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It all started with the glittering turquoise blue Caribbean Sea.
And
then, a thatch-roof airport. This was the sight that greeted me as the
plane descended on the runway. Swaying coconut palm trees. Rocking on a
beach hammock. A morning jog along the coast to watch the sunrise.
Thatch-roof huts glowing in silhouette against the sunset. An endless
array of colorful fruits of papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, mango. A
postcard paradise. Welcome to the Caribbean’s best kept treasure: the Punta Cana resort in the eastern tip of Dominican Republic.
What
brings most people to Punta Cana is vacation; what brought me and
fifteen other journalists to Punta Cana was a week-long seminar, “How Environmental Issues Influence Our Daily Lives: The Nexus Between Environment, Economics and Business” by The New York Times Institute on the Environment.
We came from diverse ages, experience, and media backgrounds. From
spread out locations of New York, New Jersey, Florida, Michigan,
Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington DC, California, Montana and
internationally, from Johannesburg, Montreal and Santo Domingo – we all
united in Punta Cana resort with one purpose: to learn about the
current environmental issues. It is my first time to Dominican Republic
and the first time to the Caribbean. I hope staying at a luxurious
resort will not inhibit me from having a real experience.
The
Punta Cana resort was founded by Ted Kheel, and his partner Frank
Rainieri over 30 years ago. A labor lawyer from New York he invested in
this eastern part of Dominican Republic at a time when the area was
barren and unknown. As a result of the resort and tourism, the region’s
economy has been transformed, providing all sorts of employment for the
Dominicans. But not just the locals benefit, also benefiting are their
neighbors, the Haitians. These two countries share the island of
Hispaniola, a significant historical location as it was first stop for
Christopher Columbus when he first arrived in 1492 on his way to
America. Ever since reading: Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed,
I’ve been intrigued by how history and environment affects a country’s
economy. Though Dominican Republic and Haiti share the same island,
with similar environments, resources, climate, and a history as former
colonies - their current situations are totally different. Haiti is one
of the most impoverished nations on earth and is the poorest country in
the Western Hemisphere. So poor are the Haitians that they escape to
Dominican Republic to become ‘environmental refugees’.
Less than
a century ago, Haiti was still a lush country with 60% forests covering
the lands. Since then, the trees have been cut down and today Haiti
only has 1 percent of its land covered in forest. Its neighbor,
Dominican Republic on the other hand has environment that is protected.
Its economy continues to grow and there is interaction with the
international community. From this simple case study, I learned how
vital it is for a country to be aware of its environmental problems.
Unlike most resort owners in the world, Ted Kheel believes and supports
environmental sustainability. He understood early on that the business
of tourism is also a business of preserving the natural environment. Punta Cana Ecological Foundation
was established to preserve the coastal zone, monitor water quality and
has a recycling center and an Ecological Park and Reserve. Punta Cana
Resort is setting an example of how it’s possible to develop a region,
maintain economic growth and still preserve the environment.
Each day the journalists had the seminar classes in Ted Kheel’s resort home, Casa Guayacan.
We had a field trip one afternoon that took us outside our
Paradise-land to the shantytowns. Located in an area around the resort,
this is where the resort workers and locals live. People are poor, with
homes made of plywood or sheet metal. Our van passed by fields of
migrant workers, of all shades of skin of black, chocolate and caramel,
working on building the roads, gardening the plants, etc. We visited a
medical clinic and an elementary school, all established by the resort
owner to help the people in the impoverished area. Journalists get the
rare privilege to view things differently, seeking out the
extraordinary in the ordinary – just by definition of their profession.
And whether in written words or photographs or moving images, they
transcend what they have learned to others. Environmental journalists
especially, I feel are humbled by their exposures of what they see. The
interactions during the week-long seminars, both in and outside of
class were tremendously dynamic - and because of all of them, Punta
Cana was not only alluring for the sight but also stimulating for the
intellect too.
As I sat on the plane heading back to New York
City, I thought how Punta Cana turned out to be the perfect location
for an environmental/economics seminar and a great introduction to
Dominican Republic. It was as one fellow journalist said, “A
rejuvenating experience learning about environment, socio-economics and
life in general that left me with a great will to travel more and do
better work". The experience has made me eager to return to the
Caribbean. The next time I hope to be speaking with the locals in
Spanish and making some great films. But until that next opportunity, I
will always have the image of the coconut palm trees swaying in the
foreground of the turquoise blue Caribbean Sea.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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| Paris or Shanghai, London or Hong Kong, Amsterdam or Singapore -- the more I travel and live abroad, the more I notice that no matter how international or how charming a city is reputed to be, all cities feel more or less the same. What makes a place special? During the years living in Paris, I learned what I value about a city is the relationship I develop with the people living there and the neighborhoods. While the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Montmartre, Seine, and Eiffel Tower all ring bells of greatness for Paris…. what will stay in my memory are the little details: my love for the neighborhood of Belleville, biking along the Canal St Martin up to Parc Villette, speaking with the locals who live there.
