Search results matching tags 'Playa del Carmen ', 'Composting', and 'Family Life'

Options for Recycling in Playa del Carmen

435836 — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 11:03:00 GMT

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! - We hear the mantra everyday. We see the ubiquitous symbol for the 3 "R"s everywhere. Our children attend classes and workshops teaching them the importance of recycling and how it benefits our lives and our environment. In an encouraging development, the current municipal administration has implemented a mandatory recycling requirement which must be fulfilled by many business owners in Solidaridad. Applicable businesses who do not comply and cannot provide proof of participation will be fined! As the Municipality of Solidaridad creates approximately 450 tons of garbage every day, the time has come for action. It is obvious that the government recognizes the importance of recycling and is actively creating strategies to make it apart of everyone's daily life.

Some of the schools in the region run their own ongoing recycling programs and this is a huge help to families such as ours. Recycling bins can also be found now at most of not all of the supermarkets and big box stores. Still without the regular pick-up service that many of us were accustomed to in the US and Canada, many people living in Playa del Carmen are unaware or confused about their options for recycling.

As tomorrow is the first "Kilo Verde" collection date for 2013, I thought this would be a good time to remind "Life's a Beach" readers about the opportunities for recycling in and around Playa del Carmen.

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Municipal Centro de Acopio - On the first Friday of every month, the Municipality of Solidaridad accepts all recycled items including appliances and batteries at the "centro de acopio" in downtown Playa del Carmen. The collection center is set up in front of the Municipal Plaza and is well marked. Although vehicular traffic has now been prohibited on Av. 20 between calles 8 and 10, authorities will allow you to pass if you are unloading your monthly recycling.

This is the primary recycling drive for the Municipality of Solidaridad and the option that accepts the widest range of items. Alternative collection locations for Solidaridad are arranged monthly and announced in advance of the collection date. In Puerto Aventuras, you may leave your recyclable items in the "centro de acopio" at the skate park. Business owners will obtain a receipt for their contribution which can be presented to Municipal officials as proof of compliance.

Recyclable items include:

Plastics (PET) - clear plastics, water bottles etc.
Paper - must not have crayon on it or other oily substances
Newspaper
Cardboard - clean with no food oils or residue
Tetrapak (milk/juice cartons)
Batteries
Lighters
Old Electronics
Scrap Metal
Toner Cartridges
Aluminum - cans, clean foil etc.
Used Cooking Oil - in a sealed container

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Kilo Verde - Of the recycling options available to the residents of Playa del Carmen, Kilo Verde is my favorite. An initiative led by the Ayuntamiento de Solidaridad, Kilo Verde was established to promote recycling, environmental care and proper waste management. Kilo Verde encourages residents of the Riviera Maya to properly separate their household waste and, at the same time, contribute to the reforestation and beautification of their own neighborhoods.

This innovative social program began in 2008 and over the past few years, thanks to some new governmental recycling requirements, has steadily grown in popularity. Individuals and businesses in Playa del Carmen are welcomed to the Kilo Verde collection center where they may exchange their recycling for a lovely indigenous plant or tree. They have a variety of species available and the plants you can choose from depend on the amount of refuse you turn in. As long as you turn in at least one kilo of recyclable items, you can take a plant of your choice.

Kilo Verde does not yet have the ability to accept the range of products that the other monthly "Cento de Acopio" can. They do take paper, newspapers, magazines, clean cardboard, plastics #1, #2, #4 and #5, cans, glass bottles and jars and electronics. Everything should be sorted and will be weighed. This fantastic new recycling project is really gaining force! It is funded by the Mexico Environmental Protection Agency and is held in a different location every month in order to be able to service as may regions of the city as possible. The center will operate from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. In order to support the needs of local business people trying to comply with the local government's new regulations, Kilo Verde is able to provide receipts valid for proof of participation. These are the dates and locations for Kilo Verde 2013:

