EARTH & US: Sancocha and Sustainable Technologies
Last Sunday, Joe and Jessica and friends hosted a milestone event on the land at Origen del Agua. A “Sancocha” is a traditional feast shared with neighbors, that features a huge pot of vegetable stew (also called sancocha) cooked on an open fire, fire-roasted chicken, salsa, rice, a dessert of salpichon (finely chopped fruits in juice), and plenty of beer. All the neighbors of the land were invited, as well as the members of the 7-sibling family who sold the land to Joe, Jessica and the Earth Regenerator network for restoration. About 25–30 people showed up in the course of the day.
The preparations were intense: a truck was hired, chairs and a metal structure for shade cloth were rented, shade cloth bought and hung, and a fire pit created on Saturday. Jessica purchased food and beer. On Sunday at about 7am, after rain that continued all night and into the morning, Jessica and I rode a tuk-tuk (motorcycle with flimsy passenger cart) up to the land. The mud on the steep roads was so slick that we had to get out four times and push, but we got there! “Lisso,” Carlos the driver would say, and I would echo “Lissisimo!” (Slippery, very slippery!) Feeling the motorcycle skidding around was scary. My sandals were thickly coated with mud when we arrived!
On the way, Jessica pointed out the home of an ally and neighbor, who had a pineapple farm. But that neighbor, bearing gift pineapples, did not arrive until after we’d already prepared the salpichon. Another neighbor, Mayra, kindly let us use her kitchen for chopping vegetables and fruits, and completely shared the work with us, providing lively music on her phone — both salsa and Andean. We bopped around the kitchen, peeling potatoes, cutting corn on the cob into chunks, chopping carrots, winter squash, red peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro for the big stew and the salsa. Next we chopped papaya, watermelon, and bananas, while Mayra juiced several oranges and then added grated panela (locally produced brown cane sugar) and water. Mayra and her husband own a farm of about 20 hectares, and raise 20 cows. I asked her if they had ever considered a biogas digester, and she said yes, but her husband was too busy to take it on.
Meanwhile, 100 bottles of beer had arrived; the chicken was roasting over the fire, while the big pot full of vegetables was cooked into a tasty stew. Around noon, people began to arrive. Some people said the land was probably worth three times what had been paid for it, because of its location and potential for house building; it’s right across the street from a very historic building, Bolivar House. Stories of the history of the land were shared, along with dreams of what it may become. They say that a magical rock existed in this area, which attracted a chicken that laid golden eggs. A young man in the family that had sold the land remarked on the stones placed to trap sediment and build soil. He took pictures, saying he wanted to come back in a few years to see how much the land will change with the regeneration work being done now. This was very touching.
I felt honored to have contributed in a small way to creating this historic community-building event!
Room remodeling, water catchment
Ever since I dropped a hint that the room across the hall from mine might be less noisy, Margarita and Rafa have been remodeling it with zeal! The chief problem was that the bathroom was small and had a leak. So while I was camping, Rafa replaced the toilet and enlarged the bathroom. He added a decorative door, a few corner shelves for storage, and another electrical outlet. Then, he filled in an open area at the top with concrete blocks and cement to add sound insulation against the hallway noise, and painted the bedroom’s ceiling and wooden beams white. When I asked Margarita whether I might store some things here, in order to return in January, she grinned from ear to ear.
Joe asked Rafa to build a roof for water catchment over the cisterns. Rather than buy unethically harvested wood, Joe scored some reclaimed wood posts that were very sturdy despite being perhaps 100 years old. Unfortunately the wood had to be cut to size; it was amazingly dense and difficult to cut through with a manual saw. Three of us worked hard for a few hours to get all the posts in the ground, bamboo supports nailed on, and a corrugated metal roof added. Now we just need the gutter and tube carrying water to the cistern. It felt good to get this done because the dry season is approaching; full cisterns will help keep plants watered. Jessica and Elise joined us for a celebratory lunch at 7 Tigres, rightly considered the best pizzeria in town!
