On Thursday morning the class had the opportunity to have a meeting with several representatives of the state oil company, Empresa Pública (public business) Petro Ecuador. Despite some sage words of warning from our instructor, I felt fully prepared and was confident I knew what to expect from the meeting. As a student at Goshen … Keep reading »
May Term Class: Ecological Economics in Ecuador
Introducing… Ecuador and its Economy
Our first two days in the capital city of Quito set the stage as we launched our exploration of the Ecuadorian economy using a triple-bottom line: Profit: Is it productive, efficient, effective, profitable? People: Is it just, fair, beneficial, dignified for the people involved? Planet: Does it conserve, protect, restore, regenerate the earth and its … Keep reading »
Arrival in Quito
They’re here! The group arrived at Quito International Airport a little over an hour ago — a little tired, but very excited. Tomorrow the adventure begins as we head into the historic downtown of the nation’s capital, designated as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But tonight we rest…
Ready, Set, …
Greetings from Ecuador, the highest nation on the earth’s equator and one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. In two days a group of 30 Goshen College students will journey to the capital city of Quito to begin a course called Ecological Economics in Ecuador, or Ec3.
Final Reflections
Thanks to everyone who helped make Ec3 — Ecological Economics in Ecuador — a great course! Thanks to our guides for taking us to deep into the rain forest … getting us out there and back again safely. Thanks to all the experts we encountered during our travels, people with knowledge both formal and informal … Keep reading »
Lydia
The students’ final blog entry: Lydia Miller describes the adventure she found on the return trip to Quito: Pulling in to the city of Banos, we knew we were in for something very different from our previous week of roughing it in the depths of the jungle. Banos is in the mountains, and it´s a … Keep reading »
Peter S
We are reminded that eco-tourism is not a panacea for all the world’s problems. Here is a parody written by Peter Schrock: As their air-conditioned bus pulled away from the lodge, the tourists celebrated their near-impossible victory over a multitude of humanity’s greatest challenges. Their heroic four-night trip to first class facilities in the heart … Keep reading »
Viren
Viren Wadhwa writes about traveling up the Zabalo River to go fishing with our Cofan guides: Our next activity while camping was fishing. Soon enough, we loaded our canoe with about twelve students and fishing rods and set out up the river. Little did we know that it was going to be a while until … Keep reading »
Sarah
Sarah Hofkamp reflects on her time on the Zabalo River: Camping in the jungle with the Cofans included a lot of canoeing up and down the small Zabalo River. In one specific instance, some of us traveled in large motorized canoes, others were floating down-river in small canoes, about 2/3rds the size of canoes that … Keep reading »
Christian
This is Christian Bechler’s account on a canoe ride down the river, set in the context of “ecological economics”: One morning an economics class convened unexpectedly. It taught about Human Capital, but also that economics lessons can happen at any time. Then in the afternoon the lesson was repeated. Natural Capital: the river Zabalo, … Keep reading »