remote village, introducing computer technology,
establishing participatory art projects, and construction a
Rural Alternatives Center. Also, read the CNN
interview with Jon Katz. |
| The essence of the El Limon project is development
based on human and ecological values. This a practical, grassroots,
hands-on project. There is no formula here, no simple answers.
We work together, Dominicans and Americans, because we care
for the land, we care for each other, and we are developing
a vision of a better life here. We work hard, but we are creative
and we have fun. We use whatever tools we can, from the village's
traditional democratic process to art to modern technology.
We are also committed to becoming a model and resource for other
communities that seek a more ecological, humane future. |
At first glance, El Limon, Dominican Republic, looks like a
lot of other mountain villages at the end of a dirt road. It´s
picturesque, with great views and thatch roofs and donkeys in
the streets. Behind the scenes, poverty and illiteracy coexist
with a market agriculture economy that can barely afford the
next round of imported seeds and chemicals. But something unique
and exciting is happening in El Limon. School children learn
math and language skills from CD-ROMs, teenagers who had to
leave school at the sixth grade surf the Web, and email has
created a new and direct relationship between the village and
development agencies. The people of El Limon are struggling
to create a better future for themselves, using the technologies
of globalization, but coming from a base of human and ecological
values. It´s the old dream of the global village, and
it´s happening here. |
| Jon Katz: jgk5@cornell.edu |
