El papel humano en la producción y tratamiento de aguas grises - The Human Role in the Production and Treatment of Greywater
El papel humano en la producción y tratamiento de aguas grises - The Human Role in the Production and Treatment of Greywater
Este es un resumen del trabajo hecho por la pasante del Instituto Monteverde Shelby Bates.
--- This is a summary of the work done by the Monteverde Institute's Intern Shelby Bates. (For an English version please scroll to the bottom of the page.).
Shelby y Orlando frente a la biojardinera del Instituto Monteverde. --- Shelby and Orlando in front of the MVI's biogarden.
Fotografías tomadas en Monteverde de ejemplos de Aguas Grises - Greywater examples from Monteverde
Aguas Grises: Peligros y Soluciones. (Artículo para Agua Pura).
En Costa Rica, cada persona consume un promedio de 244 litros de agua por día. Aproximadamente un 87% de este consumo se transforma en aguas grises. Según el último Informe del Estado de la Nación, solo el 3,6% de las aguas residuales del país, recibe un tratamiento apropiado. Por el momento, Monteverde tampoco cuenta con la infraestructura correcta para el manejo de aguas grises.
Las aguas grises se originan en los fregaderos, lavatorios, duchas y lavanderías. No incluyen las aguas negras, las cuales provienen de los inodoros y son tratados en los tanques sépticos. La incorporación de aguas grises en diversas fuentes de agua puede causar muchos problemas de salud, al igual que al medio ambiente y a la economía turística. Cuando estos flujos de agua no se tratan adecuadamente, son convertidos en focos de enfermedades como Salmonella y Campylobacter. Además, contaminan ríos, aguas subterráneas y mares, causando la mortalidad de organismos que dependen de aguas limpias para sobrevivir. Finalmente, causan un impacto negativo en relación a la apariencia de la ciudad, cuando vemos basura y jabón cayendo directamente a nuestras calles y ríos.
¿Cómo podemos reducir el impacto de las aguas grises en nuestra comunidad? Lo primero y más importante, es disminuir el consumo de agua, ya que así reducimos la formación de aguas grises. Por ejemplo, podemos tomar duchas más cortas y podemos cerrar la llave cuando se enjabonan los platos o cuando nos lavamos los dientes y manos. Debemos también reducir la cantidad de materia orgánica en nuestras aguas grises. Para esto podemos separar los sólidos y grasas antes de lavar los platos y/o podemos implementar filtros en el desagüe. Otro consejo es utilizar productos amigables con el ambiente, como los jabones biodegradables y los productos naturales. Por último, existen sistemas alternativos para el tratamiento de las aguas grises, como es el caso de las biojardineras. En general, las pequeñas acciones en nuestras casas pueden ayudar a disminuir los efectos negativos de las aguas grises en Monteverde.
Para concluir, debemos de ser más sensibles ante los problemas del recurso hídrico. Los cambios en los patrones de lluvia, posiblemente causados por el cambio climático, y el aumento de la población mundial, han contribuido a la escasez de agua potable disponible. Es importante recordar que las aguas de Monteverde afectan a muchas otras personas y sistemas de vida en altitudes inferiores, y por lo tanto debemos ser responsables con su uso y tratamiento. Cuando pensamos en otras personas y en la naturaleza, podemos trabajar en equipo para mejorar las condiciones de vida de todos.
Aquí en Monteverde, se esta dando el primer paso para responder a la problemática de aguas grises a través de el establecimiento de la Comisión Especial de Manejo de Aguas Residuales (la RED). En próximos artículos, se tratarán con mayor detalle temas específicos ya mencionados.
Por: Orlando Calvo y Shelby Bates
Además del artículo y el taller la pasantía de Shelby se encargó de hacer los rótulos para la bíojardinera del Instituto Monteverde.
Shelby además escribió un blog sobre su experiencia en Costa Rica y el Instituto Monteverde que pueden leer aquí.
English version=
Grey water: Dangers and Solutions.
In Costa Rica, each person consumes an average of 244 liters of water per day. Approximately 87% of this consumption is transformed into grey water. According to the most recent State of the Nation report, only 3.6% of residual waters in the country receive adequate treatment. For the moment, Monteverde also does not have the correct infrastructure to manage grey water.
Grey water originates in bathroom sinks, washing machines, showers, and kitchen sinks. These waters do not include black water, which comes from toilets and which is treated in septic tanks. The incorporation of grey water in different water sources can cause many health problems, in addition to environmental and tourism issues. When these water flows are not adequately treated, they convert into breeding grounds for diseases like Salmonella and Campylobacter. Moreover, they contaminate rivers, subterranean waters and seas, causing the death of organisms that depend on clean water to survive. Finally, they cause a negative impact with respect to the appearance of the city, when we see trash and soap falling directly into our streets and rivers.
