Heredia: Ecopaper at Artesanias Finas del Pueblo

The Start of the Making Paper: Old Paper
The company buys pre-consumer and some post-consumer waste white paper (seen here in the brown paper wrapped package). This paper is roughly chopped up and placed in buckets of water with bacteria to prevent molding (bottom right). The paper soaks in the water for 3 weeks after which the paper bits are put in a blender and ground up into a pulp (the long soaking makes this process easier). The plant fibers are then added the pulp is moved to the forming basins. The whole soaking and grinding process depletes the fibers that made the original paper sturdy which is why more fibers, in this case from natural sources, must be added after blending by which time most of the fiber destruction has occured. The more water goes into this mixture, the thinner the paper will be.

Pressing Paper by Hand & Mechanically
After the paper drip dries next to the basin, it is flipped off its screen onto an absorbant fabric (in this case a thin synthetic wool). Water is manually squeezed out with a cup made from bamboo (shown top left). The screen is then removed and another sheet of fabric placed ontop of the paper. This process is repeated until a large stack is formed. The stack is then un-stacked and reformed making sure every sheet of paper is completely flat and adding a sheet of metal under each piece of paper. The new stack is then placed in a press where more water is mechanically squeezed out (shown bottom right).

Warehouses & Sample Paper
Molinos Tierra Verde or Artesanías Finas del Pueblo specializes in recycled paper products made with natural, Costa Rican fibers. The six most used fibers are grass, corn, pineapple, banana, fern, and coffee. Other fibers, mostly agricultural by-products, are collected from local farmers markets and farms and include cabuya, melon, and pine-needles. Most paper produced is anywhere from 10 to 80% fiber with high fiber counts resulting in grainier and more rustic-looking papers that can be used for covers. The plant also produces some 100% fiber paper to be used for decorative binding covers. Also, if fiber is cooked before being added to the paper pulp, a much thinner and smoother paper can be produced. A sample of several different fiber counts and fiber types is shown above (center, bottom). After the paper is produced, the paper products are made at the plant in the on-site warehouse and cutting shed (shown above, left). Here large sheets of paper are cut to size, bound, and printed. Once production is complete, finished and packaged goods are kept in an off-site warehouse where visiting students and store-owners can purchase goods (shown above, right).

Drying Paper

After mechanical squeezing, the paper is unstacked and each sheet of paper, on its sheet of metal, is placed on a shelf inside a drying oven (shown above). At this plant, the oven is heated using scrap wood from around the farm and from other local farms. Due to inefficiencies in design, the oven here only reaches a temperature of about 45°C at which temperature the paper must be dried for about 3 hours. Also, the paper must be rotated through the oven during these three hours since some parts of the oven dry faster than others. In a more efficient oven, temperatures of about 80°C would dry the paper in about 10 minutes. After drying, paper is sorted by quality and weight: high, medium, and low, and very thin, semi-thin, and thick. Very thin paper is compressed and flattened one final time in a paper press for a few hours before being cut, decorated, and bound, and otherwise finished for sale.

Newly Made Paper

Once the paper pulp and fiber mix is moved in the forming basins. Basins can be any size or shape but for a comercial plant should be large with straight sides and a large enough mouth to easily fit a screen of the desired size. The screen is used to pull an even layer of pulp and fiber out of the water-pulp-fiber mixture in the basin. The screen is pushed into the mixture in the basin and then lifted out, always keeping it as horizontal as possible, and then set on a rack to the side of basin to drip dry (shown here) while the next screen is lowered into the mixture. The screen used here is made from mosquito netting and nylon ornamental sunscreen stretched over a metal frame.

