What's Happenin' in Nicaragua!
Welcome to Nica Land, an inside view of what's going on in Nicaragua... the property, the people, and the reality of living the dream.

 

As Green as it Gets November 8, 2008

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Nica Land. For those who are just joining us, my name is Kassidy, and my good friend Chanelle and I are committed to showing you the land that Dale's been telling you about, and what's happening down here in Nicaragua.



While listening to an American radio program about living off the grid, I realized that life in Nicaragua totally identifies with Sustainable, Eco friendly living. I thought, “Hey, WE do that now, and we aren’t even trying to be trendy!” Although it’s a bit like wandering back in time, life in this little fishing village is about as green as it gets without trying. Now, as popular as the green movement is becoming, some people still don’t know what being “green” involves. For the most hard core, tree huggin’, earth loving greenie, these are the things you must live by....

1. Power your home with solar or wind energy

2. Conserve water & collect rain water for use in your home

3. Walk, bike, or use public transportation

4. Grow your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs

5. Raise your own chickens for eggs & cows for milk -decreasing the need for packaging & refrigeration

6. Buy seasonal, local food from the source, saving extensive packaging & refrigeration

7. Compost your garden cuttings and kitchen waste - decreasing your garbage amount & the smell of it

8. Run propane powered appliances -stoves, refrigerators & freezers

9. Donate computer parts, appliances, & cell phones -There are many non profit organizations that will turn these into working electronics

10. Buy recycled materials, recycle what you can, and reduce the amount of “convenient” polluters (eg. plastic bags at the supermarket and mini water bottles)

11. Use all organic, green beauty products or go “Au Natural” - a good example: http://www.josiemarancosmetics.com

12. Use bio-diesel to run your vehicles & generators on those overcast days


 

Life out here in the campo, as you can imagine, is a bit more challenging than your average suburb. Even more demanding than a typical city in Nicaragua, our fishing village is a little raw, very hands on and almost prehistoric. You really “feel like you are living” as you scrub your clothes on a washboard and hitch a ride on the ox cart. This simple life, as rugged as it may seem, is actually incredibly satisfying and secure, as we rely on no one to survive. Obviously, living off the grid here, is the popular choice.

Nicaragua has incredible soil and perfect climate for lush plant life. With nothing but ample space and rich property, sustainable living in Nicaragua is completely attainable. Most of the houses beginning construction around here, are powered by solar panels. We have about 300 days of pure sunshine in Nicaragua, and with the blackouts we experience, it really is the most consistently comfortable way to live. We also operate on water well systems, providing water at all times, powered by pumps or by hand. True bliss, would be to live in a home completely solar powered with a hand pumped well, as you would never even notice a power outage. It’s when you rely on an outside source to bring you energy & water, that you become helpless in those situations, and you envy your neighbor that lives in a shack with an open fire, water buckets, and candles.

Our water wells are dug by hand, and run about $600- $900 versus the $3,000-$15,000 in the Americas. Having your water come straight from the ground, walking distance from your home, provides convenience, free from the ties of the grid, and the happiness of never receiving a bill. Only lacking a good recycling program, Nicaragua hopes the incoming eco friendly property owners can make a difference with the garbage in this beautiful country.

Also, for the new land owners down here, they should know that there are sustainable designs for your home to create energy efficiency and natural cooling. House color makes a big difference in temperature, as a dark color absorbs the sun, light colored surfaces effectively reflect most of the heat away from your home. Trees, vines and shrubs can also be used to shade, and roof vents to pull the hot air out of the ceiling are inexpensive and easy to install. Ceiling fans are efficient and use very little energy, and correct placement of windows on opposite sides of the house can create a vacuum effect for sucking out hot air.

Our rain gutter funnels perfectly good tropical rain water into our tank, running through two filters, and is used for showers, toilets, and faucets. Our drinking water comes from reusable five-gallon jugs that are replaced when needed, and all those Toña beer bottles we guzzle get returned and refilled with that ice cold Nicaraguan beer. Everyone walks, rides a bike, a horse, a bus, or hitches a ride in the back of a truck. We receive virtually no mail, and read all of our newspaper articles online.
Our stoves are run by propane and our homemade brick pizza ovens provide perfect meals without relying on electricity to power them. On that same token, our fish is caught daily, carried by hand to the cooler, as well as local grown fruits and vegetables are purchased at the local market, and carried home in our reusable rice bags. All the table scraps and natural kitchen waste is collected in a bucket and fed to the neighboring pigs and hungry dogs, and we use fans and offshore breezes instead of AC to keep us cool.

All of these things are done, not because of a new consciousness, but because it is the most economical and efficient way to do things here. Now when do you ever get the best of both worlds... Same money, time, AND the planet? A perfect idea in a cool community. Like going back to grass roots and doing everything the right way, the FIRST time.


Come visit us down here and see what all the talk is about...











Dale checks out a new well at Prana del Sol