Hello Dear Readers:
I try to get this newsletter released onto the cyber world by the 15th of every month, but May has been a month with too many demands on my time. The good news is that there are great opportunities for me to grow Chile Lindo, thus I've been zeroing in on getting my ducks in a row to make it happen. More on that at a later date, but for now please send good thoughts my way... "good, good, good vibrations"... make my world go around.
This newsletter is primarily dedicated to those working towards saving our ailing planet. It's hard to believe that we are on the verge of the point of no return. We are destroying our planet! We
can--we must--save it. At a time when the United Nations has reported, on May 6th, that
one million species
run the risk of extinction, and local news report that in the San Francisco bay, in the past couple of months
13 lifeless whales washed ashore
, the prospect that we possibly can turn things around is paramount. In Chile,
Tompkins Conservation
is giving us hope.
Douglas Tompkins and his wife Kristine McDivitt Tompkins established a very American (North American) ideal in Chile: wilderness preservation through national parks
a la
John Muir. Last month, on April 26th, Kristine Tompkins, President of Tompkins Conservation and UN Patron of Protected Areas, made the largest donation of private land in history when she handed over the Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park (724,853 acres) and the Patagonia National Park (206,983 acres) to the Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Walker, and to the Executive Director of Conaf, José Manuel Rebolledo. This unprecedented land donation, together with the Chilean government's land contribution, allowed for the creation of five new parks and for the expansion of three more in the Patagonia region, resulting in the protection of 10 million acres and giving rise to the
Ruta de los Parques
,
a 1,700 mile
stretch of pristine landscape from Puerto Montt to Cape Horn.
The remarkable team of supporters, volunteers, benefactors, and staff members--including Carolina Morgado, a family friend and the Executive Director of Tompkins Conservation Chile--has not only contributed to a hike trail connecting 17 national parks, but most importantly, they are showing us that ecosystems
can
be restored and the extinction of endangered species
can
be prevented. At Patagonia National Park there are many wild life conservation projects. In 2017, at their onsite reproduction center, ten ñandús (Darwin’s rhea, a distant relative of the ostrich) were released into the wild. And this year Tompkins Conservation, in partnership with National Geographic and
Corporación Puelo Patagonia
, are calling miraculous their discovery, through hidden cameras, of the resurgence of the endangered Huemul Deer, a species native to Chile and Argentina and that is engraved in the Chilean coat of arms.
The following video moved me to tears:
At this stage in the game, keeping things wild is all that should matter. Twenty-five years ago, when Tompkins started, such a concept was inconceivable in Chile. How many heated arguments did I get into with my friends when I tried to explain that Douglas Tompkins was a visionary that was buying land to create national parks and that his intentions were truly philanthropic. Folks in Chile didn't believe it, most likely, because people own large estates of land that are passed on from one generation to another. Why would anyone give their land away to the state? Suspicion led to some pretty wild stories around Tompkins' land acquisitions, ranging from his building a subterranean ammunition bunker for the US army to creating a covert Israeli State. Mind you that Chile is a very narrow country and the idea that Tompkins could divide the country in two, from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes Mountains across to Argentina, made Chileans a bit nervous. I'd argue: "Tompkins is a kind of
gringo
(the term is not derogatory in Chile
)
that
few
get to know outside the US. He made a fortune working out of a garage in Sausalito, CA, by creating the highly successful Esprit brand, he was an outdoors adventurer, a philanthropist that invested his time and money in long term projects, a man of his word that persevered through thick and thin and followed a dream to the end by keeping his sights on the vision and his feet firmly grounded. This kind of people made this country the strongest economy in the world and boasted the largest middle class. This country was not built by what we see today in the US government, a mafia that is sinking the nation by destroying the middle class.
When I visit Chile and point out how critical it is to stop the mindset that "growth" is "progress," I'm immediately reminded that I live in a big city with access to all the "modern privileges." In the United States, we know that to experience open, free wilderness is a luxury. In the U.S. we are trying to reverse the damage, thus we cringe when we see the same mistakes repeated over precious ecosystems across the rest of the planet. In Chile, from 2007 to 2014, Douglas Tompkins led a grassroots campaign, Patagonia Sin Represas, that succeeded in halting the
HidroAysén dam project that would have built three dams on the Pascua River and two dams on the Baker River, right in the heart of P
atagonia. The campaign gained such momentum and national support in Chile, that the news made it to the
New York Times
.
