Café Barista is the Guatemalan coffee house chain equivalent to what Starbucks is in the U.S. more or less. I don’t visit often because I prefer the local coffee houses run by locals in Antigua Guatemala, but in this occasion I stopped to get a piece of chocolate cake for the better half. I was … Read more
I don’t want to call names or anything like that, but I must say there’s an imperialistic country the north of Guatemala where SUVs, short for So Unnecessary Vehicle I believe, are the new must-have vehicle. Of course, even the huge Hummies are not big enough even if they spend a gallon a fuel just … Read more
There are many recycling approaches that people use in Guatemala. Interesting enough, at first glance it may seem that there are NO recycling programs or that Guatemalans don’t recycle; nothing could be farther away from the truth. However, we must admit that most Guatemalan recycle out of necessity rather than recycling because of their conscience. … Read more
Often I have shared with you the different recycling programs available around Antigua Guatemala. There are many recycling approaches that people use in Guatemala. Interesting enough, at first glance it may seem that there are NO recycling programs or that Guatemalans don’t recycle; nothing could be farther away from the truth. However, we must admit … Read more
This is just one of the ways we recycle magazines in Guatemala and, as always, it has to be colorful. I found these boxes and baskets to be very sturdy. As I have declared, in Guatemala we recycle just about everything without really having recycling programs. Here are some of recycled things I have highlighted … Read more
These Guatemalan coffee-style satchels are perfect for coffee lovers… and they are ecological too since they’re made from recycled coffee sacks. Besides these Guatemalan morrales, the Spanish word for satchel, you can also find bags, purses, and backpacks made from the recycled coffee sacks. Last time I talked about these recycled coffee satchel I received … Read more
A few weeks ago I introduced you to the recycling truck of La Antigua Guatemala and hi-lighted the fact that it runs on biodiesel which is obtained by processing the restaurants’ burnt oil and other liquid fats and how it is used for the recycling program as well. Here’s, once again, my friend Kara Andrade … Read more
Slowly but surely recycling is becoming a reality in Antigua Guatemala. Can anybody explain me what is the Guatemalan fascination with toneles (barrels)?
Water heaters is another important area in Guatemala where one can bring clear energy and help the environment and the economy. That is because most water heaters are electric in Guatemala; either electric shower heads (the most) or inline electric heaters. Either way, water heaters probably consumed the most electricity of all the electro-domestic appliances. … Read more
This is what I shared with you before about the Antigua’s Biodiesel Project: Antigua Guatemala is full of Quixotes who do not know about impossibles. Alejandro del Valle is such a Quixote who after careful consideration decided to take on the gigantic enterprise to convert the burnt cooking oil from all those restaurants around La … Read more
Recycling the recycling truck of La Antigua Guatemala. Keep reading and I promise the previous sentence will make sense. My dear green friend Kara Andrade had this to say about recycling in La Antigua Guatemala: For weeks I’ve been asking different people about recycling centers, pickup services, anything to stop the madness of the trash … Read more
I have always believe that Green should be the color of Guatemala; green should be the flag and all other national iconography like money. Guatemala is green, green, green… So today we begin a mini-series to show you some of the “green” initiatives are available just around Antigua Guatemala. I will not try to be … Read more
I have talked about the recycling done in La Antigua Guatemala before with Haves and Have-Nots, Public Enemy Number 1, Guatemalan-style Salt and Pepper Shakers, Chicken Buses are The Second Life of School Buses, and Antigua’s Biodiesel Project (just to name a few). It never ceases to amaze me the creativity and ingenuity of Guatemalans … Read more
Unless you have taken the path of La Marche de l’empereur, you haven’t heard about how everyone is living a virtual second life through a community web site. Well, old and retired school buses from the U.S. get to live a real second life as camionetas (the street name for public transit buses in Guatemala). Revue Magazine had an in-depth article about The Birth of a Camioneta (available as a PDF download) which detailed step-by-step how an old retired school bus became a powerful camioneta ready for the curvy roads of the mountain ranges of Guatemala.