Description

This course is a unique cultural exploration, where students experience Mexico cities' transformation into a more enduring and liveble system. Students will learn from IRRI-Mexico and Sembradores Urbanos experts, who are innovating sustainable solutions in sectors such as biogas, rainwater catchment, solar energy, permaculture, and urban agriculture. Students will not only have discussion and readings, but hands-on experience designing, testing, and installing their own appropriate technology projects with community leaders to bring about a holistic understanding in practical solutions.

Over the 3-week course, students will learn about social leader's evolving response to climate change, consumption, and contamination as well as the interrelated nature of these issues and the working solutions. At the end students will be empowered to help lead their own appropriate technology or advocacy projects. Most of all students will leave with a level of cultural understanding and "ecological literacy" necessary for all future leaders. This will not be a passive learning environment and students are required to actively engage in course work and community projects. Register by March 20th, one session from May 23rd, 2011 to June 12th, second session from June 14th to July 4th.

Highlights

Courses and Projects:

Biogas and Renewable Energy with Sistema Biobolsa
The IRRI-Mexico Biodigester program uses an innovative design started in Mexico, called Sistema Biobolsa, a low-cost, prefabricated biodigester system, which is more reliable, cheaper, and easier to install then the comparative concrete dome and tubular plastic systems. With a 20-year life, the system is designed for the harsh environments of small farms in the developing world. Animal waste enters the biodigester and bacteria within the system treat waste and produce biogas, which is stored for use and used to power simple burners, boilers and small motors, while the resulting effluent can be used as a safe organic fertilizer. Not only have systems reduced GHG emissions from animal waste, energy use, and chemical fertilizers, with an estimated 5000 ton CO2 equivalent of GHG emission reduction in our systems thus far, the projects also prevent watershed contamination, deforestation, and soil depletion. Our current research explores gas use from food waste urban biodigesters as well as human waste biodigesters within ecological treatment plants that use ponds and marsh systems for rendering waste water clean. Students will learn about energy, biogas, green house gas offsets, and biodigester designs as well as help design, install, and test a system for food waste biodigestion.

Rainwater Catchment and Water issues with Isla Urbana:
Water access is often unreliable in Mexico City and many poor, migrant, or immigrant communities are the last to receive any service in terms of access to municipal water. Water trucks full of water drive around the streets selling water to whoever can afford it, while municipal water is often turned off for 3-4 months at a time a year. Isla Urbana has dedicated themselves to increasing access to fresh water supplies by just collecting what all ready falls from the sky in rainwater catchment systems. This solution not only gives people access to fresh water, it also helps reduce flooding and the related problems of overflow and contamination in stormwater and wastewater treatment systems in Mexico City. Students will learn about water issues as well as Isla Urbana's innovative design and system integration into households, while also drawing up their own design for a household, installing, and testing the final water quality.

Permaculture and Urban Agriculture with Sembradores Urbanos
Sembradores Urbanos has a vision to transform urban soil into green, productive, and sustainable spaces. They opened The Center for Urban Agriculture Romita, one of the first urban agricultural community spaces in Mexico. The center demonstrates a variety of urban agriculture and organic gardening techniques as well as serving as a space for workshops and courses. Their center demonstrates Hydroponic Vertical Gardens, Hanging Vertical Gardens, Raised Beds, Vermiculture, Urban Compost Bins, Urban Grey Water Treatment, and Polyculture Planting. As well as taking courses, students will design, test, and install their own urban agriculture project in the community with guidance from leaders at Sembradores Urbanos.

Your Stay and Accommodations
Only 10-15 international students will be chosen for the 3 week course. Students will be immersed in the culture by living with host families around the headquarters of Isla Urbana and directly working with community members. The classroom and demonstration center at Ajusco Labs will be a a 15 minute walk or less from the student's host families, creating a supportive environment where students are close to one another and to their teachers. The Ajusco Lab has a classroom, study room, laboratory, and wifi and research paper access for students. The study room and classroom are open to the students at all times during their stay so that they can have easy access for continued research on their projects.

The Environment and Location
The Isla Urbana and Ajusco Lab's headquarters are located within one of the southern barrios called Colonia Cultura Maya, on the slopes over looking Mexico City. These southern areas were declared a National Ecological reserve in 1986. Rent a bike at the Eco-reserve, which is only a fifteen minute walk away from our headquarters. You can bike or walk through the semi arid forest, where maguey cactus push out of volcanic rock fields. Here the tree shade creates a cooling of 15 degrees or more along the rocky path, where lizards and geckos can be found. Every Sunday, the bike path before the reserve is filled with vendors and farmers who sell their goods like mangos, elotes, or pulque.

Tuition
Tuition for the course costs 2,300 USD. If you need assistance in funding summer financial aid awards, your university or school aid can often be used as part or all of the tuition. Check with your local study abroad office and financial aid office for more details about how to do this. Other financial awards, grants, and allocations for students can be found at Financing Student Travel.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Minimum Education

High School

Subject Areas

Cost in US$:

2,300

Program Fees Include:

The cost covers student stay with host families; 3 meals a day for 3 weeks; classes in biogas, renewable energy, rainwater catchment, water access, permaculture, and urban agriculture; and project materials for students installations of biodigesters, rainwater, and urban ag (like hydroponics/aquaponics/ hanging gardens and more).

Experience Required

no

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of 3 to 4

Application Process Involves

• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

3 weeks

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network

International Renewable Resources Institute - Mexico's Mission Statement

IRRI Mexico is dedicated to promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. Our projects empower families, communities and businesses to produce their own clean energy, to obtain their own water and manage their resources and waste in such a way that benefits them and the environment simultaneously. Mission: Our mission is to promote initiatives and business producing goods and services in a sustainable way, seeking not to rely on noxious fuels such as fossil fuels. We are also interested in supporting rural and marginalized communities through the generation and development of local resources in order to obtain a better quality of life. IRRI is the vision of sustainable and equitable prosperity in a world without pollution. Our projects include biogas, rainwater catchment, solar energy, and permaculture. We provide education, create local jobs, develop and test new technologies, and install systems that help low-income families meet their energy needs, water and sanitation on a sustainable basis.

Year Founded

2005