Experience is another thing: professional and amateur fishermen are an important piece in the saving or taking the life of a marine turtle. Last February, three businessmen saved a leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) from death in Florianopolis. They were fishing in a motorboat when they saw one of these animals dragging a bunch of tangled up nylon wires—probably from some fishing cable, which is one of the greatest threats to this species. The fishing wire could end up cutting off one of its fins.

Fishing with nets and longlines is extremely harmful to turtles because they capture these animals and may make them drown to death. According to TAMAR, a project created in 1980 to protect marine turtles, the solution to these problems lies exactly in the collaboration between fishermen and the Project to develop solutions that are not only viable but that also do not hinder the fishing industry. Using technology to develop less predatory fishing tools is one example of how this situation can be solved. In fact, it has already resulted in a new and less harmful type of fishing hook that rarely captures sea turtles (Tamar).

Take a look at this video about the Tamar project and see how they have been carrying out their work. Image: Tamar Newsletter

Each time we dispose of an electronic product, we create a serious environmental problem. Where does that old TV, stereo, or computer that we no longer use and which is full of chemical and toxic components go? Greenpeace has been researching this topic in depth and calling attention to the export of electronic waste from Europe, America and Japan to poor countries, particularly those in Africa and Asia. The environmental organization conducted a test: in England, they took a broken, practically useless TV to be recycled. The result? The device was ‘exported’ to Nigeria. A con, pure and simple.

Check this out below:

Find out more here.

Or in the video below:

The gang is excited about tomorrow’s party at Twestival SP. (Remember that other cities in Brazil and around the world are also involved.) The girly girls are already in top shape, getting organized with food donations. To add to the festivities, RedCube has produced this great looking t-shirt that is worth your donation.

The R$ 15 you pay for the t-shirts will be donated in full to charity:water. Show up at Espaço Gafanhoto/Pix tomorrow, after 7pm, and guarantee your contribution to the “waterless,” and enjoy a kick-ass party—which will be going on around the world…

Read this post at the Ladybug Brasil blog: Twestival has a t-shirt that is worth a donation

I had never been to Belem. Even though I have relatives living there, I only took a trip to the Brazilian mango capital because of Greenpeace—there, mango trees are everywhere, delighting the population and terrorizing drivers. I felt as if I were home, especially because the locals stress the ‘S’ and the ‘R’ just like people from Rio de Janeiro. I found out that I have cousins in town, Ivanir and Dolores, lovely people. It was great to spend an afternoon with them, feasting on açai and bacuri and drinking cupuaçu juice while we listened to thousands of parakeets (or maritacas, who knows) that had built their nests on top of a huge tree just across from the Nossa Senhora de Nazaré Church and my cousins’ apartment building. I had a great time in Belem enjoying the heat, the refreshing afternoon rain, the richness of the local cuisine, the kindness of their people, the proximity to the Amazon Rainforest, the music (the local reggae is brilliant!).

I hope to return one day, preferably with my children.

Letting so much time pass without updating the blog is not a good idea because, in the meantime, so many things happen that it is hard to put them all in a post without making it too long and tiresome to read. Anyway, I’m going to open the floodgates on my memory and just let things flow, especially because I’m already in Fortaleza and need to get up early tomorrow to set up some interviews for my friend Baitelo, the star of this leg of the Save the Planet expedition. It’s Now or Now.

As I was saying, I spent an afternoon with my cousins, the children of my grandfather’s brother. I don’t know this part of the family, I mean, I knew about them, but had never really met them, except for that one time we had dinner at a pizza place, a year ago, during a trip they took to Sao Paulo. When my father reminded me of them, I called them up and made plans to meet for lunch, breakfast, visit the ship and everything, but what really worked was the “play by it ear” thing (as always). I went with Mari on foot to try to catch up with the march that had already left Docas Station. Midway, I remembered that my cousins lived in that area so I called them and we ended up watching part of the Latin American leftist march from the seventh floor of a building located across the church square. When Greenpeace’s huge inflatable bull emerged at the corner, we ran downstairs to catch a ride.

One of the things that surprised me the most in Belem was the kindness with which the locals welcomed Greenpeace.  Yes, there were some concerns about security, we were warned not to walk around the streets wearing our Greenpeace shirts, to ignore any provocations, etc.—after all, Para is among those states with the highest rates of deforestation where people who defend the forests are killed (even a missionary in her seventies like Dorothy Stang). But nothing happened, on the contrary. I saw people swearing their love to Greenpeace, begging for a shirt or at least a little ribbon, wanting to get on board regardless of the destination, demanding that we create a volunteer group in the city. We won them over—and they won us over.