In Summer 1992, my family moved to Avenue C also known as Loisaida, in Alphabet City of East Village, Manhattan. It was a summer of transition for me; I just finished elementary school and was going into junior high school. It was also a period of transition for East Village; it just finished an era known as the dodgy 1980’s of crime and drugs (a time when Madonna was said to have lived here) and going into an era of gentrification. I went away to college in 1998 and came back in late 2007 to a neighborhood that has totally changed - but then, so did I.
The Lower East Side area has long been a first stop in New York City for new immigrants, because of the cheap rents and the ethnic enclaves. Puerto Ricans first settled in Alphabet City or Loisaida of Lower East Side in the 1950s. Loisaida is term first coined by poet Bimbo Rivas in his 1974 poem "Loisaida" and was officially added to Avenue C in 1987. Only recently have I learned the right pronunciation: "LO-EES-EYE-DAH"; it is Spanglish for Lower East Side. In the 1970s the culture of Loisaida began to flourish - characterized by art, poetry, gardens, and community organizations. Poetry was the favored form of cultural expression and the Nuyorican Poets Café began during this time, “Nuyorican poetry took on the characteristics of expressing the sorrows and struggles of Loisaida life but also celebrating Puerto Rican heritage”. Today the association is still a strong neighborhood landmark.
In these past six months that I’ve been back in East Village, I am reminded of the many things that make this neighborhood so quaint. Alphabet City has a local treasure that not many people know about. Community gardens were first formed in the 1970s from neglected lots and are tended by volunteer neighborhood residents. There are several scattered throughout the neighborhood. Across the street from my building, at the junction of Avenue C & 9th Street are two community gardens, La Plaza Cultural and the Ninth Street Garden. This is a haven for Lower East Side residents, a piece of Nature among the fields of concrete buildings. In both my community gardens there is a gigantic willow tree - my favorite tree.
I jog around Tompkins Square Park every morning and know ever corner blindfolded. As I jog by I would greet a group of senior citizens huddled together, deep in discussion over the daily news. On another side, I’d hear the sound of Chinese instrumental music coming from a portable stereo player before I catch the sight of people doing taichi. In the middle of the park is a dog run area where the owners chit chat with one another, while their pets roam carefree. Morning exercise is great for the body, but a good environment can strengthen the spirit and the soul. Running at Tompkins Square Park is peaceful, and the scenery is nice. In October, I was mesmerized by the colorful Autumn leaves - and now as Spring is here, I am in awed of the new green buds on the branches of trees. Each season really comes and goes so fast, and I am more aware than ever of how fast our days go, as I jog right through it.
Gentrification has changed the Loisaida neighborhood immensely. Bars, cafes, high end supermarkets, condominiums have all sprung up - I noticed the change especially by ears; it’s a lot noisier at nights now. Like all other gentrification in cities throughout the world, this is the case of young urban professionals moving in, rents rising, Puerto Ricans and now other Latinos fighting to keep their homes and institutions. The Lower East Side has the presence of public housing to act as a defense, but still it is not strong enough. Looking at the situation, I feel hopeless and very sad. I lived in this neighborhood during the formative, the adolescent years of my life. Looking back now, I believe growing up in this neighborhood helped shaped me to who I am today. It is a neighborhood of different culture, history, and vibrating arts. And because I lived here from an early age I developed a sensibility to be more aware and appreciate the different aspects and beauties of life. Losaida of Alphabet City is a special place.
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| The heart of a country lies in its landscape. When I was a kid in
elementary school I learned about all of United States of America’s
vast range of geographic features: rolling hills and forests and
grasslands and prairie land of Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the
Appalachian Mountains, the Great Lakes, all from ‘sea to shining sea’.
This famous phrase comes out of the song from Katharine Lee Bates’
'America the Beautiful' (1893), a patriotic song familiar to most
Americans, to which today I still know by heart the tune and lyrics:
O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties. Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee.
And crown thy good with brotherhood. From sea to shining sea!
But
for all the wonderful natural landscapes that I learned as a kid
growing up in America, I have never had the opportunity to see them
firsthand. Most of my life is spent in the urban metropolis of New York
City, and studying/working in San Francisco, Hong Kong, and the last
five years in Paris. Bubbled in concrete buildings, mazes of people,
mixed noises of cars, and mass transportation, I rarely know a time
that is quiet, or a view that is empty. So used to urban life, I
sometimes wondered if I could ever be anywhere else. Now as I get older
and am settled in one location, it occurred to me, as I’m a filmmaker
making films on both the man-made and the natural environment, perhaps
it’s not a bad idea to learn more about the latter. Thus this is how I
started my quest to discover the Great American Outdoors.
