Trip to Chile- Map
This map shows the places I visited on my trip to Chile. There are images from the trip attached to the different locations as well. Feel free to explore the map! There are images attached to each point on the map as well.
I had the opportunity to go to Chile for two and a half weeks with two professors and classmates at Agnes Scott College. We stayed in homestays in Viña del Mar (and Valparaiso) for 4 days, then flew to Antofagasta for 2 days, drove to Calama for a night, and then San Pedro de Atacama for 4 days. We then flew back to Santiago for 6 days. We explored many different aspects of Chile- the natural landscape and its resources, historical and contemporary spaces and phenomena, major and minor cities, and the connections between astronomy, technology, and the environment.
Although the class was not focused on sustainability or environmental studies, we did look at the natural environment and resources in Chile and how Chile (country, culture, and society) has evolved because of these resources. In this way, I was able to explore aspects of sustainability and the environment through the lens of natural resources. However, because I was immersed in the culture and environment, I was able to take it further, and explore sustainability in all of its aspects.
I spoke with my host mom about being vegetarian and the environmental effects of meat and animal products (which was quite a challenge, given my then Spanish 102 knowledge level). I explored the desert and stood at the top of the biggest open-pit coal mine in the world. I saw, first hand, the minimal trash production in my host-mom’s household, and the wood burning stove she used to warm the house and dry clothes. I rode on the trains and buses in two of the major cities (Valparaiso and Santiago) and walked along the man-made river going through San Pedro de Atacama. I saw the dried-up river in Santiago, now inhabited by groups of people living in tents and make-shift shelters where the river used to be. I visited the flamingo reserve, called Los Flamencos. I walked on the Concon sand dunes in Valparaiso, which is being encroached upon by development and the ocean on all sides.
When I arrived back in the States, I reflected on these experiences, and I began to compare and contrast sustainability in Chile and sustainability here in the US. I continue to do this regularly, even now months later.
I now often think about Chile, a country that is still continuing to grow, increase its economy, and rebuild after a dramatic dictatorship, in comparison to the United States, a recognized world power, with strong economic, militaristic, and social assets/influence. It could be argued that in some aspects, Chile is more sustainable than the United States. This is not a surprise to me, however it does bring up the debate and long-standing arguments of responsibility in terms of sustainability and environmental protection, or lack thereof. Whose responsibility is it to act more sustainably and look out for the environment? And who exploits the environment the most? Why is it that, in so many different aspects (including sustainability), the Global North pushes blame and conflict on the Global South? These ideas also need to be considered in connection to more recent evidence that sustainable technologies, and behaviors, can have significant benefits to lower-income, more at-risk and underserved countries (the Global South) and can provide resiliency and stability to these areas.
I wanted to create a category that would highlight the visual communication elements that I have explored to share my trip to Chile and what I have learned.
This map shows the places I visited on my trip to Chile. There are images from the trip attached to the different locations as well. Feel free to explore the map! There are images attached to each point on the map as well.
This is a gallery of some images from my trip to Chile in the Summer of 2019. I went with my classmates and two professors and we explored the cities, the coast, and the desert. We went to Chuquicamata, the biggest open pit copper mine in the world, saw the Tatio Geysers at 6am one morning, explored the Atacama desert, and went to two of the major observatories in Chile, as well as much more. In this gallery, I wanted to highlight some of the major (and minor) sustainability/environmental aspects that I noticed while there.