Bioremediation for Lake Atitlán
Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, is a world treasure. Lonely Planet calls it "The closest thing to Eden on Earth," and Aldous Huxley famously wrote of it in his 1934 travel book saying, "It really is too much of a good thing." Tourism is booming and the population around the lake is expanding quickly.
The lake sits in a volcanic crater and has no outflow, so everything that goes in, stays in. Unfortunately, this includes waste water from at least 20 towns and chemical fertilizer and pesticide runoff from unsustainable agriculture. The scientific agency in charge of monitoring the lake, AMSCLAE, claims it will be dead within 7 years. Beyond destroying its natural beauty, the contamination threatens the livelihood of all who live by its waters. At any given moment, roughly 20% of the population suffers from e-coli, amoebas, giardia and other intestinal pathogens. Something urgently needs to be done.
AN INTERCULTURAL COOPERATIVE EFFORT
We, the Lake Atitlan Environmental Interests Group , are a cross-cultural association working with farmers, fishermen, environmentalists, teachers, business owners, creatives, and inspired volunteers alike, who have joined forces to create a plan of action that aims to address the contamination at its source. By breaking down cultural barriers and encouraging the exchange of both Indigenous and Western wisdom, we aim to provide a shining example of what can be achieved through positive collaborative action.
PILOT PROJECT: BIOREMEDIATION WITH "EM"
Bioremediation is the process of using naturally occurring beneficial microorganisms to solve an environmental problem such as contaminated soil or water. In a non-polluted environment, bacteria, fungi, protists, and other microorganisms are constantly at work breaking down organic matter and keeping the ecosystem balanced and healthy. When an ecosystem is heavily and consistently contaminated, these beneficial organisms can't survive the onslaught and die off.
Bioremediation works by reintroducing these pollution-eating Effective Microorganisms (EM) in sufficient quantities and with adequate support so that they can restore and rebuild the ecosystem "from the ground up." It is a biotechnology that has been used all over the world with great success.
Please take a few minutes to watch this video about EM . It says it all. 15 minutes well spent!
Here is a UNICEF study that shows how effective EM is, and another study showing almost complete eradication of e-coli in a lake in Los Angeles. Finally, here's a playlist of 7 videos that explain how EM was used to remediate the Seto Inland Sea in Japan.
HOW WE WILL USE EM AT LAKE ATITLÁN
Lake Atitlán is nearly 25 cubic kilometers in volume, and regenerating it is a massive, but necessary, undertaking. The key is starting small and scaling up. This campaign will fund the construction of a first EM facility and demo site in Santiago, Atitlán. This site will serve as an educational hub for workshops and demonstrations to raise awareness about the use and effectiveness of EM, as well as produce roughly 500 gallons a week of Extended, Activated EM to use in local hotels, waste water treatment plants, for local farmers, etc.
1. WASTE WATER TREATMENT
EM will be distributed to waste water treatment plants and local hotels and businesses in order to get the good bacteria into the sewage systems to break down harmful bacteria and pathogens before they enter the lake. This will be done in conjunction with AMSCLAE scientists for monitoring, and will provide a huge savings to local municipalities. This will be a highly effective "stop-gap" measure while better waste management measures are researched and developed by local municipalities.
2. ORGANIC AGRICULTURE + PERMACULTURE
EM will also be given to farmers, helping them to regenerate their soil and transition to organic agriculture. We are already working with ADENISA, Aprocamca, Agroinsumos Organicos, Xesuj Organicos, and an increasing number of growers' associations to develop organic composting programs as well as soil amendment and remediation practices using EM.
OUR TEAM
WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP
Guatemala is a country infamous for corruption at all levels of government. Officially supplied funds simply cannot reach projects like these with any efficiency. The citizens of Atitlán know that by working together and enlisting the help of an international community of people who care about our Mother Earth, we can overcome these obstacles quickly and effectively. We need these seed funds to set up the project and begin Phase 1. With one facility operational, we know we can garner much more support from larger sources. Together we can send the message of how co-creation can build and shape a better world.
