Eco-Ethics International Union: EEIU Chile Reports

Dr. Sandor Mulsow, Chair of the EEIU Valdivia Chapter, has recently been appointed as Director at the Instituto de Geociencias at the Universidad Austral de Chile. Dr. Mulsow, currently attached by WWF to the Salmon Aquaculture Dialog, is a Senior in FORECOS and maintains a full teaching schedule.

Recently Dr. Mulsow has been working intensively on an environmental disaster in Valdivia, the RAMSAR site Carlos Anwandterm which was a bird sanctuary. "Was" because today there are no more birds. At some point there were more than 7000 black-necked swans. Many died and most of the remainder emigrated. The result was no reproduction at all during 2005.

The story began when a pulp mill company CELCO started producing cellulose at a rate of 550k ton a year. The wastewater was introduced into the river that passes through the sanctuary. The plant opened in January 2004. A few months later, by April the swans began to die.

The CELCO business was an investment of 1.5 billion USD, so the government didn't want to see the problem. Citizens began complaining. Dr. Mulsow's university was ordered to make an assessment of the problem, in which he participated. Dr. Mulsow mentioned that there was a change soon after the pulp mill began. No answer came from the government, while other universities paid by CELCO spoke badly (but without basis) of the results from Dr. Mulsow's university.

There was no clear answer on why or for what reason the birds died. The major conclusion of the study was that the birds died of starvation. No food. Their main source of food is a submerged plant , Egeria densa. But there was no mention on how exactly that plant was wiped out from the sanctuary.

Here Dr. Mulsow needs help. In February-March he conducted a study on the river, upstream and downstream of the effluent's water waste from the pulp mill, and found that sulphate levels increased by a factor of 3 in areas downstream from the effluent, compared with those upstream and outside the sanctuary. Dr. Mulsow made an experiment with healthy plants, exposing them to 15, 30 and 60 days of a dose equivalent to the volume of sulphate authorized by the government to pour into the river. The plant could not perform photosynthesis at 60 days, 2 orders of magnitude lower at 30 days and one order of magnitude at 15 days. The reason is that the plant needs calcium bicarbonate which is 37% less in impacted areas compared with those outside the effect of the pulp mill.

These results show the need to consider ethics in industrial development. Dr. Mulsow will continue fighting this battle on behalf of the swans and looks forward to feedback from Union affiliates about any similar efforts they have been involved with.

Report, 23 September 2004 (from Chair Dr. Sandor Mulsow)

EEIU Valdivia Expanding Its Scope

Chair Sandor Mulsow reports that the Chilean Chapter has broadened its focus to include younger children, in addition to the university students of which the group was originally composed. Working with youngsters aged 8-10 has brought new challenges and the opportunity to focus on teaching eco-ethics in a more practical fashion, by working to ingrain the ideas deeply enough for them to become automatic, requiring no special cognitive processes. The group's current focus is on areas which can clearly be controlled — the cafeteria in the children's school is a prime example.

As part of the new objective, Dr. Mulsow authored a play that is used for outreach. It has been performed for the small children and, according to reports, was a great success! Now Mulsow is modifying it a bit with a new title: "La otra cara del recurso" (the other face of the resource). Cast members will soon compete in a theatre festival.

An additional project is underway with a rural school of fishermen, where Dr. Mulsow conducts oceanographic coaching as part of his work in a sea urchin hatchery. The issues involved are sensitive and progress is understandably slow, but Mulsow's prudent approach promises eventual success.

Dr. Mulsow has been selected by his university as one of seven invited guests to present at a special lecture at the end of the year. He will speak on the subject of the "Nuclear Policy of Chile and Eco Ethics: yes or no". The speech, which will be published, is based on a study conducted during Dr. Mulsow's last visit to Mururoa and Fangataufa, where he was the last civilian to visit before these atolls were closed to access.

The university has just built a new laboratory at the sea on top of a late quaternary volcanic rock. A fully equipped seminar/training location, Dr. Mulsow suggests it might be the ideal venue for a Latin America Eco-Ethics Working Meeting. If you are interested in participating in such an event and/or helping in its coordination, direction, fundraising, and so on, please contact either the Coordinator or Dr. Mulsow directly.

Report, 14 April 2004

EEIU Valdivia Moving Right Along!

The YWG will be presenting a play on the results of their initial garbage disposal project in November 2004. A paper on the study will also soon be submitted.

