Post on 02-Apr-2018
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
1/20
I nternships and Academic Seminars
Compassing Sustainabil i ty in Puerto RicoSmart Partnerships for a socio-cultural transformation
Agencies, Policies and Citizenship
ByLyanne Claudio, Eliud De Jess, Kaira Fuentes, Christopher E. Santiago and Amilkar Cruz
Crdova-Ferns Congressional Internship ProgramsPuerto Rico Development Project
Fall Semester 2012
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
2/20
Compassing Sustainabi l ity in Puerto RicoSmart Partnerships for a socio-cultural transformation
Agencies, Policies and Citizenship
ByLyanne Claudio, Eliud De Jess, Kaira Fuentes,Christopher E. Santiago and Amilkar Cruz
Theoretical Frame
Puerto Rico needs to embrace a paradigmatic shift to drive new form and root out that
obsoletes ways that had define our design of social sustenance. This initiative looks to
influence strongly the policy-making process of Puerto Rico for an adoption of a long
term comprehensive plan to revitalize, restart and reform the design of our living and
shared spaces. It has become vital to our progress as a country the education of
professionals in Sustainable Developments to meet the challenges that this century
brings. Through the implementation of a comprehensive Sustainable Development Plan
to Puerto Rico, is the search to place as a main purpose the citizenship and enlarge the
range of choices that the people have to fulfill in their daily life reducing the inequality
gap that has produce social impoverishment and less opportunity for people to
progress.
Partnership initiatives provide
shared solutions to face the
ecologic, economic and social
problematic of our country. Its
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
3/20
urgent to provoke an organically shift in our wrong-head economical development
based in the economical Gross National Product (GNP) growth focus in the financial
prosperity. We need to canalize a coordinated partnership between agencies,
communities, communitarian and political leaders and extend the bound to the private
sector by unifying in partnership and contributing in the raise of a renewed pacification
policy for Puerto Rico.
Human Development as core principle
Human development as an approach, deals with what I consider the
basic development idea: namely, increasing the richness of human liferather than the wealth of the economy in which human beings live, whichis only a part of life itself.
-Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize for economics in 1998.
Human development is a process of enlarging people's choices. Many fast-growing
developing countries are discovering that their high GNP growth rates have failed to
reduce the socioeconomic deprivation of substantial sections of their population
(UNDP, 1990). To replace the misguided approach we propose give more emphasis to
the Human Development Index (HDI). Explained in the same words of the indexs
creator, the Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq, the HDI had the purpose "to shift the
focus of development economics from national income accounting to people centered policies".
The HDI considers three aspects: life expectancy at birth, Education index, that mean
years of schooling and Expected years of schooling, and the Gross National Income
(GNI per Capita) = (Producto interno bruto) that means a decent standard of living.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahbub_ul_Haqhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_indexhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_indexhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahbub_ul_Haq7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
4/20
Human development considers the six main factors integral: Equity: Equal opportunities for all. Special emphasis is placed on equity of
human development between men and women and various social group
Empowerment: Freedom of the people to influence, as the subjects ofdevelopment, decisions that affect their lives.
Cooperation: Participation and belonging to communities and groups as ameans of mutual enrichment and a source of social meaning.
Sustainability: Meeting the needs of today without compromising the abilityof satisfying the same by future generations.
Security: Exercise development opportunities freely and safely withconfidence that they will not disappear suddenly in the future.
Productivity: Full participation of people in the process of income generationand gainful employment.
Education for Sustainable Development
People are the real wealth of a nation. To achieve a sustainable economy its necessary
to arrange a new curriculum to our educational system that pursuits the formation of
citizens with capacities to make an interdisciplinary approach, collaborative decision
making, critical thinking and the courage of systems thinking. Our students had to
educate in a way that they consider itself responsible of their own reality and their own
setting. Also, its pertinent to endow the educational curriculum with a program of
agricultural studies and environmental sciences.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_thinkinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_thinking7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
5/20
Schools have a vital role in this initiative serving as agent reproductive of sustainable
lifestyle to students and members of communities, serving as the main space to connect
the communities and initiatives. Is also necessary take each district particularly with
their assets and populations develop them capacities for new forms of managing their
social coexistence.