This weekend a group of us embarked on a day winter hike and it was ensured to me that it would be a one-of-a-kind experience. Mount Monadnock,
the chosen destination is most climbed mountain in North America, and
the second most climbed mountain in the world after Japan's Mt. Fuji.
Located at 3,100 feet in southwestern New Hampshire, the word
"monadnock" originally comes from the Abnacki Indian language meaning
"mountain that stands alone." As a filmmaker needs her camera, a Tour
de France cycler needs his bike, a chef needs his wok, a soccer player
needs his ball - - a winter hiker needs her gear. We made a quick stop
to REI, the #1 chosen
retailer for quality outdoor gear to get the essential items. Once I
entered the store I understood why it is haven for outdoor enthusiasts;
they have everything! Snow pants, long underwear, heavy jacket, neck
warmers, hats, boots, etc. Somehow felt compelled that this first hike
is going to be the beginning of a lifetime of outdoor adventures, I
signed up to become a lifetime member. The membership immediately gave
me great discounts on my rented crampons. My curious reader may ask:
What is a crampon? I would eagerly reply: It is a spiked iron/steel
framework that is attached to the bottom of a boot to prevent slipping
when walking or climbing on ice and snow.
Winter hiking on Mt.
Monadnock is truly unique. The amazing tree-free views stretch far into
the distance into surrounding New England states of Vermont and
Massachusetts, because the mountain "stands alone”. Because of the
winter weather and the snow, it discourages most people from coming.
During our hike, we saw very few people and really got to enjoy the
view of the natural landscape. Water running through the stream. The
vast sky. The fresh air. The white snow. Not a sound at all. I was in
total awe of where I was and felt utter joy. I now can understand how
the snow, the trees, just Nature, have inspired so many great
literature and poetry. I was also pleasantly surprised to find how
comfortable I am at hiking and climbing and strategizing how to move
through the snow in my crampons. I was at ease being in the middle of
nowhere – to get away from the civilization, that of cars, buildings,
people, Internet – even the cell phone had no reception. I had time to
think and ponder my place in this world. And at times, I would just
stand still, not do any thinking at all, and just enjoy the view. Just
those moments are so precious. Coming downhill, we decided to let go of
our crampons and just slide down in some parts. The thrill! The turn!
We laughed so much! For a few moments we group of adults felt just like
kids.
The winter hike on Mount Monadnock is a discovery into myself. I realized how comfortable and at peace I am with Nature. “REI
is helping build a lasting legacy of trails, rivers, and wild lands for
generations to come, supporting programs to help people of all ages and
experiences participate“. Environmentalists
would also applaud the need to preserve the beauty of Nature for the
next and future generations. I, as an environmental filmmaker also
agree. But I, as the new outdoor lover, want the natural environment to
be protected not just for the next generation – I want it protected for
our present generation too. Nature offers us so much beauty to discover
and to experience; it would be great tragedy for us to lose it in this
lifetime. | | |
| Culture is a wonderful thing; it gives us history and tradition. But at
times, culture can be detrimental; it clouds our judgment and prevents
us from changing.
A month ago I met up with a former Chinese-American colleague, now working for Humane Society International
who pitched to me an environmental film I must make: Sharks are
becoming endangered and shark finning is a big cause of it. Humane
Society International is now actively doing a public education campaign
in New York Chinatown and in the Chinese American communities across
the country and Canada. Other than raising awareness, the goal is to
encourage restaurants and markets to take shark fin dishes off the
menu. I thought to myself: So what if the sharks are dying? What do we
care? Why are we trying to save them? Aren’t sharks the man-eating
monsters portrayed in the 1975 Spielberg film, Jaws?
Growing up
in Chinatown, I know very well how important shark fin soup is part of
Chinese cuisine custom. A rare and expensive delicacy dish, shark fin
soup originated from south China in the Sung dynasty (AD 960). Shark
fin soup became an established tradition in Ming dynasty (AD 1368) and
since then the Chinese eat it during Chinese New Year celebrations,
weddings, corporate functions, and other special occasions. If shark
fin soup is not served at these important events, the host will look
very cheap and is not giving face (respect) to his guests. In Chinese
superstition, there is a famous saying: “nian nian you yu”, meaning
“yearly prosperity”. Yu means ‘plentiful’ (in material wealth) and has
the same tone as yu (fish). A fish dish is always served at Chinese New
Year to welcome prosperity for the new year.
