The New

Energy Infrastructure

The idea of Permaculture transcends industrial, extractive farming practices. It is about an organic, ecologically balanced lifestyle. This lifestyle is based on sustainability and seeks to mimic nature by implementing and utilizing natural growth methods and cycles. We at VerdEnergia are participating in this methodological transition in farming practices, refusing more and more ties to the agribusiness industry. One primary focus at the farm is low-impact biofuels.

We understand that we can keep looking for oil fields or we can plant our own. So we are working to keep energy local through the production of our own bio-fuels in Lanas near Puriscal, in a dual effort to revive the desecrated forests and mountainsides of our town. In addition, we have joined the countless number of groups around the world who are pushing for an economic transition from international and store-based resources to local and cooperative choices.

In her book, The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard recaps the United Nation's World Commission on Environment and Development's definition of sustainability. According to them, it is defined as: "Meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." She also adds that, "it must include equity and justice" and "requires looking at the big picture", not just specific areas. These are the foundational blocks upon which we have built our project.

If bio-fuel production seems removed from these ideas of sustainability, you are absolutely right—at least in the context of the typical industrial production that has occurred in the past and is happening now. The bio-fuel industry in the north, spurred on by greed rather than consciousness, uses the foods that can nourish people to power machines instead.

Are we really more concerned with feeding our gas tanks than the mouths of hungry children?

Crops like corn and soy which are currently being produced for bio-fuel, compete with food in both the marketplace and for arable land, raising the price of food worldwide. These crops are being produced using genetically modified species which are cultivated in utterly unsustainable ways. Additionally, chemical pesticides and fertilizers produced from petroleum are used to enhance the crop productivity.

The majority of current bio-fuel producers are creating more problems than they are solving, such as megacorporations like Monsanto, and Archer Daniels Midland. While this has led to a search for a different modus operandi when it comes to fuel production, bio-fuels have become an extension of the agricultural industrial complex. In other words, governments controlled by the largest corporations are directing subsidies and power towards their own selfish goals of production.

We learned a lot of this information as we started to get involved in the energy business. Trying to find plants that would cover all of our needs and not do more harm to the environment became our mission. One of the better options for tropical climates such as our own is the Jatropha curcas bush. It has provided an alternative fuel source that we have been experimenting with for the past five years. By planting the species in destroyed rain forests at an elevation of 150 meters, the nitrogen-fixing and tap-rooting bush can thrive on steep, barren hillsides and survive in depleted soils. Jatropha has contributed greatly to our erosion control efforts and helps to protect the watershed. The plants serve as reinforcements for our bio-swales, which catch the massive rainwater runoff that results from deforestation.

Farming the Jatropha naturally without dangerous chemical fertilizers and pesticides has contributed positively to the rejuvenation of our soils, which is already creating a healthier garden space and will continue to spur on more growth. It should be noted that fertilizing the plant is recommended for optimal output, but the fertilizer should only be organic. We produce an organic "tea" on the farm from mixes of manure and bacteria to substitute for harmful fertilizers. Cover cropping with beans and other soil fixers has made the land around the Jatropha fertile―perfect for intercropping edible species. In one case, we tested the soil in a part of our farm after just 24 months of Jatropha and swale building. The soil was 10 times less acidic!

 Bioregional growth

 Our farming methods are based on the specific needs of our region. We spend our time observing the land and listening to what nature is telling us it needs. Putting significant effort into developing our soils is necessary in order to have what it takes to create a food and energy forest through mixed cropping―a vital part of the sustainable model. With regard to the Jatropha bush, it produces an inedible fruit from which the oil may be extracted for fuel production. As mentioned earlier, the plant also grows well with other crops. Unlike the endless hectares of oil-bearing palm trees along the coastline of Costa Rica that constitute a destructive monoculture, we are repairing our local forests with energy.

The land has already started to produce and will sustain us fully in the future. We eat from the fields each day and will energize our lives with them in the years to come; it's a short, medium, and long-term plan. The fuel that can be produced from the Jatropha fruit is a marketable commodity that can be traded for other resources immediately. The crop produces a high volume per hectare and doesn't have to be replanted on a yearly basis, thus continually increasing its value.

The production of fuel from Jatropha is unfolding in stages. Small scale farms are coming together to produce vegetable oil from their crops, which is done without the use of any additives and doesn't require a formal production facility—a simple press and filtering will do. This oil can be utilized immediately on a local level to power buses, personal vehicles, construction equipment and cooking stoves. Once reached, this stage of production will produce enough fuel to keep our valley running petroleum-free!

In Lanas, we have joined with 35 farmers to plant close to 100,000 Jatropha bushes this year. As farms begin to yield a substantial amount of surplus energy, it will come time to transform the vegetable oil into bio-diesel, which can be used to fuel any diesel-operated machine, vehicle or appliance without conversion. This requires a process of mixing oils and alcohols in a semi-industrial setting for which the resources are currently being obtained through the co-op model. This production of our biodiesel will NOT BE USED FOR EXPORT: at least, not by the members of our co-op, Coopepuriscal. Rather, it will be for use in Costa Rica, to help stabilize local markets and protect residents from being affected by inflation and volatility in the global economy.

There is more good news for bio-fuels. Costa Rica wants to be the first country to become carbon neutral. The government is anxious to get the ball rolling, with the goal set for the year 2020. Verdenergia reached out and built relationships with other governments of the world and received grants to plant the first 35 farms. You may be able to receive financial assistance for a bio-fuels project as well. Remember—it's not about waiting around for change to be forced upon us; it's about asking how we can make things better for each other now.

Other farms are encouraged to begin a bio-fuels project or simply participate in the new energy infrastructure by continuing to produce what they produce best. For example, in the highlands of San Isidro and Cartago growing Jatropha is a hopeless endeavor. Here in the hot lowlands of Lanas, lettuce will never thrive. However, if we work together we can all have the things we need without being restricted by our local ecosystems. Building a local economy depends on trading goods with our neighbors and being willing to accept other forms of payment than money. People have been trading goods with one another for thousands of years; there is no need to stop now. Getting involved in resource-based economy instead of the fiat (faith based) currencies of the world is a necessary step towards our new infrastructure. Going straight from the farm to the fuel tank or to the kitchen table is the way to eliminate energy waste and retain the value of all our hard work.

Localism is one of the major components of moving toward sustainability and a balanced lifestyle. It is essential for farms to establish communication, and to keep those lines open and efficient. We need to serve as resources for each other. Our farm is willing and open to work with anyone in the sustainability movement, and we are available at any time. We have information about co-ops and are eager to exchange seeds, energy and information. Many farms like ours are enthusiastic about working with volunteers and interns as well. The key to success in localism is unity, not uniformity. Our communities are all different, but by embracing those differences we can work together successfully for the common good, which is really for the good of us all.

 © The tribe at VerdEnergia Pacifica De Lanas. All Rights Reserved. For more info please visit www.verdenergia.org

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