Design of Sustainable Development
The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental impact
completely through skillful, sensitive design". Manifestations of sustainable design
require no non-renewable resources, impact the environment minimally, and connect
people with the natural environment. Its a design that considers the environment and
its positives effects and integrates infrastructure in the equilibrium, taking advantage of
the environments condition without exploiting or destroying the natural resources. For
example, using the sunlight, the air or/and integrating green spaces into buildings.
Unlike other countries, Puerto Rico does not actually have a law or decree to raise the
performance of planning or urban planning practices to a constitutional level. The main
laws are those who create government agencies charged with regulatory functions and
management of land uses. Among the laws of more control over urban processes is the
Organic Law Planning Board 1975 (Ley Orgnica de la Junta de Planificacin de 1975),
which creates the Planning Board of Puerto Rico, the main government agency in
matters of land use and urban planning#. This law creates the main agency that works
with urban planning across the country. This agency is unfortunately at the mercy of
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
6/20
the constant changing block parties because of their lack of autonomy in the
government system. The creation of planning agencies in autonomous municipalities
has caused short-term proposals that benefit the politician in office and are visible over
a four year period. These projects are not consistent with the other municipalities that
are within the urban sprawl.
Are we in equilibrium in an island of cement?
Example of Sustainable Arrangement in balance with green spaces: Singapore
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
7/20
Empowerment of Communities
Puerto Rico has to create informed citizens and offer mechanisms where the
citizenship is able to play an active role in the decisions that affect their communities.
The empowerment of the communities is based on recognizing the necessities of a
community and being inclusive in the participation of decision taking to push the
necessary changes so that these changes prevail and reach their potential. The
government had to seek new methods to adjust deliberation processes and a more
inclusive way of decision making regarding communities and seek a bound between
citizenship and partnership. Its important to achieve an education in communities to
strengthen community participation and unlock enterprising community development.
Partnership can fulfill shared initiatives with the community and develop many ways
to take charge of inclusive sustainable development.
Social, Institutional and Economic Challenges:
-The absence of serious discussion for long term comprehensive plan.
-Many laws but a poor implementation.
- Lack of synchronicity between agencies.
-Change of bad accustomed habits and mentality
-Change the politics of quantity by the quality.
-Unsustainable consumption and production patterns.
-Mentality change by the education to learn to take consciences andresponsibility about their actions and develop new ways to manage theirrealities. Ex. Recycling, gas emission, energy consumption, resourcesconsumptions, consumerism.
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
8/20
Public Policy suggestion
o Centralize and define as independent agency the Puerto Rico PlanificationAgency.
o Created a rigorous method of design to lead sustainable development,and start and internal examinations of their protocols regarding
construction, design and urban arrangement.
o Establish rigorous regulations in all the government to measure energyconsumption, to implement a recycling program in each agencies and
they buildings
o Stimulate our local agricultural sector with equipment, training andcapacitating.
o The embrace of a coherent synchronization between the higher educationsector and our public education system to develop the capacities and
training for a sustainable economy.
o The Creation of Governmental Independent Institute for the Developmentof Sustainable Communities.
o Empowering communities and be inclusive in decision making process.o Establishment of recycling factories. By the contrary export to other
country to process recycling
o Decrease the plastic production and consumption in the island.o Make mandatory the recycling in Puerto Rico.o Charge by the weight of the waste generated
Analysis about recycling laws
According to the Act No. 411 of 2000 which amends the Act No. 70 of September 18,
1992, as amended, known as the "Law for the Reduction and Recycling in Puerto Rico
this proposed important steps to follow for the conservation of our environment. The
amendments were:
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
9/20
Extend through 2006 the goal of reducing and recycling the thirty-five percent(35%) of solid waste to be generated.
Make compulsory that the municipalities recruit a Recycling Coordinator fulltime and assign budget to the Office of Recycling.
Promote the purchase of paper with recycled fiber in government agencies. Promote the implementation of recycling programs in the private sector and
sending quarterly progress (achievements and limitations) to the The Solid Waste
Authority (ADS)-Autoridad de Desperdicios Solidos, as a strategy to achieve the
goal of recovering the thirty-five percent (35%) of solid waste.
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
10/20
Through the Act No. 81 of 30 August 1991 called Autonomous Municipalities of the
Commonweal of Puerto Rico in the Section 2.005 Programs and Systems Waste Collection
and Disposal, the municipality may regulate solid waste management in line with the
environmental policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, provide by ordinance the way it held
solid waste management and impose penalties for violations of the rules adopt. It may also
establish, maintain and operate on its own, or through a contract with any person, natural or legal
bona fide services and waste management programs and general public sanitation.
