Growing Bananas (sustainably)!

Earth University's sustainable banana farm - block 2 - which we visited on our second day in Costa Rica.  Finca means farm, so Finca Bananera Earth means "Earth Banana Farm." All photos Copyright (c) 2013 Wendee Nicole

On day 2, Heidi and I visited Earth University, which I'd previously visited in Oct 2011 for the Planet, People, Peace (P3) conference (there are some other really cool images from that visit here). The next P3 conference is coming up in Nov, and I'm considering attending again! It was really cool. Anyway, this was a trip to report on agritourism and sustainable agriculture practices, as well as ecotourism and Costa Rica's efforts to become the first - or one of the first - carbon-neutral nations in the world. Imagine the US government having an official policy of trying to become carbon-neutral? Even if Costa Rica doesn't achieve neutrality by the deadline - and there are rumors already of the date being pushed back - it is a commendable thing in itself that they have the goal. And they are certainly making efforts. I will be writing about it for Earth Island Journal and possibly another publication. Below are some images, and a video, from the banana farm visit. Earth University is a fascinating place, and they are a carbon-neutral operation. 

This is Michelle Medina, New Business Developer for Earth University product division. The banana plantation is actually a for-profit venture, whereas the university itself is nonprofit. However, 100% of the funds raised go into scholarships for Earth U students. They have shown that sustainability can be profitable. Some of the bananas go to Whole Foods in the US. 

The bags protect the bananas from pesticides. The banana plantation is not organic, but they employ various techniques to reduce the use of chemicals and other problems associated with traditional farms. Inside the bags they put chile pepper and garlic to repel insects, rather than chemicals. The plantation is still sprayed with fungicides to repel an otherwise devastating fungus called sigatoka. They spray by airplane - using GPS to make sure it is only sprayed on the plantation - 3 of 4 weeks, and during the other week, the plantation is sprayed with beneficial organisms. By using these beneficial microorganisms, they have been able to reduce chemical use by 30%. There are also fears of a new strain of Panama disease, a former version of which wiped out banana crops in the 1980s. Because all of the bananas are clones of one another and hence genetically identical, they are particularly susceptible to epidemics...

The banana man leads the "banana train." In other plantations, workers carry or drag all the banana bunches! Earth U created this trolley system to improve worker conditions.

Another view of the "banana train."

A video of the banana workers processing the bananas from the bunches. First they're cut into smaller bunches and then washed. I believe they use chlorine in this process and water, but don't quote me on that!

Heidi and I with our sexy hair nets!

The foam inserts are removed and the blue plastic is removed and recycled. They make plastic terra cotta roof tiles from the banana bags that are used all over Costa Rica.

Bananas!

The workers cut the bottom bananas to test the ripeness. A "good" bunch will be white inside, and green outside, and they take about two weeks after cutting to ripen. if they are too ripe when cut, they cant be shipped to other markets so are either composted, or they are sold to local markets. This bunch - he told us - were too ripe. 

Once bananas come off the banana train, they get washed and then placed on the conveyer belt, where workers put them in boxes.

The ones on the left go to local (Costa Rica) markets, while the ones on the right go to Europe. 

These bananas - the best quality - are shipped to Whole Foods markets in the U.S. 

Earth University student Niyi, from Nigeria, showed us around the university's intensive farm operations where students learn various aspects of sustainable ag. I visited here also in 2011! This "vehicle" is now planted with crops! They demonstrate how to make use of any and all items that would otherwise go into a landfill. 

  Niyi is a musician and you can see his cool Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas) video from Earth University above!

A yummy cafe mocha from Earth University's Aroma coffee shop, made with Earth University coop coffee (CoopeDota carbon-neutral coffee). 

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A day in San Jose (que tuanis!)