María Giovanna Huarado
María Giovanna Huarado (shown here, center, talking to two EEI students) started working with Molinos Tierra Verde four years ago as an administrator of sorts. She manages paper marketing and output as well as helping with development of new products. Currently the market for natural paper is down due to the high number of producers for a limited and almost completely international (as opposed to local) market. María is working to increase quality to minimize profit losses as well as seeking out venders so they can sell paper more directly. The company also makes products to special order and is working on a line of greeting cards with their recycled paper, but lined with re-used paper for easier writing, to sell in the Costa Rican market. María hopes that Ticos will buy their new products despite the lack of flashy Western modernity before other companies start copying their idea. This lack of time is an issue for all of the companies products as paper “factories” cannot copyright their ideas either in method of paper production or in design of products (binding of notebooks, style of photo album, or greeting cards lined with re-used paper).

Author: Sami Nichols

La Tigra: Bosque de los Ninos (Children's Rain Forest)

BEN: Education Center

This is a picture outside of the 'Aula' (classroom). We went to this classroom when we first arrived at Bosque de los Niños. Here, we met with Tory who is the responsible for communication with various groups. Tory gave a power point presentation of Bosque de los Niños. Usually, this classroom is used for children to perform different educational activities. Also, volunteers and workers use this room as a kitchen and even a bathroom which are located inside. After Tory´s presentation, we went a hike in the forest. Later we returned here to eat our lunch. There are many other classrooms and biological field stations located at Bosque de los Niños.

Aula Classroom- Bosque de los Niños
This is a picture of the inside of the Aula classroom. Here, Tory gave a very ellaborate presentation of Bosque de los Niños. She began her lecture talking about the background of Bosque de los Niños (BEN) and it´s relationship with Monteverde Conservation League. After, she told us how the community is heavily involoved with BEN. Local farmers, children, and adults work with BEN in order to create a sustainable society. Also, Tory mentioned that BEN was also in collaboration with MINAE and other non-governmental organizations. BEN has benefits the environment involving reforestation and watershed projects.

 

   

Guides of Bosque de los Niños
The man on the left is our main trail guide. The women on the right is Tory who gave a us a presentation of Bosque de los Niños prior to our walk. Our trail guide was quite knowledgable in the forest. He knew of old traditions using the forest´s resources. For instance, he showed us leaves that were used as roofing on his house as a child. Also, he showed us leaves that were used for shining shoes and other plants that were taken as medicine. I thought that was cool because I realized how much things have changed in Costa Rica over 50 years. It´s nice that he can still tell stories of traditional Costa Rica.

 

Waterfall
As we were walking on the trail, we came across a beautiful waterfall. The water was very clear and uncontaminated. Tory told us that the water was clean enough to drink directly from the stream. Our professor, Dr. Miguel Karian, dipped his whole head in the water. Other students tested the water as well. I did not noticed any fish in the water. It was very slippery walking across the rocks, however, no one fell in the water. On our walk back, we saw another stream that was very similar to this one. To me, this was one of the most beautiful spots in Bosqe de los Niños.

Pilon and Miguelito
This is a picture of our professor Miguel hugging the Pilon tree. The Pilon tree is my favorite tree in Costa Rica. It is an enormous tree. The tree is a native species of Costa Rica. The Pilon´s scientific name is hieronyma alchorneoides. It is also a popular tree for deforesting because it has very strong and hard wood. Also, the wood is resistent to termites. I have seen this tree in many different locations of Costa Rica. However, it is mostly found in the Northern and Atlantic Zones. Pilones survive the best in humid tropical forests. Even though, I have seen this tree in many places, the number of trees has been reduced considerably. Save the Rain Forest to enjoy the beautiful and magnificent Pilon tree!!






 

Learning about Bosque de los Niños
During our hike in Bosque de los Niños, we discovered the different species in the forest. One tree produces flammable sap. This sap provides light when you get lost, and fire when you need to cook or get warm. The Palmeras tree is another species that is beautiful. Poachers chop the tree because everyone wants it in their house. Another favorite tree of mine is the monkey latter. It swirls up a tree and looks like a set of stairs for a monkey´s house. It is crazy to realize that this area was once exploited as a banana plantation and now it´s an enchanting forest.

