History of the Lake Chapala Green Group

 
Organizations are started or evolve for as many reasons as there are people.  For example, in 1969 Alyeska Pipeline Service Company proposed building a pipeline to carry oil from the North Slope of Alaska to the port of Valdez.  Its plan was poorly conceived and bound to lead to an environmental disaster down the road.  The Sierra Club had decided not to litigate, so the founder, David Brower, left that organization and, with Lakeside resident, Don Aitken, founded the “Friends of the Earth.” The main purpose was to force Alyeska to construct a pipeline that would withstand seismic activity and be able to traverse frozen tundra without thawing it, and they were successful.  Other organizations are conceived on the back of a napkin while friends are commiserating over a problem needing a solution.

The Lake Chapala Green Group started with a question, “Is there an organization here at Lakeside for people interested in environmental issues?”  Greg Ochs asked that question of Don Aitken after his annual talk at Open Circle.  The answer?  “No, you should start one.”  So, he did.  With the help of Stephanie Smith, Jsun Mills and Tony Targa the Lake Chapala Green Group was off and running.  That was about three years ago. 

The group started, and has remained, purposefully informal; everyone who desires to be involved and receive meeting notices is considered part of it.  There is a coordinating group dubbed the “Steering Committee.”  There are no officers, but Greg Ochs remains the quasi-official spokesperson.  The Steering Committee grew as needs arose and there are currently six members, with plans to add a couple more to cover the increasing roles being taken on by the organization.

Initially, a simple web presence was established using Yahoo Groups.  That served the organization well for communicating meeting information and allowed for members to post articles of interest to the sustainable living community.  Now, three years later, a new website, www.lakechapalagreengroup.com will enable the group to link with other like-minded organizations.  Part of the purpose of this new website is community outreach.  It will include an activities calendar, audio clips of guest speakers for those out of the area at the time of meetings, and to provide a focus for information and resources available in this community.  This is inline with the mission of the LCGG, to promote, advocate for and educate about issues of sustainable living in the Lake Chapala region. 

Monthly meetings are held at the Lake Chapala Society on the first Tuesday of every month, September through May.  Topics include solar energy, state of water quality in the lake, availability of fresh water worldwide, recycling, organic farming, energy saving tips, etc. 

The organization has a vision that living green at Lakeside now will allow future generations to continue to live sustainably in this region for generations to come.  To that end, the “Green Transitions in Action Committee” has become involved in the promotion of organic farming and the many small organic farmers that live here through the “Organic Tianguis” that is held each Tuesday morning.  That committee actively seeks ideas for sustainable living and teaches those techniques.  A popular example is solar cookers, simply made and operated solely by the sun. 

We have chosen to live in this beautiful part of central Mexico and want to give back to the community of which we have become a part.  That is why the Lake Chapala Green Group was started and why it continues to expand its outreach and its membership.

Dianne Kocer

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LCGG: Past Speakers and Topics