Finca El Zopilote Blog

FINCA EL ZOPILOTE BLOG

2009-07-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

Bienvenido al blog de FINCA EL ZOPILOTE.

Me gustaria escribir este blog en más de un idioma, sino por conveniencia tengo que elegir uno, que es el Inglés siendo el mas ''interncional''.Sin embargo, para aquellos que no lo saben recomiendo utilizar un traductor como GOOGLE TRASLATE: pueden traducir todo el blog solo escribiendo la URL http://www.zopiloteorganicfarm.blogspot.com/ y elijiendo el idioma.Gracias.

Welcome to the blog of FINCA EL ZOPILOTE.

I 'd love to write this blog in more than one language, but for convenience I have to choose one that will be English being the most''international''.However for those who do not know I recommend using a translator as GOOGLE TRASLATE: you can traslate the entire blog by typing the URL http://www.zopiloteorganicfarm.blogspot.com/ and choosing the language.Thank you.

Benvenuti al blog di FINCA EL ZOPILOTE.

Mi piacerebbe scrivere questo blog in più di una lingua ma per praticità devo sceglierla una sola che sarà l'inglese essendo la più ''internazionale''.Comunque per chi non lo conosce consiglio di usare un traduttore come GOOGLE TRASLATE: si può l'intero blog scrivendo la URL http://www.zopiloteorganicfarm.blogspot.com/ e scegliendo la lingua.Grazie.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR READING THE BLOG

2009-06-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

I decided to write this blog to show and explain to all projects built and our ideas for the future.Is not a blog as a diary organized and the arguments have a label with a name so that everyone will choose what most interests them.I will try to use simple language and straightforward, easy to understand words.I am interested that ordinary people can study, copy (if desired) and improve our plans to live in future in a greener world.Happy reading!

PLASTIC BOTTLES to build a house

2009-05-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

See all the photo of this of this project ..photos..

For this project i would like to thank a unknown visitor who left in the farm some copies of a similar project done in Guatemala.

Using bottles to build a house? It is a strange idea but for us it was very useful, mainly because it allows the recycling of many bottles. The idea has been maturing over time: first of all in Ometepe there is an organization that teaches to the locals to put in ordinary concrete blocks, plastic bottles to recycle and to use less cement. Then came this informative book written in St. Marco in Guatemala that ex

plains how to put plastic bottles in the walls and cover them with cement. Then we knew the technique of ferro-cement to make the tank water. Then I wanted to build my house for my family and having very high walls had to find a lightweight material because Nicaragua is a place subject to earthquakes. And finally came my friend Michele who wanted a lot of plastic bottles to build a

chicken coop and we have prepared. An incredible number, several cubic meters of plastic, even more incredible when we think that none of the bottles was sold at our farm. Michele has changed his mind and remained there all the bottles. So we started the construction of the walls.

Only one wall is all plastic ( 1 ), while others begin with stone and after the first meters continue with bottles ( 2 ). Before you make a structure of iron with the irons in the direction of the width of the wall positioned in pairs at a distance of several centimeters, just for it to take a bottle ( 3 ). Along the length of the wall iron bars are put at about 50 cm away. After reinforce with smaller iron bars orizontally. After that binds the net of steel (the same that we used for the tank) on one side of the wall and also on the other so that the two networks create a room to put several plans bottles that are inserted between the two , empty and with cap( 4 5 ). Then binds metal wire in several places and put pressure plastic bags because the structure has less movement ( 6 7 8 ).

Once finished the preparation work is complete except for the cement that is then''pulled''on the net and smoothed with a spatula ( 9

). Finally is a mixture of cement, sand and plenty of lime to give the finishing and the color white ( 11 12 ).

The result seems good, the walls are strong, yet light, are very insulated because they contain air. We calculate that we have used about 3,000 bottles in a place where no one goes to pick up the garbage recycling is a great environmentally friendly.

Check all the photos of this project to understand better.PHOTO.

CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS ( fitodepurazione )

2009-05-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS OF THIS PROJECT photos ( 1 )

photos ( 2 )

For this project I would like to thank Art Ludwig of Oasis Design and his book The New Create an Oasis with Grey Water

The constructed wetland is a process that allows you to clean the gray water (from the shower drain, from the laundry and kitchen) and the black water (from the bathroom ) through the plants.Since the first year (2002) to Zopilote we tried to recycle the gray water and fortunately,

we have compost toilets so we don't produce blackwater.Initially, the gray water was recycled with a system called BRANCHED DRAINS WITH FREE FLOW OUTLET (this system from a source of gray water separates the flow into several tubes, up to 16 even, but in our case from a source we had only one exit) .To understand the whole gray water showers and 2 kitchens (3 sources) was channeled by gravity in 3 different depressions covered with mulch with lots of plants gray water resistant near the channel and close the depressions. For resistant plants i mean resistant to gray water ( as you know is full of soap ): we used the banana trees, herbs, bamboo, and various local plants that grew alone, while it was impossible to grow tomatoes, herbs and delicate plants . This system allowed the complete recycling of gray water, creating green spaces even in the dry season, but we wanted more. In fact over the years significantly decreased the amount of water available to the community, then the liquid is more precious than before and every years we need watering different plants, not all graywater resistant and finally we also wanted a place to freshen up a little, a natural pool in short.

