First of all, I’d like to wish all our followers and readers of this seasonal blog a very Happy Christmas and a regenerative New Year for 2023.
Even though we are nearly at the end of the year, the temperatures seem to suggest that we are still in November and it’s difficult to imagine that one day we’ll wake up to look at a frost covered garden. However, I will be the last one to complain about the mild weather and sincerely hope that we don’t have to endure a hard winter season, after such a long and uncomfortably hot summer.
There are of course still many theories about the whole global climate change scenario and how it will affect our daily lives, but I guess it all depends on where you live and whether you are more comfortable with the changes or more disturbed by them.
Certainly more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will promote more growth of plants and trees in many areas of the planet, which I suppose is a good thing. Also, a warmer winter here in Ibiza could extend our commercial tourist season, with obvious benefits for island residents and other stakeholders who live from that lucrative local industry.
Personally, I am much more concerned about species loss and the general degradation of our global ecosystem than I am about fluctuations in global temperatures, but that’s just my personal opinion and obviously is open to serious discussion between those who have evidence in either direction.
Also, there’s a big debate going on about our continued use of the internal combustion engine to get around and to transport goods from here to there. Obviously, in this world of constant innovation and technical advances, it is conceivable to assume that we can now produce synthetic hydrocarbon fuels from the atmosphere using renewable energy supplies. So instead of worrying ourselves to death about the increase in our carbon footprint, we could still use our internal combustion cars in a kind of carbon neutral way, while waiting for a better solution. For me, the idea of dumping all the cars that use fossil fuels and replacing them with electric cars is rather a waste of resources and quite an impossible task if we want to arrive at a net zero economy by 2050, so anything that can help us to reduce avoidable suffering in the mid-term would be very advantageous for the majority of the human race.
What we really should be concerned with at the moment, is lifting more of our world population out of misery and starvation in any way we can, while also allowing the developing nations to use their own initiatives to control their negative impact on the planet we all live on. Too much doubt of their ability to invent and implement their own systems of regulating pollution levels in their own countries would suggest that we in the developed world are now the global experts on that matter (which is basically not true), and would seriously affect their possibility to advance their own national world saving policies as they evolve their local economic strategies. For this reason (and many others), I am totally against making some kind of central world government, which would decide who does what, when and how.
Apart from opposing the idea of a ‘One World Government’, I fully support the idea of decentralisation and the installation of local community governance, where those living in a particular area of our planet get to decide what is best for their local population.
This is a demonstration of true independence which could also be connected to other progressive groups working on a local level to improve the lives of all those who want to join the worldwide movement towards a resilient and well balanced democracy!
Casita Verde Ibiza
Here in our ever more beautiful little green paradise, we continue improving the quality of the structures and gardens as time goes by. I must say that never in the entire history of the centre, has the place looked so well kept and presentable. It seems that we are very near to arriving at a perfect example of a sustainable lifestyle strategy and although the place is more like a museum than an active ecology centre, at least it is being very well conserved while we contemplate our next moves.
However, in the background, we are still working hard on several parallel projects, including the production of the new ‘Ibiza Greenheart Guide’, which is about two thirds complete, plus continuing to participate in various different organisations, debates and events which are helping to prepare the local population for a more sustainable future.
Apart from all the maintenance, which is no small job, I am now designing the final addition to the existing structures at Casita Verde Ibiza, which is a small sauna, to be constructed near to the nature pond and which will be mostly made from up-cycled materials as usuaL.
For this new building, we already have the roof, made from two identical circular fibreglass domes of 2.5 metres in diameter, plus the wood burning stove and the wooden poles to mount the main structure. All we need to do now is to find some more materials and I’ll probably have the thing finished and operational around the end of January if all goes according to plan.
We’ve also been busy improving the area around our funky salt water filled hot tub / Jacuzzi, which we use extensively during the summer months, adding many yuka trees and other ‘invasive desert plants’ in order to create a kind of exotic oasis. I’m now considering buying a stainless steel wood stove to heat up the water during the winter time, so we can enjoy sitting in our hot salty bath-tub all year round, providing many health benefits for someone of my advancing age.
Some people may consider that these luxurious additions to our already extensive array of useful and beautiful structures is moving us even further towards a kind of millionaire lifestyle, but in reality, our ambition is to prove that we can actually live like millionaires, without having to earn millions of Euros to get there, and also without destroying our planet in the process. Hopefully, this will attract more people to the idea of reusing materials that are already in circulation, instead of fabricating more, and also show that we can enjoy a very high standard of living by being more ecological with our actions and our inventions.
Another example is our transport system: Although we have three well maintained diesel powered vehicles at our disposal, I actually prefer to travel to nearby destinations on one of our electric bikes instead of using a car, especially if I’m only going to a meeting and don’t need to carry heavy things on my journey. This not only serves to keep me in good physical condition, but also saves resources and can be used without causing polluting emissions!
As for the future of the Casita Verde Ibiza eco centre, we still haven't decided on a definite plan of action and are still considering various options for using the installations for the benefit of the local environmental movement in general. Hopefully, we’ll be offering some interesting small events during the next year, so at least the place can be revitalised as a centre for meetings, workshops and conferences etc.
Ibiza Ecolandia and Ibiza Fènix
Many times, I feel like Leonardo Da Vinci, talking about aeroplanes, well before the rest of the world could imagine that man could fly in the air like a bird!
It seems that the local authorities still don’t understand the great need for a ‘legal’ ecological centre on the island of Ibiza, which would be open all year round which and could provide a very useful service to both the local population and to the millions of tourist visitors we receive every year. I’ve already spoken to the head of the environment department in the Ibiza Council and explained that I am now approaching 70 years of age and don’t imagine that I could successfully organise the building of a functional eco-educational centre when I'm 90 years old. However, there still seems to be some lack of real enthusiasm for this very necessary project from our local political representatives and I’m beginning to lose hope of ever achieving this goal during my useful lifetime here on the island.
Having said that, I am very encouraged by the rapidly growing movement towards a more resilient local population, especially from the members of the ‘Regenerative Agriculture’ group, which is connecting more and more local residents towards the idea of becoming totally self-sufficient within the next few years if we all push in the same direction.
Many people now share the dream to become a multi-national self-sustaining island population, which could be instrumental in leading the way for others around the world to follow our example.
Even though we are a long way from realising this ‘local dream’, there is every chance that with a concerted effort from all those interested in the evolution of the concept, we could very possibly reach this status during the next few years and of course benefit immensely from our interconnected communal efforts!
Of course, 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
https:/www.ibizafenix.org
https://www.greengorillas.eco