A blooming Savannah Oak. Beautiful! (just like my daughter Savannah!) :)
I am in Costa Rica! These are pictures from our first day. I'm here with my friend and colleague Heidi, and we arrived via the same flight into San Jose Monday around noon, where we were greeted by Gustavo, the guide who would be showing us around for the next few days. First we drove to the El Presidente hotel, where we were staying. We got situated in our room and then walked around a little bit. The hotel is right on La Rue Fernandez Güell, or "Central Avenue" which is a pathway that people walk up and down on, lined by shops and restaurants. At 3pm, we met up with a guide from Chepe Cletas, a nonprofit organization that offers tours of San Jose to locals and tourists, and is attempting to change the perception of the city from the old attitude that it had crime and there was nothing to see, to the current reality, which is that it's a relatively safe city and it has a lot to offer visitors and locals alike. Chepe Cletas started out doing bicycle tours (Cletas is short for bicicletas). These photos are out of order, but these are some of the sights we saw!



The plaza here adjacent to the National Theater has a lot of pigeons. Underneath the plaza is the Gold Museum.

A pigeon on a colorful fountain on Central Avenue.


Outside of the National Theater.


A statue of a flautist outside the National Theater.


The inside is gorgeous! Marble floors, intricate ceilings and walls, and several statues representing the various arts.


Another photo of the inside of the theater.


This statue represents dialogue. I think that might be Plato's head... not sure.


This statue inside the theater represents poverty. It was controversial at the time it was built to include it in the opulent theater which served the elite. However, today there is not so much difference in Costa Rica between rich and poor as in the past.


This is an elementary school that is made out of metal, and called "The metal school."


This round structure is the Temple of Music inside Morazon Park. There were some locals dancing and hanging out there in the temple, which really isn't a temple, but rather just a place to hang out and perform.


Inside of the Music Temple at Morazon Park.


Heidi and I at Morazon Park.


We stopped at La Criollita cafe for a cup of good coffee.


This is me trying to play the animal flute thing that I bought from a street vendor outside the National Theater. Don't laugh!


Heidi and our guide for the city tour, Jose.


This is a side of the National Museum, which is across the street from the Parliamentary building. It was dusk and these phone pictures turned out kinda cool!


Another view of the National Museum.


Graffiti on the wall across from the Costa Rican Parliamentary building in the capital city of San Jose that says some of the lyrics from their national anthem "Vida siempre trabajo [paz]" which means something like "May peace and labor ever live." Above the peace are three fists that say Fotografia Lucha (fight photocopying) which I thought was appropriate as a writer!


The blue house is part of the Parliamentary building complex.


Democracy Plaza, across from the Parliament.


This is the entrance to the Center for Art and Culture. It used to be the National Liquor Factory!


Inside are some crane sculptures that I thought were cool.


These are part of the old distillery.


These are the giant calderas or ovens.


Jose and I in the National Park (there are several parks throughout the city!)


This is a sundial that they screwed up on, and so it only tells time half the day. Not only that, they made some major errors when building it, so that there's a correction table underneath it!


Heidi and I in National Park.


The top of the main statue complex in National Park. The women represent Central America's fight against William Walker who overthrew Nicaragua and tried to overthrow Costa Rica but they raised an army of farmers and overthrew them


At the end of the tour, Heidi and I went to dinner at El Patio and then walked a bit along the Central Avenue, where we happened along this very gordo woman statue! Her official name is El Chola and apparently it's good luck to rub her backside! We saw several people walk along and touch her and I went and looked it up, and sure enough that is apparently good luck! There ya go.


Another view.

Going Bananas at Earth University

Workers at the Earth University banana packing plant. Costa Rica. Copyright (c) 2013 Wendee Nicole

More to come...

Has it really been almost 2 months?

Snoqualmie Pass, WA (taken through the window of a charter bus...). Copyright (c) 2013 Wendee Nicole

Wow. I guess I'm slacking on the blog posts. I have been writing like a madwoman, with a tiny bit of travel thrown in. Here are links to my latest articles...

• Game On! Businesses have used behavioral science to influence consumers for decades. Can it be used to save the planet? Ensia Magazine (formerly Momentum) Spring 2013. [This one came out of attending the SXSW-Eco Conference in Austin last year! It is about the emerging trend of "gamification" and how it's being used to help spur conservation action.]
• Think for Yourself: Critical thinking skills are more important than ever in today's information environment. Ensia magazine online. Mar 7, 2013. [This idea arose from the Science Denial conference I attended at University of Wisconsin-Madison last March, which also led to the article in Environmental Health Perspectives, Flavors of Uncertainty: The Difference Between Denial and Debate?]
• An Obesogen Over Time: Transgenerational Impact of Tributyltin. Environmental Health Perspectives, March 2013. [This is a "Science Selection" piece, or summary of a peer-reviewed article in EHP. The research relates to the feature I did on Obesogens for EHP for their Feb 2012 issue.]
• Road Traffic Noise and Diabetes: Long-Term Exposure May Increase Disease Risk. Environmental Health Perspectives, Feb 2013. [Another "Science Selection" piece]

I traveled to the Pacific Northwest a couple weeks ago to attend the Wild Mountain Memoir Retreat held at the gorgeous Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort in the Cascades (WA State), with Cheryl Strayed as the keynote. It was 3 days, and I met some amazing women (only a handful of men attended) and had a breakthrough about my book structure, which was worth the cost of the retreat! Theo Nestor is a great teacher! I'll try to post some photos soon but just want to give a quick update.

I'll be traveling to Costa Rica soon, and soon after that to receive my..... drum roll please... Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) for best magazine article in the science/technology/business category! I was and am over the moon! It was for the article, Did Tap Water Kill Lou Gehrig? for Miller-McCune magazine (now Pacific Standard), a piece that I really am proud of. That's enough for now... hope to update again before another 2 months pass!

Love Wins: Rob Bell and a Craftlab report

Wave at Laguna Beach. Copyright (c) 2013 Wendee Nicole

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place." -Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

I just spent 2 days at a fascinating workshop, Craftlab, with my literary and personal hero/inspiration Rob Bell (author of Love Wins, The Velvet Elvis, SexGod, and other books). He's a progressive Christian pastor who founded Mars Hill church in Michigan -- which quickly went from a small gathering in a school to a church in a literal shopping-mall - and he left Mars Hill in late 2011 and moved to the Orange County area near Laguna Beach (where the workshop was held) to focus on some new endeavors, namely getting a TV show with LOST producer Carlton Cuse. (I dont have a TV in my house that gets actual television, but it does play DVDs and so a couple years back, I watched all of LOST on DVDs and it is absolutely brilliant. I also got the book The Gospel According to LOST by Chris Seay for Christmas from my mom (I requested it). There are a lot of subtle and hidden themes and messages within the series).

Bell has broken a lot of molds and hence pissed off a lot of the conservative/mainstream Christianity, particularly with his most recent book Love Wins which questions whether Jesus actually talks about an eternal damnation/hell or whether – as the title suggests – Love Wins; at the same time, many, many people have a lot of respect for him, and there is no doubt in anyone's mind that he has a true gift in terms of his ability to creatively present the messages of the Bible -- love, grace, doing good, etc -- through his intellectual, creative, funny, engaging speaking style, and his writing. Not to mention the short NOOMA videos he produced - they also are incredible. I haven't seen them all, but the ones I did see blew me away. He takes a very simple idea and presents it visually, through a simple story. And Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world (he said at the time he was told, his wife said, "in the WORLD?!" He joked, because I'm #6 in my house).

In person, I have to say, Rob is just like what you see in videos. He's engaging, funny (witty), and deep, but what you don't see in videos that I got from being around him personally was first, how down to earth and second, how joyful he is. He was always smiling and really excited to interact with each person and help them craft something they were working on. He laughs a lot, and seems to really enjoy what he is doing. The photo I took was at 940pm on the second day and he looks a bit tired and probably was, but in person he looked really healthy and happy. He said this year "off" -- where he's just given a few of these workshops and has been working on the TV ideas -- has been really good for him. I also met his wife Kristen, and at one point he brought out his 12-year old son Preston who talked about how to engage that age kids in church messages.

The workshop was 50 people, mostly pastors and people otherwise engaged in ministry, and a few writers. There were some things I would have done differently (like we never went around and had everyone introduce themselves, which would have been nice, and we only barely touched on my book in the general workshop part), but at the end I talked to him about my book on evolution and he looked me in the eye and said, "You need to do this book," and he said to call his agent, and to say he said we talked. I was blown away. I think I said to him, "This is *your* agent?!" in shock. I will follow up for sure. I need to dust off the manuscript and start thinking about it as I have changed a bit in the past couple of years. I feel I will probably change some parts of it, and tweak the proposal a bit. I need to print it and cut it into little bits so I can rearrange them and figure out where everything goes! LOL!