The viability of these amendments was excellent and it was a great plan to follow
but with the exception that has not been as it was planned. According to final report of
the recycling and diversion rate done by The Solid Waste Authority (ADS)-Autoridad de
Desperdicios Solidos#, the standard recycling rate for 2007 was 10%. Meanwhile, the
traditional recycling rate and diversion rate was 15% and 19%.
This is the latest report that you can find in the web page done by ADS. We can
see how the action of recycling is growing but very slowly for the goal that was
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
11/20
proposed in the law. Here we have an example of a law that is not following its
instruction and purpose. The Government has the responsibility to make sure that all
laws are being implemented. In this case we need more regulation by the government
inside the agencies and to look for strategies that can enforce the law.
An integral part of sustainable development is the management of solid waste. In
Puerto Rico the solid waste management is a very serious matter and it has to be
attended with an integrated vision were the human health and the environment are the
priority. The landfills in Puerto Rico are getting to the end of their useful life and were
still producing large quantities of solid waste. The solutions for this problem already
exist and are available for its implementation. The public policy and the resources to
resolve the solid waste problem are there, and we as a nation have the capacity to
aspirate to the Zero Waste concept. Zero waste embodies the goal of a closed-loop
system that reuses resources rather than creating waste. According to Zero Waste
Alliance, argues that the entire concept of waste should be eliminated. Instead, waste
should be thought of as a residual product or simply a potential resource to counter
our basic acceptance of waste as a normal course of events. The basic step to start
dealing with the solid waste management in Puerto Rico is recycling.
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
12/20
Starting a Community Recycling Program Blog
If we start to change our ways largely toward solid waste, we begin with results.
Puerto Rico is currently producing 3.6 million tons of waste annually. The
problem of solid waste disposal is a serious situation and should be resolved urgently.
Of the 28 existing landfills only 8 exceed the average useful life of 20 years. Less than
15% of the solids residues are recycled, of the total solid residues composition more
than 30% is compostable. Composting organic matter and recycling would significantly
reduce the solid waste that occupies lot of space in landfills. The government doesnt
consider composting as a real option and recycling hasnt reached its full potential but
as responsible citizens we must contribute creating alternatives and solutions to this
problem. By creating a virtual guide with different kinds of resources for Puerto Ricos
communities and individuals well provide a central and accessible source to promote
and provide the guidelines for recycling and composting in housing and school
communities.
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
13/20
Project background
Education is the most powerful tool that any person, community, society or
country can have. More and more professionals are articulating emphasis on new
educational strategies and issues highly relevant to students. Environmental education
is part of it; it comprises a very important concept when developing a new educational
curriculum that effectively impacts children and youth of Puerto Rico, who in turn seek
new challenges in their learning. These are experiences that should facilitate their
thinking and action, will lead not only to global problems or concerns about the
environment but also to local situations and possibilities. Studying the needs of
communities of Puerto Rico, we can generalize that the disposal of solid waste is part of
it, and then this can become a generator theme for the development of this project.
Taking into consideration, the school as catalitic point between communities, this
has to develop initiatives that eventually every student can implement at home inspire
sustainable lifestyles. In turn, promote the reception of sustainable development, as
well as resource management as essential concepts in the curriculum design. This
would develop a curriculum that would integrate various subjects and multiple skills
that are necessary for the composting practice. This opportunity provides students
integrate and applying a multidimensional knowledge while doing things with their
hands and body in a setting where children and adults share in common. Translating
this experience to each home bring the habit of collaboration, teamwork and respect to
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
14/20
the environment. We look to promote a healthy dynamic and manners at home and the
same time than on the community. This is what our blog based.
At this moment, were fully aware that technology is an integral part of peoples
daily life. By creating an interactive blog, individuals, students, teacher and parents can
easily access the information necessary to create and promote their recycling projects at
school and their communities. Provide a webpage with all the information necessary for
recycling and composting is our first step for broad recycling a project that can start
reducing the solid waste in each community in Puerto Rico.
3. Project description
Our blog main objective is to become a influential resource in recycling and
sustainable lifestyle for communities in Puerto Rico. It should be the first step and a
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
15/20
source of inspiration for future programs shaped in communities and schools. We
aspire to become an auxiliary source for these communities that seek federal grants to
finance their projects toward transform them communities as sustainable.
