Hi from Mexico and Scotland!
Since the beginning of 2016 we have embraced a renewed energy within the organisation and have been spurred on by a number of new initiatives.
In Scotland we undertook a bird survey and the start of a woodland maintenance programme at our base in Bowling, West Dunbartonshire attracting 10 new volunteers who are committed to supporting the vast number of birds and animals who visit our space. In February, 15 volunteers attended a training session to learn more about the marine species along our coastline and are now part of a 3 year UK wide programme to document marine life in an ongoing citizen science project. Our volunteers are currently working on a number of projects we are developing including the building of an off-grid woodland workshop space and an arts project linking local woodland walks and the siting of sculpture pieces along the canalside that relate to the migration of local birds.
In Mexico our volunteers have had a busy month, helping launch and run a new interdisciplinary cultural centre in Campeche, Mexico, which has as a primary focus on green and local start-ups, in particular based around the Green Market (Mercado Verde) initiative by us, as well as an urban allotment programme and community engagement on plastic reduction and organic produce. We have begun to share idea and practical ways of reducing the type and amount of packaging used for the green market products and have introduced recycle bins and composting facilities at the centre. In Baja California we have begun conservation journeys where volunteers will begin to work alongside us from the summer onwards. The journeys enable us to show a wide variety of participants the efforts made by local communities to reduce overfishing and pollution in the area as well as the local communities resistance and resilience in ensuring their areas are not taken over by resort developers.
