excerpt from Better Off Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende
Kimbo Slice
We got to talking about stories, which are the crux of a community's culture. Forever sewn into the fabric of the Finca's culture is the story of a white English Bulldog named Kimbo Slice. Erica, who hadn't even seen their new adopted dog from San Jose, was told on the phone by Matt, (who was in tears) that Kimbo had freaked out and ran across the bridge, and had been missing for a few days. The story goes that every man in camp was out looking for this dog, and finally found some evidence of his tracks going up into the hill, accompanied with puma tracks about 3 times as large as his. Signs of a struggle showed further up the hill, with only puma tracks exiting the area. That was day 5. On Day 12, a guy by the name of Paul was out into the finca's forest when he screamed Matt's name. Everyone ran over to Paul immediately, and saw a big bulldog head with emaciated body barely alive behind him. The local Tico's were convinced it was a ghost, that's how bad that dog looked. His eyes were caked open with layers of gunk, a 25 pound w
eight loss, and two deep gashes on the side of his neck. Today, he's as stupid as ever, mostly blind from the experience, but still the finca's protector with an affinity for balloons and Chester.
TreeTop Transformations
“I hope people show up,” Erica asks, more to herself than anyone. “Honey, drop it,” her husband replies as gracefully as possible considering the situation. “Ok,” she says, quickly pulling herself together. Although a good day for Erika and Matteo “Matt” Hogan often involves several stressful moments, today’s inaugural Open House at Finca Bellavista is different. After 5 years of developing the first sustainable tree house community in the world, their farm, located in the south-western jungle of Costa Rica, is ready for some big-time attention. With everyone from the governor, to local farmers and friends on the RSVP list, there is much more at stake here than showcasing an alternative lifestyle, the business itself hinges on attracting some serious investors.
It didn’t start out that way. Matt’s 2005 memorable surfing trip on the coast of Costa Rica ended with a convincing phone call to Erika to join him in the Osa Region. “The initial plan was to buy a little fixer-upper surf shack,” explains Matt, “and to switch between Colorado and here.” Surveying the area, they settled on a 62 acre secondary growth plot, marketed as a ‘fast-return on investment’ due to it being tagged as a timber harvest site. As soon as the early 30-somethings fell in love with the area, they found 9 other farms being sold for the same reason. “We’re going to have to buy the whole mountain to save it,” Matt told Erika. After petitioning each of the owners, mortgaging their home, and pooling their life savings, they held the title to over 350 acres of Costa Rican rain forest. The question then became what to do with it. In a monumental dream state, Erika free-formed “Why don’t we build an Ewok Village with zip-lines and bridges?” After some research, they realized it was possible and from that first machete-wielded trip through their property, they set to work.
Their first 18 months resembled more of a mud pit than a construction site, but determined to work with as little impact on the environment as possible, Erika, Matt, and 35 Ticos slept under a tarp, washed in the river, and used a hole in the ground for a toilet. Their dedication and commitment to the integrity of their project was monumental, fighting off flesh-eating insects, watching for deadly snakes, and flash floods, that could bring a 6 foot wall of water through the ravine in seconds.
The groundwork was being set for their unimaginable project, with paths hewn out of the mountain-side, indigenous trees planted, the land surveyed and strategy planned meticulously. By being completely ‘off-the-grid’, it was solely Erika and Matt’s responsibility to ensure healthy long-term growth. Electrical needs were to be satisfied through solar panels, water used from rain catch and an artesian well, and waste eliminated through bio-digesters. Transportation throughout the forest would rely solely on the footpaths, and zip-lines. Meals were meant to be primarily harvested from the garden and the only time one would have to leave would be for the 3 B’s: beef, beer, and booze.
The Hogans became an unstoppable force of PR after others became interested in getting involved. Every step forward took them one step deeper into the project, as the details of developing a community from scratch became more complicated. Complicating things further, both the government, and private professional companies severely hampered their progress through corruption, and costly errors. One specific surveying error cost the project over $750,000 in lost property, and $300,000 to rectify it. As the couple were far from a conglomerate with wealthy investors behind them, major setbacks threatened Finca Bellavista on a daily basis. Without advertising, and relying on word-of-mouth and a website, 45 of the 94 plots they subdivided were sold at up to $65,000 each, providing the necessary capital to build a much-needed road, hydro-electric generator, a community centre, and open-air verandah. It seemed they weren’t the only ones who preferred watching toucans, macaws, or bands of white-faced capuchin monkeys travel through the rain forest canopy rather than TV, or the sound of the river and crickets chirping at night over the din of constant traffic.
