An Inspiring Ted Talk

Dear Advisor Partners,

Do you have a life goal? You know, something you relentlessly pursue no matter what comes in the way and no matter how long it takes? Well, I have a few. One of them is giving a Ted Talk. I’ve even applied a few times and plan on doing it again. What really got me into the Ted platform? Don’t laugh, it was Monica Lewinsky. I’ll wait while you finish snickering, which come to think of it, I was too when I first realized this. You see, I watched a talk she gave on cyber bullying and the impact the famous scandal had on her, (although it didn’t stop her from getting an advanced degree from an Ivy League institute). After that, I was hooked and began exploring other Ted Talks. From a 13-year-old Kenyan Maasai using lights to make peace with the lions, to my relative Dr. Sajel Bellon helping first responders with PTSD, and most recently, my friend Reyna talking about energy independence in the Galapagos Islands, they have all played a part in my inspiration.

Reyna and Roberto opened a camp some years ago in the Galapagos called Montemar, one that Big Five uses proudly and frequently as part of our long-term commitment to land-based Galapagos adventures. The camp was built with the vision of using tourism to protect the long-term habitat of the giant tortoise. However, this expanded to organic farming on site, collecting and using rainwater, and solar energy. In her Ted Talk, Reyna covers where she grew up in the city and some of the conventional items of life like grocery shopping and the power cuts as the electric grid was taxed, a challenge accepted as a part of life. Reyna also talked about trash management and the shortcoming of recycling efforts on the mainland, something I have seen personally.

Now, one could read that last paragraph and say, this is a depressing read, and move on. I wouldn’t blame you, except that it’s not. Rather this is one of our more uplifting blogs because Reyna points out that in a location as remote as Galapagos, she was able to create an experience and a property that actually overcame common complexities with sustainable construction and utilization. The coolest feature here is local lava rock, a major part of the geology of the Galapagos Islands, intricately used as a building material. Solar power provides 99% of her energy, the rainwater is harvested in ways one cannot imagine, and trash is not wasted (pun intended).

Reyna’s Ted Talk is a clinic on sustainable building and if I’m being honest, interior design (something I will never claim to excel at), the talk is in Spanish with subtitles and well worth the read as you watch.

I was mesmerized by Reyna’s talk, and I think you will be as well. So, enjoy her talk in this week’s video and check out our Ecuador & Peru program, part of our our New Energies Collection, which we built around Montemar featuring successful integrations of alternative energy to make an unforgettable client experience.