President's Message

Antonio Flores Plascencia
President of Amigos del Lago de Chapala, A.C.

We of Amigos del Lago agree on the meaning of “sustainable development”. It means finding a balance between economic and ecological points of view, a balance that can best be achieved through a process of citizen participation that considers policies and cultural dimensions, along with consideration of how the wealth generated is distributed. Overall, sustainable development is a form of growth and activities that don’t use up or degrade the natural resources for those current and future generations who also depend on economic growth.

The Amigos del Lago organization was born as a regional response to the global history of very diverse social movements that address the crises of modernity. Modern development has done tremendous damage to the environment and has led to the destruction of the world’s ecosystems, including the ecosystem of Lake Chapala and the Lerma-Santiago watershed area.

There is no question that, for Amigos del Lago de Chapala, part of the cultural dimension of sustainability is the principle that people with different world views—speaking of the different nationalities that live together here on a daily basis—must work together for a common purpose: the pleasure of living here on the shores of Lake Chapala. Ideas from our different cultures are the building blocks to ensure there is room for different world views; for the lake is multi-racial, and our concern and efforts will be to demonstrate that, yes, we can have a sustainable society.

The above is an excerpt from the president's inaugural speach, given in  Ajijic, Jalisco on March 26, 2007 at the General Assembly of the Sociedad de Amigos del Lago de Chapala, A.C. For the full text, click here