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Potential Economic Alternatives
Organic Gardening -
Potential Economic Alternatives -
Waste Reduction and Recycling -
Environmental Education
Eco-tourism:
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This offers many positive aspects. Fee-paying visitors can help
to support the running of the nursery and give local workers a
fair wage. Ideas and knowledge from different cultures are
shared, and can evolve into creative solutions. When our Mayan
culture is valued and respected by people from other countries,
this helps us regain our pride in who we are. Positive
interaction between ourselves and foreigners builds trust,
understanding, and respect on both sides.
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Firewood Production:
Beans and Maiz (specifically Tortillas,) are an important part of our
daily lives in San Pedro. Tortillas are cooked on cast-iron
plates or pans over woodfires, and beans need to be cooked for
many hours. This diet has sustained our people for thousands of
years, and shapes the majority of lives in our village. Few
families can afford to buy electric or use gas cookers
exclusively even if they wished to. Electricity is expensive and
unreliable, making it a poor alternative to gathering wood from
the land and forests. The local population is growing rapidly,
firewood is harder to find, and the current situation is not
sustainable.
At Bio-Cultura, we are investigating the option of creating
sustainable wood-lots as a method of reducing deforestation and
providing a potential income source.
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Alternative Crops:
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We are investigating the potential of other species that may offer
our people better prices and care for the environment better than
current Coffee production practices.
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