FOR A LIFE WITHOUT CONTAMINATION
Alternative Trash Management
Lago Atitlan, Guatemala
puravidaatitlan@hotmail.com
The gods, Heart of the Sky and Heart of the Earth, created the world.
The waters parted and a land of mountains, valleys and streams appeared.
When the fruit of their labors was revealed in all its glory, and the
gods saw the beauty of the earth and its creatures, they decided that
it needed guardians.
Sacred book of the Quiché Maya, discovered in Santo Tomás Chuilá, now known as Chichicastenango, at the beginning of the 18th century.
Popol-Vuh
The majority of villages in Guatemala have no trash dumps or system to collect and contain their trash. Trash is dumped on the ground, in lakes and in rivers. Vital drinking water is being contaminated. Children are playing in garbage; and disease is being spread.
Pura Vida teaches villagers to compact clean, dry plastic trash into used plastic bottles, thereby converting waste into easily-storable and transportable “plastic bricks” for construction.
Mission:
To promote environmental consciousness among the indigenous villages of Guatemala, in order to curb the contamination of air, soil and water, promote healthier living conditions, and preserve the beauty of the land.
Goals:
Teach
the relationship between trash and disease in
the household.
Teach
garbage separation and management solutions: compacting,
recycling, and reusing through
trash construction.
Work
with every family individually through local
indigenous health care and environmental promoters.
Educate
school children (ages 4-18) about environmental
issues and trash through experiential learning, including:
campaigns, practical workshops, educational theatre,
excursions, and competitions.
Work
with the local schools to provide a clean learning environment
Create
local structures for recycling and reusing trash.
Construct
with trash.
Create
products using recycled material.
Implement
the Pura Vida experience in other Maya
communities of Lago Atitlán.
Develop
educational and promotional materials,including videos,
radio and television spots, theatre and school curriculum.
Train
local representatives to introduce this project
to other communities.
Connect
communities, schools, businesses, local government
and NGOs.
Natural
disaster relief for children
Create
a adaptable post-trauma therapy program for children to help them cope
with the effects of a natural disaster and reconnect with their local
environment through recycling
...The majority of villages in Guatemala have no trash dumps or system to contain their trash....
About Pura Vida:
Pura Vida started with pilot project in January 2005 in the village of San Marcos la Laguna in order to solve the community’s trash problem. After two years of experience the Pura Vida pilot project is emerging as an ecological movement around Lake Atitlán.
Pura Vida believes that as part of nature, human beings are responsible for the waste we produce. Communities must share this responsibility with environmental organizations, corporations, local political authorities, teachers, parents and children. Pura Vida is building with trash while building the environmental consciousness of communities.