Vincent Carlisle Espínola

Protocol and External Relations - University of Alcalá

Today's Date: January 31, 2007

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

My first visit to Iguassu Falls, before moving to Europe--walking next to the immense waterfalls was definitely a breathtaking experience. There, I was also able to walk through the tropical forest and encounter pumas, koatís, and other animals up-close.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Yes, a wonderful hillside/valley full of coconut trees and pine tress, with a cascade cutting through the hills.

Now? No. It is difficult to find "great outdoors" in Europe. I enjoy any piece of land, even the smallest one, and don't expect "great" outdoors... in doing so, I enjoy being outdoors always, and if I do encounter something "great" in Europe, I'm even more pleased and in communion with nature.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

Macaws. Their brilliant-colored plumage and ability to speak on repetition, apart from the fact the I used to have a couple of macaws as pets when I was young.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

The greatest challenge nowadays is to make the government of the USA comply with the Kyoto Treaty. It is outrageous that the country that most pollution creates is precisely the one who was not signed, nor ratified, nor respects this environmental Treaty.

The greatest challenge (now and for the future) is to make people more conscious of the need to recycle. The populations of the so-called "advanced, first world" are those who most trash generate in the world (especially in the USA), and therefore it is essential to create collective consciousness that a) space is finite (and so are dump plots); b) a great percentage of our trash can be recycled; c) excessive trash and debris damage our ecosystem, and we can reduce this damage by recycling.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Try to reuse things as much as you can, since resources are finite. If you can't reuse them, then recycle!