The people at the workshop totally inspired me. I connected with Keith Page, who founded Reclaimed Church with a few friends in Costa Mesa CA, and he's the pastor there. He also started Rock Bottom Ministries, and this cool company that sells adorable "Kauzbots" stuffed plush robots that each support a different cause. He gave me one named Kale that supports the environment. How cool is that!

I met a pastor, Joe, and his wife Jodi, who experienced rejection from their former church after a 7-year illness, and went on to work in a small Presbyterian church in Woodlake California among gang members and impoverished people, where he literally had a member of their congregations son killed by machine gun fire a couple days ago. Gang kingpins attend his church, but he shares the love and grace of God with all. He's a converted Jew who came to Christ after spending time in his youth with - you got it - Keith Page! Then there's the Anglican youth pastor who was kicked out of a Nazarene church (as its pastor) because he served wine at his wedding. No kidding! And another pastor whose church of 800 dwindled down to 200 and he experienced a backlash from the entire community he lives in for showing Rob's NOOMA videos and talking about some of his ideas. You know, it's one thing to be at Rob Bell's level and say the things you do, and it's quite another to be a pastor of a small church and experience the kind of ostracism that some of these guys have. But they keep fighting the good fight and doing incredible things for people, showing true love, kindness, grace. There was a woman working in prison ministry, and another working in hospice care for UCSF who just started teaching first-year med students a one-hour workshop on spirituality and why it's important in medical care. I was blown away by the work represented by the people at Craftlab. There were a couple sweet United Methodist women pastors I met and ate lunch with, and there are just so many more stories here.

Here's one of his NOOMA videos, Rain.

On another note entirely, here's a link to a funny blog post by my friend Laura Zera, based on a conversation we had on a small writer group I started online about my latest article: Say, Did That Strawberry Flavor Come From Beaver Butt?

We saw a brilliant red sunset like this both evenings! It was incredible!

Not a bad view for a couple days' work!

I actually flew into San Diego and stayed with my cousin Holly and her family. They just moved back to the States from 2 years in Italy. They used to live in Tacoma before that. It was great to see them! I'd put a pic of Holly & I but she doesn't like pics on the internet! This is me on the SD beach near her home. It was foggy and rainy when I arrived!

The first night in Laguna, my friend Paige came down from LA to have dinner with me!

suicidal tendencies... how to help

A love letter from God on Christmas Eve
Copyright (c) 2012 Wendee Nicole

This is so sad... Just read a blog post (Today and Forever) by The Bloggess (my favorite blogger, really, since I have never laughed so hard as when I read her Knock Knock Motherfucker aka Giant metal Chicken story), and a friend of theirs committed suicide last week.

I have a soft spot in my heart for those with suicidal tendencies as I have been there - have the scars on my wrist from when I was 15 to remind me of where I came from, & how hard it is for people in the world to understand the demons we face, and what to say/do. All I can say is: TELL THOSE PEOPLE - the ones you worry about - that you love them, that you care, that you want them in your life, that you don't want them to die. It's amazing how powerful that can be just to know that a single person cares, and amazing how many people with seeming hundreds (or dozens) of friends have no one who actually reaches out (and a few who actively tell them the absolute wrong things). Running away, hiding, trying to argue/philosophize them out of it, thinking (or calling) them selfish - all the wrong things. When someone is drowning, you don't fucking argue with them. You yank them out of the water, despite their inexplicable fighting against you in panic-mode. Just help!

The saddest line... "One of the hardest things to accept about this tragedy is that Dan did ask for help. When things got bad he went to the VA but was told that he couldn’t get the specific help that he needed because he didn’t serve during wartime."

God help our country and its healthcare!

