Human Rights and Sustainability in Brazil

Posted on December 3, 2015 by jehollow

Human Rights and Sustainability in Brazil

By Omar Hassan

It feels as though just yesterday I was on a plane headed to San Paolo. Looking back I am very grateful for the experience and knowledge I’ve gained and feel very privileged to have been a part of such an amazing experience with the best group of people.

Amongst the many situations and encounters I experienced during this trip, I’ve learned the most from meeting the Ministerio publico and the BRT system’s representatives. In addition, I found the indigenous people’s sustainable lifestyle very enlightening and I was able to learn a lot by observing them. I try to incorporate what I’ve learned from this trip into my life today. What I’ve found most challenging is the difficulty of replicating their sustainable lifestyle back in the United States. Life here is much more consumer driven and as a result much harder to stay both competitive and sustainable.

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So how does this all relate?

Posted on November 9, 2015 by jehollow

So how does this all relate?

By Allison Miller

It has been almost five months since arriving home from Brazil. My trip was an adventure and even challenging at times but the opportunities and rewards of traveling abroad with such an incredible group of students is still what triumphs. I am glad I chose Brazil as my destination even to this day because of how prominent the country is in international discussion and because of its uniqueness in culture and landscape.

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Brazil: Human Rights and Sustainability

Posted on November 9, 2015 by jehollow

Brazil: Human Rights and Sustainability

By Amy Otto

My time in Brazil has been difficult to process. While the three weeks I spent there were impactful, it was not in a way that I was expecting. Before leaving I had a vision in my head of returning home as a changed person, intensely influenced and motivated to act in ways I hadn’t before, with my perspective of the world significantly skewed. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel that this opportunity was for naught. I only feel a sense of underwhelm in a program that I felt would have been just as poignant as going to somewhere like Detroit or Milwaukee. Going abroad made it glaringly clear to me that we face issues just as important and pressing as those on other continents, sometimes more so. We see the effects of globalization in developing corners of the world and we panic because we don’t want their culture marred by unnecessary conveniences. Yet, we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of healing our own psychology in relation to our overconsumption. How can we expect those who look to us as an example of progress to not want what we have?

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Sustainability in Brazil

Posted on November 9, 2015 by jehollow

Sustainability in Brazil

By Allie Brickner

Sustainable but looked unsustainable
This picture is of a local community member in the Amazon rainforest cutting down a tree. At first it looks like he is trying to deforest the area, but he is actually cutting down Maniac fruit from the tree to harvest. Maniac is a local cuisine favorite used in almost every dish. The community makes it locally from trees naturally grown in the rainforest. I chose this photo as a representation that you can harvest food and trees in a sustainable way.

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A Life-Changing Opportunity

Posted on November 6, 2015 by jehollow

A Life-Changing Opportunity

By Evelyne Lelei

What I knew about Brazil was totally different from what I saw and experienced during my study abroad program. I am glad that I was given the opportunity which has changed my perception and will change the lives of many. The visit to the Billings reservoir was very educative, entertaining, and phenomenal. The right to city at Curitiba City is breathtaking. The city leadership have worked and managed to put the needs of its dwellers first. Clean water, a sustainable environment, and sustainable beautiful public parks are evident and all that matter in the city. The goals of the city planners was based on human rights and sustainability.

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A Different Perspective

Posted on November 6, 2015 by jehollow

A Different Perspective

By Kim Castillo

Brazil was a whirlwind experience. I felt like I was there much longer than three weeks because of all the new experiences I had there. Seeing the stark contrast of Brazil and America is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Sustainability is different in each part of the world and that is the most important thing I learned abroad.

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Now I know what sustainability is!

Posted on November 2, 2015 by jehollow

Sustainability and Human Rights

By Halima Alshehi

The beauty of the place, the friendliness of the people, and the sounds of samba ranting through the air continue to enchant me four months later. I cannot help but feel as though some part of me remained in Brazil. Sometimes, I even feel as though I am in a dream as I reflect on the time I spent there. It was unforgettable and a very educational experience that I will treasure for a very long time. I have to admit, I did not expect this study abroad experience to be very different than the one I am already on here at Arizona State University but the trip to Brazil was exceptional, exciting and unforgettable. Nothing like I have ever witnessed before. It was characteristic of great social and cultural aspects unlike any of my previous travels, but also provided a rare learning opportunity. It was mind boggling trying to assess the intricate issues that Brazil continues to grapple with, some of them being a scarcity of water, social inequality, and the achievement of the basic human rights. Tackling such issues made me feel as though I was living in another fantastical world. And a world that was different from the one in which I took many things available in my country for granted. Dealing with issues as an undergraduate student from a different part of the world proved challenging but highly motivational for me to do something about the situation.

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Going Beyond Sustainability in Everyday Life

Posted on October 23, 2015 by jehollow

Going Beyond Sustainability in Everyday Life

By Sarah Moratto

It’s been about three months now since my incredible study abroad experience in Brazil. Thinking back, it almost seems like a vivid dream. I know I was there and I haven’t forgotten what I learned during my time there, but somehow the contrast of my experiences there and my day-to-day life here in Arizona is so drastic that it feels almost unreal.

Traveling to Brazil was an experience unlike any other. The trip was filled with the social and cultural excitement I’ve experienced in many of my other travels, but was supplemented with an interesting and arduous academic lens. Analyzing the complex issues that Brazil is facing such as social inequality, water scarcity and the realization of basic human rights was such a unique experience. Apart form the feelings of privilege and guilt that I felt while I was there, I mostly wanted to make sure that when I returned home I would do something different in my life. It was a bit overwhelming because combating such large issues that take place so far from home can be hard to tackle, especially as a graduate student with a million different things on my plate.

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The only fight that you lose is that which you abandon

Posted on October 23, 2015 by jehollow

The only fight that you lose is that which you abandon

By Cassandra Mac

Not a day goes by where I don’t think of my summer study abroad in Brazil – either for the amazing people I came to know and love, the delicious food I tasted, the beautiful cities I explored, or just the adventure itself.

School has been in session for just over a month now and I have been able to tie in my Brazil experience to each one of my classes. In the Policy and Governance that I am a TA for, we were talking about Pope Francis’ recent visit to the United States and his concerns about capitalism, reminding me about our visits to the traditional communities of the Amazon Rainforest that do not live under a capitalist system. What a beautiful and inspiring lifestyle it was. At this point, not only did I feel a deep connection to the Pope, but also to all the students in my class.

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Human Rights and Unions in the Workplace

Posted on October 1, 2015 by jehollow

Human Rights and Unions in the Workplace

By Allie Brickner

My trip to Brazil was not a typical post card tourist vacation. My trip to Brazil was a learning experience of the fight for people and the planet through a socialist lens. In America, just like any other country, our culture has molded our belief system. For example, most Americans would agree that corporations are generally good things because they provide jobs, boost our economy and produce things that we can ultimately consume. What could go wrong?

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