So, how did the open-house go after all? Over 50 people showed up, ranging in age from 6 months to over 60 years, but one notable face was absent: the governor. Despite receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes, a new police station, a public road and bridge, the government has not shown any special gratitude for the continuing tax dollars, local employment, and investment interests the project has created. He is not the only one who seems less than thrilled over a couple of gringos in their territory. The couple almost died this week in a car crash due to faulty brakes installed by a local mechanic. “I’ll be going down there and asking for my money back”, Matt quipped, without any hint of giving up his fight.
http://www.fincabellavista.net/
Finca Bellavista
The Garbage Cullture
It's someone else's problem: throw it out the window, or out the door, and someone else will take care of it. Right behind our hotel, Best Western San Jose, is a backyard full of garbage. People drive by it by the thousands every day, and yet it is still there. Missing out the 'don't litter' campaign of the '70's, people down here rate garbage somewhere between dog neutering and sidewalk repair. It's just not a priority. So, who cares? Well, first, in our area here, it has to effect the people staying in the hotel on the north side, who have to stare out at it everyday but what about the residents? What if that area could be turned into a beautiful grassy area for a couple goats to graze on? Instead of a garbage filled mess, someone could be feeding their animals...... perhaps a small dent, but someone could be benefitting.
La Finca
Already one day after promised, I looked at the 2x3 card with the instructions on how to get to her place. "Hojancha to La Libertad Guanacaste 1 km de la escuelita 2 wooden gates Ray". 14 words were all I had to go on. Arriving safely in Hojancha, Guanacaste, I stop at a roadside restaurant, tempted by the ad for BBQ chicken. The waitress confirms that La Libertad does indeed exist, and is close. I confirm this with a fellow that spoke perfect English: it's about 3 miles away. He cleared up for me that La Libertad was just a store with a couple houses around it; like a village of sorts. As I suspected, I hit a dirt road going straight through the town, watching carefully for the school, or escuilita, Dee referred to, assuming the 2 wooden gates, and the entrance to the farm, would be just another 2 km away. Driving around a bend about 3 km later than desired, I flag down a couple bikers going the opposite direction; the first guy waves back and keeps going, the 2nd doesn't even acknowledge my attempt. The first guy ends up turning around and stops to help me.
I explain what I'm looking for, and he motions back the way I came. I turn around, thinking I was on my own, ignoring him turn left about a 100 m back on the road, and, thinking twice, turn back again to follow him. By this time, he had noticed I wasn't following him, and returned to fetch me. Turns out he was going to show me the way. Meanwhile another fellow was following me and almost hit me as I stop suddenly to talk to him. Now I've got two guys helping me, and I explain again the limited directions I had. The first guy is now sure he knows where I'm going, and I follow. Down the road and to the left, another km and we are stopped at some gates, which were not wooden, but he was sure it was the place. He explained to me who he was and his job, but I wasn't exactly sure but I think he was an insurance salesman, and was explaining himself to me in hopes I would put in a plug with the finca owners I was about to meet.
I hastily bid farewell and headed up the road, which degraded quickly into a washed out area quite difficult to maneuver; one false move on the bike and I'd be in the ditch, or at least the deep gullies saved only by the high spots. A house comes up on the right, and a local is sitting on the front porch. I tell them I'm friends with Dee Ray and he shakes his head in acknowledgement and lets me through another gate. I'm now faced with a steep hill at about a 45 degree pitch, the steepest I had ever tried on my cruiser. Slowly, and surely I climb, up and around a long bend, only to be met with another gate, but this time, heavy but with a single pneumatic wheel to assist. There's a large bolt I figure needs to be removed before I can attempt to move the gate. Down another road, and i come upon a large spread, with a couple houses, both magnificent in their own right, and a covered area with two Range Rovers.
The house is dark, and I stop to have a look around on the verandah to catch my breath and wonder how the hell I was going to get back down that hill. I wasn't ready to give up quite yet, so I rapped loudly on the two wooden entrance doors, and waited for an answer. Nothing. I try again. Still nothing. I take out my camera in hopes of at least getting some photos of the place I had so valiantly achieved in finding when a tall, bald fellow opens the door with a quizzical look. I explain to him I was a journalist and had met Dee at the Best Western, and he starts to soften. "What was your first name again?" I ask him sheepishly. "Ray", he replies with a why-don't-you-know-that look, and I defend, saying "Oh, geez I'm sorry I thought Ray was your last name." Note to self: ease up on the rum and coke when you're writing down crucial information about people, or at least write down more details. I decline his offer to come in for a drink, and he decides to fetch Dee, who is down with the horses. I tell him I'll wait and have a much needed cigarette.