 Author: Anne Christoff

Palmares: Madre Verde Community Conservation

Madre Verde & Earth Education International
This sign was made for us by Madre Verde. It reads ¨Education International Para La Tierra, ¨ which is Earth Education International in Spanish. It represents our group of nine people from all walks of life who share a common goal. We all came to Costa Rica to learn, and gain experience in helping to contribute to a sustainable and peaceful future through global and regional studies, cultural immersion, cooperative problem-solving, and self-exploration. The sign was planted with our nine trees. Between the sign, and our nine trees, the group of the first ever Earth Education International will be always represented and remembered.

Madre Verde, Planting Trees
The first ever Earth Education International contributes to reforestation. Each person in our group was given a tree from the foundation. The group was designated an area in the forest to dig our holes and plant our trees. The area will forever represent Earth Education International and our goal of learning about and helping our planet. Our small contribution to help this reforestation project is a big step in the right direction. The definition of reforestation is: the process of restoring and recreating areas of woodlands or forest that once existed but were deforested or otherwise removed or destroyed at some point in the past. This was the first time for many people in the group to plant a tree, how exciting! Ironically it rained the whole time we planted our trees and through out the day as well, which is the perfect time for planting! Our trees had an amazing view of Palmares and a small valley. The tree planting was apart of a ceremony for our group. Miguel read us an extremely heart filled and super inspiring poem along with the goals and mission of our group as a Whole. He gave us certificates signifying our achievements in the program, and Earth Education International hats! Thanks Miguel!

Madre Verde, Environmental Educational Center
This is the educational center in Madre Verde. All of the schools in the area come to Madre Verde to teach the children about various environmental education. It is an area where kids can come into nature to help them understand the importance nature, physically and visually. This educational center also offers classes and events such as dinners and tree planting days. The people of the foundation also have many hopes and plans for the future of the education center. While we were there, there was a kitchen and offices being build next to the center.

Madre Verde: Walk Through the Forest
The gentleman in this photo is Willam Garcia, the administrator of the foundation Madre Verde. He is from Palmares. The foundation is made up of the people in the community but there are five main people who are representatives for the foundation. Willam taught us about the history of the area and the foundation. He lead us on an educational walk through the forest. There were beautiful views of the valley, Palmares and San Ramon.

Madre Verde, View
Madre Verde is a foundation started by the people in the community of Palmares. The people of Palmares destroyed their forests for land in order to grow tobacco and coffee, to make money to send their children to school. Because of the lack of forest, the community eventually lost their water source due to poor watershed. This loss of water is what motivated and educated the community on the importance of their natural resources and forests. In turn, the foundation was created with the purpose to recover and conserve the forests and the watershed in the area. This is a photo of the forests in the reserve. Madre Verde has three concepts for their forests: natural regeneration, reforestation, and conservation.

Madre Verde, Green forest!
This is a photo of us on our walk. This is the point in the walk where we first entered the section of the forest that was being conserved. As soon as you walk in this section, there was an amazing change in climate. Everything was very green; the temperature of the air was cooler, and moister. We were hit with the unique lush smell of a forest! On the other side of this photo was the area of reforestation. Everything was much dryer. It is still in the process of recovering from deforestation. This valley is an are of watershed, making the presents of a forest very important to the community and its water source. This just represents the importance and a forest in an area. With trees, the water and nutrients area better held in the soil and in the area, hoping to recuperate the community’s water sources.

