Atahualpa Caldera Sosa - Biologist & Watershed Expert

Atahualpa Caldera Sosa .

Atahualpa Caldera Sosa, biologist and watershed management expert, delivered a fascinating lecture to the Rotary Mid-day Club of San Miguel de Allende yesterday. I must admit that Ata has really inspired me to learn more about living sustainably. His family lives around 15 minutes outside of San Miguel de Allende on a property that is a model of sustainable living -- adobe house, solar panels, dry (compost) toilets, a windmill, solar oven, and a water collection system with filtration and a 90,000-liter cistern. Through his non-profit organization, Grupo de Acción Ambiental Interdisciplinaria A.C., Ata offers tours and workshops on how to construct and maintain some of these alternative energy systems.

Ata received his degree in Biology from the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM) and recently completed his Masters Degree in Watershed Management at the Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro (UAQ). Ata has participated in various workshops and seminars in Mexico and abroad in Germany and Canada. He was Coordinator of Projects concerning Natural Protected Areas, Ecotourism and Compost for Organizacion Accion y Desarrollo Ecologico A.C. He also worked for the Ecology Department in Cuernavaca and the Environmental Management Program at the University of Morelos. In San Miguel he was Coordinator of Environmental Education for Save the Laja.

Ata is also a co-producer of an award-winning documentary directed by Francesco Taboada Tabone called 13 Pueblos: en defensa del agua, el aire y la tierra (defending water, air and land), Winner of Premio Rigoberta Menchu at the Montreal 2008 People's Festival.

"In the future, wars will be fought over water, but in Mexico the war has already begun. This documentary contemplates Mexico’s destiny, telling the story of the struggle of its indigenous people to preserve their natural resources and their cultural identity (Cine Las Americas)."

Click to go to a blog for the film.