January 19 – Fracc. Guadalupana
February 16 – Fracc. Mision de las Flores
March 16 – Col. Luis Donaldo Colosio
April 20 – Fracc. Villamar II
May 18 – Fracc. Mision del Carmen
June 15 – Domo del Ejido
July 20 – Colonia 28 de Julio
August 17 – Fracc. Villas del Sol
September 21 – Colonia Zazil Ha
October 19 - Fracc. Balam Tun
November 16 – Fracc. Las Palmas
December 21 – Colonia Nicte Ha

Last year in a Kilo Verde collection in Fracc. Villamar I, 280 regional plants were given out in exchange for 863 kilos of recyclable waste. The exact location of the Kilo Verde collection center in each neighborhood is sometimes announced a few days prior via a flier distributed on Facebook. Generally, if you drive to the area and ask around, someone will know where they have set up. Come early to get the best choice of plants!

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Parque la Ceiba - An oasis of calm in the midst of urban sprawl, Parque la Ceiba maintains over 75% of its space as natural green space and has carefully interspersed several classrooms, a recycling education and collection center, an open ampitheatre, restroom facilities and a small cafe on its grounds. The park designers have also created numerous creative play areas which are placed along paths which wind through this urban jungle.

For Playa residents who do not have access to an ongoing recycling service such as those provided by some of the schools, the recycling collection center at Parque la Ceiba is the best option. Not everyone has the space in their home or apartment to store three weeks worth of recycling and for them, a trip to La Ceiba once or twice a week is a great option.

The collection center at Parque la Ceiba will accept: certain plastics (PET), paper, newspaper, magazines, cardboard, tetrapak, batteries, lighters, old electronics, scrap metal, toner cartridges, aluminum and used cooking oil - in a sealed container.

Not only does Parque la Ceiba operate the most complete ongoing recycling center in Playa del Carmen, they also provide many educational programs for school children to teach them the three "R"s. Modern compost bins are also set up in this area which utilize the organic remains left over from the cafe, banana peels left by visiting children and trimmings and leaved from the trees and bushes in the park. That compost is put to good use as the park maintains an onsite nursery raising and selling plants native to the region. Residents do well buying these plants because they are the most suited to the area’s soil and climate, and grow very well in containers and home gardens. Profits from sales go toward ongoing projects and park maintenance. Even if you don't have any recycling to drop off, the park is well worth a visit.

Parque La Ceiba is located at Avenida 60 and calle 1 south, just one block off of Juarez, two blocks west from the carratera 307. The park is open 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm. There is generally plenty of parking on the streets surrounding the park. Admission to Parque la Ceiba is free.

I moved to Mexico with my family in 2004 with the hope of offering our children a more global education and world view. Since then, we have traveled through Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, gathering friends and life experiences and learning a lot about ourselves along the way. When we are not out and about exploring, Rob and I own and operate BuyPlaya, a Playa del Carmen real estate company and FurnitureMex. "Life's a Beach" is a catch-all blog where you may find anything from restaurant reviews, to recipes, gardening tips, commentary about expat daily life, local events, information about moving to Mexico and educating children in Playa del Carmen. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Gardening on the Riviera Maya - Adventures in Vermiculture

435836 — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:46:00 GMT

One of the issues we deal with here when planning to garden and landscape is the lack of good, nutrient rich soil. The Yucatan peninsula is an enormous limestone shelf with little or no soil cover at all in many areas. "Black dirt" can be purchased and delivered to your home or gardening project but even that is sadly lacking in essential nutrients and microorganisms to properly support plant growth. As we have been in rentals for the past seven years, making a major commitment to a garden has not been a priority. Now that the plans for our house in the jungle are being finalized and the date approaches for us to break ground, my interest in landscape design and garden planning has been piqued. Although our lot is located in the jungle with a fair amount of humus from centuries of falling leaves and other organic debris, we will still need to supplement the soil if we want to grow fruit trees and vegetables and maintain the lush green (completely inappropriate for the region) lawn my adorable husband is hoping for.

As we will be situated directly above a delicate system of cenotes, we are not planning to introduce any chemicals or synthetic fertilizers in our efforts and will rely completely on biodynamic gardening methods and composting to create and maintain quality soil.The lot we are building on is pretty big so once we are out there we will be able to claim a corner for a traditional compost pile to convert grass clippings, leaves and such but in the meantime, I was looking for a more contained composting method. In June, I attended a vermiculture workshop being held in Puerto Morelos lead by Gerardo Villaneuva and found just the system I was looking for.