Author: Nicole Lynch

Sabana Grande, Nicaragua: Solar Photovoltaic Panel Construction

Photovoltaic Battery Chargers--Attaching Wires to the Panel
This is a photo on the left is of Chris in the middle stages of finishing a single panel. First he separated the black and red wire. He connected and soldered the conductive strip to the duplex wire, the red wire to the front of the panel, which is the positive side, and the black with to the back side of the panel which was the negative side. Here Chris is soldering each wire to the correct side. Again, he used the soldering iron and the tine wire as glue like substance. Next, we drilled holes into this metal. The metal parts are what hold the batteries. After the holes were drilled, the next step was to screw the metal onto a small wood piece making it a complete structure to hold the batteries. Next we connected the black and red wires to the battery holders, which fully connecting the panel to the battery! Each of us made our own individual panels and took it home with us to charge batteries and to educate others to spread to word about the power of solar power!

 

Photovoltaic Battery Chargers--Soldering the Cells Together
Nicki, Devon, Chris, and Danielle worked with Grupo Fenix to make photovoltaic solar panels. Grupo Fenix is a non-profit organization supporting renewable energy and sustainable development in Nicaragua, especially in low-income communities. These panels are small version of a solar panel, and are used for charging four double A or triple A batteries. Many houses in the community used big solar panels to provide energy to their houses. The first step in making the solar panel was to form a ¨chain¨ of four photovoltaic cells by soldering the conductive strip to the cell with tin. The tin wire was melted onto the tip of the soldering iron and used as glue like substance. The positive side of one cell must be joined to the negative side of the other cell, forming a connection is series. These cells are the main component of a solar panel, they are what gathers the energy from the sun, and directly converts it into energy. The cells are donated to Groupo Fenix and the community or sold at a very low price. We soldered four cells together with the soldering iron you see here in Devon’s hand. The iron was very hot, and was held like a pencil. It was fairly easy to use, yet it took a few tries to get the hang of it!

Photovoltaic Battery Chargers: Applying Adhesive

In this step we made the frame for our photovoltaic chargers. For this we needed a cut-to-fit rectangle of glass 4mm in diameter, 9cm in width and 18cm in length. Next we made the frame around the piece of glass. Each piece of the frame is 1cm wide and is made of Reten, which is the same metal commonly used for the roofs of Nicaraguan homes. We applied silicone on each side of the frame, using a glue gun of sorts and set the glass in place by building the frame around it. We let this dry for about ten minutes. Next, transparent silicone is mixed in a separate container until the consistency is much like cake batter. At this point we used a spoon to layer the sheet of glass with the silicone liquid, (as Mauro is demonstrating for us here) while avoiding touching the sides with precision. We allowed the liquid to settle out, so that it evenly covered the entire glass sheet and we were then ready for the next step.

Photovoltaic Battery Chargers:
Gluing Cells to the Panel
The substantial mixing of the silicon in the previous step is essential to avoid bubbling. If the silicone dries with many bubbles, it defects the solar cell capability because the bubbles block the sun. Once we made sure that we had minimized the bubbles, we were ready to place the chain of cells onto the glass. The negative side (dark blue) faces down in order to attract the suns rays and accordingly, the positive side faces up. The conductive strips (which extend from both ends of the chain) must lay on the outside of the frame, so they may be connected to the red and black duplex wire #20. In this photo, Danielle and Devon are gently pressing the chains down into the silicone because the cells are extremely delicate (as Chris learned the hard way). If one cell breaks, the whole process of soldering must start all over again. After the slight mishap Chris encountered, all the cells were successfully
ready to move onto the next step.

Photovoltaic Battery Chargers--Panel Testing
This is a photo of Danielle and Nicki with a solar panel in the making and a multimeter that measures the voltage and the amps of the panel. Each time we would make an addition to our panel we needed to go into the sun and check to see if our panel was still efficient. We checked the efficiency and voltage of the panel by connecting the meter and the panel. We proceeded to do this after each addition: after we soldered the four cells together, after we added the red and black wire for positive and negative connection onto the panel, after we mounted our panel into their metal frame with the silicone and covering it with a waterproof blue fabric, and after we added the actual battery holder to the other end of the wires. Everyone was successful with every check up with the mulitmeter! The amount of energy a solar panel can produce will strongly depend on the weather; the clouds, rain, and the actual amount of sun that day. This day was rainy and cloudy, yet our panels were still collecting and producing energy from the sun!



