Which way to go?

Two days ago the fervent and loyal blog readers have been on a tour of Villa Las Dunas.
This pompous and extravagant house for sale for 12 million and 700 hundred thousand greenbacks.

We have seen how Villa Las Dunas is built and equipped if it were on a location with all the necessary municipal amenities available.
But the Villa Las Dunas has no access to municipal water and electricity because this is the boondocks and not Malibu, Los Angeles, USA.

Therefore solutions to these problems have been found by having water trucked in for the 5 bathrooms and 3 swimming pools and all the water to irrigate the palm trees, clean the house and do the dishes.
Having a big diesel generator for electricity to power among others all the many lights, the refrigerators, the air conditioning and the TV’s.

Now, today, let’s make a tour of the rancho where the Gonzales family is living.
For many decades and about a half hour walk from Villa Las Dunas.

What can immediately be noticed is that the way the rancho is build and operated concerning energy is an integration in the natural situation.
It is not choosing to conflict.
It is choosing to harmonize.
For example, Villa Las Dunas is equipped with an air-conditioning system.
Inside there are huge spaces and a lot of energy is needed to cool therefore.
At the Gonzales Rancho is no air conditioning.
Most spaces have no walls.
It is a roof of palm leaves to make shadow and underneath it is very comfortable.
The breeze cools sufficiently even on the hottest day.

In Villa Las Dunas the bedrooms are small, except one, and have just a small window.
This again based on the idea that the room is mechanically cooled.
At the Gonzales Rancho the people sleep outside.
They put their beds under palm trees and enjoy the fresh air and the view of the stars.

Concerning electricity, at the Gonzales Rancho is no generator whatsoever.
No generator like Villa Las Dunas that consumes a fossil fuel, diesel, and highly pollutes the atmosphere.
There are some light bulbs at strategic places at the rancho of the Gonzales that are turned on at night only when needed.
These lights are powered by solar energy.
On the roof of the only stone building they have 4 solar panels.
This powers all the lights and the small TV.








The Gonzales family has two old refrigerators.
Powered by bottled propane gas.
A relative clean fossil fuel.
Propane is costing in Mexico about 0,35 Euro per litre.
Or 1,95 $ per gallon.



The cooking of their food is on fire made of dead wood they find in the area.
And partly on a stove using propane gas.

Recently they purchased a freezer working on electricity.
Powered by solar energy.
Two 100 watts solar panels and two Trojan batteries.





The Gonzales family has one bathroom with one toilet for the whole family.
And they take a shower once a day.

We can see that the way the Gonzales live in this part of the world is very much in balance with nature.
And that the way people will live in Villa Las Dunas is consuming high volumes of water and energy and will highly pollute the environment.

This matter is a real and serious issue.
Last Thursday a report was published by the United Nations saying that the human population is living far beyond its means and inflicting damage to the environment that could pass points of no return.

“The human population is now so large that the amount of resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available at current consumption patterns,”

Achim Steiner, the executive director of the Environment Program of the United Nations explained.


The hard truth is that we must start immediately avoiding making use of the natural resources that are running out and are polluting.
Villa Las Dunas, with its garage doors opening and closing electrically, is one big monument of the opposite of what we must do.
It is a life style of people who refuse to see the truth.
Who do not care a damn about the environment and about the future of this planet and its population.

Villa Las Dunas and the Gonzales Rancho.
What way of living is best to follow?

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To learn more about the fourth Global Environmental Outlook of the United Nations, click on:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/world/26environ.html?_r=1&ex=1351224000&en=871265b527b69cc5&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin








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