I quickly surmise Ray is not one for idle chit chat, as he quickly jumps on his Yamaha ATV, burns out of the yard, and returns before I finish my cigarette, with Dee and her black rubber boots sitting behind him. Now recovered from the shock of seeing me, Dee tells me she left a message on my hotel phone saying "if you really intend on coming you should really get better directions." Turns out it was that same message that Eddy had tried to retrieve 3 days earlier; I thought it was an error and foolishly ignored his pleas for help with the phone technology.
"Would you like to join Ray on a tour of the fina?" Dee asked. "Would I? That would be great!" I reply enthusiastically. She looks at my black cowboy boots and says "It can be a bit treacherous walking, would you like some other shoes?" she asks. "I'll be fine," I say, wondering if my independence was ill-advised. It turned out to be the least of my worries, as holding onto the back of the trike as Ray flew up and down the rocky roads became a test of arm strength. I felt awkward grabbing onto the waist of a grown man I had only known for 5 minutes, and chose instead to tenuously hold onto the back rails. We stop on the top of the bluff, and Ray tells me a bit about his cattle, and teak operation. Here's a clip of him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVZgsQH3IBE
Ray caught on to the natural filtration system for the abundant water on his farm, and tapped into it. Through a series of pipes and tanks, he is able to not only store water for the farm's use, but for him and Dee and their five workers. The only maintenance required is a twice-a-year cleanout of the tanks; eschewing the modern-day addiction to chlorine and water treatment, the Davey's haven't had a problem in 5 years. Storing the water in the rainy season, they are able to have drinking water year-round without any form of outside water supply.
This doesn't take anything away from the forest of teak he has planted, which has a miraculous ability to regenerate, and grow quickly. Originally he would arrange to ship the teak himself, but after too many headaches, chose to sell them FOB his door. After only 6 months, these trees can grow over 10 feet after being cut to the ground. There are other uses for trees in the local area. You can see 'live fences' of trees, strewn with wire, that were once branches pruned from their mothers, growing tall and strong after a 48 hour 'dry-out' period, and a simple push into the soil.
Their cattlemen use horses to check on the cows 3 times a week, and move them from pasture to pasture to avoid over-grazing. Each of their workers, including a maid, are able to buy into the herd with the money they earn from their work. As Ray mentioned, their money can double or triple in just a year and a half. They've taken to buying quarters, and halves of cows separately, as a cow fully owned that is bitten by a snake could represent a 100% loss in investment should it die. It has also forced the workers to care much more about the health, and safety of the cows, due to their vested interest. With an unemployment rate around 50%, these 5 seem gracious for the opportunities given to them. As Ray and Dee don't care as much about making heaps of money, they have room in their lives to make heaps of difference for others.
We sat down for a nice pasta dinner, and talked about their experience of Zimbabwe from '93 to '00, and got out just before Mugabe went crazy. They wanted a place that was hot, and their sights led them to Costa Rica. There are many problems in this country, but the Davey's are doing their part to make it just a bit better.
Sustainable Jade
Many of us revel in the story of Indiana Jones, arguably the most famous archaeologist of all time, real or imagined. The story of his numerous escapes from evil Nazis, overzealous Indians, and ferocious Natives, risking life and limb to save antiquities from foreign, exotic lands made him a hero for some. In Antigua, Guatemala, a hotspot for tourists game for cheap food, drinks, and sightseeing, a real life hero exists in the Archaeology world: Mary Lou Ridinger.
Perhaps without the blood pressure-raising , death defying acts of ‘Indy’, but with much more staying power, Mary Lou and her husband Jay single-handedly preserved an art form, brought home-grown industry to Guatemala, and created national pride, all in a sustainable fashion. All this from over 37 years of hard work to prove that jade, one of the most expensive gems in the world, was not only sought after in China, but Guatemala as well.
Jade does not often cross the minds of North Americans, except for maybe those of Chinese decent. It has not captured the imaginations the way diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies have, nor have the media or businesses caught on. To the ancient race of the Maya, piles of gold and silver would have easily been traded for one piece of fine jade. Although the gem has been found in a rainbow of colors from white, pink, yellow and black, green was the most prized, as it resembled the vibrant Caribbean waters that brought sustenance to their lands, and fertility in healthy crops. Harder and heavier than most other materials, jade symbolized eternity; a piece carved by the Maya was meant to not only last a lifetime, but through thousands of generations. Bringing luck to the person simply by possession, natural oils from their hands would bring out the 
gem’s brilliance over time. With the disappearance of the Great Mayan Civilization came hundreds of years of ignorance, and a shadow cast over Mesoamerica’s ‘lost’ jade. When Jay and Mary Lou Ridinger, two archaeologists from the U.S., set out to discover it again, they seemed to be the only ones who truly believed it existed.
