What can this remote Colombian island teach us about living sustainably?

The islanders of Santa Cruz Del Islote have no access to public facilities like running freshwater, electrical grids or sewage networks — and have little in the way of natural resources. So what can they teach us about living with less?

Located just off the northwest coast of Colombia, Santa Cruz del Islote is only a little bigger than a football pitch. It’s home to an eclectic mix of about 500 islanders who don’t have access to the public facilities we’re accustomed to.

With a lack of these facilities, simple chores like washing dishes become an activity that requires an admirable amount of sharing and cooperation. Residents must take care of their water supply, and put a great emphasis on making careful use of their resources.

Everything from food to fun is shared for the benefit of all.

To dive deeper into this fascinating community, Colombia’s largest bank, Bancolombia worked with Google, creative agency SanchoBBDO and MediaMonks to produce a Street View-like recreation of Santa Cruz del Islote.

Residents of Santa Cruz del Islote told their personal stories about life on the island when it comes to their economy, community, and the wider ecology of the world.

According to the FAO — the UN’s reporting body when it comes to food and agriculture — 30% of marine fish are overexploited, depleted or in recovery.

When our food goes out of date, we throw it out and go to the store. But the islanders on Santa Cruz Del Islote don’t have that luxury. They rely on fishing to sustain themselves and have done for generations.

And as human effects like overfishing and pollution cause growing problems to marine life, communities just like Santa Cruz del Islote will be the first to feel the effects.

Blas Enrique Mesa Medrano is a fisherman on the island. He’s seen the island’s fishing activity grow — and has felt the problems overfishing is causing first-hand.

It has long been known that our current rate of global consumption is too high. Our seas are overfished, our forests cleared, and our oceans acidified. And just like Blas, making efforts to mitigate this consumption is the basis of sustainability.

But it’s not just food and waste that is a problem: it’s what surrounds the island. Only 1% of the earth’s water is drinkable — and the islanders must make sure they take great care of their freshwater supply.

Water is everywhere, but on Santa Cruz Del Islote, there’s not a drop to waste.

How much does a glass of water cost? More than we think.

On Santa Cruz del Islote, when people do not have the means to access something, they join together and thus, by sharing, they are able to have a better quality of life — from paying energy bills to feeding their families.

“Fishing that is sufficient for one can be enough for us all” says Jorge Luis, a fisherman on the island. Jorge has experienced in the past that the growing problem of overfishing means partnership is key on the island.

The island has a general store, run by Susana Castillo. According to the UN’s FAO organization, as much as one third of the food produced in the world ends up in the trash — but she goes as far as selling half a tomato to help islanders who can’t afford a whole one.

“When I first started the store a lot of people from the island would come and tell me they didn’t have enough to eat.” says Susana, one of the island’s experts in sustainable consumption.

“The nicest thing on this island is sharing with people, my friends. I sell half a tomato because sometimes people are poor and they don’t have enough to buy a whole one.” adds Susana.

But food is only one part the economic equation. Like the rest of us, residents of Santa Cruz del Islote also have bills to pay for a generator. Rocio Baros de Hoyas is president of the island’s community council. When her father passed away, she came to live on the island to continue his work.

Every action is an opportunity to teach by example — and children learn by imitation. While Santa Cruz Del Islote doesn’t have a high school yet, children are still taught from an early age from kindergarten through junior school.

“We like each other a lot here, we are friendly. People who come and stay fall in love with the island because of what people are like. My mother died when I was 5. I had very little time with her, what she left me was to teach children to be better people, to love others without expecting anything in return.” says Caterine, one of the island’s kindergarten teachers.

By focusing on sharing and love, the teachers of the island hope to grow the lessons of sustainability — not just on the island, but for all. The islanders police themselves, and it starts by learning to care for the world and others around them.

Deivis Zuniga Pena is one of the island’s volunteer coaches.

The island has a small hospital with facilities for vaccination, general health and dentistry. Medical experts periodically arrive from offshore — but babies are delivered here by the island’s midwives. Marciana Hidalgo Castillo is one of them.

Ensuring a better future for everyone begins by taking care of their children. Sustainable development means investing in those who will guarantee its development in the future.

That’s the reason behind the School of Sustainability. Thank you to the islanders, Bancolombia, Google, and SanchoBBDO.

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