I also fell in love with the local cuisine. I don’t care much for fish, but in Belem I practically ate only fish. Filhote ao tucupi, pirarucu with a bean salad, tambaqui and rice with jambu, and everything came with a generous side of manioc flour. By the way, the number of things we can do with manioc is impressive—flour, sauce, appetizers, dough, ice cream. It’s a gift. I also ate many times on the boat, great food, prepared by Iracema (from Manaus) and by a Filipino cook whose name I just can’t remember now (oops, my bad…) I really wanted to get on board and come to Fortaleza, but I was left out this time. Anyway, I had to arrive earlier to contact the media for all of the activities that we are conducting here in Ceara—in addition to the “open boats,” there is a seminar on wind energy and a meeting with Fortaleza’s restaurant and supermarket owners to show them the negative impacts of shrimp farming in the environment.  Maybe next time, who knows?

It’s a shame that I was unable to see more of the World Social Forum. I’ve only been there twice, only attended talks by Greenpeace, and had little contact with the other organizations present there. But the atmosphere was cool and very diverse. Highlights included the indigenous tribes in attendance and the large shed built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution. I hope that WSF will soon return to the Amazon.

Still in Belem, I met people that I hadn’t seen for a long time, like Oona, João and Sérgio Amadeu, who helped me organize a good farewell party for Greenpeace in the city—a show by Fernando, from Teatro Mágico, in front of the ship. The artist went for it immediately and the show was very cool—approximately 300 people gathered in front of the Arctic Sunrise. The video of this improvised soirée is down below. We are already planning on a repeat, just wait!

There were so many good vibrations that soon after we had a party at the ship’s heliport and, from there, we went to a street carnival, at Praça do Carmo, and stayed there until four in the morning. Since the night was young, we still had time to catch a performance by Juca Culatra and Power Trio, at Açaí Biruta. Great music! And it got even better when Fernando, who had joined us, was recognized by the guitar player and called onto the stage. They played a song from Teatro (I really don’t know which one) and the crowd cheered, just as like when the group started playing Umbabarauma, by Jorge Ben, to wrap up the presentation. I recorded a little bit; it’s down below too.

The sun rose, our energies vanished and we returned to the hotel feeling as light as feathers. On the next day, the ship’s last in Belem, everybody was tired, but happy. At the end of the day, we disassembled everything and stored it on the ship which, at this exact moment, is sailing to Fortaleza—it should arrive here on the 6th.

Well, if my fading memory didn’t fail me, this is more or less what I saw and experienced in these last few days.   Now it’s on to Fortaleza. Tomorrow I’m going to meet with my friend Sávio, who has left the good life in Sao Paulo to live an even greater life here, in the land of Sasha Grey. Right on!

I think this post is long enough to allow me to skip a few days without any postings, isn’t it? Anyway, let’s see what we can do. See ya!

(There was not enough time to upload the photos and videos of Juca Culatra. I’ll do it tomorrow.)

Teatro Mágico and Greenpeace together in Belém (January/2009)

Read this post at the O Escriba blog: Magic moments in Belem

O Escriba

Greenpeace is campaigning to alert the population and pressure governments to understand the seriousness of climate changes and the urgency of having a decent plan to replace the Kyoto Protocol at the upcoming UN meeting on the climate, scheduled for December of this year in Copenhagen.

The organization’s Save the Planet website is now up and running. It’s Now or Now. There, any citizen can send a message to the Brazilian delegates who will be attending the COP15. This is the full text of message:

In December of 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark, representatives of over 200 countries will gather to reach an agreement about how to save the planet’s climate. Brazil has an important role in climate changes, since it is the fourth largest emissor of greenhouse gases; it is also one of the ten largest economies in the world and moreover has natural resources like the Amazon Rainforest. To do their share in fighting climate changes, the Brazilian government must commit to eliminating deforestation in the Amazon, increasing generation of renewable electric energy and creating a network of marine reserves to keep the oceans alive.

Send the message below to President Lula. Brazil can—and should—take the lead in building a new development model.

Dear Mr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil
I hereby request that the Brazilian government take the lead in the negotiations at the 15th Conference of UN Members, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark and to commit to:
- Eliminating deforestation in the Amazon by 2015 and supporting the establishment of an international fund to support this goal (Forests for Climate mechanism);
- Guaranteeing that at least 25% of the electricity is generated from renewable sources of energy such as wind, sun, biomass and small hydroelectric power plants by 2020, and supporting technology transfer among countries;
- Turning at least 30% of the Brazilian marine coast into protected areas by 2020;
Mister President, regardless of Brazil’s track record as an emissor of greenhouse gases, your country must take responsibility for itself. We can continue growing and generating jobs and income without contributing to global warming—humanity’s greatest challenge ever.
Save the Planet—It’s now or now.

To help in this campaign, the Arctic Sunrise is in Brazil. For the next three months, it will visit the entire Brazilian coast, from north to south. To embark on this adventure and find out when the ship will be open for public visitation (and where…) check back on the blog.

Read this post on the Ladybug Brasil Blog: Greenpeace in campaign: It’s Now or Now.