Recycling Geekery

This week I have been very excited (I know - I´m easily pleased!) to visit a few organisations that might get involved in a 'Caring for the Environment' workshop that we´re planning for pastors and leaders in June.

Firstly I met a guy involved in a national biodiesel project. They buy used cooking oil from over 500 restaurants and hotels and convert it into fuel for your car. Then I went to see a Glass factory - where 40% of the raw materials they use come from recycled glass. They also supply bottle banks (in the shape of bottles - which was very funky) to your neighbourhood or church or wherever for you to start recycling. The nice man at the glass factory then gave me a contact at a paper/card recycling company. They are also beginning to collect plastics for recycling. Both the glass factory and the paper recycling place will also give training events for schools or churches - educationing people about the need to recycle. And the nice man at the paper recycling place gave me a contact of another organisation that runs recycling campaigns - and has a shop selling all sorts of items made out of rubbish (I bought 3 bags and 2 aprons made out of old advertising banners!)

Interestly here in Guatemala, these companies will BUY your recyclable materials, so it ought to be popular -- but the fact that there´s no easy system to recycle - and a lack of understanding about the environment, mean that it´s very unusual. The pastors workshop will hopefully change people´s mindsets (and theological framework about the environment) - as well as giving some practical ideas of how to respond.

Growing Things

So here´s some random news from my garden - for those of you who are that way inclined. I have to admit that I´m not much of a gardener - I like messing about in the soil - but generally only like plants that cope by themselves and don´t need lots of attention. My friendly neighbour, Alicia is a good gardener - and gave me a few plants to get started a few years ago. Now, after 4 years and a severe cut back a few months ago, this peach tree is at last flowering! Hopefully that might mean some fruit this year too.

 Same with the roses -- after a lot of thorns, now some actual flowers.

 Banana plant is growing steadily. No fruit so far.

It would be great to grow lots of veggies -- but I haven´t found anywhere here that sells seeds, so am reduced to those plants that can grow from whatever I buy in the market -- I´ve eaten a few good potatoes from the garden - and got some more growing. I think here in Guatemala, I could probably have potatoes all year round. The pineapple hasn´t done much though - and all the pepper plants have died -- but I might try those again during the rainy season and see how they do.