After 7 years of observation and after reading the book by Art Ludwig CREATE AN OASIS WITH GRAY WATER, we have started the new adventure of constructed wetlands which is very committed in time and money. The system devised is a series

of concrete drains roughly 50 cm high and wide from 20 to 70 cm that from the kitchens and showers bring the water by gravity to 3 pools of ferro-cement placed below. All channels and all the pools except the last are full of stones of various sizes with plant planted on it.

The pool below will be our reserves of clean water now ready to be used to watering plants and make a bath and will be located in a densely planted place to facilitate the manual irrigation of plants. For showers and laundry we have 'nt filtered the water while for the kitchens, since el zopilote is a farm / hostel with tourists often careless or neglectful of some attention, we put 2 filters, which separated the bulk of the remains of food and are cleaned daily. Across the system there are many traps for the fats where water is caught from below and then separated from fats that float because lighter. However, it is in the pools of ferro-cement that is the actual cleaning of the water because they are big enough (6 / 7 thousand liters), with the banks to increase the distance traveled by water and filled with stones of various sizes . In the end it creates a huge filter made from stones and roots that completely cleans the water. The project is not finished yet but already working well.

FERRO~CEMENTO water tank construction

2009-05-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS OF THIS PROJECT photos

For this project I would like to thank Chris Shank of Project Bona Fide ,Art Ludwig of Oasis Design and his book Water storage

Check our video in youtube: Finca El Zopilote: Ferro-Cement Water Tank

In 2008, after 6 years of suffering, we

decided to build a water tank big enough for our needs. I have a premise on watersystem of the community who would say lucky because there are sources of drinking water and rivers at the top of the volcano and there is no need for pumps. A foreign organization about a decade ago has made available to the community money and an engineer to get down the drinking water from the slopes of

the volcano Madera: The community has provided the workforce and once finished the project were crated committees to manage the liquid. Needless to say that the lack of money, lack of

knowledge, the struggles between different villages and the dramatic increase of the population both local and foreigners have done a good water system a mess. It is not uncommon to stay several days without receiving water during the dry season and the rainy season, for problems due to breakage, lack or excess of pressure, vandalism.

Our water supply consisted of some ROTOPLAST that could contain a total of about 5000 liters; during summer we had a range of about a day and a half and that was very little.With the aid provided by Chris of PROJECT BONAFIDE and a team of experienced local builders have designed a ferro-cement watertank that can hold 50,000 liters to assist us in the absence of water for 15 days and rationing even more.The work of construction is fast but for the preparation of all materials (sand, fine sand, cement, iron) needs time.When everything is in place we can start to build:

1) The foundation: concrete with an armature of iron round with a diameter of 5 metri.Needs 8 people with a day of work (I note that all jobs are done by hand without the use of any machine). Photos: 1 2 3

2) The reinforcement of the walls, all in iron bound with wire and attached with a steel mesh that is needed to support future cement (3 people, 7 / 10 working days).Photos: 1 2 3

3) The concrete walls and finishing: practically need to full the armature of iron with concrete and the work must be done in a day otherwise it dries the structure (14 people, 1 day of work).Photos 1 2 3

For about a month we s have kept wet the concrete using water several times a day without filling it. The end result is excellent, little cement is used, enough but not too much iron and have a super-strong structure and is durable.The concrete roof is recommended, but we covered with a net and in the rainy season can be filled with the rain. Inbound and outbound from the tank we placed filters.

Check our video in youtube: Finca El Zopilote: Ferro-Cement Water Tank

RAINWARER HARVESTING,we plant the rain

2009-03-22T05:17:00.000-07:00

See all the photos of this project: PHOTOS For this project i would like to thank Brad Lancaster and his books,RAINWATER HARVESTING FRO DRY LANDS AND BEYONDS 1 AND 2

Soil conservation is very important in a tropical farm. Heavy rains tend to wash the soil creating erosion and a lot of water is not absorbed by the ground but quickly slips into the valley especially in our property which is very sloped and clayey.If are not carried out conservation work the soil after heavy rains get dry quickly. From the beginning we tried to do this work and after a course of permaculture in 2004 we have improved our techniques. Only after 5 years we have heard of 2 books by Brad Lancaster (RAIN WATER HARVESTING FOR DRY LANDS AND BEYOND) that explain the concept perfectly. We were very impressed by the story of Mr. Phiry Maseko from Africa told by Brad in Volume 1,where this gentleman ''plant the rain'' before the plants; this is a concept very interesting . We planted the rain too using techniques very similar to those described by Brad in his books,we too as he went out right in time of the storm to see how

the water flows in the farm and we also love the rain.But we made a mistake. The second principle of successful water harvesting say: start at the top of your watershed and work your way down. We did not do because we did not know and we've had many problems, thankfully now been resolved. Our works on the land are divided in 5 different types:

1) Swale (permaculture name) or berm 'and Basin (Brad Lancaster) on the contour which over the years we have expanded, delving real lakes (10-15 cubic meters). Think about that when is raining strong and the water start sliding everywhere the swale and ponds employ more than 2 hours to fill up.