Despite my lack of
concern for these ‘man-eating monsters’, my interest was ignited and I
started reading everything about them. In February 2008 along with the
Science Friday team, I attended the AAAS, The American Association for the Advancement of Science annual conference in Boston. This year there was a symposium on sharks, “Will Too Few Jaws Take Too Big a Bite? The Importance of Sharks to Ocean Ecosystems”. I interviewed two of the experts, Lance Morgan, a conservationist at Marine Conservation Biology Institute and Julia Baum, a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It is here that I really started to understand the importance of sharks and their role in the ocean ecosystem.
Sharks
can be traced back to around 400 million years ago. They have existed
100 million years before the first dinosaurs appeared on land. Sharks
are the world’s apex predator and are guardians of our oceans. They
inhabit every ocean and play a vital role in maintaining the health of
marine ecosystems. Situated at the top of the food chain, sharks keep
everything in balance in the oceans. The removal of sharks lead to
increases or declines in other species below them in the food chain
that causes unpredictable consequences for ecosystems. This is a big
problem for fishermen and millions of people who rely on the ocean for
their food, when the fish we do want no longer exist.
Although
they have managed to survive all sorts of mass extinctions for millions
of years, sharks have never encountered a predator as powerful as us,
the industrialized humans. Sharks are being overfished and many
populations have declined by as much as 90%. Up to 100 million sharks
are being killed worldwide, mostly for their fins. The demand for shark
fin soup is at an all-time high. The rapid rise of the economy in
mainland China has created an increased middle class who has disposable
income to spend on luxury items. What was once eaten on rare occasions,
now is common to eat shark fin soup. With the ever-increasing
environmental problems in the world today - it is urgent to raise
awareness, concern and self-restraint among consumers. Because
ultimately it is no longer a Chinese issue, or an American issue - one
environmental disaster affects us all.
Is it possible to change
a tradition that has run down over a thousand year? Peter Benchle, the
author of Jaws (1975) for which Spielberg film was based on, spent the
last decade before his death in 2006 campaigning for wild life. He said
this about sharks : “For, world-wide, sharks are much more the oppressed than the oppressors".
If Mr Benchle can have a new insight to this great creature and the
ocean, I hope it is possible for the Chinese people, and us global
citizens of our planet to change our views too.
To Learn More :
http://www.saveourseas.com
MA Shumin produces environmental videos for NPR Science Friday. Her latest video is: Grease Lightning: How Biofuel is Made
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| “The world is my oyster“ is one of the most widely used proverbs. It comes from Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600) in Act II, Scene II and goes: Falstaff: I will not lend thee a penny. Pistol: Why, then, the world's mine oyster, Which I with sword will open. It’s quite poetic and there’s a reason why it appeals to so many people; our world is whatever we make of it. Ironically after nine years of traveling the world to see what I can make of myself, finally I’ve come back to settle in New York to find this old saying has a new twist for me. For the past month: the oyster is my world.
One of the more spectacular New York City skyline views can be appreciated at the edge of the Hudson River. At Pier 40, located at West Street and Houston Street in the lower west side of Manhattan is The River Project. A marine science field station founded in 1986, it works to protect and restore the ecosystem of the Hudson River estuary. They have a lot of programs there, running from scientific research to hands-on environmental education to urban habitat improvement. I was there for oyster gardening event to learn more about oysters and see if I could produce an environmental video about it.
Up until that point in my life I knew very little about oysters, what I know was that we eat them raw. One of the scientists I interviewed suggested reading Mark Kurlansky's The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. After reading, I now have a better understanding of the history of oysters and the history of New York City. I was quite amazed to learn that NYC used to be the oyster capital of the world. When the Europeans first came, oysters were used for trading. The oysters in NYC were such good quality that even the French and other Europeans demanded for them. Up until less than a century ago, oysters were abundant along the Hudson River and East River. Savored by both the rich and the poor, it was truly a people’s food.
But not just for eating, I learned about the wonders of what oysters do for our environment. For our fragile ecosystem, oysters restore the habitat in numerous ways. Known as filter feeders, they have the capability to clean water. Similar to coral reefs when oysters form oyster reefs, they create home for other animals. Living on the shores, they help prevent coastal erosion as the tides wash in. For all the practical, social and environmental purposes, the dying out of oysters in New York City is a great tragedy. The last line of Kurlansky’s book sums it up well: "The great and unnatural city was built at the site of a natural wonder, and that the lowly oysters working at the bottom were a treasure more precious than pearls".
Would New York City, this great big city that I call home, have had the same history had there never been oysters here? That I may never know but for sure I believe the oysters are a valuable part of our society. I’ve learned a whole lot along the way and above all I learnt: Oysters aren't only good as a half shell; they are even better as a whole shell.
Watch Oyster video online:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/watch/55
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