Reforestation in Pueblo Nuevo

On Thursday morning, Carmen, Amy, the General Projects Coordinator, and Pop Wuj students arrived early at the school at 7:30am to load 75 trees onto the microbus and head off to the surrounding town of Pueblo Nuevo (New Town), outside of San Juan Ostuncalco.  We arrived in a rural area after about 45 minutes and walked another 10 minutes to an uphill area where some trees were already growing.  It was incredibly peaceful there, as the sun flooded the surrounding fields of corn and found gaps in the tree tops to shine down on the Earth floor.

We were greeted by a woman who lived nearby, Doña Regina, who spoke for several minutes about the importance of giving back to the Earth by re-planting trees that we depend on for our own lives.  She expressed a great deal of gratitude and appreciation to the students who had accompanied us on our trip, reminding us how important it is to complement class-room study with ventures into the natural world.

We added 50 trees to this area, some digging and others planting the trees, and because we had so many people we were done in about 15 minutes.  Afterwards, we remained there among the trees on the sloping land for several minutes, chatting and enjoying the beauty that surrounded us.  

Twenty-five trees were meant to go to another area to be planted, but because the area was a long distance from where we were, we opted to leave them with Doña Regina.  The students all agreed that it was a very pleasant experience, as we have all grown used to living in the hustle and bustle that is Xela.  





In contrast to the quick pace of the city, it is undeniably important for us to take time to appreciate the beauty that Guatemala’s rural highlands have to offer.  As the saplings we planted grow, so too must we, and experiences such as these in the natural world are an important component to our own growth. 

Garden and Recycling Projects

Tuesday was dedicated to a couple of the environmental projects, as our General Projects Coordinator spent the entire morning in Llanos de Pinal leading a group of students in weeding and planting new radish seeds.  It was a hot day, and the work was difficult, but after three plus hours, it was good to see the huge difference it made in the garden.  In addition to the radishes, which we planted in two beds and around the sides of the garden, onions, cabbage, and red beets make up the remainder of the vegetables.  These vegetables will be used by the Family Support Center to help off-set the cost of the food budget, one of the higher expenses in all of Pop Wuj’s projects. 

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On Tuesday afternoon, the General Projects Coordinator spent about an hour with two students sorting Pop Wuj’s recyclables, which is now required by the recycling center to which we take our plastic. Apparently, they will no longer pay the normal price for all plastic #1-7, but rather will pay the normal price for #1-5 and less (30 centavos per pound) for #6-7. 

We also walked a few blocks to the nearby recycling center, Don Tito, where we take our aluminum, glass, and tin.  Aluminum is quite valuable here, which is excellent for us, as our Thursday fundraiser for the school’s projects is predicated on drink sales.  As a result, the 8 pounds of aluminum we gave equated to 24 of the total 28 Quetzales (roughly $4 U.S.) we received for the recyclables.  We don’t recycle for the money, but it certainly doesn’t hurt when we come out ahead to help offset some of the costs associated with the environmental projects.

Reforestation: June 27 2013

Last Thursday (June 27), Pop Wuj undertook our largest reforestation effort of the year, planting nearly 400 trees (180 Oak, 180 Pino Blanco, 11 Pinabete) near the base of one of multiple mountains near the Family Support Center in Llanos del Pinal.  After convening at the Family Support Center to split into four groups and discuss the importance of giving thanks to the land by replanting trees, we ventured to private farmland in need of top-soil saving trees to plant the “arbolitos.” 

 
              

In the group with which I traveled, led by our fearless Director Carmen, the 3-5-year-old “pulgas” (or fleas, as they are affectionately called), ran ahead with smiles, laughter, and happy chatter as we carried nearly 100 arbolitos up the base of a mountain.  The walk was incredible despite the hefty weight of the trees, most carried in two canvas bags slung over the shoulders of myself and one of our social work students, Charlotte.  It was easy to appreciate the beauty of Guatemala’s rural highlands as the sky was clear and the sun was shining.

It was apparent immediately upon arrival to the farm why the trees were needed, as most trees had been cleared from a large plot of land sloping steeply downhill with corn planted everywhere.  We planted our trees intermittently across the plot of land, the hope being that they would provide stability during periods of high rain where there is risk of the top soil washing away.  

