Recycle and Treating Bodega

Skeptical of the the uses of burnt (used) motor oil, locals told us that it would preserve the bodega.  Paint is expensive and mechanics will give you burnt motor oil to use (or sell it for a very reasonable price depending if you are a local Belizean or known in town).  It acts almost like a varnish or stain keeping the rain from bowing and destroying the handy-work of our bodega as well as keeping termites away.  With several locals supporting the idea, we decided to go for it. 

To our surprise it turned out to be a beautiful finish like a rich, dark stain in the States.  We left it to dry and will see the results in the next couple of days but so far, so good!

On an island many things are a commodity that we would discard in the States.  Although there is no "recycling center" many things are recycled just like our burnt motor oil.

Before Oil

Work in Progress

Oiled and Complete

Rocky Point

Volunteers enjoyed a day off on Thursday traveling on a long route to Rocky Point.  (It literally took 2 hours to drive by golf cart.)

Along the way we asked our Belizean friend if we were still on the road as sometimes it didn't look like it.  He said, "you will know it is the end of the road when you can't go any more because of the rocks."  We finally arrived to the rocks (coral) where we walked another 30 minutes across the rocks to find a good snorkeling spot.  Much closer to the reef on the north side, volunteers enjoyed seeing the marine life and coral.

We stopped along the way to talk with a local resident who had utilized solar at their location.  It was good to find a contact on the island who was currently using solar as we want to utilize solar on the LTA campus. 

After seeing the solar site, we quickly rushed back down the bumpy road trying to avoid mosquitoes and the rain that was coming.  It was the calm before the storm.  Needless to say we made it back soaked and laughing hysterically.  It was quite an adventure!

Architect Meeting

LTA BOD representatives and volunteers with expertise in building, met with Mr. Froylan Alvarado (Belize Architect) this morning.  We shared the current design, the idea of being a green campus, as well as the overall vision for LTA.  He shared his understanding of building placement based on the sun and wind, therefore suggesting the classrooms be positioned North to South. Generally the wind flow in Ambergris Caye comes from the Northeast.  After our meeting with him, we all started paying even more attention to the surrounding architecture.

Why a Green Campus for Living Tree Academy?

In this day and age there is a lot of talk about going green. This concern about energy use is a result of a limited supply of energy sources, the negative results of certain energy use, the cost associated with energy and the health aspects of certain sources of energy. While all of these aspects are a motivating factor to go green, the need for a green campus has even greater positive implications.

In a school campus scenario, year after year hundreds of children and their families are exposed to the facilities on the campus. They learn from a hands-on and visual aspect another way in which to live. With the use of green energy taught to the students, they have a working knowledge which will be apart of them and their family for a life time. What better place to teach people how to live green than a green school?

For a revolution to take place in the area of energy usage, the Living Tree Academy campus can be an example of how to change our life styles. We can make a difference one campus at a time.