Biogas network in Colombia
Joe introduced me to www.redbiocol.org — a Colombian network of people exploring energy from biomass. “Red” is the Spanish word for network. This is not a large enterprise (like www.Sistema.bio, described in a previous post) but more like a farmers’ movement. I had heard of RedbioLAC, a network for biogas producers all over Latin America. They have held annual meetings in a different place each year: Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Redbiocol is the Colombian branch of this network, which seeks to unify communities, NGOs, academia, and state entities, through sharing and interchange of information. www.UTAfoundation.org is a leader in this work. The goals: growth of alternative economies, food security, responsible consumption and conservation.
Besides building biogas digesters, members of the association do water harvesting and gasification of fibrous materials like sugar cane waste and rice husks. They organize practical instruction and collective build-outs of the technology, while seeking local wisdom and cultivating local leadership. Another theme is to empower “Afrodescendentes” (African descendants in Colombia) and indigenous groups with these technologies. There are four regional nodes, plus a special node just for youth. Finca TOSOLY works for sovereignty in food, energy and economy, utilizing appropriate technology, biogas and solar; it’s in Guapota, under 2 hours away!
Having conversed for an hour in Spanish with Emerson, my teacher, about biodigestores, I’ve made a new convert.
Por favor
I laugh when I hear a child saying to a dog who is trying to lick his face, “Por faVOR!” in the same tone one might say “Puh-LEASE!” And I notice people commonly abbreviating the phrase, down to “por fa…”
Restaurant composting
One of the proposals to receive a modest start-up fund ($300 US) through Joe’s fundraising is from a restaurant owner with a plan to start composting food waste and possibly involve other restaurants in doing the same. I asked Joe to introduce me, so we went to Mija restaurant, spoke a bit with Katherine, the owner, and had a delicious meal. I ordered the chickpea veggie burger, which was wonderful, along with fries and a garlic sauce and (surprise!) maracuya juice. We discussed the need for a way to transport their food waste, perhaps twice a week, to the Bioparque for composting to build the soil there. We’ll need a good source of leaves or other carbon. Here, most leaves don’t drop until well into the dry season, which hasn’t really been on schedule. Sawdust might be a good solution.
On Earth as it is in Heaven
I’ve started playing my flute up at the Bioparque, practicing the theme from “The Mission” — such elevating music to my soul. I dedicate my playing to the spirits of the mountains and the canyon. The music makes me really happy! I hadn’t touched my flute in over a month, but now I want to do this music justice.
Hermanito Rafa
“Almuerzo!” I call Rafa for lunch, which I’m now preparing just for the two of us while Margarita is away with her husband; Shona has moved to a larger home. I’ve made black beans, rice, guacamole, and salad.“Jugo!” says Rafa, and in a flash he has cut open a few maracuyas from the courtyard, tossed them in the blender with water and sugar, and strained out the seeds. It is unbelievably delicious! As for the food, he declares, “Que rico!” quite a few times. I feel thoroughly appreciated — it’s a pleasure to share meals with him.
Rafa is very patient, speaking slowly so I can understand him better. He talks to me about the importance of having a good heart, how rare it is to find that, and how much he sees it in me. “When you plant a tree sincerely, it changes you,” he said. “The good that you do returns to you.” He sees happiness as an inside job — not from having things like money or a car — and believes he is happier at age 30 than he was at age 20. “I had a tough start, it wasn’t easy, but I kept looking for the light. I prefer to focus on the light! Life is good!” He added, “Giving and receiving love brings in the light.”
At least once a day I hear: “Katiiii…” and Rafa grabs me for a hug, rocking me to and fro and laughing. He’s taken to saying “I love you!” in his droll accent. I call him “hermanito” (little brother).
Exhausted from intense days of work standing on a ladder painting the REALLY high roof from the inside, and patching up small holes, Rafa lies on the sofa. He’d mentioned some pain in his right arm and neck, at yoga class. I breathe deeply and send him heart energy and healing from a distance at first, and then with touch on his perfect, smooth, lean brown body. It feels wonderful to give healing touch again, after such a long time (I had stopped, due to Covid). Afterwards he shed a few tears, and reported that all the heaviness was gone from his body. What a joy!