A crucial program initiated in April 2019 is ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION & ACTION, with the objective of inspiring and encouraging our own workers, students, kids in the projects and people in the wider community to act and to act now to save the planet. Most people. it seems, have no diea just how serious the situation is. Our main focuses will reflect the most important local issues – reforestation (offering free saplings to anyone who will plant and care for them), thus also improving biodiversity which is fast disappearing here as in the rest of the world. We also plan to try and persuade people that hunting iguana, birds, squirrels etc just for sport is not just cruel but contributing to local ecological collapse. And to persuade people to eat less meat!
This process started with a seminar for the Mariposa teachers and project workers. Kristin and Mark Sullivan (retired teacher in environmental studies and retired environmental lawyer from California) helped Paulette, Donal and Ismael with the presentation and we did various exercises which were great fun as well as instructive. Out of this we have set up a group called Accionistas Mariposa Ambientalistas (AMA) – translates as Mariposa Environmentalists in Action.
April to November 2019 the process has continued apace, taking advantage of the wet season, with many trees planted in our tree nursery, reforestation carried out on our own land and many trees donated to local institutions and individuals. We are working in partnership with our own kids projects, the Moviemiento Communal Nacional, MINSA (the health authority) particularly in the area of medicinal plants and trees, MINED (local education authority) which authorizes us to offer environmental education and plant trees in schools. Much of the work we do (as in the photos) is to educate through direct hands on practice, sorting seeds or planting. PS we do our best to avoid using plastic bags to plant seeds using coconut shells, milk and even wine cartons whenever available.
Sorting seeds 
MIxing up the compost 
We have also trained several La Mariposa workers in lombricutura and have massively increased the output of worm compost. This is being sold at a very low price to encourge more organic farming in this area. We are also embarking on an educational program with the MCN on bee keeping and helping native wild bees survive by planting appropriate flowers – as the number of pollinating insects has dropped so drastically in this region (as in the rest of the world) that farmers are now pollinating by hand. Many fruit and coconut trees are suffering strange blights so we encouaging the use of mixtures such as nime and garlic as effective insecticides.
Pollintaing dragon fruit by hand 
Coconut trees suffering massive blight 
Nime and garlic 
Training the Mariposa Environmentalists in worm culture 
Worm urine for sale!
At the suggestion of Mark and Kristen we also organise trips to local nature reserves such as Mombacho Volcano and El Chocoyero where our staff (particularly those who are offering training in the community) – are encouraged to value the amazing variety of eco systems and biodiversity that Nicaragua has to offer and inspires us to continue working hard to preserve and improve wherever we can.
Learning about cloud forest 
Atmospheric cloud forest