Photovoltaic Battery Chargers--The Final Product!
We have now completed the process of making the 1.5 volt photovoltaic solar battery chargers. This is thanks to the tremendous efforts of Groupo Fenix and two men in the village of Sabana Grande, Mauro and Mario. In this photo Devon, Niki, Chris and Danielle are proudly standing with Mauro and their completed products. Mauro and Mario are both certified electrical technicians employed by Groupo Fenix. They have both been trained how to build and install photovoltaic cells and solar panels. Through their work, they have improved their own lives as well as the standard of living for their community as a whole. Many tourists come annually to learn from these men and appreciate all their successes. Much of the community is off of the electricity grid, thanks to solar energy. These men continue their efforts in expanding the use of renewable energy to surrounding communities and even on a larger scale to nearby farms. We are eternally grateful to these men and Groupo Fenix for the life skills they have given us. It is now up to us to pass on this vital information to our own communities.

Author: Nicole Lynch

Sabana Grande, Nicaragua: Adobe Construction

Hope for the Future
Mujeres Solares de Totogalpa is a fantastic example of a group focused on sustainability and the empowerment of women. Most of the work that is going into the project is based on the hope that the center will be a success and provide jobs for future generations.

Building a Composting Toilet with Adobe
This was our main volunteer project for Mujeres Solares. It is a composting toilet located behind the center and became a priority for the group when they learned that they were losing access to the latrine that they currently use across the street. It is located behind the Center at the back of the property. Pictured here are Kelly Wassell (on left) and Claire Wingerd applying mortar between the layers of adobe. The corner pieces (seen at far right) are placed first to ensure that the layer of adobe is plumb before the rest of the blocks are put on. With our help the group was able to get about a meter of wall completed in one morning!

Original Dream of Solar Women's Center
This is the original plan created by one of the children of the members of Mujeres Solares. The dream and the plans have changed a bit, and even more now that they are actually constructing the buildings. But we thought this one represented the center the best.

'Mujeres Solares' Adobe Construction
In this picture, we are preparing mortar to help build an adobe bathroom for Solares Mujueres. On the left, we are smashing old (cracked) adobe bricks to re-use them. Then, we make a small pile with the adobe dirt and create a crater (hole) in the middle. After that, we mixed it with water. We were able to tell when it became mortar as it turned it a thick muddy substance. Finally, it was ready to glue the adobe bricks together to make a bathroom. It might not look very hard, but it was strenuous labor. We had fun while making it too!

Nearly-finished Solar Women's Center
This picture was taken from the side facing the InterAmerican Highway, in front of the tool shed. The building utilizes a raised foundation of concrete to keep the rain from eating away the adobe, and the group found it difficult to find a legal source for the lumber used to hold up locally-fired tile roof. The pile of material in the foreground is waiting to be used for the stucco finish.










 

 Author: Nicole Lynch

La Fortuna: La Catarata Ecolodge

La Catarata - Arenal
Photo taken from La Catarata Pathway. In the background is Arenal Volcano. La Catarata was the first tourist accommodation in the area. They began a small neighborhood and have developed into a fully functioning, environmentally friendly community. The owners of La Catarata serve on the Pro Environmental and Sustainable Development Association. They have helped develop the area in environmentally friendly ways and have taught many in the ways of the environment.

Las Cabinas
In this picture you can see the Cabinas that were part of the original construction of La Catarata. In the beginning they only had eight cabins and a restaurant. They had no previous experience in running a tourist accommodation, but they did so well with their first customers that the customers wrote to Lonely Planet and raved about how this was a must see in Costa Rica.





 

Working Hard

The men in this picture are building another set of cabinas to add to the 16 already available at La Catarata. This is an example of how the people of La Catarata have gotten the local people involved. Not only have they given back to the environment, they have given back to the local people as well.