The blog will encompass information about recycling and composting with
different methods and source. We would integrate all the necessary skills, materials and
spaces to compost. We want to create a dynamic menu of agricultural practices in
addition to articles and manuals about recycling. Well add forum to discuss different
methods a discus the progress of our efforts in all the island and created a comparative
for discuss good ideas in other countries. In our Up cycle tab, we will also provide the
process of trash become something bioactive material useful to gardening in homes and
school.. The information will be presented in different types of formats, like PDF
documents, links to other websites, photos and videos.
4. Action Community plan
Reaching for sustainability is an everyday responsibility; we cannot depend only
in the government actions to initiate a sustainable way of life. Some municipalities of
Puerto Rico like Caguas, Guaynabo and San Juan, have recycling programs. Several of
those programs include recycling routes which are responsible for collecting the
household recyclables in certain communities; but not all the communities are
beneficiaries of these programs, and not every municipality has recycling programs.
Domiciles are the basic unit to start the recycling movement in Puerto Rico, and the
communities are the collective force for facilitates that change. Organized communities
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
16/20
have the opportunity to work in harmony to reach a better quality of life for its
members. The creation of recycling initiatives is a way to pursuit that goal, and is also a
way to improve the unity and communication between the communities.
The first step for creating a community recycling initiative, is acknowledging the
necessity for doing such effort. In order to proposes the project its necessary for the
community leaders to assemble the residents and instruct them about the solid waste
problem in the island and show them recycle as method to reduce and reuse waste. One
effective activity to demonstrate the large quantity that is produced in the resident
homes is to reunite the families and look at their garbage. Taking the garbage and
separating it into recycling and compostable material is a tangible way to see that
almost all the solid waste dont have to be putted in landfills. Once the community
accepts the necessity of recycling, and decides to get involved with the recycling
initiative, it is time to begin to create an action plan. They have to find organize the plan
encouraging the community in active participation.
The action plan has to start with an extensive research about the resources and
technical potential that the community has for implementing the plan. For those living
in autonomous municipalities they have to contact the municipal coordinator (see the
Appendix) responsible for the solid waste management and talk about the community
interest in establishing a recycling recollection system. For those municipalities that
dont have recycling facilities have to integrate and train groups to work on
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
17/20
environmentally sound management procedures like collection, sorting and
composting, also assessment the disposal of inorganic and organic waste (E. Alonzo
2011). The community can make their own recycling co-op in charge of recollecting the
material and establish business with buyers of recyclable waste. For those communities
that decide to establish recycling projects and dont have the municipality support, they
could make a proposal to obtain funds from the state or federal government. There are
agencies like the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration that have personal that can
educate the community to design proposal and search federal grants and other funds.
The organizing groups for the recollecting of recyclable materials bring instantly
benefits by their joint labor, producing revenues to buying their material and to the
betterment the capacity of storage for classification and trade, likewise the capacity to
create a network between buyers. The training, management and diffusion inside the
community erect a culture of caring for environment and the adequate management of
solid waste. The groups through the organization as cooperatives for solid waste can
sponsor mechanisms to support the solution of the solid waste problem without it
falling exclusively on municipal resources. This way they can also sign job agreements
and/or concessions of the services that their lending to the municipality.
Being the main interest to educate the people and give them the tools to
encourage them to recycling, they can propose to become partners with the Puerto Rico
Recycling Partnership. In addition, it would be a great idea if the government of Puerto
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
18/20
Rico by the Solid Waste Authority (ADS), gave us space in their social networks to
spread our message. Another great idea would be to do a massive advertising
campaign aimed at the private sector using donations of the people who believe in our
message.
5. Budget
Opening and starting a blog was free of charge. Maintaining it doesnt need to
cost anything else as long as theres a volunteer to run it. If we decided to later on
upgrade our website so we can have our own domain and features, it would only cost
$100 a year. If this money is necessary in the future, it could be collected by making new
items out of recyclable materials - for example making wallets out of magazine paper.
Also we have indentified different foundations for finance recycling initiatives.
