Sunday, October 28, 2012

Field-Based Training

The view from the top of our hike.  Mexico City is under the layer of smog.
For field-based training, the environmental education group went to GRUPEDSAC, an organization located in Huixquilucan, Mexico that demonstrates and builds eco-tecnias.  We spent two weeks learning how to build a cistern, a stove, a fruit dehydrator, and a vegetable garden.  We had two extremely patient and knowledgable leaders to teach us the ins and outs of constructing these green technologies.  Before we arrived, families were selected based on need to receive what we built.  The families were so nice to us.  We spent a couple of afternoons resting and getting to know the members of the family.  Some of them even jumped in to learn how to build the stove and vegetable garden.  The day after building the stove, the women prepared us arrachera with steak, chorrizo, nopales, and jalapeños served with handmade tortillas.  Arguably the most rewarding I've eaten here so far.


From this...
...to this, arrachera and handmade tortillas

fruit dehydrator with apple slices on the first two shelves


vegetable gardens





The day before we returned to Querétaro, we held an eco-feria for the local escuela secundaria.  We had 75 2nd-6th graders come through our five stations and taught them about environmental subjects.  It was a lot of hard work but it turned out really well.









My station was on habitats.  We talked about the different habitats that are in the community and then drew the habitat of an animal.  I used as much glitter glue on my poster as I could get my hands on.