Pool Party

This picture shows the pool at La Catarata Ecolodge. It was added to the grounds a few years ago. When the Ecolodge first came into being, the women running it had to bring bed materials and cooking supplies from thier houses, because they didn´t have the money to buy them. Eventually enough profits were made to reinvest in project. This pool is an example of how for they have come since the beginning.

Paca
This is a picture of a native species of Costa Rica. It is a Paca. La Catarata has started multiple projects over the years to give back to the environment. This mammal is an endangered species and the people at La Catarata have been trying to breed them back into a sustainable population. This is just one of many projects they have started to improve the environment.

Solar Cooking
A very cool contraption on the grounds of La Catarata, this solar cooker, as displayed by his awesomeness, Dr. Miguel Karian, is another environmentally friendly addition to the Ecolodge. In this photo, our professor, Dr. Karian, is teaching of the effectiveness of solar cooking and the science behind it. This is a ´parabolic dish´system. There are many more systems that all rely on the same basic principle of harnessing the sun´s radiation to produce heat for cooking.

Author: Chris Coats

Playa Langosta: Las Baulas National Park

 

Olive Ridley's Baby Sea Turtle
A Baby Olive Ridley's Sea Turtle. We kept it at camp during the day and released it into
the ocean with it's brothers and sisters at night, when chances of survival were higher.

Leatherback Sea Turtle Baby
Two leatherback babies hatched while we were on site. Like the Olive Ridley's, they were kept at camp until the night patrols. While the shells of all baby turtles are soft, the shells of the Leatherbacks aren't true shells at all and will never become fully 'hard' - living up to their name of Leatherback.

¿Donde Esta la Tortuga?

This was one of the babies that hatched during our time at Las Baulas. I believe that he/she was one of about 65 in the nest that had hatched the night before. This night we sent all of the little babies off in to the big blue to achieve their destiny. They were struggling to wake up that night because I think they had fallen asleep in the day while awaiting the departure (not that they had any idea what was going on). or maybe they do-- once they started to awaken from their slumber that night on the beach, they just charged right into the ocean-- those lil troopers. they have to be one in a thousand to make it back here to lay their eggs in 30 years-- good luck little buddies!



Voluntarios on a Mission This was right before we left to go on our second to last night of patrolling the beach. When patrolling beach, we walked up and down 3k each time, 4 times a night. The patrolling period was 3 hours long and there were two shifts- one from 7pm to 10pm and a second from 10pm to 1am. When participating in the second shift, we take the temperatures of all the nests along the beach. On this night we were the second group and on the last leg of our walk we came across a mother leatherback-- no a rock-- no, it was a mama leatherback! I was jumping up and down and so excited as she was hurling herself onto the beach. We ran up the beach to wait for her. This process can take a while, so we sat quietly staring in the dark, trying to make out what was going on. All of a sudden we realized that she was turning around. "Why?" we asked Alejandro-- he explained that the tide was too low and that it was too difficult for her to make it to the part of the beach where it was safe to lay her eggs. He also said that she would return. The next night we saw another mama and assisted her in the birthing-- it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I loved this project-- every single thing about it-- even the incredibly rustic living conditions, I could seriously have stayed forever.

Taking Tortuga Measurements This picture was taken late at night on our final patrol of the beach. We came across this leather back turtle in our last 100 yards of patrolling. It might be hard to see in the picture, but we are measuring the size of the turtle and catching her eggs in a bag. We relocated them just a few yards away so that they were out of reach of high tide. Sami is really the only person in the picture. She counted 147 eggs. However, only 45 of them were actually fertilized.

Relocation of Turtle Eggs
This photo shows Sami relocating the eggs we got from the leatherback to a safer place. She carefully took each individual egg and placed them in a hole that our guide had dug just a few yards higher up on the beach. It was a very interesting experience for all of us. In fact Sami was asleep and we ran back and got her so that she could see a leatherback sea turtle before we left the next morning. It was quite an adventure that will never be forgotten.

