"El Arca" Project
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 06:46PM “Permaculture,” or ecological design science, initiated in Australia in the 70s and co-founded by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, seeks to resolve our environmental crisis in a simple and practical manner that is accessible to all humans. The principles of permaculture have been selected from various disciplines including ecology, energy conservation, landscape design and environmental science. This project seeks to undertake the application of permaculture through the creation of a center which will demonstrate sustainability in action along the Costalegre.
El Arca will be a site where the practice is realized of living sustainably and responsibly, and self-sufficiently while placing a minimum carbon footprint on the planet. As well, it will provide a substantial benefit to the surrounding community and environment through its actual relationship with both. In harmony with the ethical base of permaculture which emphasizes care of the land and care of the people, this center will achieve this objective through its actions by:
* setting an authentic example of sustainable design through its integrated design systems
* providing a living laboratory for research projects focused on sustainability, ecology and conservation biology
* increasing biodiversity and resilience on the center´s footprint and its surrounding habitat
* improving the environmental health of the eco-region by supporting existing Tierralegre programs such as Recycle Costalegre
* increasing the consciousness of the communities of the ecoregion, especially youth, through access to the project site and its environmental education programs
* helping to capacitate teachers of the eco-region to teach experiential environmental education
* helping to protect the ecoregion from irresponsible, illegal and unsustainable development
* providing employment opportunities to the surrounding communities of La Manzanilla and Los Ingenios