A study in 1952 found evidence of jadeite jade near the Montagua River in Guatemala, but it did little to spurn anyone’s imagination, except for two people: The Ridingers. Their dream in 1973 was to find the source of the Mayan jade, and solve the mystery of how it was spread throughout Mexico, and Central America. Surprisingly, the more difficult task arose not in actually finding the jade, but in convincing the world of its value. The Guatemalan government’s official stance at the time was that there was absolutely no jade source in Guatemala. They steadfastly refused to believe the Ridinger’s case, and provided business licenses out of pity and scorn. Five centuries of outside influence from a host of other nations, dealing in everything from covert operations, to governmental manipulation, to outright pillaging, had eventually convinced the Guatemalan people that nothing of real value came from within their own borders.
After four years operating their fledgling business, Jades, S.A., Mary Lou pleaded with Jay to stop. Tired of being the object of ridicule and laughter, it was seemingly pointless to continue. Jay replied stoically “Never”. Another 9 years of countless meetings, public appearances and talking to anyone who would listen, Jay and Mary Lou’s efforts were to no avail. When the National Geographic article on jade broke out in 1987, their fortunes took an immediate and irreversible leap. Redemption came in the form of a well-respected magazine with readership around the globe, and brought much needed attention to Guatemala, and the history of the Mayan people. With renewed efforts, the Ridinger team set out to find the ‘Kings Quarry’, the storied birthplace of Mesoamerica’s jade. Pounding on countless rocks along the Montagua River for 10 months, Mary Lou and her team not only found irrefutable evidence of historical jade production, but a quarry of their own.
It is one of the most difficult and rarest gems to find. Several others resemble it closely, but it is only the friction of tectonic plates combining high pressure, and low temperatures that create this gem. Matching the quarry’s unique jade to another northern site, they proved the Maya distributed their bounty throughout the region by river. It was a huge celebration for Jades, S.A., and Guatemala had a stronger foothold in the World’s small group of jade-producing countries.
In 1999, Christie’s Auction House sold an antique Imperial Jade bangle for $2.65 million. Although Guatemalan jade might not fetch such a price today, it may not be far off in the future. An uncut stone containing Jade is a gamble; one rock may have $100,000 worth of jade, and another $1,000. Painstaking work is involved to extract it, using diamond-studded drill bits, hammers and wedges to separate rocks into manageable pieces. Additionally, Guatemalan jade has only received media attention in the last 20 years, whereas in China it has been revered continually for centuries. It was certainly valued above all else by the Maya, and several civilizations before them who, using only rudimentary tools, may have taken weeks or months to create a single beaded necklace.
What makes Jades S.A.’s operation today even more special is how they mine it. As the process involves only surface mining, no trees are cut, no holes are dug, and roads are unnecessary. The farmer’s fields, virtually untouched, continue to operate as usual, and the farmers themselves assist in the process, keeping poachers at bay. Their children are fed well, and receive an education due mostly to the profits of Jades S.A. Only 2 companies in Guatemala have valid licenses from the Government, so most jade that is bought off the street is either illegal, or fake. For many years, newly elected Guatemalan Presidents have come to Jades S.A. to buy death masks as gifts for visiting dignitaries. Bill Clinton also passed through in 1999 and bought a necklace for his daughter Chelsea.
One would think that someone who was able to bring back an ancient industry after hundreds of years, instill national pride, and give back to the people, would be content to rest on their laurels. Add to the mix that this person comes from a completely different country. Not Mary Lou Ridinger. Her husband’s vision continues, after his death a year and a half ago, with her creation of the Maya Conservancy (www.themayaconservancy.org). It is a non-profit organization with a mission to save the rich Mayan Cultural History, and continue educating people on these industrious and intelligent people. The cradle of Mayan civilization and the birthplace of the Mayan Calendar were set to be dissected by a new highway funded by a foreign company, potentially destroying thousands of years of history. Mary Lou went to work, speaking out to everyone from universities to rotary clubs, and the tide was eventually turned in her favour, and the highway was re-routed.
There is no sign of this exciting, and illustrious industry dying again soon, as three generations are now fully employed and involved in Jades S.A.’s operations. Through Mary Lou’s tenacity, her children and grandchildren are set to continue well into the future. One may have heard the Mayans say during the Conquest that “the Spanish can take all the gold and silver they want, but at least they don’t know about the jade”. With a sustainable, healthy and responsible business preserving the past, and continuing into the future, Mary Lou isn’t afraid to tell the whole world.
