Thanks to a couch surfer who accepted my brothers request. We arrived to zaye a wonderful flower exporter told us that she accepted us because of the community work we are doing and she wanted to share the NGO and project she is working with in the jungle. We happened to be with her over New Years and had an incredible time with her friends and an old sweet gentle abuelita dancing and enjoying the Ecuador New Year rituals.
At this point I was planning to go north towards Colombia. But before we left zaye wanted to introduce us to her project manager via phone. Douglas told us everything in alignment with our work and projects, as the unpredictable travels go we took an over night bus that same night bus baaack to Coca for the third time to go to ‘Yachana Lodge’ which is located an hour south of coca. The over night bus turned into a full day journey thanks to a lil big mud slide in the road, but all in divine timing landed us over a few bridges near the Napo river at “Yachana“ an oasis, a sanctuary, a paradise that is making efforts to transform tourism, into eco-tourism.
The locals refer to Douglas as the’ crazy gringo in the jungle,’ but originally from Kentucky he worked in the two most destructive forces on the planet; the oil and logging industry and after being successful entrepreneur and losing everything in the 80s economic collapse. So he decided to visit friends in Ecuador but never left and has now started started his sustainable projects. Now that he is aware of just how destructive the oils and logging is to nature he has dedicated his life to forest preservation, several eco projects around, education, eco-tourism, youth outreach, and indigenous relations.
We got to spend quality time with Douglas getting to know his 77 years of experience on earth, a generous heart he agreed to comp our stay in exchange of building relationship and walking us through his projects, NGO, foundation, and land trust. Our experience was everything we expected and more spending quality time getting to authentically connect, it was clear our third round back to the jungle was right where we were supposed to be. He humbly shared his accomplishments of his foundation, his school he had, and how our projects could possibly support each other.
After spending the night in a beautiful lodge, we started the following day with a small hike on the land where the wonderful staff are cutting out a new trail for eco-tourists with three huge grandmother cibo trees in route. After lunch he showed us all of the eco-educational projects. Starting with the sun dial, which was more of the sophisticated ones Iv seen with certain heights and lengths factoring into the shadowed time.
Eco-Tourism isn’t anything new but is catching more attention in these later years. It seems as if more and more travelers want to be apart of something special that gives more sustenances to their vacations or travels. Of course it is instinctual to feel accomplished in life, Which is great it shows that responsibility is increasing in mass awareness that we need to do something about our suffering environment. The Yachana volunteer project is also an opportunity for Douglas to teach Eco tourism to those interested volunteers looking to give back to the environment.
In the Mariposerio (butterfly house) we learned that each species of butterfly uses only one type of plant species to lay their eggs and eat off of, they also won’t reproduce in artificial areas they have to be natural. Divine timing Allowed us to witness a butterfly climbing out of his pupa (cocoon), birthing stretching his crinkled wings dry for a good 30 minutes until they can fly, it was magical, mystical and metamorphical in deed. The butterfly house has a hydroponic and gravity fed pump operating the water and plants which is one of the subject Douglas will be teaching eco-tourists, youth and volunteers.
On the roof of the main gathering hall is a two part water catching system, the first part for the first few gallons that washes out the leaves and dirt to be caught in a separate tube, which then a self locking mechanism is in place to start catching the now drinkable water into a large drum tank.
The compost toilets have an added foot mixer for when your done doing your business, you simply step on the four pedal a few times to mix up the wood chips and Poo to craft an aerobic environment which takes care Of the smell we all know. The other addition is a tube that drys the to-become fertilizer so that the bacteria is killed off. Again another Eco-system very necessary sustainability and for living in the jungle. The solar power is connected to all of the facilities powering most of them, next to the solar panels is a demonstration unit that has a range of lights that tells how much power is being collected, his educational demonstration is having you keep your eyes on the lights and simply puts his hat on the solar power unit to watch the lights go down, indicating that solar power is instant. Right next to the solar power is a mini hydroelectric unit and RAM pump all for educational purposes.
Part of the tour we ended up in ‘nature’s classroom’ that sits in front of a massive cibo tree, where several bench seats 60 people, this is the spot he’s says he gets into more education. Right as you exit is the hillside their are fruit trees and vegetables with the names so people can learn. Up the way is his simple little house, and even further up the hills is more housing and kitchen facilities. Even further up the way is the work shop sitting next to the water treatment area that is treating the drinking water with Ozone treatment, electrified oxygen, 27k volts of captured air meets the captured water stream water and then is pumped to the facilities, he mentioned that this system is 2k times more effective than chlorine.
In the work shop they weld and build most of their structures, along with carpentry. The same workshop has corn beater, corn grinding, the chicken plucking machine, and a solar dryer for sustainable chicken farming, again all for educational purposes.
His most current protect launching in a few weeks that we have agreed to be apart of is the sectioning out of the already 2,500 acres he owns into 100x100 meter ‘tracks’. Extensive research has indicated that each 100x100 meter ‘track’ of land is equivocate to 2.5 tons of sequestered atmospheric carbon. The average Ecuadorian carbon footprint uses 2.2 tons of carbon per year, which is equivalent to only one track of land to offset their carbon footprint. Not surprising the carbon footprint average for Americans use about 16 tons of carbon per year, meaning one would need 7 tracks of sponsored land in order to offset their personal carbon footprint.
So a careful business design is available to any one interested in supporting forest preservation. Bioneers can sponsor or buy and own one of these plots of land for 50 dollars which ensures that piece of land will never be cut down and that you will be supporting the availability of 2.5 tons carbon to be sequestered into the obvious oxygen we need to breath. The idea is to be more mindful of the energy we use in day to day life, which is why we are encouraging people to make efforts to reduce and offset their personal carbon footprint on your own means, even if it means supporting an eco project dedicated to this effort.
All sponsors will receive monthly messages to stay updated with the programs progress, as well the opportunity go out and stay on the land at designated camping facilities if desired and even participate in any of the other sustainable educational learning programs to implement themselves.
We agreed to set up our ‘Spirit Quests’ Routine so that we can continue the work we have been doing in taking brothers/sistars to sacred sites all over the world to be of service. We also talked about Indigenous relations so that we can bridge worlds between the eco lodge and the indigenous communities that still prefer to live in their ways. Social programs and educational programs will be offered as incentive and cooperation to of course keep their forest safe.
He also has plans to create a biological corridor along the river into one of the words most biodiverse National Parks, even more so that Galapagos so that animals can easily maneuver and possibly be observed for educational reasons. This project is still in the future but just to think to build relationships with these incredible species is our nature.