by Donn Wilson
I recall a vivid image from my childhood of Native Indian Chief Seattle crying over a dump somewhere in New Jersey. “We don’t inherit the earth from our fathers,” he said. “We borrow it from our grandchildren.” At 12 years old it was a powerful statement, but in your mid-40’s with children of your own, the image can really grab you.

I wonder why I never really reacted to that call of conservation, protection, and recycling when I was younger. Sure, I did my bit like most everyone, but why didn’t I get as passionate then as I feel now? Lack of knowledge, lack of opportunity, or just plain apathy?

Now, thankfully, the world (and I) are finally taking notice. Situations like the current US Administration’s refusal to sign the Kyoto Treaty seem to fuel the fire in a sort of unintentional-reverse psychology sort of effect; generating more momentum from other parts of the planet, U.S. municipalities, and perhaps the average Joe like me. The result appears to be more commitment from those who are willing to try and change our situation in spite of our elected officials’ failure to lead.

I just returned from a brief trip back to the States where I was able to squeeze in some time to take in former Vice President Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, an alarming film about his involvement - nay campaign - to help save the planet from ourselves. It is a must-see. I don’t know if they’re working on bootlegging copies of it yet in Masaya, but it may come soon to a street vendor near you.

With world population going from Adam and Eve to over 6 billion now and projected to skyrocket to 9 billion over the next 40 or so, it’s no wonder we’re all getting a bit nervous. How much can this planet take? The delicate balance of nature and man’s continued attempts to “improve” it are really among our greatest debacles. Remember Kudzu being imported to the southern US to help stop erosion and it turned into a horror movie, growing up to two feet a day? How many other stories like this must we endure before we step aside and allow nature to guide us?

Yet we have an opportunity to instigate change where we live. Now, today, all of us, in whatever capacity we can.

It is nowhere more evident than here in Nicaragua. Our own little blank slate of nascent development tucked in between the highly publicized and probably overrated Costa Rica and the environmentally unenlightened Honduras. With so little infrastructure already built and with foreknowledge of the well pummeled problems of energy, why don’t start now by avoiding errors of the past? Why not think of ways to integrate technologies such as renewable energy, proper waste treatment and management, and cleaning up the lakes that hold so many gallons of precious, life-giving water?

Enter the era of “environmentally friendly” development. Often just a catch phrase used for marketing purposes, but in some cases consisting of real, honest attempts to change our paradigm. I came here on a whim with a bunch of other surfers chasing a dream of uncrowded beaches and never-ending offshore winds. Somehow, not just by chance, I got diverted into developing a dream, possibly a fantasy, which has become a reality, perhaps even an example?
It was simple really, logical is the best word to describe it. It was something I wanted to do for years but never really saw as possible. Coming from a country where we take pride in putting more things in less space, it’s difficult to think about putting fewer things in more space, about taking chances and making decisions and commitments to change.

We started by offering larger parcels of land, 1-3 acre plots laid out apparently haphazardly, but really just utilizing Nature’s topography. We followed that concept by putting in a road system that protected watershed and run-off areas, on several occasions putting the road in places that for more experienced developers would seem illogical, cutting across valuable view property. But we wanted to be true to our cause.

Prohibiting our clients from cutting trees was an easy regulation to add once the ball started rolling. We thought like everyone that we needed green areas, an área verde, but we took that to an extreme and ended up with over 50% of the total area being “protected” as a private reserve. From there, the floodgates opened. We thought of ways to enhance that area. “Hey, let’s plant a bunch of trees.” And 27,000 trees later in year one, we did it. These aren’t trees for future harvest or just a bunch of fruit trees that we plan to raise, but real, legitimate reforestation with precious woods endangered by a reckless system of logging in a country that holds claim to 7% of the world’s species of flora and fauna.

But this is about you and what you can do, whether you’re an individual investor or a real estate mogul developing a cluster of condos. Look for the opportunities around you.

As a developer, you can:

• Stop the clear cutting. People move here for the natural beauty, not just your clubhouse.

• Consider design in which you take advantage of Nicaragua’s wonderfully consistent winds with large windows on either side of the prevailing wind pattern.

• Insist on wide covered patio spaces to cut down on heat from direct sunlight.

• Water will always be a problem. Collect rainwater. It’s much easier and less expensive than you might think.

• Wastewater treatment systems can be easily customized to your project size and are often less expensive than connecting to existing local infrastructure.

• Look for ways to engage the local community to assist you in clearing trash and maintaining the cleanliness of the area.

• Get involved in your local municipality

• Initiate your own recycling program for glass, paper, or plastic.

• Do away with chlorinated swimming pools. Saline offers a much safer and runoff- friendly way of treating your water.

As an individual investor, look for developments that support these principles or incorporate them in your own design. Don’t ever purchase on a promise: purchase on what you see being done. See what type of vegetation was cleared to create the property and ask them how they give back or take care of their local communities.

Already a resident? Turn off your lights! Use less electricity. Everyone looks better in candlelight.

Get involved. Don’t barricade yourself in your own private Idaho. Start recycling, or if you already are, do more. Offer to take your neighbors’ excess.

You say you can’t reforest on your own? Plant five or 10 trees: they all help. Too busy for that? Find someone who is doing it and contribute! Take out the neighborhood kids to clean up the area. It will cost you some time, a few cords for the trash bags, and some sodas at the end, but you will make friends, influence neighbors, and never want to stop.

Here are a few organizations you can really feel proud to be a part of?

Paso Pacifico www.pasopacifico.org
A U.S. based 501c3 organization dedicated to the protection of spider monkey corridors on Nicaragua’s Pacific (Managua to Costa Rica) and appealing to developers to stop the madness.

Pueblo Limpio www.pueblolimpio.info
A San Juan del Sur and Tola based organization leading the way to cleaner streets.

Surf Rider Foundation www.surfrider.org
A active group of like-minded individuals working on protecting our oceans on a global scale.

Las Fincas- www.nicadev.com
Something close to the author’s heart and still one of the lowest prices around.
Donn and his partner, Juan Manuel Caldera, are proud owners of Las Fincas de Escamequita (an eco-friendly development) south of San Juan del Sur. They can be contacted at www.nicadev.com