2) Diversion Swale with check dams to slow down the water.

3) 2 large terraces and singolar terrace for every single tree planted expecially in the most steep.

4) Check dams of stone and often reinforced with plants in every place where water flows.

5) Ground cover as much as possible, because the land protected by the plants is also protected against erosion.

The results are visible, the trees planted near the berm 'n basin grow better and faster than others.Before of all check dams soil is deposited by water limiting

land erosion. The land is much more humid the before .We willcontinue to improved the system every year .We have patience because we believe that these projects never end.

SUPER MOSQUITO NET

2009-02-04T03:43:00.000-08:00

ENGLISH ( Mas abajo esta la traducion en ESPANOL )

See all the photo of this project ( Click Here )

Sleeping in the finca el Zopilote secure.Those who lives permanently here do not use the mosquito net because there are no dangerous insects and mosquitoes.
However we understand that not all of our guests become familiar with the tropical climate and want to feel 100% sure when they sleep.
For this reason we made a super mosquito net resembles a four-poster bed Arabic, where can not enter into any animal and at the same time is roomy and comfortable.Come and try it if you are curious. Thanks.

ESPANOL

Mira todas las fotos de este proyecto ( Click aqui )

Dormir en la finca El Zopilote es seguro. Los que viven aquí permanentemente no usan el mosquitero, porque no hay insectos peligrosos y los mosquitos.
Sin embargo entendemos que no todos nuestros huéspedes se familiaricen con el clima tropical y quieren sentirse seguro al 100% cuando duermen.
Por esta razón, hemos producido un super mosquitero estupendo que se asemeja a una cama con dosel árabe, donde no pueden entrar animales y, al mismo tiempo es amplio y cómodo. Ven y prueba si usted es curioso. Gracias.

AFRICAN BEES AND MELIPONINI

2009-02-02T07:13:00.000-08:00

AFRICAN BEES AND MELIPONINI

AFRICAN BEES (See all the photos)

We bought 4 families of bees and one of our employee, Matthias, was looking to them .He has experience as a young man was working with an Italian beekeeper. After about a year I discovered these industrious insects and with a lot of experience in the field and some books i become a beekeeper. In 2 the work is easier.After 6 years we have 12 families with an output of about 200 liters of honey per year. The whole process of production is organic.

Latin American bees are Africanized bees, such as in 1964 a group of American researchers led African bees to Brazil to do experiments. The bees escaped and spread throughout the continent interbreeding with indigenous bees. Arrived in Nicaragua in 1984 and many beekeepers gave up to keep the Africanized bees because are more aggressive even if more productive. It is not easy to work with them because they give too many pinches even when protected and sometimes you want to burn them but they have queens that are very strong and make many eggs and are much more resistant to diseases such as varroa .

MELIPONINI (See all the photos)

Conversely, there are various types of bees of the family of Meliponini stingless that are harmless. Before the arrival of the colonists were commonly used by natives for the production of honey a little more acid than the common, but very good.In nature the nest ( photo ) are found in cavities of trees or palms, but you can "move" inside boxes similar to the beehouses .Il huge advantage is that you can place inside the houses because they are not dangerous and we do not need to buy wax sheets because they put the honey in containers manufactured by them with mud . We have found a Meliponini family very similar to flies and we're planning to place them in all houses including those of the guests.

PLANTS AND WILDLIFE

2009-01-28T00:11:00.000-08:00

See the photos of our plants.PHOTO

When we bought the land, over than half had no one plant because the owner was preparing to plant the rice; in the lower part of about a manzana (less than a hectare) there was a young forest of Madero Negro and in the quebrada ,40 large cedars. Without even knowing how it was we began to plant trees but, again, do not deny that a lot of help came from permaculture's course and its instructors, to teach us how to make a nursery and to create our own plants and to make available a large quantity of seeds difficult to find in Ometepe. Today in the farm is hard to find empty places to put new trees so much we planted and still we are far from stopping.

We have a small bank of seeds that we collect on our farm and everywhere we go,trying to select the best plants. All what we want to plant from seed or from cuttings goes to nursery where the plants are treated, cared ,and multiply until we move into the field. Maybe is the more important area of the farm, and nearby there is a small garden with vegetables, medicinal herbs , tobacco and spices.Towards the month of June when the rainy season begins, the plants are moved from the nursery to the field where they grow. For the first 2 or 3 years will receive a lot of care, such as water, compost,

protection against parasites and the wind and a lot of mulch (organic cover ), then they must survive alone apart some routine checks.It 'hard to make a list of the plants we have, although we are planning a census. I can briefly say that we have planted many native fruit trees, decoration plants, timber, and also many plants that come from the continent, from Central America and other areas like Asia and Africa. To give an idea i do a small list: about 400 different species of coffee, 40 coconuts, cacao trees, 5 different types of bamboo, lots of cedar, guanacaste, cahoba and local timbers, various species of mangoes, avocados,about 200 citrus trees (lemons, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines), noni, guanabana, anona, star fruit, jack fruit lots of plants with edible leaves , 2 African baobab, pejibaje, 1 tagua, many trees for the production of seeds for decorative handycrafts, 200 royal palms for the roofs, african oil palms, many decorative plants of all species, agave ,cactus,xabila , pitaya , over 2000 bananas of 14 different species and much more.

In the farm is forbidden to hunt animals and even foreign neighbors are doing the same then we are creating a recovery area for wildlife now almost gone and in danger of extinction. In recent years , thanks to the shelters that we built in various parts of the farm are returning the iguanas (the iguanas like stones and we have built pyramids of stone to make their nest) ,that before were commons throughout Ometepe. We are waiting for the monkeys to come down from the volcano to give us a visit and we've planted in the upper part of the farm many mangoes just to invite them. There are several armadillos and hares, and a tremendous amount of different insects and spiders typical of tropical countries. Fortunately we are far from the lake and the slope is exposed to the wind so there are no mosquitoes. There are also generally unloved animals like snakes and scorpions, but not considered hazardous to humans; since 2002 no one person or child died from the bite of these animals that are usually well away from people.

Many are the birds with very bright colors, like the blue of the urraka, the yellow of the luis and the green of the parrots that are moving in groups of hundreds. Often in the dry season you can see groups of billions of ants that are going together to hunt small insects entering and cleaning the cabanas .An advice : when you see them is better to leave and after 1 or 2 hours they move, but if are annoyed, they attack anything and have a powerful venom that hurt.

DISCOUNTS / DESCUENTOS

2009-01-23T03:33:00.000-08:00

sorry, from Jan to May we cant make discounts because is hight season.......thanks to understand, we hope to see you soon....

Disculpe, de Enero hasta Mayo no podemos hacer descuentos porque es alta temporada. Gracias por entendernos.......

ENGLISH ( Mas abajo sigue la traducion en ESPANOL )

Right now we are making those discounts:

Pay 8 nights, sleep 10. ( 2 NIGHTS FREE )

Pay 16 nights, sleep 21.(5 NIGHTS FREE )

ESPANOL

Ahora estamos haciendo estos descuentos:

Paga 8 noches, duerme 10 ( 2 noches gratis )

Paga 16 noches, duerme 21 ( 5 noches gratis )

OUR CONSTRUCTIONS

2009-01-15T04:15:00.000-08:00

See all the photos of our constructions.PHOTOS

All our cabins are constructed of wood and royal palms for the roofs while the use of cement is limited to the floor and some wall. The royal palm roofs are cool and very resistant to rain ( 1 ). Every 4 / 5 years should be changed by making new and the old palms are used as mulch (organic cover) around the plants ( 2 ). In parts of masonry cement is used with the stones found on the farm (zero miles), with glass bottles and even plastic bottles to recycle them ( 3 4 5 6 ).

There are 2 large communal spaces, a kitchen (with roof 7 ) and the zone of mango (outdoors 8 ) so we can socialize and meet new people.

All bathrooms are compost toilet ( 9 10 11 ) and we use the excrement to make the fertilizer that we give to plants, by a process that lasts 6 months.We have been criticized especially by very comfortable guests because the bathrooms are far away (20 meters at most) from the houses but we have thought so because having compost toilet near the house is not very hygienic.I'd like to add that to be ecologist and to have all the comforts is a nonsense, so we prefer to work with ordinary people that adapts to live in contact with nature, giving up some comforts typical of developed countries like the bathroom in the room.

To pee there are few urinals because in this way we divide the urine from the compost toilet (the urine is not good for the compost) and we use it as fertilizer ( link ) . Showers and kitchens recycle water through the constructed wetlands helping to preserve this precious liquid ( link ) .

The Mirador (a tower to see the volcano Concepcion 12 ) and the Japanese showers (showers only surrounded by plants 13 ) are now 2 attractions very popular with our visitors.

OUR PRODUCTS

2009-01-10T04:06:00.000-08:00

See the photos of our products.PHOTOS

In the reception of Zopilote there is a small shop ( 1 ) where we sell all products made by hand and basic necessities like sugar, salt, oil, wine,pasta, rice and beans.

Our products are many and every year are growing in number and quality: for example we do chocolate, nutella homemade ,jams, sourdough bread, cakes, biscuits, liquor, honey, tabbacco organically grown and dried in the farm, banana and honey vinegar , tomato sauce, tahini, and more ....

All our products are handmade and as organically as possible, so are a bit more expensive than others on sale in the village. Our guests are free to buy wherever they want, if you do not agree with our philosophy of buying less but better can always to go into town to buy the junk food sold by the always presents multinationals .

Three times a week in the area of the mango we do pizza ( 2 )cooked in a wood oven with tomato sauce made by us and we apologize because we do not use mozzarella but the local cheese is very good. Try to believe.If you want more informations about the Pizzeria El Zopilote check the the post PIZZERIA EL ZOPILOTE in this blog.Thanks.

PRODUCTS LIST

This is a list of our products hand made in the farm. We warranty that all the ingredients growing in the farm are 100% organic , same for the canning process and products preparation. The prices written here are the same of our sho in Finca El Zopilote ; for big quantity or for our neighbors something can change ( please contact us at zopiloteorganicfarm@gmail.com ).After the price of the product you will find + glass deposit : it means that if you bring away the jars used to contein that product it cost 20 cord more for the jar but if you eat here in the farm and you bring back the glass in our shop you don'nt have to pay the deposit.Thanks.

Liquors- Homemade liquors made from various herbs, nuts, fruits, and spices found on the Finca. (Chili, Coffee, Lemongrass, basil, chamomile, ginger, honey, clove, anis, eucalyptus, hibiscus, cinnamon, mint, avocado, rosemary, chocolate, and more... ) 454 ml from 100 to 130 cords +glass deposit

Marmalades -Made with seasonal fruits, herbs, and spices from the Finca. For example we usually make banano-maracuya($), mango($), mango-banano($), 100% maracuya ($$$), pitaya ($$$), guayava($), papaya($). 8Oz from 60 to 90 cords + glass deposit

Honey- 100% Organic Honey from our very own bees. 30 cords for 60 ml, 60 cords for 120 ml, 100 cords for 500 ml + glass deposit. For 10 liters we have a special price of 900 cords ( 90 a liter )

Mango or fruit Chutney-Made with fruit and we add pepper, vinegar, chili etc. The results are chutney sweet-salty very good usable to make indian or asian food. 60 cord + glass deposit

Peanut Butter- All-natural hand ground peanut butter. 8Oz 80 cords + glass dep

Nutella casera- Rich chocolate-peanut spread ground by hand and mixed to perfection. (Also Coffee Nutella) 8 oz cords 65 + glass deposit

Soap- Natural Soaps made with oils and plants from the Finca. (Chocolate, Cinnamon, Basil, Turmeric, and more) 70 grams 50 cords

Whole Wheat Bread- Wheat Bread baked fresh various times each week in our brick oven. 30 cords for a pound

Juice- Fresh juice made with seasonal fruits from the Finca. (Lemonade, Mango, hibiscus, orange, pineapple, grapefruit, and many more) 16 cords a cocacola bottle

Tomato Sauce- Italian tomato and pizza sauce, perfect for pasta. 60 cords for a cocacola bottle + glass deposit

Chocolate- Fresh all-natural chocolate made from locally grown cacao and mixed with honey, herbs, nuts, and spices for an exquisitely rich taste. We make 6 different flavour. 30 grams 25 cords

Yogurt- Natural Homemade Yogurt served each morning. 16 cords for a glass

Coffee- Fresh ground coffee from the farm.50 grams for 15 cords

Granola- A unique mix of local nuts and dried fruits with our organic honey, wheat, and fresh cacao. 75 grams for 15 cords

Chai Tea- A perfect blend of aromatic Indian spices. Tea for 6 people 30 cords

Tea- Various teas specially mixed with herbs from the Finca.

Muffins, Cookies, and Cake- Vegan Peanut cookies 10 cords, various muffins (banana, pineapple, chocolate, lemon, etc.) 15 cords, and cakes made in fresh in our own brick oven 20 cords a slice

Natural Sponges- Sponges made from local plants. 5 cords

Notebooks- Made from our homemade recycled paper. 100 cords

Chili oil – Vegetables oil mixed with chily and achote ( annato ) 20 cords +glass deposit

Col pressed coconut oil- Very hight quality cocnut oil , perfect for massage and beauty. 90 cords 60 ml+ glass deposit

Banana Vinegar- Made with bananas from the Finca. 30 cords for half liter

Tahini- Traditional sesame seed spread. 9 oz 90 cords + glass deposit

Chili Paste- Spicy chili paste made with locally chilies. 50 cords + glass deposit

OUR HANDYCRAFT

2009-01-08T04:11:00.000-08:00

See the photos of our handycraft.PHOTOS

My wife and I have traveled for years by selling our crafts in streets ,markets ,festivals all over the world. Staying at Zopilote allows us to work silver and leather that require many tools and adequate space. All our jobs are made by hands and to last over time . Particularly for leather items we make them looking beautiful and durable, for example by including silver elements (closures and buckles) that do not oxidize even in the tropical climate. Interested people can ask in the reception where to look our works.

GARBAGE

2009-01-04T04:22:00.000-08:00

See al the photos of this project.PHOTOS.

Let me clarify that in Ometepe there are not garbage trucks then everyone will have to organize for the disposal of waste.

We separate all the garbage in:

Organic - is used to make compost ( 1 ).

Paper - we use it to make recycled paper ( 2 ) and the surplus goes to the oven

The metal - aluminum, copper and large pieces of iron are sold to a men that every month pass to buy metal. The rest (which is not very much )we bury and generally get oxidized in a few years

Plastic - bottles are accumulated for the construction of houses ( 3 )

- Everything else goes on the floors of houses before making the cast concrete(Works as an insulator) and when we are not building is accumulated in a special case of concrete protect from animals and wind

Glass - we use in construction and decoration ( 4 )

Batteries - we accumulate in sealed plastic containers and later drowned in the concrete in the walls of the houses (it is the best solution we have found)

We spend a lot of energy in the recycling of garbage and just few of our neighbors are doing the same .When you visit other places in Ometepe, knowing that no one goes to pick up the garbage and if you can not see areas equipped for waste separation, ask yourself: What appen? where the garbage is going ? For now, let me tell you, and later you can investigate. Most of the people burn it, some bring it to the Moyogalpa to the dump where is burned, others carry off of the island where it is burned. The result is always burned which creates dioxin, then cancer, genetic diseases, etc etc ... This thing makes me angry more than anything with some foreigners who knows very well the problems that create this behavior and continue to rub for economic reasons, uncaring, etc etc ....

RELATION WITH THE COMMUNITY

2009-01-02T06:11:00.000-08:00

See more photos of this article PHOTOS

OUR PHILOSOPHY

2009-01-01T05:26:00.000-08:00

Our goal is to be self-sufficient at 100% respecting the nature and people. It is not an easy thing and we want to make it even more difficult: we do not want to use machines, or at least as little as possible, then all work must be hand made as many years ago.We try to keep alive the ancient traditions that are disappearing, maybe one day we will need them.Just think that we have'nt a chainsaw, a lawnmower, a energy generator , but even electric tools as a drill, a sander or a fan.The only exception is the 1986 Honda motorcycle used for emergencies, so that a full fuel lasts longer than 2 months.

Since 2004, we practice a type of organic agriculture called Permaculture.Permaculture is a generic term for the application of ethical and universal design principles in planning, development, maintenance, organization and preservation of habitat suitable to sustain life in the future.
Permaculture is also a movement and an international network of practitioners, designers and organizations, most of which have been developed and sustained without the support of corporations, institutions or governments.
The backbones are permaculture food production, energy supply, landscape design and organization (Infra) social structures. It also integrates renewable energy and implementation of material cycles in the sense of sustainable use of resources by ecological, economic and social development. Since its inception in the late 70s, permaculture has been defined as a positive response to the environmental and social crisis we are experiencing.BONAFIDE farms here in Ometepe organizes annual courses (link), and for those living in the United States recommend visiting the farm of my teacher Douglas Bullok (link).

For us it is important to have an excellent relationship with our employees so we offer a fair salary much higher than the nicaraguan average and we give support in hard times.We believe that working well together give a very high quality to the work done.

We try to buy as much as possible from our community (eg cocoa, coffee, sesame, rice, chicken, pork, beans, timber, palm leaves etc ...) and we support the barter as a form of payment instead of money.This help the community and the products have 0 miles.In the case of foodstuffs we are offering more money of the real price for organic products that are not certified but personally verified cultivation during growth.

It 's important to have good relations with the whole community trying to fix the problems and improve the structures such as the watersystem, the school, playground and sportsgrund which are almost absent.

We do not like to give alms, or give the money to local people only because they are poor. We do not approve the many humanitarian organizations that give things instead of knowledge and the population is not pushed to make but to ask. We believe that there are many employment opportunities at Ometepe, for example, there is no mechanic , electrician , plumber but there are many unemployed people who could do this work.

We like to keep the prices low in the future without doing like many that open a new hostel and after being famous start to install fans, airconditions etc and after 10 years a room costs 5 times more.We would like to work with tourist interested in ecology, simple people, that maybe give up some comfort to live in contact with the nature.

We like the idea consume less and better ,so we buy only the things that we really need, payning more money then the cheaper stuff usually from China for high quality stuff. The problem is to find good-quality ......Check this storyofthestuff.com , i like it.

Check our video in youtube: Finca El Zopilote: Handmade

IDEAS FOR A GREENER WORLD

2008-12-24T03:24:00.000-08:00

IDEAS FOR A GREENER WORLD.

I have many ideas to build a cleaner world but is not particularly easy especially for political problems, not for technical problems.The biggest problem is how to marry economics with ecology if after a small economic crisis as the last where production of the industrialized countries declined by 20%, the world is very concerned and is looking forward to the time when production and consumption will increase again .But how do we build a cleaner world with these production rates that are destroying and using all the natural resources of the planet?I'm not an analyst but I think we should decrease the production of at least 80%. The same thing should be made for the consumption of the rich countries.... we have too much, too much consumerism that escape from our control, like who goes shopping for depression and to pass the time,and not for necessity.Do yourself some questions. How many pairs of shoes do you have? How many electronic equipment? How many clothes? And how many things you had and were thrown still usable? How much rubbish do you throw away each week? Today, the waste is recycled but the best thing

to do would be not produce any garbage.That is something not so easy because everything is sold in a wrapper or a with a label or inside the carton.

Assuming that production falls by 80% just imagine the amount of unemployed .We built machines to do everything,they get our works and now there is little need for human labor ; also the machine does not complain, does not strike , does not get tired ...... Maybe this is why unemployment exists? I think so.It 'difficult to make working the consumerism for a long time because everything is ending, would need a planet 10 times larger or 10 times less people and maybe could be possible.

Imagine that there is a global ecological revolution and that i go to power with full powers.

Suppose then that I am the first green dictator of the whole world. What would i do?

First outlaw fossil fuel engines. Today we have enough technology to replace them easily.

Abolish the fashion and advertising that only tempt you to consumption even if you do not need, everyone can dress like they prefer and instead of publycity,to organize public exhibitions to show new products so who is interested can participate.

Buy a new car every 10 years, at least that will not break. I have a car of 20 years in Italy and a motorcycle of 22 in Nicaragua ,both still working fine, but some of my friends had more than 20 vehicles at this time.

And what to do for all the unemployed ? Decrease the number of machines in the industry, leaving only those necessary , increasing the demand for labor. Putting a 4-hour shifts 5 days a week because to work 8 hours a day is too much and no one likes, deprime.With lots of free time each could do works socially useful , cultivate a small vegetable garden, go dancing ,have fun ....

Decrease abundantly the number of policemen and soldiers, creating a green army of gardeners and maintenance of public green spaces that instead of being merely decorative would produce fruits and vegetables.

Eliminate aircraft. Stop to fly, at least until we find a clean solution .Until then we will use the sailboat, like once, maybe slow, but certainly fascinating. Want to go on holiday in Nicaragua to Zopilote? Leave a month before and make the crossing in a sailing boat. Are you in hurry? Your problem.

The homes must be built using green technology , then fitted with solar panels, windmills, oriented along the sun to warm or cool them, with compost toilets and constructed wetlands.

Prohibit the production of junk food and junk things ( things of little value that they last little time) .Evertthing must be made of the highest quality and ,if necessary, sold at higher prices following the philosophy of to consume less and better. Today there are products that last very little and are very cheap made mostly in China, but once things were made to last and handed down for generations.

What do you say, do you help me?....

WISH LIST / LISTA DE DESEOS

2008-12-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

ENGLISH (Mas abajo esta la traducion en ESPANOL)

Hello, thanks for visiting this page.We are in Nicaragua since 2002 and for us is really hard to find some things sold in the industrialized countries that .Unfortunatelly is very difficult import stuff by mail because the nicaraguan custom is very strict. For those reasons i wrote this article which is directed to our future guests that want to help us bringing things we need.

At this moment we need:

1) Crown caps ( we alwais need them and is very very important for us because we use in food processing Link )

2) Essencial oils ( we need to make soaps and is really difficult to find in Nicaragua )

3) Kitchen books and Permaculture books

4) Soy souce Kikkoman

5) Camping mats for yoga ( cheap camping mats )

6) A couple of Solar Light bulb ( Link:http://www.nokero.com/)

7) Piteba Nut and Seeds oil extractor http://www.amazon.com/Piteba-Nut-Seed-Oil-Expeller/dp/B004H2SDTM/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1EKXN86FWG6G8&colid=1ZTO8IOEIR5S4

There are 2 ways to pay those items: 1) We buy trough internet and we send it to your house. 2) You buy it for us and when you arrive here we give the money back.

Thanks a lot in advance .Cristiano.

ESPANOL

Hola, gracias por visitar este pagina.Estamos en Nicaragua desde 2002 y para nosotros es realmente difícil encontrar algunas cosas que se venden en los países industrializados . Desafortunatamente es algo muy difícil la importación por correo debido a la aduana de Nicaragua que es muy estricta. Por estas razones, he escrito este artículo que se dirige a nuestros futuros clientes que nos quieran ayudar a llevar las cosas que necesitamos.

En este momento necesitamos:

1) Tapas a corona ( siempre necesitamos de estas tapas porque se usan para preparar alimentos LINK )

2) Aceites essenciales ( necesitamos para hacer jabones y es muy dificil encontrarlos en Nicaragua )

3) Libros de cocina y de permacultura

4) Salsa de soya Kikkoman

5) Colchones para camping y yoga

6) Dos bomillos solares (link:http://www.nokero.com/)

7) Piteba: extractor de aceite en Semilla y Nueces. http://www.amazon.com/Piteba-Nut-Seed-Oil-Expeller/dp/B004H2SDTM/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1EKXN86FWG6G8&colid=1ZTO8IOEIR5S4

Hay 2 maneras para pagar estas cosas: 1) Nosotros compramos por internet y las mandamos a tu indicacione. 2) Usted compra y cuando llega aqui las pagamos de contado.

Muchas gracias, Cristiano.

JARDIN DEL MUNDO

2008-11-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

ENGLISH (Mas abajo esta la traducion en ESPANOL)

See all the photos (click here)

El Jardin Del Mundo is a project started in September 2010 and involves the construction of a terraced garden for vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants and food production in a rugged area that is situated under the grey water treatment plant. In Finca we have another garden and the Jardin Del Mundo is different because it is completely runned by volunteers (with few suggestions from the owners of the farm ) who wants to help and learn Permaculture in its practical aspects. Shortly it is a playground for adults where you can play to be a farmer.
El Jardin Del Mundo is a project without end and ever-changing: the plants , the people working here, the structure.
Plants growning in the Jardin Del Mundo are used and eaten by the workers and volunteers participating in the project.
Those interested in giving its contribution in the Jardin Del Mundo, please visit our web page in WORK (OPTION 2-3).
Thanks.

ESPANOL

Mira tadas las fotos ( click aqui )

El Jardín del Mundo es un proyecto iniciado en septiembre de 2010 y consiste en la construcción de un jardín con terrazas para las hortalizas, las hierbas aromaticas y medicinales y la producción de alimentos en una zona rugosa que se encuentra bajo el sistema de tratamiento del agua gris. En la Finca tenemos otro jardín y el Mundo Jardin Del es diferente porque es completamente administrado por voluntarios (con algunas sugerencias de los mismos propietarios) que quieren ayudar y aprender de Permacultura en sus aspectos prácticos. En pocas palabras se trata de un parque de huego para los adultos donde los voluntario pueden jugar a los agricultores. El Jardín del Mundo es un proyecto sin fin y en constante cambio: cambian las platas, cambia la gente que trabaja allí, cambia su estructura.