The Coca-Cola Foundation
Coca Cola Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30313T (404) 676-2568 F (404) 676-8804www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_coke.htmlFunds for programs on water conservation, health, communitarian recycling andeducation
Walmart Foundation
Walmart Puerto Rico
PMB #725 PO Box 4960
Caguas PR 00726-4960http://www.walmartpr.com/Pages/ConoceWalmart/goodWork.aspx
6. Expected results and conclusion
http://www.walmartpr.com/Pages/ConoceWalmart/goodWork.aspxhttp://www.walmartpr.com/Pages/ConoceWalmart/goodWork.aspxhttp://www.walmartpr.com/Pages/ConoceWalmart/goodWork.aspx7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
19/20
This blog is only the start of something much greater. We hope that with
planting this small seed, peoples motivation to recycle, compost and reduce their solid
waste will grow. Communities that are made of individuals with this desire can
eventually become into sustainable communities that are making a better place out of
their homes to reduce the amount of waste produce in our island. Small steps like these
are what can lead to other projects that produce sustainable communities in Puerto Rico
that improve their social, economic and ecological problems. Later on we could see the
overall reduction of solid waste in the island which is a problem thats affecting the
island presently.
Puerto Rico has the resources and human capital to achieve all the goals we have
established for sustainability. Through this initiative we want to exhort our
governments leaders and communities to take action and develop better solutions for
the social, economic and environmental problems that the island faces today. With
some motivation and hard work we can all lead our island towards solutions that
develop sustainable communities.
7/27/2019 Compassing Sustainability in Puerto Rico: Smart Partnerships for a Sociocultural Transformation Agencies, Policies
20/20
References:
Alonzo E. (2012) Modelo de planeacin y participacin comunitaria para el manejoecolgico de residuos slidos en localidades costeras de Yucatn y otras reas
vulnerables.Grupo YAAX BEH A.C.
Autoridad De Desperdicios Solidos. (n.d.). Centros de deposito comunitarios drop off .Retrieved fromhttp://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/drop-off.htm Autoridad De Desperdicios Solidos. (2007). Tasa de reciclaje y tasa de desvo. Retrieved
from:http://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/informe_tasas_de_reciclaje_y_desvio_2007.pdf
Autoridad De Desperdicios Solidos. (2000). ley nm. 411 del ao 2000 . Retrieved fromhttp://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/ley411/ley4112000.htm
Conant J., Fadem P. (2011) Guia Comunitaria Para la Salud Ambiental. Hesperian.Berkeley, California, EE.UU.
Gingger Enid Correa-Angulo. (2012, Abril 30). Se cierra el cerco para el manejo dedesperdicios slidos.Dialogo Digital. Retrieved from:http://dialogodigital.com/index.php/Se-cierra-el-cerco-para-el-manejo-de-desperdicios-
solidos.html
Hessel, S., & Morin, E. (2012). The path to hope. New York: Other Press. Javier Velez Arocho. (2012, Agosto 24). Los vertederos no son la solucin.El Vocero.
Retrieved from http://www.vocero.com/los-vertederos-no-son-la-solucion/
Sara Justicia Doll , M. (2010, Marzo 08). Contra el reloj los vertederos de la isla.PrimeraHora. Retrieved from http://www.primerahora.com/contraelrelojlosvertederosdelaisla-372492.html
United Nation. (n.d.).Defining and measuring human development. Retrieved fromhttp://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_1990_en_chap1.pdf
http://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/drop-off.htmhttp://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/drop-off.htmhttp://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/drop-off.htmhttp://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/informe_tasas_de_reciclaje_y_desvio_2007.pdfhttp://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/informe_tasas_de_reciclaje_y_desvio_2007.pdfhttp://dialogodigital.com/index.php/Se-cierra-el-cerco-para-el-manejo-de-desperdicios-solidos.htmlhttp://dialogodigital.com/index.php/Se-cierra-el-cerco-para-el-manejo-de-desperdicios-solidos.htmlhttp://dialogodigital.com/index.php/Se-cierra-el-cerco-para-el-manejo-de-desperdicios-solidos.htmlhttp://dialogodigital.com/index.php/Se-cierra-el-cerco-para-el-manejo-de-desperdicios-solidos.htmlhttp://dialogodigital.com/index.php/Se-cierra-el-cerco-para-el-manejo-de-desperdicios-solidos.htmlhttp://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/informe_tasas_de_reciclaje_y_desvio_2007.pdfhttp://www.ads.gobierno.pr/reciclaje/drop-off.htm