Hope Human And Wild:

In chapter two of Bill McKiben's book "Hope Human And Wild" the author dissects the South American city Curitiba. Within a country that is very much in the third world, there is a city that is moving in a direction, that I wish more cities would follow. Curitiba is a shining mecca within the country of Brazil,  a country otherwise full of corruption and greed. Cities with large populations deal with similar problems whether they are located within the third world or not. The way government officials dealt with some of these common problems in Curitiba is what this made this city interesting to me. Waste is a difficult problem to solve when a cities population reaches close to two million people. One of the ways to solve Curitiba's waste issues was a government program that exchanges garbage for food. People who inhabit the slums of Curitiba collect garbage take it to a designated location, and depending on the weight of the trash would depend on how much food they would receive. The country of Brazil also has problems with the number of children that would roam the streets, and destroy city property. Curitiba solved this common problem in a few ways. One government program that was implemented was free daycare centers any city resident. Another way they solved this issue was to employ these children to occupy their time, simple jobs were given like helping the elderly carry their groceries, cleaning up parks, and helping in community gardens. Unlike American cities that push their poor and homeless away ignoring their issues hoping they would some day disappear, Curitiba attempts to work with the poor and uneducated giving them more opportunities to find employment, housing and a better life.This is what I took the most from reading about this wonderful city in South America, government officials actually working with the people's best interest in mind.