ImpacTrip Activist Wall, Ana Lagoa advocacy voice

When there is an urgent need to defend a cause, the quickest way is to put pressure on politicians who are already in power. The generic name for this form of claim is advocacy.
But how do we choose a cause and how do we know if it is valid?
A very important part before taking action is being informed. Read about the topic as much as possible and from different sources, ask for specialist opinions, be critical, and last but not least be passionate about it. And that is why ImpacTrip Team decided to start this Advocacy Rubric.

As local coordinator of ImpacTrip in Barcelona, and as an entrepreneur and activist, I am passionate about environmental causes and love to learn more about new approaches for the climate change phenomena.
And that is why I would love to suggest you get to know more about “Regenerative Cultures“, a holistic, valid, and full of hope vision of our cultural and social systems, that guides us to regenerate them, instead of keeping destroying it.
And why am I so empathic about this topic? Well, since my childhood I have been learning from my grandparents the old and traditional ways of leaving, with the Nature rhythm as a guide to our lifestyle, giving us all the answers as if it was our teacher. While our societies were growing and developing we put ourselves (as individuals) and our needs in the center, without often realizing the consequences that our evolution would be bringing to everything that goes beyond the human being. Today we got a point when those consequences are just in front of our eyes – you can see the pollution of the seas, you can feel the polluted air, you can taste the food less, you create fewer ties and empathy with your neighbors. But you also have the power and the means to change it. In my last years, I have been joining different projects focused on ecological education, restoration of ecosystems, soils, and biodiversity in different areas of the world, volunteering and absorbing people’s wisdom, and it is amazing how we can still repair, regenerate and recover what is our source of life: Nature and Communities.

You can see here some records of these projects:

In 2015 I joined a Portuguese NGOD on an entrepreneurship and social innovation program, where I developed a non-formal education project and implemented it in São Tomé and Príncipe. The goal of the project was to empower kids and teens with entrepreneurial skills to make them thinking about solutions for their community problems, together. You can also join this project, check the website of the non-profit at www.wact.pt   

In 2018 I joined a Croatian NGO on an environmental education project called Green Fingers, implementing vegetable gardens in the public schools of Zagreb. A super enriching project that inspired me to see education as a motor for regenerative development. You can know more about this project and non-profit at oazainfo.hr  

In 2019, as local coordinator of ImpacTrip in Split, Croatia, I had the chance to join and meet incredible projects and non-profits of motivated and committed people that give their time to leave our planet a bit better than they found it. An amazing example of it is a volunteer diving club that almost all year runs underwater clean-up actions on the most polluted areas of the Croatia coast. Take a look at their actions at https://www.facebook.com/uparostrum/

In 2020, I dedicated 2 months supporting voluntarily local projects in the Azores islands, on their permaculture gardens, learning more about regenerating soils, creating biodiversity, and most of all leaving and learning from nature, not exploiting it but cooperating as part of it. The main lesson was: the huge and important value of all what we eat, not just for our health but also for the health of all ecosystems and people that are dependent of it. Check for similar projects around your neighborhood and absorb all the wisdom they have to give you.  

But coming back to the “Regenerative Cultures” concept, I would love to suggest to you:
– a book – Designing Regenerative Cultures, from Daniel Christian Wahl (Author);
– a documentary – INHABIT: A Permaculture Perspective;
– a documentary series – É P’ra Amanhã, Viagem a um futuro sustentável;
– and two worldwide petitions that you could sign – “Tell President Biden to act immediately on climate change!” https://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaign/biden/ , and “Presidente Biden: não dê seu aval à destruição da Amazônia”
https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/po/biden_amazonia_11/?fpla.

But these are just small suggestions that for sure will inspire you to keep creating a positive impact.
Finally, if you come to Barcelona, you will probably find me planting trees with one of the NGOs here, and for sure we will have the chance to discuss this topic together.

Cheers,
Ana Lagoa

“In nature’s economy the currency is not money, it is life.”
― Vandana Shiva, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace”