Mindful Living- Casa Xitla by Brynn Johnson

Staying at Casa Xitla has been a living example to all of us on how to live our lives in a more environmentally conscience and sustainable way. Staying at Casa Xitla was a perfect Earthwatch partnership because of their aligned values.

When we're at home we all eat, sleep, and make stops in our bathroom. After leaving Casa Xitla, we will be more mindful of energy, waste, and water. Below are some examples of the wonderful practices put in place at Casa Xitla.

Eating- 

The dining room in Casa Xitla was built around rock without disturbing all of the natural surroundings. Food is made with ingredients from local farmers. After eating, food waste is separated from paper and plastic. 

Sleeping- 

How can sleeping be sustainable? Good question, and this may be a bit of stretch but our comfortable, modest accommodations still provided a bit of an example. There's no A/C, so windows provide a nice breeze if your're hot. And if you're cold, there's no thermostat to turn up, but thick blankets can keep you warm. 

Comfortable sleeping accommodations 

Bathroom-
This setup really makes you think about one's water usage. We were told not to bring our own soap and shampoo because Casa Xlita would be providing biodegradable soap and shampoo. The showers are set up with a bucket. Why? Because how often do we turn the shower on and wait for it to heat up? At Casa Xitla, the bucket catches that water that is otherwise just wasted. This water can be repurposed for many things like gardening. At Casa Xitla we were able to use the extra water to flush our toilets. Speaking of the toilets, we only put things that naturally come out of our bodies into the toilets.

Shampoo and bath gel without sulfates 

A bucket in the shower

This is actually a dry bathroom from one of our work sites.

Collecting Nutrient Data- by Edward Peebles-Maxwell

Nutrient cycles play a vital role in ecological balance, ensuring that key nutrients for maintaining biological processes and structures are obtained by all organisms.  

  Eutrophication is the enrichment of a water body with excess nutrients, usually caused by typical human activities such as agriculture, waste water runoff and construction.  To what degree is eutrophication affecting the aquatic ecosystem in Xochimilco?  It is exciting to make an observation and speculate the answer to this question, but to really understand what is going on, scientists must collect many samples and measure many quantities for comprehensive analysis.  

For two of our days in the field, we collected data on the concentration of two of the most important nutrients, nitrate and phosphate.  The process was conceptually sophisticated but could be done with simple equipment.   After using a jug tied to the end of a stick to collect a water sample, small amounts of water (3ml) were mixed with reagents that reacted only with our target nutrient.  The amount of nutrient available for reaction determined how much color change was seen.  The amount of color change corresponds to a range of concentration for the target nutrient.  This process was repeated at the start middle and end of each canal.  

It was amazing to see how much results varied between sampling points which were only about ten meters apart.  The water in some sampling points was full of overgrown plants and algae which could have been fertilized by runoff from crops.  These points often corresponded to high nutrient values.   This is just speculation as there are many variables at play when trying to determine the cause of a change in nutrients.  Although we took data from many points, more points needed for statistical reliability.

Nutrient cycles play a key role in the curriculum of the classes I teach and these methods are definitely something I will bring back to my classroom in Santa Monica.  If we’re not able to make it to a local wetland, I would at least like to use these nutrient monitoring techniques on our school aquaponics system, and classroom aquariums.   I think it will be a valuable experience for students to use nutrient data along with other data and visual observations to inform their technique for managing these mini-ecosystems.  

Getting Situated

Nearing four o'clock, eight teachers from the United States began gathering in the hallway of terminal #1 of the Mexico City Airport. A Hilton Hotel elevator stretched upward behind us and a 24 horas Starbucks nearby beckoned. As each of us found our way to the rendevous point, a few Earth Watch t-shirts provided needed clues (in addition to our introductory posts on our shared blog).

Luckily, I had arrived early and had met with another Los Angeles area teacher, Brenda Young. She had let me relax in her hotel room until our late afternoon meeting with the group. Travel advisories swirled in my mind: Don't use the ATM. Don't wear jewelry. Dress modestly. Don't carry too much cash.

Everyone arrived safely: Brynn, Brenda, Sarah, Doug, Edward, Kerry, Bruce, and (I) Tai. We loaded our packs on the van with a professional driver and Erik, our Mexican Earth Watch field guide, a biologist earning his graduate degree at UNAM.

Our driver snaked through the highway traffic, under bridges, passed large buildings, and finally guided the van over an unpaved road to the outer walls of Casa Xitla. He backed up into the gated entrance, and we were ushered into a community that involved a whole projecta with five pillars: peace, human rights, ecology, art, and spirituality.

The first building consisted of large windows and high steel columns to allow the sun to flood the inside. We learned the structure's name: Casa del Sol. Upstairs, each of us chose our own room. Each suite contained two twin beds, a closet, and a bathroom with a sink and shower.