No doubt that Douglas Tompkins understood that he was up against the sort of resistance most visionaries deal with, yet fortunately nothing deterred him. The same can be said of his remarkable wife Kristine who persevered and carried on to complete the dream she had shared, for over a quarter century, with her late husband. Tragically, in 2015, Douglas Tompkins died of hypothermia when his kayak turned-over in the Laguna San Rafael, in Patagonia. Chileans mourned his passing. By then they'd grown to believe in his commitment to conservation and many now share his values.
Carolina Morgado invited me to Douglas Tompkins' commemoration "Wild Legacy, A Salute to the Remarkable Life of Douglas Tompkins," held on January 31st, 2016, at the Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, in San Francisco. Over 1,000 people attended. I detected a freshness in the air, a respite of civility.
Gracias Kristine and Douglas Tompkins for inspiring us to save our planet and showing us that the damage can be reversed. That it's up to us.
Paula Tejeda
Chile Lindo
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This was one of my favorite photos displayed at Douglas Tompkins' memorial ceremony at Herbst Pavillion.
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Our Planet
Narrated by David Attenborough
The Netflix series "Our Planet" will turn you into a Climate Change activist. You cannot watch this series and continue oblivious to what is happening to our planet and how we are impacting the animal kingdom. Each episode will astonish you. The photography will leave you aghast, as will David Attenborough's narration describing natures delicate equilibrium--a graceful choreography of mystical dimension that corroborates that everything is interconnected across the globe. To witness the extent of synchronicity, the magnitude of interconnection of all living things, is awe inspiring. As beautiful as this documentary series is to watch, it is agonizing to take in what it reveals. Our abusive relationship with nature is confusing the animal kingdom and the camera captures their anguish, their eyes tell us that they are disoriented, desperately searching for water, for food to feed their young, for the basic resources dried up right from under them. What we are doing to nature is disgraceful, distressing, and heartbreaking.
The antidote to depression is anger, and anger triggers one to action. It's time for us all to get
ANGRY! REALLY ANGRY!
I first heard of the series through classmates from my high school in Chile, St. George's College. Ignacio Walker, documentary cinematographer (
IMDb
) is a
Georgian
(class of 2004). He worked on the series as director of photography for one of the episodes, Fresh Water. In a local Chilean radio
interview
, Ignacio explained that a special camera was built to capture the takes of the night sky in the Atacama Desert, episode five, “From Deserts to Grasslands." The world's greatest observatories are located in the Atacama desert. Ignacio is based in Los Angeles and is one of the founders of
Chronos Cinema
, a film production company with offices in LA and Santiago that is bridging projects between both countries.
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So, what can we do?
The immensity of the problem is so mind-boggling that one wonders "where to begin?" Chile Lindo has zero food waste, but just serving one simple cup of coffee uses up so many disposable parts. It's ridiculous. There's the plastic lid, the wooden stirrer, the paper cup, the protective sleeve, and the sugar packets. All that for just one cup of coffee. Perhaps we need to start a campaign that stops people from eating on the go. I remember that that was unheard of in Chile. It was considered a travesty. An ice cream cone was all people ate in public. One of the reasons I am a business owner is that I can create an environment in which I live by my code of ethics. I am starting by eliminating Nestlé bottled water. It cuts into my profits and adds work because I'll have to wash glasses--but its the least I can do. NO MAS PLASTICO EN EL PLANETA.
How to make a difference? An average of 700 people open this newsletter and that does not include those who read it through my social media outlets. So, here are a few suggestions that
you
can act on and ask at least five people to act on. Those in the know say that we should contact groups that are organized and that already have a track record for doing the work.
Tompkins Conservation
is one. Bill McKibben's climate movement
350.org
is another phenomenal resource. There's also the
World Wildlife Fund
(WWF), that worked in collaboration with Netflix on the Our Planet series.
Following is Sir David Attenborough's explanation on
How to Save Our Planet.
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‘Now I Am Speaking to the Whole World.’ How Teen Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Got Everyone to Listen
“Can you hear me?” Greta Thunberg asks the 150 members and advisers in the U.K. Houses of Parliament....
read more
.
