This week, in preparation for Earth Day on Sunday, Nicole
and I have been spreading the word on organic agriculture, the proper disposal
of organic waste, and how to re-use recycleables. On Wednesday we took over
Chaupitena’s weekly nutrition class to talk about organic food and how the way
we treat the environment directly impacts our health. Laura from our partner
org Fundación Añamisi came along to give her expertise on organic gardening in
Ecuador. Laura and her husband Christian work with local agricultural producers
to teach them sustainable and organic farming practices. They also help them to
sell their organic produce in the valley and in Quito. It was extremely helpful
for us to have Laura as a partner in this, plus she is great with kids.
On Friday we brought some Earth Day awareness to the library
as well. Nicole printed out colorful posters honoring the day and promoting
environmental awareness. We decided to show the movie Earth, a feature-length
version of the documentary series Planet Earth, which follows the migration
paths of four animal families as they deal with climate change. The kids were
thrilled at the chance to enter the Teen Center, an area from which they are
usually prohibited, and to watch a movie on the big projector screen, complete
with popcorn. They were out of control while we were setting up the area,
lining up at the door and asking every 2 minutes ¿Cuanto falta? How much longer until the movie? The movie however
was a little slower than we anticipated, with a lot of educational narration
and we quickly lost half our audience. Nicole and I were feeling a little
disappointed until we snuggled up with some of the kids who stayed and realized
that some of them were really into it. It broke my heart to see how excited
Jonathan got when the ice started refreezing in the arctic “the papa bear is
going to make it across!” The few kids who stayed throughout the whole movie to
see what happened to the animals made it all worthwhile.
The Manna House will be spending Earth Day (Sunday, April
22) on a retreat in Cotopaxi National Park. Next week however, we will continue
spreading awareness by taking over Emily and Charlie’s monthly PHC Radio Charla. This charla will be geared towards an older audience and will talk more about the
production side of organic agriculture. Nicole has already been a guest on the
monthly radio show, but this will be my first time. I will be sure let everyone
know how it goes!
Nicole, Laura and I teaching Chaupitena 7th graders about composting
Laura teaching about organic agriculture
The library kids eating popcorn and waiting for the movie to start
The dedicated few who stuck out the whole movie