Las plantas cultivadas en el Jardín del Mundo se utilizan por la comida de los trabajadores y voluntarios que participan en el proyecto.

Las personas interesadas en dar su contribución en el Jardín del Mundo, por favor visite nuestra página web en TRABAJO (Opcion 2-3).

Gracias.

YOGA

2008-11-03T05:15:00.000-08:00

Yoga photos: click here

ENGISH (mas abajo esta la traducion en ESPANOL)

We have now finished our yoga space. Check out the photos in our album (the link is at the top of the page). You are free to use this space whenever you like. We are also looking for someone to teach yoga here at Zopilote. If you are interested please contact us at

zopiloteorganicfarm@gmail.com

The yoga space is situated in peaceful surroundings and the ground is made from fine sand. You don't need a yoga mat but if you have one, bring it with you because could be useful for some positions. Thanks.

ESPANOL

Hemos terminado nuestro espacio de yoga. Echa un vistazo a las fotos en nuestro álbum (el link es al tope de la pagina). Usted es libre de utilizar este espacio cuando lo desee Y también estamos buscando a alguien para enseñar yoga aquí en El Zopilote. Si usted está interesado por favor contacte con nosotros en zopiloteorganicfarm@gmail.com

El espacio de yoga se encuentra en un entorno tranquilo y el suelo está hecho de arena fina de playa. Usted no necesita una estera de yoga, pero si usted tiene uno, llévelo con usted porque puede ajudar en algunas posiciones.Gracias.

INTERNET

2008-10-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Free wireless 24 hours a day, every day.

Bring your Laptop or your smartphone. Thanks.

Wireless Gratis 24 horas al dia , todos los dias.

Trae tu laptop o tu telefono. Gracias.

PRODUCTS / PRODUCTOS

2008-09-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

PIZZERIA EL ZOPILOTE

2008-08-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

See more photos HERE

Pizzeria El Zopilote is open every Tuesday ( Martes ), Thursday ( Jueves ) and Saturday ( Sabado ) from 7 pm

MENU 2011

Todas las pizzas tienen salsa de

tomato, queso y oregano.

All pizzas cames with tomato sause, cheese and oregano.

1)MARGHERITA c 80

2)DIAVOLA with olives and chili

con aceituna y chili

c 90

3)BISMARK with onoins and egg

con cebolla y huevo

c 90

4)VERDURAS con ajo, cebolla y verduras de temporada

with garlik, onions and seasonal vegetables

c 90

5)CALZONE with onions

with cebolla

c 90

6)VEGANA sin queso con ajo, cebolla y verduras de temporada

without cheese with garlik, onions and seasonal vegetables

c 90

7)SALAME with salame italiano

con salame italiano

c 130

8)FUNGHI with mushrooms and onions

con hongos y cebolla

c 100

9)CHORISSO with chorisso

con chorisso

c 110

10)PERMACULTURA with garlik, onions, seasonal vegetables and fresh salad from the farm

con ajo, cebolla, vegetales de temporada y ensalada fresca de la finca

c 100

In the reception of the farm you can buy Cervezas, Natural Juice, Wines, Ron Flor de Cana, Coke, Fanta and many natural products handmade in the farm.

TOUR

2008-06-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

ENGLISH (Mas abajo sigue el texto en español)

For those interested in Permaculture, sustainable living and ecology , we organize tours with one of the owners.

You will get hands on experience with things like:

Permaculture

Compost and Composting

Constructed wetlands ( Fitodepurazione )

Grey water recycle

Bricks-wood oven

Rainwater harvesting hearth works

Nursery , vegetables garden and herbs spiral

Bamboo Constructions

Solar power

Living roofs

Recycle of all the trash

We kindly recommend the El Zopilote Farm Tour to groups, visitors and guests.

The 2 hour tour cost 30 dollars for groups up to 8 people and will be very nice to reserve few days before by mail (zopiloteorganicfarm@gmail.com ) or phone 505-83690644

ESPAÑOL

Para la personas interesadas en Permacultura, Vida Sostenible y Ecología, org
anizamos
TOURS de la finca con uno de los propietarios.
En la escurcion podras ver y preguntar informaciones sobre cosas como:
Permacultura
El compost y el compostaje
Fitodepuracion

Reciclaje de aguas grises

Horno de leña

Conservacion del suelo y obras de captacion de agua de lluvia

Vivero, huerta y espiral de hierbas aromaticas

Construcciones y plantaciones de Bambú

Energía solar

Reciclaje de toda la basura , organica y inorganica

Gentilmente recomendamos el TOUR a grupos, visitantes y huespedes.
El costo del tour es 30 dollares por 2 horas por gruppos hasta 8 personas y seria muy agradable reservar unos días antes por correo ( zopiloteorganicfarm@gmail.com ) o teléfono (505-83690644).Muchas gracias