Although it may be considered something very funny or part of Ecuadorian culture, the truth is that on this date the number of fires and injuries from burns increases. “As a paramedic, I have seen how horrible it is to see families left homeless, people who lose their hands or have severe burns all over their bodies, dying people in agony and families in pain wishing it had never happened or wishing they would no longer suffer,” says Richard Pizarro, paramedic.
This is without taking into account the issue of pollution. Francisco Plaza, from the Foundation against Noise, Polluted Air and Smoking (Funcorat), states that the sulphur dioxide generated by the burnings accentuates asthma, allergies and conjunctivitis, as harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and dioxide and even lead are released.
A small firebox, for example, contains a large amount of mercury, and the devils release white phosphorus, which when combusted generates smoke, which is absorbed by the respiratory system and can lodge in the lungs.
According to a study carried out two years ago by Funcorat, after the years burn, a cloud forms that takes 15 to 20 days to dissolve in Guayaquil. In Quito, it takes approximately one month.
Since burning effigies is a symbolic act that causes terrible environmental and social problems, ESPOL's EcoClub proposes another symbolic act that is much less polluting and does not threaten the safety of citizens. Our symbolic act is inspired by the reforestation technique known as Nengo Dango.
Nengo Dango is a reforestation method developed by Masanobu Fukuoka. It consists of making clay balls filled with seeds and compost. Once dry, they are thrown into the chosen area without any criteria. The more, the better.
Fukuoka speaks of the “culture of doing nothing,” that is, letting nature decide which seedlings will survive and which will not. Our proposal is: When families, coworkers, or groups of friends celebrate the end of the year, instead of burning a tree, all members of the family should go to a grove, forest, or park in the city and choose a tree of their choice. That tree will represent the new year that is about to begin. On the branches of the selected tree, each member of the family will hang small signs that represent the wishes and goals they hope to accomplish in this new year.
Previously, each person must have made as many nengo dangos as they can (at least twelve, for each month of the year) with seeds from native trees in the area. Each member must stand at a distance of 3 meters from the tree and begin to throw the nengo dangos trying to hit the signs.
If the nengo dango thrown hits the sign, the person who threw it will have their wish granted next year. If it doesn't hit, they can try again with another nengo dango they made, and the more nengo dangos they make, the better. There are more chances of making our wishes for the coming year come true. This way, if someone misses their shot, they are at least helping to reforest a green area.
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