How can we reduce the impact of grey water in our community? Firstly and most importantly, it is important to diminish your consumption of water, which will reduce the formation of grey water. For example, we can take shorter showers and we can turn off the water when we soap up plates or when we brush our teeth and wash our hands. We should also reduce the quantity of organic material in our grey water. To do this, we can separate out solids and greases before washing our plates, and/or we can implement filters in the drain. Another suggestion is to use environmentally-friendly products like biodegradable soaps and natural products. Lastly, alternative systems for grey water treatment exist, like in the case of biogardens. In general, small actions in our homes can help diminish the negative effects of grey water in Monteverde.
To conclude, we need to be more sensitive issues surrounding water. Changes in rain patterns, possibly caused by climate change, and the increase of the world’s population, have contributed to the scarcity of available potable water. It is important to remember that Monteverde’s waters affect many other people and life systems in lower altitudes, and therefore we need to be responsible with our use and treatment of water. When we think about other people and nature, we are better able to work as a team to better others’ conditions of life.
Here in Monteverde, the first step to respond to the issue of grey water has been taken thanks to the establishment of the Special Commission of the Management of Grey Water (RED). In upcoming articles, subjects already mentioned in this article will be explained in greater detail.
Orlando Calvo and Shelby Bates Monteverde Institute
Dr. Thomas Simon - Climate Change and Disappearing States - Cambio Climático y Estados en Desaparición
El Dr. Thomas Simon dará la charla “Estados en Desaparición"
---Dr. Thomas Simon will give the lecture “Disappearing States"
The talk will be in English with simultáneos translation into Spanish. / Charla en inglés con traducción simultánea al español.
Para descripción en español favor de bajar:
Description:
Dr. Thomas Simon will give the lecture “Disappearing States: Ecological Canaries in the Coalmines of the Seas?” on Monday, December 8th, at 11:00am in the Monteverde Institute auditorium.
Dr. Thomas Simon is professor of International Law at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Chinese and American Studies. He has also acted as Professor of International Studies, Philosophy, and Legal Studies at various institutions. In addition to his work as a professor, Dr. Simon is the author of six books and countless articles on the subjects of peace, social justice, discrimination, minorities´ rights, genocide, and torture. The Monteverde Institute is proud to host him for this talk on political and social impacts of climate change.
ABSTRACT
The disappearing nation of the Maldives and its sister island states (Kiribati and Tuvalu) pose a challenge to philosophy, policy, and law. Many of those who take a holistic ecological perspective see these, much like the canaries in the coalmines, as early warnings signs of the cataclysmic effects of climate change. The current international system is based on the creation of states with fixed populations and defined territories. International law has no mechanisms for dealing with the extinction of states. Drastic problems call for drastic solutions such as recognizing states without territories. Policy makers should not treat nuclear war as gang violence. Similarly, they should not approach climate change as if it were like pollution.
Yet, a piecemeal, environmental approach does provide a solution to disappearing states. Amending the Law of the Sea Convention to freeze baselines at current levels would have an enormous impact since it would assure these states as well as those with threatened coastal communities with rights to the living and nonliving resources within their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). Kiribati has nearly the same size EEZ as Japan and nearly four times the EEZ size of China, which, in turn, has about the same size EEZ as the Maldives and Tuvalu. International refugee law would not have to find a new classification for the environmentally displaced citizens of these islands. With funds from selling the rights to these resources, these citizens would have sufficient funds to relocate almost anywhere.
The canary in the coalmine does not symbolize a dire warning of ecological catastrophe but rather a potent warning of how fear conjured by over-dramatizing challenges turns us into meek canaries.
A big thank you to Cabañas los Pinos in Monteverde hosting Dr. Thomas Simon.
Español:
El Dr. Thomas Simon dará la charla “Estados en Desaparición: Indicadores del Porvenir de los Mares?” el lunes 8 de diciembre a las 11:00am en el auditorio del Instituto Monteverde.
El Dr. Thomas Simon es profesor de derecho internacional en el Centro para Estudios Chinos y Americanos de la Universidad de Johns Hopkins. También ha sido profesor de estudios internacionales, filosofía y estudios legales en varias instituciones. Además de su trabajo como profesor, el Dr. Simon es el autor de seis libros y numerosos artículos en los temas de paz, justicia social, discriminación, derechos de minorías y tortura. Al Instituto Monteverde le da orgullo ser anfitrión para su charla sobre impactos políticos y sociales del cambio climático.
