Earth Day

“The Earth is not a legacy from our parents, but a loan from our children” - Indian proverb.

Today we commemorate our Mother Earth, the planet we inhabit and that gives us the opportunity to live. That's why we want to raise awareness about how we treat it and what we can do for it. We currently face various environmental problems, such as climate change, overexploitation of natural resources, droughts and water scarcity, and even the pandemic, which is also a consequence of the Earth's deterioration. At Someone Somewhere, we are committed to making a change through social entrepreneurship.

On this occasion, we spoke with Enrique Rodríguez, our CFO, about how to deal with the environmental problems we are witnessing. From a very young age, Enrique began visiting rural and indigenous communities in Mexico and noticed the difficulties they were facing. This led him to study Sustainable Development Engineering with the intention of making a change. Finally, with the goal of providing fair and consistent work to the artisans of these communities, he co-founded Someone Somewhere. Enrique has worked very closely with artisans, which has led him to experience firsthand one of the philosophies of life that gains much more relevance in these times of civilizational crisis, as it places the Earth as a central element of our human life: Buen Vivir (Good Living).

Join us to learn more about this way of seeing the environment and the alternatives we can all achieve together to create change.

What was your first encounter with the philosophy of Buen Vivir?

It was during my first visits to indigenous communities that I began to understand this way of seeing the world, so different from Western urban thought. It impacted me so much that little by little I started taking courses and spending time with various indigenous peoples of Mexico. I discovered that there is a similarity in the way the Rarámuris, Wixárikas (Huichols), Me'phaas (Tlapanecs), Zapotecs, Nahuas, and Tsotsiles understand the world, and it even resembles the Aymara and Quechua cosmovision of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, from which the expression sumak kawsay originates, meaning “the good, the harmonious, the good life, existence.” In short, it seeks to live well, instead of living better. Because living better implies progress, evolution, infinite growth, which leads to hyper-consumerism and constant accumulation, which is what modern civilization as a whole aspires to. In contrast, living well means reaching a state of harmony and stability without the ambition to devour the world. We feel like owners of the Earth and natural resources, instead of understanding that we are children of Mother Earth and that we co-inhabit this planet with other species, so we must be its stewards and not its exploiters.

What do you think we should learn from the rural and indigenous communities that follow this philosophy of life? Especially from the artisan communities you have collaborated with at Someone Somewhere.

One of the values of communities that I really like is solidarity. They have a way of relating called "tequio" or "faena" where all adults participate in various community services, such as maintaining roads, cleaning schools, churches, and organizing festivals, without receiving anything in return other than the community's recognition for the voluntary service they provide. There's also "mano vuelta" (returned hand), where if I need help building my house, neighbors come to help me with labor, and then I return the favor when they need to harvest. Right now, that's starting to get a little lost, because new generations often demand payment, instead of it being a voluntary form of service to the community.

What do you think are the most urgent environmental and social issues we should address?

Climate change encompasses many issues. It is the most important current crisis facing humanity and the planet today. It is much larger than the Covid-19 pandemic as such, and, unfortunately, the most affected are the poorest communities and countries that have fewer possibilities to adapt and resist. One of the most important problems is access to drinking water. It is a quite severe crisis that is already hitting Mexico. In the north, the United States and Mexico are fighting over water because there isn't enough for the harvests in Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colorado, and Texas; in Mexico City, an unprecedented water shortage is being experienced. In addition to water scarcity, the little potable water available is being contaminated. Another important problem is deforestation due to land use change, when a forest is cleared to convert it into agricultural land. And let's not even talk about air pollution from the use of fossil fuels, the emission of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases that cause our planet to change its natural cycles.

How could we contribute to reducing these crises?

First, we must invite all young people, students, and graduates to become social entrepreneurs and focus on both social and environmental issues. In our country, there is much to do and improve; as entrepreneurs, we have many resources, information, and tools that can contribute to a better present and future. Also, in our daily lives, we must reflect on our consumption habits. It's not about being "perfect environmentalists," as activist Dafna Nudelman said, because for that, you couldn't wear practically any well-known brand of clothing, eat almost anything from the supermarket, or travel anywhere because you'd have to use some mode of transport that would end up polluting. From this perspective of imperfection, the important thing is not all or nothing, but to find a middle ground where you can live with the smallest possible environmental footprint. It's about achieving small habits and goals, instead of getting frustrated and giving up for not fulfilling such a big commitment that aims to be perfect. For example, starting today, I commit to collecting cold water from the shower every day to use it for other needs in my house.

How do you think we could incorporate this way of thinking about sustainability into big cities?

This way of life is about living with just enough, not accumulating. For example, when communities go to the forest to collect mushrooms to eat or firewood, they only gather what they need for the day or week, and do so each time they go, instead of going once and clearing out all the mushrooms. The same happens with the traditional milpa planting system, which is very sustainable because beans are planted to fix nitrogen for the corn to grow and support itself; but also squash is planted, which with its wide leaves shades the soil so that fallen water doesn't evaporate as quickly, and also emits odors that help deter some insects. The three elements coexist symbiotically, and with this variety of crops in the same space, the land remains fertile. You don't want to be much more productive and optimize every square meter by planting a super intensive monoculture of pure white corn with tons of pesticides and fertilizers, only for that land to become completely dry and infertile in a few years, forcing you to cut down another forest to start over. Although some communities have already adopted fertilizers and pesticides, we must learn that the Earth gives you what it can, and if you take care of it, it will continue to do so for hundreds of years.

Is there anything you would like to add to motivate people to join the fight for the environment?

Earth Day serves to raise awareness, to question what we are doing as a civilization, what effects we have caused over time, and what actions and measures we need to take today for the future. The essential thing is to go out and reconnect with nature in order to love it and, subsequently, take care of it, like this phrase that I love: "Nobody takes care of what they don't love, and nobody loves what they don't know." Many of us who live in cities no longer have this contact and connection with the Earth. It's important to understand that, as Maná's song says, we are a generation that has to think about where children will play. That's why, among several certified B Corps, we joined the Net Zero initiative, where we commit to offset and mitigate all greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Many times, as an industry or a company, you will have some negative actions, but they can be reduced or even neutralized. At Someone Somewhere, we have been in this agreement for two years, and we basically have 10 more to prepare for a change that is certainly not easy. This is the crisis we are experiencing as a civilization, but we have to be part of the solutions.

From the Someone Somewhere team, we are happy to share this space with Enrique. His knowledge about Buen Vivir and the environment is very valuable to all of us. Learn more about the Net Zero commitment we signed as a B Corp and our 2020 Impact Report. Together we can make a change!