Additionally, the YWG will begin two more projects, one on their own school and the use of human resources with the youngsters at the cafeteria. A second project is to begin a new approach to a local fishermen community school with eco-ethical principles.

Letter, 30 May 2003

From: Dr. Sandor Mulsow, Chair, EEIU Valdivia
To: Mary Batson, EEIU Coordinator, Headquarters

Dear Ms. Batson,

I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that on May 23rd, 2003, at the premises of the Instituto Salesiano de Valdivia (ISV) located in Ave. Picarte 840, Valdivia, Chile, the Youth Working Group (YWG) of the Chilean EEIU Chapter on Eco-Ethics has been created in memory of Mr. Marcelo Gallardo Olivares, who died too young, whose environmental views could have been greatly appreciated today.

Dr. Mulsow, who introduced the concept of eco-ethics to the group, opened the meeting; later on we elected the president and the secretary of the YWG. The meeting was followed by the spontaneous inquiries from the participants, ages 12-17, and as a result a working plan for the first activity was planned. The YWG concluded that eco-ethics habits are the main issue in their reality. Several examples were discussed and a real project will be carried out by the students dealing with the habits of garbage disposal by individuals in the city and at their own school. The main objective is to demonstrate that by changing daily habits, resources can be used in a more cost-effective manner. S. Mulsow and G. Silva supervise the study. The outcome will be eventually published and also will be transmitted to the YWG members' peers through a play that the group will write in cooperation with the Theater Youth Group of the school.

The ISV-YWG was delighted with the equipment donated in the name of Mr. Marcelo Gallardo Olivares, which was an Apple Laptop for the exclusive use of the YWG.

As a Chair of the Chilean Chapter I am very proud of the YWG and happy to share the information with the EEIU. We are looking forward to concretizing the enthusiasm shown by the founders of the YWG in Valdivia-Chile. Enclosed you will find a picture with the YWG's participants.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Sandor Mulsow

EEIU Chile — ISV Youth Working Group

Letter, 28 May 2003

From: Dr. Sandor Mulsow, Chair, EEIU Valdivia
To: Mary Batson, EEIU Coordinator, Headquarters

Dear Mary,

I got back today and am leaving again on Sunday to a meeting in Copenhagen on the contamination of the Baltic Sea. The Chapter is open and great. I did open a Youth School Group. We are going to carry out a real project in the city of Valdivia, which we hope to publish. The story is that the children told me that environmentalist people do things but without follow-up, a good remark. Then we decided to do a project on how cost-efficient would it be for the city if people would change their daily living habits. How we are going to do it?

We divided the city main square into 4 quadrants, each quadrant will be monitored for out-of-garbage deposits (one square meter quadrant). This will be done at different times of the day and week. Then we will time the men cleaning the square, how many, and how long and at what cost. Then the children will try to make some assumptions and show that if people change their habits and use the garbage can, the city hall could relocate the saved money to put on a strong project on teaching the people how we can make our lives and the environment we live in better. They will do this also at the cafeteria in their school. I found that great. Finally we will write a play and ask the theater group of the school to play our story for the rest of the schoolchildren and others if they want to hear our findings. I am very happy with this.

I really think that this kind of example could help to answer the question of what simple citizens of the world can do to change the production. People think that without an eco-ethical parameter in their production equation, economical use of a natural resource is completely unsustainable in the short and long-run.

I am writing a short note on the opening of the Chapter and I will submit it so we can post it in our Chilean EEIU page. I got a picture of the group as well.

PS. They were very happy with the laptop.

Take care,

Sandor

Letter, 25 April 2003

From: Dr. Sandor Mulsow, Chair, EEIU Valdivia
To: Mary Batson, EEIU Coordinator, Headquarters

Dear Mary,

Now I have some more information: I will be travelling to Chile on 15 May 2003 and arriving back on 26 May. I will have several meetings in Santiago and in Valdivia. Thus if you could, I would like to have any material from you by 16-19 May in Valdivia. I think I gave the address already.

The Chapter will be opened at the University and high school levels. Precisely, at the Salesian Institute High School in Valdivia. Later I will send you the program I will run with both groups. I anticipate that I will be providing a computer to the high school kids. The school offered to support the internet connection, and the bottom line is that this will be initiated to establish a national network and international as well as other working groups in the world of eco-ethics and intelligent ways of dealing with our environment.

Looking excitedly to the following weeks in Chile and awaiting your reply, sincerely yours,

Sandor Mulsow

This page was last updated on 11 August 2006.


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