Applied Geography formerly Rural Training Center, Thailand

2007 Dec 24 Wishes for 2008

Dec 24, 2007

As 2007 draws to a close, we are saddened by the chaos and disruption filling the world. With nearly half the people on the planet unable to get to clean drinking water each day, with half the people burning wood to cook their meals each day (contributing to deforestation, desertification, and greenhouse gases, etc), the basic struggle for survival is challenging enough without the addition of warfare and genocide.

It seems the leading nations of the world are not leading us on the path of sustainability. So we continue to grit our teeth and push on uphill in an effort to educate and empower people to take individual and independent action to strive for sustainability. While we know we may not change the world, we remain committed to make a difference in our local community, one person, one family, and one farm at a time.

Just as soil erosion begins with the first drop of rain impacting bare soil, our efforts may seem tiny and insignificant. But as more and more people are trained, we hope to have each of our trainees share their knowledge ... to act as more rain drops falling and impacting more and more friends and neighbors.

There is more than enough unhappiness and misery in the world. We hope 2008 will bring better times for everyone. The RTC-TH sends thanks to all of you who have encouraged and supported our efforts to make the world a better place. Food security for families rests on adequate water, sustainable lands and agricultural practices, and ecosystems free of synthetic chemical pollution.

We encourage all people, in urban and rural settings, to do at least one small act each day to reduce wasteful practices that deplete or negative impact our air, water, and soil. Put into practice, one small act a day to conserve energy and resources and reduce waste. All of these little acts each day add up globally to make a difference which may take years to notice, but are none the less necessary and helpful. No act is too small, as in natural systems, every part is necessary for the whole to function. And if you are able to teach and encourage one other person to do the same each day, it all begins to add up.

No one can tell the future with any degree of certainty. We can see from the past what happens when reasonable efforts in conservation and sustainability are not practiced. We don?’t need to repeat those mistakes. Let us benefit from past generations and move forward to a cleaner and greener future.