Eco-Ecuador

Collaboration for a Long-Term Sustainable City

Community Engagement through Education

By Ally Mack | June 17, 2014

When I started working as the Community Engagement Intern at Planet Drum (PD), I was excited to join the team and help out in any way that I could. The first weeks as a Drummer involved working at some of the restoration sites that Planet Drum has been caring for during the past few years, including Bellavista, La Universidad Católica, and Bosque en Medio de […]

News: Educational Workshops Increase, New Membership in “Biological Corridor” and “Day of the Environment” Event

By Clay Plager-Unger | June 11, 2014

April 21 – June 10, 2014 Field Report The Revegetation Project is moving in exciting new directions and expanding its scope. The goal for 2014 is now to produce 15,000 trees in the greenhouse. 13,000 of them will be distributed to locals and 2,000 trees will be planted and maintained directly by Planet Drum. Revegetation workshops held at the greenhouse are an important way to […]

Finding Germinating Trees in the Local Forests

By Clay Plager-Unger | April 19, 2014

March 11 – April 18, 2014 Field Report The very sparse rainy season persists. And now that it is late April, it is likely that it is wrapping up. The weather has been cooling off slightly, especially in the evenings, which is considered a sign that the dry season is approaching. Rumors of a possible El Niño developing later in the year are spreading through […]

Planting Sites and Cleaning up the Greenhouse

By Clay Plager-Unger | March 11, 2014

February 6 – March 10 2014 Field Report The rainy season has been on the very light side this year. In fact, it’s hardly been raining at all. Larger plants and trees from previous years that already have big roots are doing well and can take advantage of every little drizzle and downpour. Smaller, more recently transplanted trees are struggling to take root with the […]

Working with Students & the National Power Company

By Clay Plager-Unger | February 6, 2014

November 5, 2013 – February 5, 2014 Field Report We ended 2013 with visits to the greenhouse from several more groups of students from the Sathya Sai and Montufar schools. The children thoroughly enjoyed the visits. Some of the younger groups of kids were actually the most knowledgeable during the lecture portion of the workshop and enthusiastic doing the hands-on work. With help from the […]

GPS Map, Collecting Seeds, & Developing an Education with Field Practice Program

By Clay Plager-Unger | November 6, 2013

August 20, 2013 – November 5, 2013 Field Report In late August, a GPS site map of the revegetation sites from 2005-2013 was completed with the initiative taken by field research intern Joffrey Iboud. After several months of plotting GPS coordinates at all of the sites, the data was entered into a computer with maps that were acquired from the city government. The result is […]

Planet Drum Experience in Ecuador June—August 2013

By Becky Schroeder | August 31, 2013

I arrived at Planet Drum’s Ecuador office in early June, enthusiastic about beginning my Community Engagement Internship. I wasn’t sure what to expect about the work I’d be doing or about everyday life in Bahia, but at the end of August with toned muscles and a new bioregional perspective, I was leaving a place that had begun to feel like home. As a graduate student […]

Collaboration with Corporación Nacional de Electricidad (CNEL),Visit to Rio Muchacho and from the Children of Ecuador (CoE) Foundation

By Clay Plager-Unger | August 19, 2013

June 21- August 19, 2013 Field Report Summer (verano) has set in and the days tend to be cooler and overcast with a nice breeze blowing through. When the sun comes out it’s still hot, but not like during winter (el invierno). This will likely be the typical weather pattern until late December. It’s been a busy summer so far with lots of volunteers and […]

Working with Local and International Students, and the Volunteers

By Clay Plager-Unger | June 30, 2013

April-June 2013 Field Report During the beginning of April, planting the 2013 Bellavista revegetation site with children from the community was completed. While delivering trees to the site, fruit trees were also given directly to community members for planting at their houses.This is the last Planet Drum (PD) revegetation site to be planted this year since the rainy season has wrapped up and the dry […]

Eco-City Celebration, Distributing Trees and Planting More

By Clay Plager-Unger | March 31, 2013

February-March 2013 Pásalo bien,Clay