Do you care about the future of this planet? If so, there’s a place for you in The Esperanza Project. This one-of-a-kind nonprofit media adventure seeks to link the North with the Global South in the escalating debate about the environment, finding common ground and inspiration in the process.
Like our symbol, the monarch butterfly whose annual migration connects North and South, we cross political boundaries, which are no barrier to the air we breathe, the water we drink and the climate that sustains us all.
The two things we need the most:
(1) Your financial support. We’re currently an all-volunteer organization operating on a shoestring, but still there are many costs, from web hosting and equipment maintenance to travel and training expenses. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation and all contributions are tax-deductible. Simply click on the button below to make a donation from your credit card or bank account, or send a check or money order to The Esperanza Project, c/o Tracy Barnett, 161 Lovera Ave., San Antonio, Texas 78212.
(2) Your time. Most importantly, we seek readers as we build this important new voice in the global dialog. Please subscribe to our blog so you don’t miss any posts; you can sign up for e-mail alerts in either English, or Spanish, or both (entries will vary on each side, so subscribing to both is not redundant!); you can sign up for RSS feeds to read our stories in your favorite web reader; and you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter. There is a “share” widget at the bottom of each story that allows you to forward it to friends, post it to your Facebook or Twitter account, or share it with the wider world through websites like Digg and StumbleUpon. Every return visitor, every new visitor and every page click on our site brings us a greater potential to raise advertising revenue and become a sustainable, long-term project.
To take it a step further, we seek volunteers to be on the lookout for stories, videos and other media related to sustainability and the environment in Latin America. Those links will be added to our Newsfeed, which will be an ongoing resource for those who are researching the Latin American role in the transition to a more sustainable future. Send your links to Tracy at tracy@tracybarnettonline.com or Jorge Luis at jlsierrag@yahoo.com, or post them on our Twitter or Facebook page, so that we can share them with our readers.
We also seek translators, both English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English, as most of our writers don’t have the time or the ability to write in both languages. And finally, we are seeking writers, photographers and videographers willing to contribute stories to our site. If you are willing to be a regular contributor or translator, we can feature your photo and a small bio on our site. Please contact Tracy or Jorge Luis at the addresses above if you are interested in becoming an ongoing collaborator.
Tracy L. Barnett is the founding editor of The Esperanza Project. She can be reached at tracy@tracybarnettonline.com. 
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Felicidades Tracy,
Qué gusto ver el inicio de este proyecto. Estamos en contacto.
Patricia.
theesperanzaproject.org is very informative. The article is very professionally written. I enjoy reading theesperanzaproject.org every day.
Thank you so much! We can’t promise a story every day, but will be posting as often as possible. Please do come back!
Greatings, Everything dynamic and very positively!
Edwas
Gracias por sus comentarios! Los agradecemos muchisimo.
Ahora hay una version mucho mejor y en español escrito por la periodista tapatia Patricia Martinez. Puedes verlo aquí:
http://theesperanzaproject.org/es/
Interesting, I`ll quote it on my site later.
Ivan
nice post. thanks.
Tracy, thanks for a fabulous site! I’m looking forward to following the progress.
Que lastima!!! I am so sorry that you had soooooo much trouble with your Visa. like you said an expensive and time consuming lesson learned. Turn this opportunity around someway and make something good out of the lesson learned. I firmly believe that things happen for a reason. maybe it was not your time to be in Cuba!
Noe
So true! The universe has been trying to teach me this lesson for a long time: Slow down! Pay attention! Maybe this time I’ll actually get it.
Wow! Taking notes… I’m so sorry for the snafu, and glad you came out of it with your head still screwed on. Learning from mistakes makes us feel sheepish but results in plenty wisdom; I’m sorry it didn’t work out as planned, and impressed that you are taking it in stride.
Thanks for writing about it, too: I have definitely learned a FEW things from this post.
What a bummer. Sounds like something that might happen to me.
You’re right a good lesson for us all. Pay attention to the little things and don’t expect anyone else to do it for you.
Hope the rest of your travels will be a little less challenging.
So you went and came. But knowing you, you’ll come out of this experience with more knowledge that others can’t fanthom! You are a very resourceful individual Tracy. I’ve always admired you for your constance and never ending quest for what should be the right course of action. You go Girl!!!
Oh so sad to hear, but not that I’m surprised, Cubans are pretty strict with their visa procedures towards “gringos” I think. It’s funny, most of the college students here in Spain end their school year with a vacation in Cuba and the thing is papperless, most of my friends have been there just by paying 25$ for a tourist visa, that simple. Couldn`t you just fake you were a student, 24, willing to get suntunned in La Habana beaches and get drunk on Mojito all your vacation through??? LOL
I’ll be the rest of the week in Barcelona mostly offline but I’ll be waiting to hear any news on your situation. Take care.
