Tag Archives: sustainability

Earthship PR on Earth Day


Earthship PR in Aguada, Puerto Rico

I have heard about the Earthship in Aguada for some time, but haven’t had the chance to check it out until now. It has been a working apiary (TainaSoy/Chaparro Apiaro) but recently has transformed into something magical. The Earthship PR has a lot of potential as it is still in its infancy, but it was great to see the results in the making. Based on the biotechture Earthships of Taos New Mexico, the goal is for it to be a sustainably built (using tires, cans, bottles and other “trash”) community center that is completely off grid -water, electricity and food. At this point it has a basic working rainwater system, and a very minimal solar set up (one panel) and a small garden.


Derek and Matt led the discussion

But the coolest thing to me was the structure style and re-use of the colored glass bottles to make a stain-glass effect in the dome-like huts. It felt like we were in a movie/art set. The soft edges made it seem like we were in a fairy tale setting dancing under mushroom caps. From the vision of Eco-sustainability to the community engagement (it was built nearly all from volunteer labor) and just the sheer “cool factor” this place was a true inspiration of what can be possible with a little dream and a lot of elbow grease! Check out the video below for a full tour. The Earth Day event was also a lot of fun with bomba music, local artisans and food, and just a really chill, good vibe to help us appreciate how awesome it is to live on planet Earth!


Inside the first hut


Beautiful art work


Down by the river area people were set up hanging out, playing music

Aeden checking out the glass cut outs


Me, Derek and Matt on the tour

My friend Missy with her homemade soap using goat milk and beeswax from there


They are small Dome-like structures (maybe 10×10). I enjoyed the art on the walls


Lovely heliconias in bloom


And a lot of pineapples everywhere we looked!


From the backside -a work in progress!


How the dome structures are built- tires and a rebar cage dome filled with refuse and concrete


Goat on a rope


Open every Saturday -bring food, bring support, volunteer in whatever manner you can!


People on the tour during Earth Day


Me and Aeden down by the river/quebrada area


A special thanks to David White for filming this interview

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Fort Collins Backyard Hens Article


Video of our chickens this summer

Britton stumbled upon this great article about Fort Collins’ Backyard Hen policy. So I had to email the author, Mike Taylor, and see if he had any interest in helping us with our cause. He said he is definitely interested in watching what comes out of Greeley and may even write something in his magazine. He sounds like a very interesting person, and in fact lived without going to the grocery store for a month with the help of his garden and backyard hens!

Here’s a news video of his experiment. I tried to embed it, but it won’t work, so here is the URL…

http://www.cobizmag.com/videos/view/mike-taylors-life-off-the-grid/

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Sustainability Fair in Fort Collins

On Sunday Britton, Torrie (his sister), our niece and nephew, my mom, our friend Shana and I all went out to the Sustainable Living Event in Fort Collins that is in conjunction with New Belgium Brewery. Afterward we went to the Holistic Fair in Loveland before returning home. It was pretty cool. Our nephew kept saying this was where all the hippies were, which was somewhat true if your definition of a hippie is someone with long hair, or locks, and who cares about the environment. We learned a little bit about solar power, wind power, recycling, composting, gardening, and much more. There were plenty of interesting people, good food and beer as well. There was even a booth with chickens! There was definitely an underlying political atmosphere that was pretty cool. We seem to have had a lot of opportunities for training in Puerto Rico lately.


The Group minus Cassie


Britton, Cassie, Char


Char Covered in Buttons

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