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Why the Guardian is changing the language it uses about the environment
From now, house style guide recommends terms such as ‘climate crisis’ and ‘global heating’
...
read more
.
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The destruction of Arctic ecosystems forces animals to search for food on land, such as these polar bears in northern Russia. Photograph: Alexander Grir/AFP/Getty Images
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Humans Are Speeding Extinction and Altering the Natural World at an ‘Unprecedented’ Pace
WASHINGTON — Humans are transforming Earth’s natural landscapes so dramatically that as many as one million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, posing a dire threat to ecosystems that people all over the world depend on for their survival, a sweeping new United Nations assessment has concluded.
...
read more
.
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Fishing nets and ropes are a frequent hazard for olive ridley sea turtles, seen on a beach in India’s Kerala state in January. A new 1,500-page report by the United Nations is the most exhaustive look yet at the decline in biodiversity across the globe.CreditCreditSoren Andersson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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Jane Goodall's strong words for climate change deniers
Dr Jane Goodall is best known for ground breaking study on chimpanzees. Now, the 85-year-old spends 300 days of the year spreading the message about climate change....
read more
.
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United Nations Climate Change Conference
COP25
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Santiago Climate Change Conference - December 2019
02 Dec, 2019 - 13 Dec, 2019
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#TiempoDeActuar es AHORA
#TimeForAction is NOW
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Thank you Vino-Sur for your continuous support!
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Carménère Reserva Privada
Casas Patronales
Composition: 100% Carménère
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Very Good news for Wines of Chile
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Aurelio Montes, founder of Viña Montes, was just named
President of Wines of Chile.
This year James Sucking awarded
2016 Montes Purple Angel - 98 points.
Congratulations on both counts!
Wines of Chile has launched a new
website
.
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Happening this weekend...
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Chile has more than one British tradition... including dark humor and 5 o'clock tea. The Polo Club in Santiago is absolutely beautiful. I was invited to this event but clearly I can't make it. I so wish I were back East. This is going to be fun. May the best horse win!
Chile to Open Polo Series Against USA
The Newport International Polo Series, Presented by Brahmin is pleased to announce that will open its 28th season on Saturday, June 1st, 2019 at 5pm with USA vs. Chile. The highly anticipated return of Chile this year will mark their 7th appearance since 1996.
"We are excited to start the season with a great competitor like Chile in our lineup this year. Chile's return has been eight years in the making," explains USA captain Dan Keating, "and they are on a hot streak with a mission to reclaim the perpetual Liberty Bowl Trophy".
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Save the Date! Fifth Year Anniversary!
Flower Piano 2019
July 11 - 22
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This kid stole my heart. Don't miss Flower Piano at the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. It's fabulous.
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I took these pictures when I visited Puerto Varas, Chile.
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Tompkins Conservation Headquarters in Puerto Varas, Chile.
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Campo Kutral, Puerto Varas, Chile.
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Lake Llanquihue and Osorno Volcano, Puerto Varas, Chile.
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Kristine McDivitt Tompkins speaking at her husband's commemoration "Wild Legacy, A Salute to the Remarkable Life of Douglas Tompkins," at the Herbst Pavilion in San Francisco.
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This Douglas Tompkins quote is one of my favorites. Maybe because I relate?
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Download La Nueva Gaceta Chilena
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La Nueva Gaceta Chilena
Produced by the
Centro Chileno Lautaro
Edited by Marci Valdivieso
Centro Chileno Lautaro President
IN SPANISH
Pueden acceder a la
Nueva Gaceta Chilena aquí:
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Now it's time for Chile Lindo empanadas and Vino Sur wine. ¡Salud!
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From San Francisco to Valparaíso, Chile Lindo is your Cross-Cultural Liaison
Chilean Cuisine & Culture — Connecting & Creating Community
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Chile Lindo’s direct-marketing newsletter, published since 2009, reaches an
extensive, loyal, diverse, and influential network
worldwide.
#TheChileLindoNetwork media outreach has
direct and personalized communication with followers
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join the #TheChileLindoNetwork on social media
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Paula Tejeda | Chile Lindo | 415.368.3328 | chilelindosf@gmail.com | ChileLindo.com
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![Our Planet | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix](https://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/thumbnail?url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aETNYyrqNYE/hqdefault.jpg)