It was good to know that these trees would serve a necessary purpose for both the farmer and for the land itself- I believe the children felt a similar sense of accomplishment.  As they grow it will be good for them to return to the land where they planted these saplings, which will grow to protect the land that provides us with so much.  To show appreciation for the land, for Mother Earth, is a sacred Mayan tradition, and to keep alive this spirit of reciprocity among the young Guatemalans of the Family Support Center is to keep alive the very spirit of the indigenous culture.

Changes and Expansion!

From July 13, 2012

Next to the Family Support Center we are putting the finishing touches on our new garden. Once a greenhouse, the site was transformed to better accommodate the Family Support Center´s needs.  Jenn, a student enrolled in the Spanish Social Work program, lead renovation efforts which entailed installing raised beds, fertilizing and turning the top soil, planting new seeds and seedlings, and installing a fence. The children of the Family Support Center got in on the fun and were active participants in the transformation. They are enjoying the fruits of their labor by participating in educational lectures/activities on gardening. This week we will commemorate the opening of the garden by installing a sign indicating the name of the garden. The name will be put up to a vote for the children to decide. A new era of healthy yields await the garden!

The rainy season has produced fertile conditions for our Reforestation Project. Together with the families involved in our community development programs, Pop Wuj has shared experiences of planting trees and giving back to the earth. Our most recent work saw 100 trees of different varieties planted in Cantel. In addition, we recently planted trees on the skirt of Volcano Santa Maria with the children of the Family Support Center. On both occasions, the success of the project and the lessons involved in reforestation were of equal value.  In two weeks time, we will return to the sites to check up and to see what progress has been made with our “arbolitos.”

The increase of students has brought more life, festivities, and most of all, recyclables, to the school. To adjust, Pop Wuj has increased the number of visits to the recycling centers to one time per month, and maybe we have hosted an extra party or two. During our next visit, we will invite students to tag along and tour the centers that we visit to gain a better understanding of the recycling system in Guatemala.

In the upcoming weeks, we will continue to do what we do best: build stoves, garden, plant trees, and recycle, but that’s not all we have in store.  We have plans to decorate the inside of Pop Wuj with herbs, plants, and an array of flowers that are indigenous to Guatemala.

Stay green!

Recycling, reforestation, and the nursery

          Exciting advances are underway in the environmental program here at Pop Wuj.  Our very first Coordinator of Environmental Projects started work this week to help develop environmental projects and continue coordinating the stove project.  Currently we have three main environmental projects: recycling, reforestation, and the nursery.

            Our recycling project is aimed at creating a more efficient system of processing recyclable material both at the Pop Wuj language school (www.pop-wuj.org) and in some of the communities where Pop Wuj runs other projects.  The goal is to not only reduce the amount of waste produced by the school and rural communities but also to promote recycling in rural communities.  Additionally, collecting recyclables helps reduce the amount of plastic that families in the rural communities burn. Families often burn plastic to cook their food because it’s abundant and burns slower.We currently collect recyclable material from the Family Support Center in Llanos de Pinal, but we are looking for a way to increase the practice of recycling in more rural communities while not adding more expenditure to Pop Wuj’s budget.  There are some local recycling companies in Xela that will pay for recyclables by the pound, but after paying for transportation to the sites to drop off the material there isn’t much left over to give back to the community from which we received the recyclables.  There’s a long way to go but we are working slowly but surely to make progress.

            The ongoing reforestation project is back with the rainy season.  We are planning to hold a benefit in Xela to raise money to buy seedlings that can be planted in the communities where we work.  Additionally, a group of women from San Juan Buena Vista have formed a group to run a nursery for seedlings to be used for reforestation.  This week we will be going to visit their nursery and gain more information about their project so we can support them in whatever way possible.  The group came out of a group of women who received stoves and were inspired to do more for reforestation.  Not only does the group have positive environmental impact but it’s a way for the women of the community to organize and empower themselves.

            Finally, the nursery (formerly greenhouse) at the Family Support Center continues to be a focus of the environmental program.  Much of the information about the nursery can be found above, but our current aim is to find funding to revamp the nursery to put it back into full use.  We are also looking for a way to make the nursery self-sustaining, in other words, not in need of continual funding for such necessities as organic fertilizer, chicken wire and plastic tubing to repair unenclosed areas, and wood to repair the door.  We will also be going to the nursery this week to work on fixing it up and see what is possible for developing it in the future.