STORM LAKE — Emily Phipps, a senior biology major from Monroe, and nine other Buena Vista University students participated in an Alternative Week of Off-site Learning trip during spring break, enabling them to volunteer their time and service with a focus on environmental conservation and permaculture lifestyle in Las Marias, Puerto Rico.
For Phipps, a student site leader on the trip, “My eyes were opened to a different world, a world that revolved around taking care of the Earth and each other.
“I learned how easy it is for people from diverse backgrounds to come together and create such a beautiful environment. I will always remember this trip because I was able to see how love brings people together to create change in the world.”
The BVU students learned from the locals in Las Marias, Puerto Rico, about their economy, way of life and culture. Working with Plenitud, a permaculture organization, members of the group harvested green beans, kale, lettuce, oranges and coconuts for dinner and for the community, while others learned different gardening techniques and planted kale, bamboo, and other vegetables.
They created pots out of natural materials, collected compost for planting fruit trees, learned how to fertilize and clean fruit trees, made signs for the farm, tended to the greenhouse, worked on creating new gardens and steps down the mountain to the river and also climbed steep mountain slopes to plant natural “walls” to prevent soil erosion.