Compost for a Paradise

Speechless. And a little overwhelmed. That’s how I’m feeling right now.

Since the beginning of our crowdfunding, my morning routine has changed: first thing I do is check the project status. And this morning, I nearly jumped out of bed – we hit 100% of our stretch goal! Wow. Incredible. Incredibly exciting!

Yesterday, an article about our project appeared in Bärner Bär (page 13 in the e-paper: https://epaper.baernerbaer.ch/) – and apparently, it made an impact. I’m deeply grateful that there are people – like you – who believe in us and in this project. And that even people we don’t know are supporting us. That’s a really touching and valuable experience.

wemakeit now gives us the chance to set a second stretch goal – and we’ll go for it. There are still 10 days left until the end of our campaign.

What would we use the additional funds for? Here’s a quick summary (more details below*):

• Infrastructure to compost meat and fish
• Workshops for teachers and schools
• A «Festival de las Semillas» in the village, for all generations
• A simple website for the project and a map of participating businesses
• A small reserve for the unexpected

A heartfelt, honest THANK YOU for your support! We’re incredibly happy and excited to try and spark change in this beautiful corner of the world – thanks to your help.

See you soon, Coco and José

*Here’s more information on each of the points above, if you’re curious:

• Infrastructure to compost meat and fish We want to set up everything needed to compost meat and fish. Restaurants and hotel kitchens generate lots of these leftovers. And during high season, a huge amount of fish waste piles up at the harbour. Usually, people are advised not to compost meat and fish – but with the right setup, it’s possible. And it can even give our compost some superpowers. The process: first the materials are dried in the sun, then baked in a special oven, and finally ground into a fine powder. We’d like to have such a system built by local experts. That way, we can keep even more organic waste from being burned, involve the fishers – and enrich our compost with powerful nutrients.

• Workshops for teachers and schools Yesterday, José met with local school principals to build stronger partnerships. But the situation is complicated – today the teachers are going on strike, demanding fairer pay. Their willingness to voluntarily engage with «new topics» is, understandably, limited. But we want to be persistent, keep asking questions – and most importantly, keep offering. We hope to inspire them with workshops so that they can pass this knowledge and passion on to the kids – or at least open the school doors for us to do so.

• A «Festival de las Semillas» in the village We’d love to organise a Seed Festival – with family-friendly activities and a swap market for seeds and sprouts. A vibrant community event with talks, workshops, a film screening – maybe even a concert. This kind of relaxed setting lowers barriers and helps us reach more people. Including those who might not (yet) be interested in environmental education.

• A website and project map The «Red Ambiental» (Environmental Network) brings together all the businesses that are part of this project. They do it out of a sense of responsibility for their village, the natural surroundings, and the community – but also a little to show they care and to be part of something bigger. To make their commitment visible and the project more accessible, we’ve agreed to create a simple website. It will explain the project, share ways to get involved (for both locals and tourists), and include an interactive map with all participating locations. That way, travellers can support responsible businesses with their choices.

• A small emergency reserve Not fun, but true: our first compost bins have gone missing… El Cuyo is generally considered very safe and peaceful, but there are needs and challenging situations here too. So, in true Swiss fashion, we’d like to have a small reserve for unexpected (or surprisingly urgent) expenses.

We’re truly happy: today we reached our crowdfunding goal – and it’s all thanks to you and 66 other generous supporters. You’re simply amazing – thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We deeply appreciate your commitment.

In crowdfunding, it’s all or nothing. That’s why we’ve been holding our breath a little every day (while sending lots of WhatsApps, emails, and even press releases). Now we’re on the safe side. But of course, we’re not sitting back…

Because we’ve set ourselves a new stretch goal: 1,500 francs more. Why? Because «more helps more» ;-) Here’s how we plan to use the extra funds:

• A large sunshade for the land: Summer has arrived, and the sun is blazing down. That’s tough on people, compost, and seedlings alike.
• A rain cover for the compost beds: The rainy season is just around the corner. Some moisture is good, but too much heavy rain can be harmful. So we need to protect the compost beds from getting soaked.
• Solar lamps: Due to heat and rain, we prefer to work on-site after sunset – when it’s also less mosquito-heavy.
• Seeds and materials for seedlings: We’ve started germinating plants and now want to do it on a larger scale. Several families are eager to learn how to grow their own food. As soon as our first batch of fertile soil is ready, we’ll start planting.

We’re incredibly grateful for every single contribution we’ve received. And we’d love it if you keep cheering us on, talking about our project, or sharing it within your network.

Thank you so much for your trust and support! We treat every single franc with care – just like our little plants.🌱

Best regards, Coco & José

The first magic milestone has been reached – thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Thanks to many small and large contributions, we’ve already raised 3,780 Swiss francs. Every single donation helps us make a positive change here on the ground.

And yes – things are moving forward, little by little, every day!

• The compost site has been cleared of weeds and bushes – our first compost pile is up and running.
• The first 100 compost buckets have arrived – we’re labelling and distributing them step by step.
• Seven restaurants and hotels have already committed to joining the Red Ambiental. They’ve started separating their kitchen waste. We collect the full buckets three times a week and replace them with clean ones. José, who is the head of the project, visits restaurant and hotel owners every day to encourage them to join in.
• With Consepcion und Julian, the first locals have joined the project as paid workers. They help with pick-up, emptying and cleaning the buckets, and building «compost cakes» – gaining valuable knowledge and earning a fair hourly wage.

As you can see, things are happening! And we hope the crowdfunding continues to grow, too. Every bit of support – whether financial or by sharing the project – brings us one step closer to our goal. 🌱

Muchas, muchas gracias for your amazing support! See you soon, Coco and José