Vermiculture is the cultivation of worms and the process of using them in the creation of vermicompost. You contribute organic matter in to feed the worms and out comes "castings" or vermicompost, the world's best fertilizer, clean and easy to use. Worms ingest many kinds of organic waste, pass it through their bodies, converting it into humus rich vermicompost. The vermiculture system designed by Gerardo is a great alternative for those who may not have enough outdoor space for a traditional composting bin or pile. We purchased a system designed to process the amount of waste our four-person family would likely generate but he has smaller systems for singles and couples that could even be placed on an apartment balcony or small patio. Using this system, much of our household garbage will be converted into vermicompost, making good use of our household waste.

My pal and soon-to-be-neighbor Mitch and I both ordered one of these systems but because I knew I would be traveling throughout the summer, I delayed delivery until today! This morning, Gerardo came to show us how and where to set up the system, gave us the basic feeding and harvesting schedule and gave us some ideas about how to best make use of these industrious worms and the garden fertilizer they create. He taught us to feed the worms a combination of "greens" including all fruits and vegetables, vegetable and fruit peels and ends and grass clippings and "browns" which can include coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, grains such as bread, crackers and cereals, eggshells (rinsed and crushed), cardboard, paper and dead dry leaves. No to be introduced to the system: meat, dairy, fats or oils, manure or feces and onions and, of course, no plastics, metals or glass. He also recommended we limit the amount of citrus fruits and peals to maintain a proper PH in the compost. One of things that particularly attracted me to this compost method was that is was clean and did not require too much of my attention. I'm running 24/7 and I didn't want to get into something that I could not easily maintain. I think this system is going to fit the bill perfectly.

If you are interested in installing one of Gerardo's home vermicomposting kits he can easily create one for you to meet your needs. The set-up that we purchased cost 1500 pesos and included the worms and one-on-one instruction to make sure that we were comfortable with the process. You can reach him via email at imixlombricultura[at]gmail.com. Be sure to give him plenty of lead time as he has lots of projects already in the works. Between our two busy schedules it took us several weeks to find a time that worked for us both. He is installing worm systems for Xcaret, the Waldorf school in Puerto Morelos, a boutique hotel in Tulum and various large resorts up and down the Riviera Maya. As the idea of sustainable living is really starting to take off here and more people are looking for ways to live in a way that protects our environment, it is not surprising that he is so busy!

Advantages of Vermicomposting

Vermicompost is an eco-friendly fertilizer created from biodegradable organic waste products and is naturally chemical free!
Vermicompost does not have any adverse effect on soil, plants or the environment.
Vermicompost improves soil aeration and texture thereby reducing soil compaction and promoting better root growth and nutrient absorption.
Vermicompost increases the water retention capacity of soil due to its high content of organic matter.
Vermicompost improves status of macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients in the soil.

More Vermiculture and Vermicomposting Resources

Journey to Forever - Vermicomposting
Treehugger.com - Vermicomposting and Vermiculture: How to get started
RedWormComposting.com - Getting Started
University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Vermicomposting

10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day on the Riviera Maya

435836 — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Once again, it is time to celebrate Earth Day, a special day set-aside for all of us to appreciate the beauty of the world around us and work toward protecting it for future generations. The first Earth Day was organized in the United States on April 22, 1970 as a nationwide demonstration, urging local and federal government officials to put important environmental issues on the agenda. Much to the surprise of the powers-that-be, over 20 million students, environmental activists, business leaders and impassioned citizens participated in the first Earth Day. An environmental revolution had officially begun.

Earth Day has been celebrated every year since 1970, and 42 years later, its purpose remains the same: to encourage social and political action by drawing attention to the cause. Every year, around the world, the critical state of the environment comes to the forefront of everyone's agenda, and billions of people step up to do their part, if only for a day.

Here in Mexico, we also celebrate Earth Day and here are 10 great ways you can commemorate Earth Day 2012 on the Riviera Maya.

