Maresias Project 2020

Day #3: School, Pousada Ka, and Hostel D’Amelinha Today we went over to a bed and breakfast called Pousada Ka. Desengarrafando Mentes brought me here since this bed and breakfast has a very unique way of dealing with the sewage they produce. The owner of the bed and breakfast, Jacque, had implemented a type of sewage filtration system that included a Biodigestor and plants. This biodigester housed many bacterias which feed on animal manure, the waste is then transported through the roots of many plants. The plants filter the liquid waste. This bed and breakfast also had a rain capturing system that utilized the gutters as a way to get it into a water tank. Jacque also explained to us other ways she managed to have a successful business, but not harm the environment at the same time. She also showed us how she tried to evade the use of things that are not recycled in the region, such as glass and rubber. Then I did an interview with questions about both the environment, the...

Day #2: Marine Biology and Making SurfBoards This morning we visited CEBIMar, the Marine Biology Center of the University of Sao Paulo, which is one of the most important universities here in Brazil. This part of the project was originally just for my brother but I realized how this tied into my peace and conflict project. During my visit there in CEBIMar, I learned that they study how the sewage affects plants and animals in the ocean. Now I could get to understand a more scientific perspective of the consequences of the lack of a basic sewage system. We were given a small tour around the campus and we were shown the equipment they used, the data they gathered and different types of animals that are studied at the campus.   Later on, I went over to Maresias town square to interview a local activist about his opinions on verticalization, the construction of 200 compact homes and how the lack of a basic sewage system affects the community. When I asked him about the 200 ...

Day #1: Following The River Today we visited three different areas of the river. We did this to understand how the inexistence of a basic sewage system affects the small stream going through the neighborhood. We visited three different parts of the stream. The first stop was at the hill, within the Atlantic Forest. At this part, the entire atmosphere felt amazing,  the jungle around me, the small waterfalls, all was so preserved, beautiful and peaceful.   But then we went over to our second stop, to see the part of the stream that goes through the neighborhood. This was a completely different experience from the first one. The water had a very strong odor of sewage, a dark murky brown color, and I could even see about 5 tapeworms having a swim in there. This is the sad consequence of not having a basic sewage system for a community of about 10,000 people that is still growing. Before this, I was told how the majority of the people would dump their waste into the s...

This blog is made to share with my fellow students and teachers the day to day experiences in my stay here in Brazil, developing this project. In case you didn't know, my family and I have been preparing to work on this project for the last 6 months. This project takes place in a small neighborhood on the north coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil, named Maresias.  This neighborhood came to be after many surfers settled in this area in the early ’70s, as Maresias beach has perfect surfing conditions. In the last 40 years, the population of Maresias grew from around 15 people to 10,000 people. This neighborhood is surrounded by a very dense jungle called the Atlantic Forest.  Maresias is also home to a large mountain range called “Mountain Range of the Sea”. We chose this neighborhood as my parents have been spending time in this area for more than 30 years and I have also been familiar with this neighborhood my whole life. My part in this project is to study the Peace and Con...