Los residuos orgánicos no son basura: cómo hacer abono natural

La última vez que dejamos a Fadi estaba trabajando en el taller haciendo un cajón para el abono (podés ver algunos modelos aquí). Como conté entonces, habíamos logrado convencer a mis padres de no tirar los residuos orgánicos de la cocina en la basura. De esa manera se reduce lo que va a parar a los vertederos.

No cuesta nada hacer este cambio: ponés un recipiente con tapa en la cocina y cada vez que pelas una verdura o fruta, ponés las cáscaras, semillas y todo lo que sobra en el recipiente. También podés tirar las cáscaras de huevo, el té, café y yerba usados (Acá y acá podés ver y leer sobre un programa de reciclaje de yerba que está implementando la Intendencia de Montevideo - por lo menos empezaron por algo).

Lo importante es que no sean alimentos ya procesados, ni lácteos o carnes que den mal olor o atraigan bichos. Y si te preocupa mucho tener los restos orgánicos afuera podés guardarlos en la heladera o freezer.

La cuestión que muy pronto habíamos acumulado varios recipientes llenos de desechos orgánicos y necesitábamos pasar a la siguiente etapa de depositarlos en un contenedor más grande donde pudieran empezar a convertirse en abono.

Trash to Treasure and Other Useful Things

After the shocking state I found the beaches of my homeland, I've become a bit obsessed with knowing where our trash goes - and with finding other, non-trashable options for all that plastic and paper and rubber and glass we discard on a daily basis.

So, other than turning our organic kitchen waste into rich soil, and looking into how to re-use difficult-to-recycle packaging, I've been investigating ways to keep our discarded stuff out of the dump.

A Peek into Our Upcoming Destination: Maputo

If you disregard the commentaries about the place being “exotic” and other nonsense, you can actually enjoy the images :)

Next Leg of the Trip is (Almost) Confirmed

No, I haven't been slacking off (molega!*) for the past 10 days. It's just that the preparations for the next leg of the trip are coming along, things are finally falling into place, and it really looks like we're going to... (drums please) ... Africa!

Our definition of sustainability goes beyond just composting and herb planting, switching the car for a bike, or making wallets out of used coffee bags. It also has to do with living a tiny bit less for yourself and a bit more for others, with sharing whatever you have to offer, and with making an effort to get out of your comfort zone in order to make this planet we live in a nicer home for everybody.

We'll continue with our search for sustainabl-er ways of living and being, but as the time in Africa will also be heavily involved with volunteering, we've started two new blogs that will focus on the work we'll be doing there: here are the links to my blog and Fadi's.

So, our sailing / southbound / sustainable trip has now become eastbound.
Follow us!


* You'll have to read the other blog to find out what the heck is molega :)

¿Qué? ¿Quién? ¿Dónde? ¿Cuándo? ¿Cómo? ¿Por qué?

Si no recuerdo mal, las reglas del buen periodista recomendaban contestar estas seis preguntas para que un reportaje fuera considerado completo.

Qué: Compartir conocimientos e intercambiar experiencias con colegas locales.


Quién(es): Fadi y yo

Dónde: En Maputo, capital de Mozambique. Más específicamente en un programa de educación a distancia para maestros, en el Ministerio de Educación y Cultura y la Universidad Pedagógica. Y con una organización comunitaria en uno de los barrios más carenciados de la ciudad. Y alguna otra cosilla en tema medio ambiente.

Cuándo: A partir de marzo abril mayo del 2012 por 6 meses en el terreno (2 años en total: 1 año de preparación y papeleo incluidos 3 meses de preparación pre-salida, y luego de la estadía, otros 6 meses de seguimiento, evaluación y recomendaciones).

Por qué: Esta es más complicada de contestar. Para saber los motivos de Fadi, tendrán que visitar su blog. En cuanto a mí, tiene que ver con viajar, y los idiomas, y la antropología, y el pasar de las palabras a los hechos, y el vivir en otros continentes, y el buscar no estancarse ni quedarse en la cómoda, y el aprender, y tantas otras cosas... aunque no siempre salgan. No se vive si no se arriesga.

Not a Midlife Crisis

For those who didn’t see it coming and think the move to Africa might be due to a midlife crisis of sorts (given my fast approaching turn of the decade), I can assure you that it was all part of a long-term plan. I’d been looking into it for more than a decade.

In the meantime, I had been working hard at arranging the pieces of the puzzle so that I would be able to quit my life-in-the-West for a couple of years. I finished my PhD, paperworked my way towards a Canadian citizenship and passport, and set up an independent online business that would give me the mobility and freedom to move wherever needed and for the time required.

The move to Africa was a long time coming.

Considerações estéticas num blog de inspiração africana

Como voçês podem ver no título, estou tentando praticar e utilizar todos os acentos possíveis :)

Mais pasando ao tema deste posting. Talvez seja pela influência dos cursos de semiótica ou de que o Umberto Eco é um do meus autores favoritos, mais tenho a mania de buscar a simbologia em tudo. A parte estética do blog não podia ser diferente.

As cores

As cores tinham que ser, claro, as cores da bandeira de MZ, que, segundo a wikipedia, são:

• Vermelha – a luta de resistência ao colonialismo, a Luta Armada de Libertação Nacional e a defesa da soberania;
• Preta – o continente africano;
• Verde – a riqueza do solo;
• Amarela-dourada – a riqueza do subsolo; e
• Branca – a paz.

