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    Using Community Mapping to Combat Deforestation / Utilizando mapeamento participativo para combatir o desmatamento

    Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

    Temas Observation: I have long stressed the importance of good data-gathering and diagnosis as the basis for sound action, and advocated getting individuals, civic groups and communities involved in such work.  Hence I applaud this effort led by Greenpeace.  As their press releases point out, combating deforestation in the Amazon is difficult in part because […]

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    A Unique GEO for MEROSUR

    Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

    Last month a GEO for the Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR or MERCOSUL) was finally unveiled with much fanfare by representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the meeting of MERCOSUR Environment Ministers. What’s a GEO? It’s probably the best known type of comprehensive environmental diagnosis available. “GEO” was the acronym for “Global […]

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    Improving Pesticide Packaging Recovery in Chile

    Monday, August 25th, 2008

    Last December (while Temas was on hiatus) four Chilean Government agencies and three industry groups* signed a clean production agreement (APL) on pesticides for agricultural use. Among the commitments made under the APL were several regarding recovery of used pesticide packaging, including increasing the number of collection centers 50% within 24 months; increasing the number […]

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    Paraná Seeks to Cut Pesticide Use

    Monday, August 4th, 2008

    Synopsis in English: Starting with the next major planting this month, Paraná plans to substantially increase its Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program with the goal of reducing pesticide use in plantings by its farmers 30% over the next four to five years. The new Program push is motivated in large part about foreign market scrutiny […]

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    Paraná Increases Pesticide Packaging Recovery

    Monday, August 4th, 2008

    Synopsis in English: In June the southern Brazilian of Paraná announced that it had increased its recovery of pesticide packaging by 20% (by weight) over the prior year. Just last year Paraná announced that they want to become the first state to comply 100% with the federal mandate to take back such packaging. North America […]

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    Bahia to Adopt Paraná’s Zero Waste Program Model

    Saturday, October 13th, 2007

    I’ve mentioned here several times the innovative Zero Waste Program (Programa Desperdício Zero) of the southern Brazilian state Paraná, such as how it applies to glass recycling, pesticide packaging, aseptic packaging and finding new ways to reuse/recycle plastic (PET) bottles (such as building solar water heaters). At some point I should do a comprehensive post […]

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    WHO & FAO Call for Countries to Improve Food Safety Vigilance / OMS y FAO: paises tienen que mejorar su vigilancia de la seguridad de los alimentos

    Friday, July 20th, 2007

    I already had on my “to do” list for this blog a look at food safety in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC); I think with this public call from WHO and FAO, perhaps I should move it up on the schedule and list of priorities. So look for posts coming soon on the roles […]

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    Making Post-Consumer Recovery of Pesticide Packaging Work

    Monday, May 28th, 2007

    The recent decision by Colombia to impose extended producer responsibility (EPR) for post-consumer pesticide packaging reminded me of a draft sitting in the infamous backlog queue since January. It looks at the Brazilian system for dealing with such packaging, which seems to be operating very well, in spite of predictions to the contrary by skeptics […]

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    LAC Environmental Trivia

    Thursday, March 22nd, 2007

    The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has just published the latest edition of its annual statistical yearbook for the region. As in recent years, one section covers natural resources and the environment. If you are seeking a basic set of comparative environmental data for the region, this is not […]

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