After quickly claiming our rooms and depositing our belongings, we toured the grounds led by Valerie. Casa del Sol housed individual rooms, many conference rooms, and staff offices. We passed an altar with a religious statue and learned that Casa Xitla was once a convent. Across the fields, we viewed Casa Luna. A host of musicians practiced for an upcoming performance in front of Casa Luna. Our tour revealed more rooming quarters and conference rooms in Casa Luna, a building much smaller than Casa del Sol.

At the conclusion of the tour, we dined in the auditorio/cafeteria. We learned that our meals would be specially prepared by the kitchen staff. We had a chance to enjoy authentic local cuisine as we shared more about our home regions, teaching assignments, and schools.

A evening workshop followed dinner. In the Gandhi Room, Dr. Elsa, a lead biologist from the REDES foundation gave us more insight into chinampas, the Axolotl, and conservation methods needed to save the key organism from the brink of extinction. She provided an overview of our teacher research fellowship. We concluded with sharing our favorite memory of nature.

by Tai Fowler

English Language Arts in a Science World

Imagine being an English Language Arts teacher surrounded by experienced science teachers across the United States, and Master Degree candidates and a Doctor to study water contamination, and the soon-to-be extinct salamander,  Axolotl, in the canals outside of Mexico City!  Quite an experience, but one I am fortunate to have to integrate my ELA curriculum with my school's science teacher. Sadly, I had not had any science classes since my high school days, so going out into the field to observe, take samples and analyze them right there in the field is teaching me so much. Our days start out with a bumpy ride out to the fields or chinampas (land) surrounded by canals. Armed with buckets, strainers, and different types of scientific equipment that I'm just learning about (!) we lower buckets in to the canals to get 10 liters of water that is poured into a long strainer with a collection cylinder. Sound easy? No!  We have to be very careful not to slide off the slippery bank into the canal. (Not everyone was so lucky!)  A quick swim in stagnant canal water is not a great way to spend a sunny day. First lesson of science:  Be safe and watch each other's backs when conducting experiments.

Luckily, the experts are great at explaining each step to me. We rotate tasks, so we get a wonderful range of experiments. Several test spots are selected, and under a beautiful sky, we gathered samples. Many samples! If I thought revising an essay was tough for my students, I soon realized that the amount of samples needed for reliable results is massive! Next step, analyzing our results right there out in the field. I can't think of a better lab than the great outdoors to learn about our planet and what we need to be good stewards.  I can hardly wait to see what results will reveal.     Brenda  

Yesterday the Conserving Wetlands and Traditional Agriculture Team spent the morning working in the field. After a delicious lunch we met up with a local farmer to help him harvest his corn. He had many varieties but we were harvesting the blue corn. To make sure the corn was ready to harvest, he taught us to look at the tops of the corn for the silk, which is the stringy material coming up out of the husk. The silk should be dark and brittle. The farmer was nice enough to let us take some corn with us and we are looking forward to trying it tonight! 

Tai Fowler - Paul Revere Middle School - Math, Science, Technology Magnet Center - Los Angeles, CA

Hello everyone!

I am Tai Fowler, an English teacher at Paul Revere Middle School in Los Angeles. My school is a one-to-one iPad school and a magnet with a focus on math, science, and technology. Students travel from all over the Los Angeles area to be part of our school community.

For the Conserving Wetlands and Traditional Agriculture in Mexico expedition, I am excited to join the team to learn more about how to conserve resources on our planet. It is also my goal to delve more into the science. I am ready to embrace the challenge.

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

The Axolotl: Trying to Save a Critically Endangered Salamander

by Bruce Taterka

The Axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, is a unique salamander that lives only in Xochimilco, Mexico, where we're going for our Earthwatch expedition.  The Axolotl is a fascinating creature.  It’s one of the few salamanders that retains gills into adulthood, which gives it the appearance of having a crown on its head.  It can regenerate lost limbs, making it a favorite of medical researchers.  The Aztecs associated it with the god, Xolotl, and it’s is still a cultural icon in Mexico to this day.

Unfortunately, Axolotl habitat has been destroyed by land-use changes and degraded by water pollution, competition from invasive species, hunting for food, and collection for the aquarium trade.  Axolotls are classified as “critically endangered” on the IUCN red list and are likely to go extinct in the wild within a few years unless at least some of its remaining habitat can be restored and protected.

When we go to Mexico in a few weeks we’re going to help our researchers in their efforts to conserve the last remaining Axolotl habitat on earth.  We’ll help them conduct sampling and assess the aquatic ecosystem in Xochimilco.  Their goal is to work with local farmers and the Xochimilco community to develop an Axolotl restoration program that provides sufficient habitat for the salamander and allows traditional agricultural activities to thrive at the same time.  Our work will contribute to the ongoing effort to conserve the Axolotl’s wetlands habitat and, hopefully, give this amazing animal a chance to survive. 

Statue of Xolotl in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City.