As fontes

Buscando uma fonte tipográfica para o título do blog, li o nome "molengo" e gostei. Além de sonar simpático, achei significativo que fosse uma palavra na língua portuguesa. Pesquisei o significado e a definicão diz: walk or act lazily. Em português: Diz se do, ou o indivíduo indolente, preguiçoso [perezoso; lazy]; molenga. Mmm. Será um aviso do universo de me-tomar as coisas com mais calma, deixar a Lúcia germánica, eficiente e meio histérica de lado, e començar a adotar um ritmo mais adequado para o trópico africano?

Molengo, também é o nome de uma ou duas canções, de um ritmo africano, e até de uma dança. Molengo tinha que ficar. Poderia até cambiar o nome do blog por MolengoMoz ou uma cosa do estilo. O que acham?

As imagens
Por que mapas e elefantes?

Desde pequenha adoro desenhar e viajar. Geografia, com tudos esses disenhos lindos -os mapas- com promesas de lugares distantes e mágicos, era minha matéria favorita. Até hoje, a primeira cosa que faço quando planejo uma ida à algum lugar, é estudar o mapa do lugar. Careço absolutamente do sentido de orientação, e, sem mapas, estou perdida.

E o elefante? Tal vez porque o elefante sia um dos animais mais representativos da África. Ok, o leão e a girafa talvez sejam ainda mais representativos. Simplesmente gostei dessas fotos e disenhos.

The Polyglot Dilemma: Which language do you choose to communicate?

My Move to Mozambique? Minha mudança à Moçambique? Mi mudanza a Mozambique?
English? ¿Português? ¿Español?

The first consideration is always which language to use for the blog, as every option has its pros and cons:

* English serves in many cases as the lingua franca.

* Spanish would be easier and would reach family and friends who don't read English that easily. Plus it would serve to link and (hopefully) help to bridge that huge knowledge gap that sadly separates both continents.

* But I'll be working in MZ and I need to start using my very rusty Portuguese and bring it to an appropriate level of work-related correctness.

In all likelihood I'll be switching from one to the other, according to the mood, or the topic, or the language I've in my head at the moment. And I'll be mixing and Spanglish-izing, or Portuñol-izing, and even Engluese-izing things, butchering each language in the process. For that, I apologize to native speakers.

Using Google Translate or any other automatic translation tool will be enough to give you an idea of what the posting is about (use the button included on the right side to pick your language).

If you do know the language, in particular Portuguese, feel free to correct my writing. In no way will I get offended. On the contrary, I'll appreciate it enormously. Pointing out factual mistakes or any other inaccuracy, also appreciated.

Disclaimer.- If, initially, the postings in Portuguese seem to be a tad erratic and pointless it's because I'm following the advice I often give my students: there's no better way to learn a language than actually using it. As I haven't written in Portuguese in 20+ years, I will use any excuse to ramble in Portuguese about everything and anything even mildly related to the move to MZ. I apologize in advance.

Key combinations for funny symbols

On a related, multilingual note, I've been figuring out key combinations to be able to write in Portuguese. The c cedilha and the circumflex accent, at least on a Mac, are as follows:

Ç shift + option + c

ç option + c

ÂÔÊ option+i+[capital vowel]

â ô ê option+i+vowel

ãõ option + n
à option + `

And, while we're at it, we might as well learn the combination for Spanish symbols:

á é í ó ú option + e + vowel

ñ option + n + n

¡ option + 1

¿ shift + option + ?

Until later! ¡Hasta luego! ¡Até logo!

O novo vizinho em Limpopo

Upcyling: How to turn waste into wallet

After running into a Uruguayan artisan who recycles waste products and turns them into beautiful and useful objects, I had to try it myself. Being too far away to attend one of her workshops in Rocha, I looked into how to make one of the lovely wallets she created out of Tetra Pak boxes from milk and juices. Because these can be tricky to recycle in places where there are no adequate facilities, a great solution is to upcycle them.

1) I looked for a How To video (even a child can make them!):

2) Gathered the materials (an empty coffee bag) and tools (measuring tape, duck tape, scissors and stapler):

Upcycling: mejorando a través del reciclaje

Hay una nueva tendencia que se llama upcycling en inglés, algo así como mejorar a través del reciclaje. Antes incluso de saber como se llamaba, había visto algún ejemplo venido de Asia o África: canastos hechos con papel de diario o carteras hechas de bolsas de plástico.

Pero no en Uruguay, así que fue una linda sorpresa descubrir en la feria de artesanías de La Paloma, un puesto con montones de cosas (carteras, bolsos, papeleras, canastos, bandejas, juguetes, lámparas) hechos de material de desecho (revistas y diarios, cassettes y CDs viejos, cajas y bolsas de alimentos).

Más lindo aún saber que Susana, la artesana y dueña del puesto, tenía un taller en Costa Azul, Arteazur Reciclados, donde enseñaba a reciclar estos materiales y darles una nueva vida. Y mejor aún, saber que iba a dar charlas a las escuelas para enseñarles a los niños sobre las famosas 3 R: reducir, reusar, reciclar.

Las anécdotas de Susana, un placer: niños que enseguida se prendían, usaban las cajas de los juguitos para hacer billeteras y cartucheras y empezaban a traer a la escuela su propio jugo casero, al viejo estilo, hecho con agua, limón y azúcar. Está claro que para cambiar comportamientos nada mejor que empezar de abajo.



Si te interesa comprar alguno de los productos reciclados o aprender como hacerlos, podés comunicarte con Susana a través del correo electrónico del taller.

Si quieres leer más sobre temas relacionados date una vuelta por esta página donde organizo los enlaces que tienen que ver con entradas sobre reciclaje, reutilización, upcycling, etc.