Greenheart News - Spring 2025
- Chris Dews
- Mar 16
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 3
With springtime now in full bloom, we seem to have returned to a normal weather situation for this time of the year and the island is bursting with beautiful flowers.
This is especially noticeable here in Casita Verde, where last year's total lack of rainfall left our little eco centre looking rather devoid of new plant growth and actually more like a desert than an example of a natural but well tended garden. Hopefully, this year, we’ll see an increase in annual rainfall and we won’t run out of water as we did towards the end of last summer.
Luckily, many people are beginning to realise that the so-called dangers occurring with the increase in atmospheric CO2 levels are not the real cause of our changing climate and that we can forget about blaming ourselves for burning wood from our forest areas to keep us warm in the winter months (Or perhaps even breathing too much!). Obviously, increasing levels of environmental pollution and loss of biodiversity is a huge problem, which we can only solve by reducing our negative impact on the planet's natural resources and vital ecosystems.
Actually, whenever I ask our student visitors just how much CO2 is in the air as a percentage, I find that hardly anyone knows the correct answer and some even tell me it’s as much as 30%, when the real figure is around 0.042%. This is an increase of 0.04% since pre-industrial times when it was around 0.028%, or 280 parts per million. I usually explain that most farmers with an industrial greenhouse installation use CO2 cylinders to raise the level of this life-giving gas to around 1000 parts per million (0.01%), before they plant anything in their greenhouses, as it makes the plants grow much quicker and of course much larger. (It really is an efficient Greenhouse gas!)
Recent non biased studies reveal that the level of CO2 in the atmosphere is actually self regulating, as apart from other effects, more of this gas tends to promote plant growth, which in turn converts more CO2 into oxygen which we all need to breathe.
Personally, I’m much more concerned with learning what it is that is being sprayed on us from the numerous airplanes which seem to fly over Ibiza and leave our skies a milky white colour instead of our beautiful Mediterranean blue. Some of us have even started a special WhatsApp group to discuss how we can monitor this phenomena and present our findings to the local authorities for investigation!
Of course, there are many other things going on in the world, which also need to be sorted out, but I believe we are well on the way, since the change in government of the USA and have great hopes that there will be some significant improvements made to world politics as a result. (See this presentation from Jeffrey Sachs for more info https://www.youtube.com/live/bbTNxXtr5tw?si=o7dy86ikoAR8SdQx)
On a local scale, I am still busy investigating solutions for our lack of space in the island rubbish tip and, together with our friend Karin Isken from Ecovissa and Brian Reynolds, one of the directors of the UK company ‘Standard Gas’, we think we may have found the perfect solution to the problem.
As president of the Association Ibiza Limpia, I have been officially invited to join a group organised by the local government, in order to investigate solutions to the garbage problems in Ibiza and Formentera. Very soon, we’ll be having a series of special meetings in the Consell Insular, to discuss the various options and present our own ideas on the subject.
If all goes well, we should be making a trip to England during late April, or early May, to see the new system working, along with a group of technicians and some politicians. As the latest invention from Standard Gas Uk seems to be the optimum solution, we are hoping to convince the Balearic Government to adopt this system, which produces two valuable components that can be used on the island and which makes no pollution, as well as generating its own power. (See www.standardgas.com for more info and click on this link to see their brochure: https://www.flipsnack.com/koopprojects/copy-of-standard-gas-clean-energy-web-pdf.html
Casita Verde Ibiza
Casita Verde Ibiza continues to be more or less active, as a centre for inspiring others to do similar things with their own property, plus we offer guided tours of the whole centre until the end of May, when the weather is normally too hot to do a tour in comfort.
We are also open for offering weekend residential, or non-residential conferences, on topics related to the environment, so if anyone is interested in using the infrastructures and facilities at the centre for such activities, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Meanwhile, Casita Verde Ibiza remains closed for residential volunteer applications, but does offer the possibility to volunteer during weekdays, depending on my availability and on whether we need any help with specific projects.
Casita Verde Granada
Casita Verde Granada is temporarily closed for residential volunteers from the end of March until the end of November, since the director Rey Aldana will be working at the Juntos Farm project in Ibiza, together with a team of friends, helping to continue developing the organic food production.
Casita Verde Ireland
Béo hill farm is a living environment, offering an Irish traditional experience through immersing in local heritage, culture, music and ritual within the implementation of the Celtic wheel of the year. Learning the principles of permaculture, organic gardening, wild food consumption, animal care, polytunnel gardening, harvesting and foraging, as well as building and developing 20 acres on the site near Megalithic Tomb Carrowkeel.
Ongoing projects include:
Eco building using salvaged materials, constructing a pond for ducks and a mud-brick kitchen, tree pruning and helping to get the farm established as a functioning biosphere.This is a real digital detox experience full of good energy, off grid eco-living in a peaceful setting, ideal for reviving your connection to nature.There’s a compost toilet, fresh spring water and electricity from solar power.
On site, there are 2 horses and 2 Cats.
The site has limited Internet and WiFi facilities, so the experience will be perfect for those who want to disconnect with the outside world and enjoy real human to human interaction, so not a great option for digital nomads!
Accommodation:
Camping (Bring your own tent) or Camper van x 1 welcome.Caravan (2 bed) and wooden cabin (1 bed) accommodation - very basic/ off grid.Breakfast and 1 meal provided per day.Open to cultural exchange through music & the development of Irish music & landscape retreats.Offering natural building, off grid eco-living courses throughout the year.Get in touch if you would like to collaborate on a course or retreat idea.
Weekly activities include:
Gardening, harvesting, foraging, eco-building, animal care, cleaning, painting. planting, pruning, cooking, canning and preserving harvest materials.Experience Irish traditional sessions (music, song & dance).As a resident volunteer you will be asked to do a minimum 4 hours work per day, Monday to Friday, except in the case of special events, where depending on the kind of event being undertaken, an additional effort may be required from volunteers.• Weekends are free for you to do your own thing!
If you’re interested, please contact Joanna - Email: joannasweeney@gmail.com
We’re still hoping to establish another centre in Madrid, but this depends on acquiring a suitable site for the project, although so far there are a couple of options available. I’ll send out some more information on that idea in my next newsletter during the summer, as soon as we’ve got things confirmed.
I am of course still participating as one of the directors of the island Water Alliance
(Alianza por el Agua Ibiza y Formentera), plus participate in the Zero Waste Alliance (see https://alianzaagua.org/es and https://plasticfree.es/en) and attend various meetings related to local environmental objectives.
If you would like to visit our centre for a guided tour, or want to know how you can be a more eco-conscious citizen, please get in touch by email, sending your request to info@casitaverde.com, or calling our main office on 608838190 (English and Spanish)
With warm greetings from Casita Verde,
Chris Dews – coordinator
"Climate the Movie: The Cold Truth", Debunks Global Warming & Net Zero Narratives
The Crusade Against Carbon Dioxide | Professor William Happer
Ibiza kan¡an mehr al party (Ibiza can be more than just a party)
l'écologie il vous dit tout
Videos Casita Verde Ibiza
Videos Casita Verde Ibiza
Agricultura Regenerativa España
sd