I had a wonderful week in Los Angeles for Christmas with my friend Paige, and will post an update about that soon!

unspeakable tragedy

Beautiful kids this young should not be gunned down at the hands of a madman. A photo of my young son. I thank God today and every day that he is still with me. And I pray for and weep with those who have lost their loved ones in Connecticut. Photo Copyright (c) Wendee Nicole

"At Sandy Hook yesterday morning, teachers and librarians tucked children behind bookcases, secreted them in closets, and locked them in bathrooms to hide them from the gunman. Elementary school will never be quite the same again, the way college, after Virginia Tech, was never quite the same, the way high school, after Columbine, was never quite the same. Children—barely older than toddlers—will be drilled, will be taught what to do when the shooting starts. Duck, hide under your desk, and be still. “Shh,” we will whisper to them as they huddle and tremble. “Be as quiet as a bunny.” ~ Jill Lepore (The New Yorker)

God that really hits home. When I was a kid, we had hide-under-your-desk drills for tornadoes, and before that, for attacks from nuclear bombs. Now, kids are more at risk from being gunned down by our own fellow countrymen. What does that say?

I myself am a victim (or survivor) of a violent gun crime, and could have died when someone - a teenager who took his parents' gun - pointed it at me and my best friend at an outside party. He yelled at me, "Do you want to die?!" I stood transfixed, terrified. My friend told him to cut that out and he pointed it at my head, and pulled the trigger. Then he laughed and walked away.

The gun wasnt loaded, obviously, and the asshole thought it was funny. But maybe doing that to me and my friend - and who knows who else that night - and perhaps seeing the power led to him being violent in other places. Maybe he killed someone - I have no idea who he was or what became of him. He obviously enjoyed seeing me transfixed and terrified. I think it's about power in the hands of people who - for whatever reason - lack a sense of control in their lives.

During all the postings on Facebook, two memes stood out to me on Facebook. One was that a similar school tragedy happened in China, in which a deranged man knifed 22 kids. However, the difference is that it takes a lot longer to hurt people with a knife than a semiautomatic pistol, and the result is that none of the kids got killed in that situation.

The second meme I saw is on a similar vein. Someone named Bill Spring posted an image of an early rifle, and said:

"This is what 'arms' looked like when the second amendment was written. It takes nearly a minute to load with a single shot. If the CT shooter had used one of these, he might have been able to murder one child before a teacher hit him over the head with a chair while he was trying to reload. The Founding Fathers had no knowledge of semi-automatic rifles, high-capacity ammo clips, plastic explosives, or atomic bombs. If they had, I'm certain they would have included exceptions as to what private citizens could posses. Even now, there are few who would argue that the right to bear arms includes *all* arms. So if we can ban nerve gas and land mines, why not other things? A line must be drawn somewhere. I say we draw it a little closer to the side that protects my personal safety from maniacs and murderers, and a little farther from the side that protects someone's right to own more firepower than an entire army regiment had in 1787."

Gun violence is a complex problem with no simple solution. It is not just one thing. It's not violent videogames or bad parenting or a lack of adequate mental health care or a need for gun control. It's all those things wrapped together in a complex medley that is going to require people with different opinions to sit down and actually talk and not be ideologues and to try to solve a real problem. In this political climate, I'm not that hopeful. One thing I feel strongly about, and that is that parents who own guns need to keep them locked up away from kids, and they need to teach kids that guns are used to hunt animals and to kill people. They are not toys. They are murderous weapons that wound, maim, and kill. I'm not against guns. My son hunts, and he was never ever given a toy gun as a young child, other than a super colorful Nerf gun. He was taught how to hold, clean, store, and shoot a gun. And he knows how to use one. Gun ownership means responsibility and that is sadly lacking in too many cases, or these kids and young men would not even have access to the guns of their parents.

And finally, even though it is so hard to not get wrapped up in this tragedy for an empathic person like myself, I have to remind myself: this is not my personal life. This is not my personal tragedy. There may be those days ahead, & there are some behind me, but today in my life I have many blessings, peace (if not of mind), health & safe children. The human heart did not evolve to handle the worlds many heartbreaks & tragedies via network news... I return to one of my favorite Scriptures, one I have posted on my bathroom door, that reminds us to focus our minds not on the tragedy and terror and fear, but on the positive forces of good that can lift our society from the depths of despair. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

And I leave you with these touching words from - who else - Mister Rogers.

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world."

And on that note, here's a link to a story that can restore some hope in humanity, because day in and out there are far more positive moments - many of which we take for granted - than there are tragic violent crimes. 26 Moments That Restored Our Faith In Humanity This Year.