Esta charla presenta el caso de naciones y estados (que se presumen tener poblaciones fijas y territorios definidos, por ejemplo las Maldivas) en desaparición debido a niveles marinos crecientes provocados por el cambio climático. Leyes internacionales no tienen mecanismos para lidiar con la desaparición de estados. El Dr. Simon propone una solución que definiría linderos que garantizan los derechos a recursos para poblaciones destinadas a volverse refugiados climáticos.
n agradecimiento muy grande a Cabañas los Pinos por hospedar al Dr. Thomas Simon.
Combating Coffee Rust (Hemileia vastatrix)- Combatiendo la Roya
Combating Coffee Rust: Coffee Rust (Hemileia vastatrix) damages coffee leaves and leads to defoliation, and can seriously reduce yields. While chemical fungicides have been effective, they introduce dangers to human health and the environment. Naturally occurring hyperparasitic fungi do not present the same risks, and may be a more sustainable alternative.
Coffee Rust (Hemileia vastatrix) damages coffee leaves and leads to defoliation, and can seriously reduce yields. While chemical fungicides have been effective, they introduce dangers to human health and the environment. Naturally occurring hyperparasitic fungi do not present the same risks, and may be a more sustainable alternative. We studied two such parasites: Trichoderma asperellum and Lecanicillium lecanii. We compared the effects of the two fungi on rust-infected trees in a coffee plantation. Trees sprayed with L. lecanii experienced 50% fewer necrotic lesions and 40% less discoloration than those treated with T. asperellum. We also conducted a lab experiment where we applied each fungus directly on leaves infected with H. vastatrix and found that L. lecanii colonized 25% more leaves than T. asperellum. Our results indicate that L. lecanii controls rust infections more effectively than T. asperellum.
RESUMEN
La Roya (Hemileia vastatrix)
daña las hojas del café, lleva a la defoliación y puede reducir
considerablemente los rendimientos. Si bien los fungicidas químicos han sido
eficaces, introducen peligros para la salud humana y el medio ambiente.
Los hongos hiperparasíticos que ocurren naturalmente no presentan
los mismos riesgos, y puede ser una alternativa más sostenible. Estudiamos dos
de esos parásitos: Trichoderma
asperellum y Lecanicillium lecanii. Comparamos los efectos de los dos
hongos en plantas de café afectadas con roya. Los árboles rociados con L. lecanii experimentaron un menor aumentar de
lesiones necróticas(50%) y 40% menos decoloración de hojas que Trichoderma asperellum o
el control. También llevamos a cabo un experimento de laboratorio donde
aplicamos cada hongo directamente en hojas infectado con H. vastatrix, y encontramos que L. lecanii colonizó más hojas (25%) que T. asperellum. Nuestros
resultados indican que L.
lecanii controla las
infecciones de roya más eficazmente que T. asperellum.
BY:
Jonathan Martindill, University of California, Davis- Land, Air, and Water Resources
AND:
Sydney Fozard ,University of California, Santa Barbara -Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology
EAP Tropical Community Ecology, Spring 2013 -7 June 2013
For complete report write to/ Para el reporte completo escriban a: info@mvinstitute.org
Hugelkultur in Monteverde
Hugelkulture in Monteverde guidelines.
We cannot talk about sustainability without including the fundamental theme of agriculture, growing that which we eat. With this in mind and with a great amount of effort form our students; the Monteverde Institute is testing different vegetable-garden types in our campus. So far we have an example of HugelKulture and a Keyhole garden in progress. Both of these projects follow sustainable guidelines and have their bases on Permaculture practices.
Here you can find a "how to" guideline built by one of our interns, Peter Wells.
Hugelkultur in Monteverde
A Hugelkultur is raised bed that mimics forest decomposition. This technique is native to Austria where is has been used for hundreds for years, for more information on this system, research the work of Sepp Holzer and his Permaculture farm in the Alps. With good construction and adequate precipitation, a hugelkultur is a self sustaining system. With occasional maintenance, it requires no additional fertilizer, chemicals, irrigation, or tillage. Here is how to make one.
Sample of a Hugelkulture Garden
Start with a couple of large, rotting trees or logs as a base.
2 Pile smaller deadwood and branches on top. Let sit in rain or soak to help retain moisture.
3 Cover with compost (manure is a plus).
3.5 Cover the mound in good soil and finally, leaves or straw.
The mound can be any length and as high as two meters
This system 3 major functions:
It is a water reserve in times of drought.
It is a beneficial harbor for microbial, fungal, insect, and animal life.
It is a nutrient mine for the plants that grow on it and drastically improves soil health.
Peter Wells, 2013. Instituto Monteverde.