1. Go for a bike ride. Every Sunday, the Municipality closes the Arco Vial from 307 near Centro Maya all the way to Juarez. The lanes are open only to bike traffic and hundreds of families and bike enthusiasts turn up every weekend to enjoy the exercise and fresh air.

2. Plant a tree. Planting trees, bushes or any plant life not only beautifies your living spaces, it also cleans some of the CO2 out the air we breath replacing it with essential oxygen. Not all of us have the place to plant a tree but I think we all have room for a potted plant or two. Maybe this is the time to start some tomato plants on your patio or set out a selection of potted herbs on your windowsill!

3. Make a bird feeder with your kids. Here is a great design for an easy DIY bird feeder made out of cheap household and recycled items!

4. Visit a local recycling center. Parque la Ceiba has a wonderful interactive recycling area where children and adults alike can learn how to reduce-reuse-recycle. They also have small plant nursery, a cafe and recreational areas for all ages.

5. Clean up the beach. If you can find an organized beach-cleaning event, great! If not, take plastic bag to the beach and do your part to clean up what has been washed ashore or left behind by less earth-conscious visitors.

6. Start a compost bin. Composting turns kitchen and garden scraps into nutrient rich soil, perfect for your garden or potted plants. Composting also keeps useful, organic waste out of our dumps. You don't need a fancy expensive set-up to start a compost bin and it can be done easily in a small yard or even on a patio or terrace!

7. Turn off the AC. It's hot here, almost year round. Whether you are staying in a hotel or renting a condo in Playa del Carmen it is tempting to leave on the AC when you leave...especially if you are not paying extra for it. Take the time to turn off all lights, fans and air-conditioning units every time you leave to go out.

8. Prepare an Earth Day meal. Fresh, non-processed foods taste so much better and they certainly are better for you! Spend some time at DAC or in the produce section of any major grocery store and see what inspiration you can find from the all the fresh veggies and fruits available. Here is a favorite recipe of ours to inspire you!

9. Buy a Reusable shopping bag. DAC offers plastic mesh shopping bags in various sizes and every color of the rainbow. These are great as they are waterproof and can do double duty as beach bags. If you are looking for a more fashionable alternative, all the best-dressed ladies in Playa carry these gorgeous WearEarth bags from Tote le Monde.

10. Attend an Earth Day event. This year, there are several Earth Day celebrations being held in Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Check out our Riviera Maya Events Calendar for Earth Day events going on in the area. You might also be interested in the Mimi Kiteboarding World Tour being held at Mamitas Beach or the Oaxacan Fair set up in the Municipal Plaza 28 Julio.

Whether you can dedicate 5 minutes, 5 hours or a lifetime, there is something we can all do to help preserve and protect the Riviera Maya. What are your favorite ways to celebrate Earth Day?

A Visit to the School Garden at Ak Lu'um Waldorf School

435836 — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:29:00 GMT

The teachers and students at Ak Lu'um Waldorf School in Playa del Carmen have been working hard on their bio-dynamic garden beds and are starting to see the fruits of their labors. The heirloom tomatoes are ripening on the vines and the peppers and squash plants are covered with blossoms that will soon transform into bright colorful vegetables.

We have been bone dry for two months and the recent rains have been a godsend to all things green. The sudden rise in moisture in the soil has caused some splitting in the thinner skinned tomatoes but other than that, the plants are thriving. You can almost hear them saying "thank you!". (That's a little anthroposophic humor for you Waldorf folks). The papaya and banana trees that surround the school are all reaching for the sun and laden with fruit.

The garden beds are all raised, a necessary design choice when trying to cultivate anything in this region as chiseling holes into the limestone shelf of the Yucatan is not a reasonable undertaking for any reasonable person. The beds are supported by rocks or bits of lengths of discarded wood and filled with good rich soil "created" at the school with small amounts of dirt mixed with compost and other organic materials. More beds will be made as soil becomes ready. Crops will be rotated so as to not completely deplete the beds of nutrients. Empty beds are easily amended with an influx of compost from the school's kitchen and contributions from parents. The pre-schoolers tend the garden as part of their daily routine, keeping it free of weeds. Plans are in the works for a spiral herb garden filled with culinary and medicinal plants. The local basil which grows here like a bush is already thriving!

