Today we went to the EU Waste Management facility and the banana farm. It was fascinating to see how well they handle their waste! All plastics are either recycled or reused- we made brooms out of plastic coke bottles- and their organic waste is composted. They do have a landfill here on campus (they gave us an overview of how it is made), but they only use it for disposing of materials that cannot be recycled or composted. Their system is such a great example of what we should be striving for in the US.
The banana farm was great, too. We got to go into the banana fields to see the plants (did you know they are technically herbs?) The entire farm is organic, so they cover the bananas with plastic bags treated with garlic and pepper- it acts as a natural insect repellent. Once the bananas are ready to harvest, the workers cut them down and place them on the "banana train" which takes them to the processing plant. The train is actually an overhead cable that acts like a conveyor belt with the banana bunches hanging from hooks.
Interesting tidbit- Whole Foods in the US buys 95% of the bananas grown at Earth University. Look for the sticker!
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| Walking through the banana plantation |
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| banana flower |
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| banana train |
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| time out for a little dancing lesson :) |
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| In the medicinal garden |
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| Making our broom |
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| The winning team with the first completed broom |
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