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Report #3 November, 2017By David Simpson and Jane Lapiner Two Anniversaries There are two anniversaries being noted in the halls of COP 23. One is the 4th anniversary of COP 19 that took place in the national soccer stadium that doubles as a convention hall in Warsaw. It had been a stirring meeting that saw […]
Read MoreReport #2 November, 2017By David Simpson and Jane Lapiner Opening Day of COP23 The opening day of COP 13 went smoothly, one blessedly brief speech by a climate luminary followed by another without a hitch but also without anything resembling the luster that an event of this magnitude might be expected to demand. Until, that […]
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We increased compost production at the Astillero greenhouse site as organic waste piled up. One morning was spent doing maintenance to clean up the area and have more space for working. On another morning, we turned the compost piles to facilitate decomposition and collected fruit seeds from over-ripe oranges.
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Planet Drum has been collecting organic waste from the Bahía market since September. Several of the vendors help by collecting damaged fruit, plantain stalks, and other pieces of organic waste in 25 gallon barrels. To show our gratitude for their assistance, and include locals in the entire process of compost production to fruit tree production, […]
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One of the hillsides above the road in the Bellavista neighborhood has been selected for communal gardening and revegetation. Further up the hill are a dozen large trees planted by Planet Drum in the past (c. 2005). Nearby, we are already making compost at three homes for fertilizing plants and trees. We planted another 20 […]
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After meeting with one of the residents in the Bellavista neighborhood, Martha, about planning a community garden project, Planet Drum suggested that some of the residents (mostly women so far) could help collect kitchen scraps for compost production and soil regeneration. Compost piles need shade, easy access for adding organic waste, and small amounts of water […]
Read MoreDavid Simpson and Jane Lapiner travelled to Bonn, Germany from their home in Petrolia, California to attend and report on the United Nations climate summit. Report #1 October 31, 2017By David Simpson and Jane Lapiner Ambition in Bonn: Dare We Still Hope Two years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the world’s nations are […]
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The Astillero neighborhood is located near the bridge to San Vicente, just outside of downtown Bahía. Planet Drum is building a satellite greenhouse operation there with our local contact, Jose María. Since September, Planet Drum has been collecting organic waste from the Bahía market and bringing it to Astillero to make compost there. Now we […]
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Grosella is an endemic fruit tree which produces a small, yellowish acidic berry, which is sold in bags with salt an pepper as a snack. They can also be pickled, candied, or even turned into a wine. Jose María is Planet Drum’s contact in the Astillero neighborhood where we are producing large quantities of compost. He […]
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While regular Planet Drum greenhouse operations at the Catholic University continue to flourish, we are also strengthening community outreach with two Bahía neighborhoods that have been project collaborators for years: Bellavista and Astillero. Last year, Planet Drum constructed an elevated seedbed made from recycled materials in the Bellavista community and coordinated seed collection, planting, and transplanting […]
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