It happens! Jeff Franks and Elena Vega will be here (Houston) next weekend, you might want to visit with them on that subject, they are experts and will love to save you some trouble.
Tracy, another great article! I so enjoyed meeting and listening to him last night. You really captured the spirit of his lecture and discussion. I digg it…dug it? –submitted it to digg.
I enjoyed the intellectual discussion after the event as well.
OY VAY! POOR CHICA, THIS HAS BEEN A DREAM OF YOURS FOR SO LONG. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE PLAYED OUT THIS WAY? SO IS LIFE, YOU NEVER GET WHAT YOU EXPECT, DO YOU?
YOUR FAITHFUL FAN,
MICHELLE
Farewell Tracy…you are in my thoughts and prayers. While you are on the lookout for stories to share, I’ll be on the lookout for the stories you share.
The discussion of carbon offsets is quite timely. I’ve read through and followed your logic, and it seems to me that you are making an appropriate choice.
This said, I still question offsets, especially when they are used not simply for individuals to offset their impacts, but by large corporate polluters seeking to avoid having to reduce their emissions.
The issue is complicated, to be sure, but it seems that many of the projects that are being included as eligible for offsets either aren’t really reducing emissions (and in some cases actually increase them), or would have been done anyway (or really need to be done anyway) and thus don’t take the place of real reductions in the CO2 output of industrialized economies.
If we end up with a cap and trade system–an idea I’m not sold on–how we deal with offsets will be a key variable in determining whether or not the system actually meets its goals. From the various experts I’ve been following, I come away pretty well convinced that the more offsets you allow into the system, the less likely you’ll get the results you’re looking for. There’s a pretty good discussion on this, as well as cap and trade in general at:
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/12/15/cap_trade_a_critical_look_at
One other concern is that when you calculate the value of an offset–not its monetary value, but rather its carbon-reducing value–you have to do some kind of life cycle analysis. If the project you are using to offset your travel, for instance, is planting trees, you have to look at how much CO2 the trees will sequester over their lifetimes, a matter of decades. The problem is that the CO2 emissions you are aiming to offset are taking place NOW, in January 2010. But the sequestration won’t even start in any serious fashion for a few years, until the trees get big enough to really start putting some carbon away, and the full impact won’t be felt for decades. And, as you note, there is always the question: wouldn’t these trees have been planted anyway, or something similar done on that land that would capture carbon, sometime over the coming years?
So for me, while I support your decision, Tracy, I would hate for folks to extrapolate and come to the conclusion that carbon offsets make for good public policy.
This is great! I love this guy already-fascinating!
Wow-incredible! I really pray that this case is resolved in the Wixaritari communities favor! What a powerful step forward for indigenous people!
Rolf Bertschin is a Swiss based in Mexico for over 40 years of which 25 have lived in Tepoztlan. Is professional lithographer and have introduced to the broke-etching technique to Mexico. He is an expert on Mexico and is surely one of the people who best know the Tepozteco and its environs, thoughout his successful life has documented his knowledge and love for Tepoztlan in an extensive photographic collection. If one day visit Tepoztlan and want to know his job, buy the cards offered by different shops because they are made by him. Mr. Rolf Bertschin offers excellent accommodation at Hostal Los Pinos, you can make your reservation at the phone 01 (739 ) 39 54 568.
Oh Tracy, this is such beautiful reporting… I so hope that the efforts of these brave allies and the Huichol people are succesful. What a tremendously powerful victory for both indigenous people and the still thriving land for which they are caretakers.
Hello -
My name is Yvonne and as you may know my husband, Juan Negrin, and I have worked closely with the wixarika people for 40 years. You can find more information regarding the work we have done on our website: http://www.wixarika.org in the section “about us”.
Juan is presently in Guadalajara and working closely with Carlos who is a colleague of ours since the 1980’s. I’m glad to see you posting this information since most of the news we have been posting on our website is in Spanish. I am creating a link to your blog so that our English readers can read about this unfortunate event in Wirikuta. I also wanted to take the opportunity to correct the spelling of our compadre Dionisio’s name in wixarika. It is spelled Uxayucauye.
Once again thank you for posting accurate and important information about what is really going on in the sierras. We need all the help we can get!
Yvonne
So happy for you and good to read your story!
Tracy, What a wonderful post! I had a mojito at the Hotel Nacional – didn’t get to stay there,though.
Watched a couple of guys catch some beautiful fish on the Malecon, too.
And I can’t tell you how many Cubans told me the same thing – “We don’t have a problem with the American people, we love you! It’s the government we have a problem with.” Of course, our government is supposed to be the people, but it doesn’t work that way when it comes to Cuban policy. A certain powerful group controls that…
Looking forward to more posts!