Nicaragua or the United States, Sustainability is About ChoicePatrick Hughes
Portland, Oregon Finding similarities between the United States and Nicaragua at first glance seems to be a of a stretch. Nicaragua is second only to Haiti as the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Their GDP per Capita of $2,900 is obviously disproportionate to that of the US, which touts a GDP per capita of $46,900. A recent volunteer endeavor with Green Empowerment took me to rural Nicaraguan villages reached by only foot or bumpy rides on gravel rutted roads. Amid the sun drenched central highlands of the Department of Boaco I realized the two countries a world apart had very much in common.
The trip was a joint venture between Green Empowerment, Portland State University (PSU) and AsoFenix, an NGO based in Managua, Nicaragua. The entourage I traveled with consisted of leadership from Green Empowerment, PSU students doing work for a capstone project, a collection of professionals, including a hydrogeologist with extensive work experience in Nicaragua, a landscape architect, and two individuals working with the Mennonite Central Committee, which partners with AsoFenix. Our agenda consisted of an over night visit to the village of El Roblar and then on two other small communities, Bramadero and El Jocote to conduct a watershed assessment.
Time spent in El Roblar provided an opportunity to examine a recently completed micro-hydro facility. Electricity is generated by water held behind a small dam and funneled through a 6” penstock downhill for 450 meters into the micro-hydro generator. At peak, the set up can provide up to 17 kW of electricity and power 32 homes in the community. The system went online only 3 days prior to our arrival.
What was fascinating to me was how the residents of El Roblar related to having on demand electricity. Observing the father of the family whom we stayed with while visiting El Roblar, I witnessed him flip the light switch one morning and look at it like one might watch the sunrise. A sincere appreciation for something I often take for granted.
Although the natural light was low within their dwellings in the day time hours, seldom were the lights turned on. It could have been that they were still adjusting to the newfound convenience. Or perhaps a greater understanding of the toil and sacrifice required for providing light at a flip of a switch.
After a one-night stay in El Roblar we took a one-hour hike to the road where our Toyota mini bus was parked. A two-hour drive on a rustic road delivered us to Bramadero, a village of two hundred. Here our collective camped on bed rolls on the floor of the village’s one room school.
The work in the communities of Bramadero and El Jocote was part hydrology, part anthropology, and a helping of sociology. Our team was tasked with understanding how the community uses water and the land. It quickly became evident that for the villagers, there existed a disconnect in regards to the relationship between forested land and the bounty of water surrounding the community. The forests have been habitually thinned for firewood. This is critical because deforestation adversely affects the water cycle. Trees stabilize the soil, facilitate the evapotranspiration cycle, and tree roots and leaf litter create soil conditions that promote infiltration of rainwater into the soil, which in turn can recharge aquifers.
To be fair, wood is a primary fuel source for cooking. However, the forests are being harvested faster than they can naturally be sowed. Technology does exist and could be acquired to harness the sun’s energy for cooking. Not all of the villagers were naïve to the practice of forest conservation or alternative fuel technologies. But continually the crux of the situation was changing habits and perspectives to get the community to work together to improve their water supply and quality of life in general.
In rural communities of Nicaragua sustainability on the surface means something very different than it does in the United States. For the villages of El Roblar, Bramadero, and El Jocote, sustainability seems to be about survival because of a lack of resources. Where as in the United States, sustainability is about making choices in regards to how and what resources we use.
Many of these choices are habits, long standing social norms. Whether a developed nation or a developing nation the health of our communities and reserve of our resources is contingent upon our commitment to make choices that give consideration to future generations. It is a cultural shift, a change in the assumption that what we need will always be there.
As global citizens we need to look forward and make choices that reflect the holistic well being of society. Whether it is harvesting firewood in Bramadero, Nicaragua or disconnecting a downspout in Portland, Oregon, the forward thinking decision makes a difference. Sustainability means giving consideration to the broad affect our actions. Our choices have a direct relationship to our quality of life.
Outskirts of Bramadero
Villagers of El Jocote at Community Well Micro-hydro Facility 
