Tag: <span>community development</span>

Community-based watershed restoration in Oaxaca, Mexico

As I reflect on my recent field work in Oaxaca, Mexico with the Bard MBA in Sustainability I am most struck by the work grassroots groups are doing to develop community-based solutions to the environmental and social issues they face. Due to the lengthy dry season from November through June, …

All for Land and Land for All

Each morning I walk out my side door and amble a few hundred feet to a kiosk that marks the start of public trails. The land is conserved by the Town of Concord, Massachusetts and provides access to White Pond, proximal to Walden Pond and also frequented by Henry David …

Taking a peek into the demand of community development: what does it take?

By: Ashley Westgate, Master’s in Environmental Policy ’16 My most memorable success story… We were together working at a two-week long workshop to learn how to write a project proposal. Ben, my Philippino counterpart, was not very engaged nor attentive during the initial few days. Sometimes, he would just leave. …

Finding out what community development really means: Jumping head first in the Philippines.

“Ang pinakabudlay nga obra nga imo palanggaon!” That’s the translation of “the toughest job you’ll ever love,” in my local dialect. It’s a well-known Peace Corps quote, and it rang true throughout my service.  I can’t believe that I’m fulfilling a dream I have had since childhood. Here I am, in the Philippines – …