Las Baulas National Park
You see this small building right when you walk up to the park from the street. This particular building is the kitchen. Attached to it are; a sink (for brushing your teeth) and a shower. The sink can also be used to wash your clothes. It is very rustic, but great because you live a simple life.

The Tide Pools at Las Baulas
This is where you live the camp site and have a beautiful beach. As the tide goes out, tide pools form. Here, you can find many species. For instance, there are crabs, eels, starfish, sea urchins, and other tropical fish. You can easily make it out to these tide pools to catch your own tropical fish!

Las Baulas: The Hangout
This is a picture of me, Eddie, Dani, and Chris. This is were we would hang out at night before or after our night patrol. Here we would play cards, talk, listen to music, and possibly homework. Eddie was our guide/leader for night patrol. I miss this spot more than ever! This night we went out for patrol at ten so this was around eight.

Living Conditions: The Bunk Beds
This is where we slept at Las Baulas. There is a thin mattress above wood slates. It was very important to strategically place the woods slates. If you did not, you would have a very uncomfortable sleep. There were ten bunks here, but there are six more bunks on the other side. The floor is dirt too. It looks bad, but it was a blast if you could believe it!!!

Authors: Sami Nichols, Chris Coats, Devon Howard, Anne Christoff

Guatuso: Maleku Indigenous Reserve

Traditional Maleku Construction
Our Club Cabaña, half finished, but still a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the breeze, with two hammocks and mattresses for the afternoon siesta. We helped with a small portion of the
finishing touches of its construction. See next picture.

Assisting With Constructing a Traditional 'Rancho'
The Moreras are building the interior walls of the cabaña with cane, culminating in a simple yet exquisite result. This arduous process consists of first harvesting the cane, transporting it to the building site, measuring out each thin piece, cutting it to size, and finally, nailing it into place. We never knew how hard it was to nail round objects until this project, especially in a corner! This small triangular area took two of us about three hours to complete!

Claire Wingred Raking Leaves off a Trail
In our first project, we cleared the trails throughout the community´s demonstration forest. Most of their land is cleared for agriculture, but some of the remaining areas of forest are dedicated to education, conservation, and tourism. We walked about two kilometers from the center of the community, through La Finca Nica, which is a farm where we stopped to gather oranges for refreshments. This was where our leader, Alex, taught us about many different plants and trees the Maleku use for medicinal, housing, clothing, and aesthetic purposes.

Medicinal Plants of the Maleku
This plant is called Cora in Maleku, or Barija Negra in Spanish. This particular plant was found in the demonstration forest where we cleared trails. One can use the terminal bud to alleviate the affects of certain snakebites. When bitten take the bud and cover it in saliva, press it in to the bite, and wrap it in place. “¡No hay problema!” as Alex kept repeating. This is one example of how the Maleku put their faith in nature, sure that it will provide all of their needs.

The Maleku: A Cultural and Environmental Experience
The Morera family has been an initiating force in Tonjibe for about ten years now. "Tafa" Morera had a vision of preserving and reviving Maleku culture through Eco-Cultura, an organization committed to educating their community and others about their traditional ways. The Eco-Cultura provides an on-reserve income for the community beyond agriculture. It offers educational walks hikes through a forest, traditional ceremonial viewings, a unique cultural experience, with a large emphasis on art. All the art is made on the reserve by the creative Maleku people. The art includes wood carved masked, beautiful paintings full of color, drums made with wood and iguana skin, and necklaces made from seeds and wood. Tafa died nine months previous to our visit but his vision lives in his family and the community. They were truly unique, creative, open hearted, and passionate and proud of their culture. The people and culture were the reason our experience was so indescribable. Names: (top to bottom, left to right) Kelly, Ninica, Wendy, Angela, Claire, Wilson, Nicole, and the amazing Alex!

Author: Nicole Lynch