As hectic as modern life gets, a nice walk through the jungle paths and a trip to the garden at Ak Lu'um never fails to sooth the soul. How fortunate that our children spend their days here in this oasis of tranquility.

Ak Lu’um International School is a not for profit Waldorf Initiative founded in 2006 in the jungle close to Playa del Carmen. The school’s mission is to educate, promote sustainability, develop ecological awareness and encourage children from 2 to 12 to reconnect with our earth. Students at Ak Lu’um learn with their minds, hearts and hands. The curriculum is academically challenging and meaningful with many opportunities for hands-on learning and artistic development. Ak Lu’um welcomes children with special needs and seeks to integrate them fully, giving all children an opportunity to better know, understand and love their fellow human beings. The community at Ak Lu’um International School is bilingual (English-Spanish) and culturally rich with over 10 nationalities represented by staff and pupils.

Papalote Students Get a Lesson in the 3 "R"s

435836 — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:56:00 GMT

Recently, several of the Primary classes from the El Papalote School were invited to visit the new and improved Parque la Ceiba. It has been almost a year since I have taken the time to visit the park and I was impressed with the changes. A beautiful new entrance has been created to welcome the families and individuals who come to enjoy the tranquility of the green space, take in a class or workshop, play on the various jungle installations, chat with friends over coffee and pastries in the cafe or drop of their recycling. On this day, the students, including Cole and his 1st grade classmates were treated to a taste of everything the park has to offer our community.

Divided up into teams, the students were expertly guided through the park by the animated and knowledgeable staff of Flora, Fauna y Cultura. The tour culminated in an age appropriate workshop on recycling. The park has a new outdoor classroom with benches and lots of interesting visual aids to help teach the 3 "R"s - Reduce - Reuse - Recycle. As El Papalote School maintains its own recycling center right at the school, one that is WELL used by Papalote families, including our own, our children were all ready well versed in the difference between organic and inorganic waste. They could easily identify materials that could be recycled or composted. The main message that the children (and the grown ups as well) were to take away from this experience was that even though they can identify recyclable items in the trash, if they are not properly separated, they too are garbage.

The group toured the recycling area then looked through the nursery where young plants are cultivated for use in the park and made available for sale to people in the community hoping to make their living spaces more green by integrating indigenous plants into their landscape designs or potted plant patios. Modern compost bins are also set up in this area which utilize the organic remains left over from the cafe, banana peels left by visiting children and trimmings and leaved from the trees and bushes in the park. Of course, bins for recyclables and organic trash are scattered throughout the grounds. Nothing goes to waste!

Finally, the children took a break for lunch and a chance to draw a picture depicting the ways that they can incorporate recycling into their own routines. It was interesting to see what each child took away from the experience. Before leaving, the students were each given a small sapling to plant in a recycled plastic bottle and bring home, a good time to get their hands dirty and the perfect souvenir from their field trip.

It is my understanding that Flora, Fauna y Cultura is inviting groups from all the local schools to come and discover the park and all it has to offer. The hope is that by educating this generation about the importance of reducing our non-biodegradable waste we can begin to reverse the effects of indiscriminate dumping and polluting our water and destroying our environment. It's never too soon to make a change and this program will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the daily lives and habits of many students and their families. If you live in Playa and haven't yet taken the time to visit Parque la Ceiba, I highly recommend that you do. It's a great, safe place for kids to run around and explore. Parents will love the quiet cafe with free internet and fresh baked goods. Maybe you will see us there!

Sustainable Saturdays Continue at Ak Lu'um

435836 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Join us on Saturday February 13th 10am - 3pm for the next workshop in the series, "Sustainable Saturdays ' at Ak Lu'um International School. This month, learn the techniques to effective Organic Gardening. The workshops will include: How to make good compost, How to start plants from seed and transplant seedlings, How to create and maintain a "Biointensive" garden bed and more. Everyone is welcome to come and learn how to protect our environment and contribute to a healthy lifestyle!

$250 pesos/adult - $100 pesos/child - Lunch is included

Funds benefit Ak Lu'um International School.