Bem-Vindos ao Brasil – Welcome to Brazil

Welcome to Brazil 1 Million Women!

I made it here 1 week ago to Uberlandia, a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

It’s been a long time since my last post, so let me do a quick re-cap of who I am, and what I am doing here in Brazil for 1 Million Women.

Who am I? Quem sou eu?

I’m Bronte (1MW Founder Nat’s daughter), your 1MW blogger and international correspondent. I am lucky to have been with 1 Million Women since the very beginning.

What am I doing here? O que estou fazendo aqui?

Love has brought me here to Brazil, and it was time for 1 Million Women to go global anyway, so I’m embarking on 1MW’s first cultural exchange. The plan is to bring the 1 Million Women message to Brazil, and in time the world.

Dilma Rouseff, President of Brazil

Marina Silva, Founder of the Sustainability Network Party Brazil

I have a big goal here too, I want to meet the president of Brazil – Dilma Rousseff (she’s Brazil’s first female president) and I want to make her part of 1 Million Women. I’m not just going to stop at that! There are many women here taking action on sustainability, like Marina Silva a long time advocate of sustainability and previous Environment Minister, who has recently started the Sustainability Network party in Brazil. I have my sights set on her too, and many others to follow.

How it’s going so far? Como está

indo até agora?

It has been a whirlwind of a week settling in to the city, and my new home. I have been very welcomed by Luiz’s family, his beautiful parents, Adriana and Paulo.

They have helped me learn a lot of Portuguese already, like how to say – Please, could you say that more slowly (Por favor, você poderia falar mais devagar).

They’re also making sure I am well fed, and I have tried a LOT of different Brazilian foods, the cuisine is delicious (delicia). I’m having many ideas already for Foodie Weekender to do some Brazilian inspired dishes for you all. I hope you’re excited for that!

This dish is called a Moqueca De Peixe. It’s a colourful Brazilian seafood stew. Luiz cooked this for me before I even arrived in Brazil. I will be sharing the recipe this weekend in Foodie Weekender.

The house I am living in has Solar Panels which has inspired one of the first things I’m going to start researching here in Brazil – Solar energy usage and awareness.

This week I’m also going to start reaching out to key climate change, sustainability and environment organisations. This is the first step of my plan to spread the 1 Million Women message here in Brazil.

Here are a few facts I have been finding out to give you some idea of where things stand at the moment.

Stats –

Brazil has one of the most diverse collections of flora and fauna on the planet, home to approximately 13% of all known species.
As a developing or newly-industrialized nation,Brazil is notable for taking a lead in environmentally friendly initiatives, for example in biofuels, Brazil is the second-largest producer of ethanol in the world.
It is home to two sustainable cities – Porto Alegre and Curitiba.

Current environmental issues*-

Deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area.
Air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities.
Land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities; wetland degradation; severe oil spills.

Policies-

Brazil has a generally advanced and comprehensive legislation on environmental protection and sustainability. Laws regarding forests, water, and wildlife have been in effect since the 1930s.
Policies are not just about conservation, but sustainable development to meet both social and economic agendas.
Brazil recognizes that it is part of the solution to the problem of climate change. In 2010, participating in taking necessary steps to advance its climate change commitments made at the COP-15 in Copenhagen.
Data from 2010 shows that Brazil has reduced deforestation rates in the Amazon by more than 70%, the lowest deforestation rate in over 20 years. At this rate, Brazil’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 38.9% could be reached by 2016 rather than 2020.

The Amazon, Brazil

J.C Hodges reports that…

Countries like Brazil now need to focus on the “how” of implementing these goals, rather than just the “what.”…attempting to balance environmental, social, and economic concerns is difficult, to say the least, but crucial for long-term effectiveness.**

There is a lot to be done, and I’m excited you’re coming on the journey with me.

Before I say goodbye, there is one other thing I have been inducted to this week, a great Brazilian beer called Brahma – best served colder than ice cold. Here is me being a true Brazilian already, doing some ironing and having a glass of Brahma.

Until next week, Ate logo!

Bronte xxx

* Stats from The World Factbook

**J.C Hodges article A Review of Brazil’s Environmental Policies and Challenges Ahead

We are daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers getting on with practical climate action to live better for us and the planet. Join the movement at www.1millionwomen.com.au