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The CELLcle of Life
It was September 26 when we, the Advanced Environmental Education class, heard that we would be having an exposure trip to the Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning (CELL). For some reason, the name of the place rang a bell but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it so I just continued listening to our subject adviser who was giving a little introduction on CELL. What really caught my attention and interest was when she said that if an ant or a mosquito would come in contact with us, CELL was the kind of place where swatting and/or killing was not allowed. You are only to blow any living creature away from you and not take its life. I couldn’t help but laugh at this. It reminded me of one of the Ecological Principles: All forms or life are important. Maybe I laughed because I found the statement really funny or because it was around 3:15 in the afternoon and my brain was already painting images of spilled milk and butterflies; either way, I told myself that I would definitely search this place as soon as I get the chance.
And I did. Upon reaching home, I immediately turned on the computer and made productive use of our generation’s prized gem: the internet. Upon typing CELL and seeing images and reading descriptions, I finally realized why the name rang a bell. It was because our Physics teacher from last year made us watch videos about CELL in preparation for our Outbound. It was not extensively discussed; it was a mere example in passing. No wonder it sounded so familiar.
The Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning, also known as CELL, is an NGO and spiritual center on a 1.2 hectare land sponsored by the Noel Mondejar Foundation, comprising of a home farm, working woodlands, productive gardens, and restful grounds. It first opened on January 1999 after being founded by 4 Columbian Missionary Priests in partnership with community members of Silang after their inspiring experience of the solidarity of the poor during their 1988 General Assembly. CELL seeks to contribute to the restoration of the integrity of creating by being a venue for Ecozoic living and Ecozoic learning. They came to believe that the system denying the poor of a good livelihood is the same system destroying the Earth and therefore, denying them the possibility of ever having a livelihood. With that, the assembly concluded, “The poor required of those in solidarity with them a dedication to saving the source of their livelihood, the Earth.” They have this vision of a world where humans live in harmony with the rest of God’s creation through living in harmony with one another in a just society. With that is their mission to contribute to the Great Work of God, where humans learn to move from the stance of destroyer of the Earth Community to a stance that is mutually enhancing and their goal to operate a spirituality center that will propagate the New Story of Creation as a means of alerting humans to the current ecological and social crisis and awaken in them a vision that will give direction for actions at the present moment in history.
The fateful day finally came when we visited CELL in Silang, Cavite last October 1 and can I just say, it was everything I expected it to be. Structures were made from Bamboo, Anahaw, and Pawid. It had its fundamental rainforest with all the gigantic trees and the lake/pond and the whole area had a very cool and refreshing atmosphere to it. CELL was divided into five zones, each having its own unique characteristic or feature; for example: The vegetable area, the small animals’ area, the fruit trees area, the renewable materials area, and wildlife. There was also the kind of produced water and energy source, the compost toilet, the footpaths, the laundry, etc... They had a lot of different takes on their own practices and activities and helping and sustaining the environment like recycling and re-creating. Again, it was everything I expected from what I read online but there were a few factors that I did not entirely expect. What was not mentioned online was that the whole place was managed by only 2 people: Kuya Renato and Kuya Benny. Yes, during the whole of the tour, they were the only ones leading us here and there and they were the ones explaining the entire lot. They were held responsible and accountable for all that had to do with the CELL compound. Aside from this, what was also not mentioned online was the fact that we were not allowed to bring our shoes inside the lavatories which made us use general pairs of slippers and we not allowed to leave any trash behind, may it be tissue or wrappers or sanitary materials.
Before we started our tour around the CELL compound, Kuya Renato gave us an orientation and a glimpse of the whole area of CELL and all its divisions. It was clear how big CELL really was with its five zones and everywhere we walked and went, we always witnessed something special or outstanding in our surroundings. Whether it be from a simple plant that is completely spiral in structure to a highly elevated toilet that produces gas for energy, everything done in CELL was for the benefit of the environment, our Mother Earth.
The first zone that welcomed us was Zone 0 – the area where all human activity is done. This is where the dining areas, the sleeping quarters, the offices, and the souvenir shops are found. We entered a bamboo house called the Brendan Hall which had a very cool atmosphere. That was where we held our opening prayer ritual, our orientation, and the activities the team-building activities that followed.
When the actual tour started, we found ourselves walking in the middle of what might’ve been a forest. There were so much greens around which meant we were already in Zone 1. Vegetables are grown in the different parts of CELL, near where residents live for easy access. Kuya Renato explained to us how they grew these plants and it was through organic farming, the use of fertilizers from the biodegradable wastes humans produce. He mentioned, “Compost helps the soil increase its fertility and maintain its structure.” One way they cultivated their soil was through chicken tractors. Chickens that are kept constantly scratch the soil surface which helps the soil’s fertility. Aside from this is the chicken waste. After several weeks, the chicken tractors are moved to another part of the zone which needs cultivation. We asked them if they had any problem with infestation and they explained to us that having several types of vegetables in the area prevents pests from residing. Especially, planting selected plants have the capacity to drive away pests which is a pest management practice.
While walking through the wondrous trees and shrubs and bushes, from a distance, we started hearing inhuman sounds. Finally, we saw them; the best thing ever. There was a turkey pit and a bunny box and lots and lots of chickens. We were entering Zone 2, the small animals’ zone. First, the turkeys. Well, I for one, love animals and love mimicking animal sounds and every time I tried to mimic the sound of the turkeys, they would answer back. It was absolutely fascinating. Second, the bunnies. I have to admit, I got left behind the group because I was too indulged in feeding the bunnies. You could literally just take any green plant around and feed them with it. Also, seeing their noses squiggle while eating was too adorable for my life. There’s a reason why CELL has these animals. Related to Zone 1, CELL partners with chickens in managing waste. In CELL, they allot space for food scraps like fruit peels and banana leaves for these to undergo composting. From there, chickens help in the process when they overturn the composting materials by scratching and picking out the edible leftovers.
After is Zone 3 where most of the fruit trees reside. Kuya Renato mentioned, “Bees and Butterflies, they help trees produce fruit by pollination.” The fruit trees benefit from the biodigester water from the compost toilets. To process human waste, all comfort rooms have pipes leading to the biodigester which separates our solid and liquid waste. The solid waste, with the help of microorganisms, become a source of gas (biogas production process) and fertilizer, and the liquid waste is filtered until such time that it can be used to water plants. He explained to us how the compost toilet is different from your average regular toilet as a water management practice. Waste immediately undergoes aerobic decomposition, with oxygen, which conserves water since there is no flushing involved. Surprisingly, when we went inside the cubicle of the compost toilet, there was absolutely no smell. It was absolutely amazing.
Walking around for almost 40 minutes to an hour (I’m not so sure), we started getting tired so Kuya Renato allowed us to take a rest under one of the bamboo houses, which was coincidentally where the MRF or the Materials Recovery Facility was. We already in Zone 4. I remember it so vividly. There was a rack in front of where we were sitting which was divided into sections depending on what material was being recycled. They had recycled papel & carton, goma & Styrofoam, plastik & bote o bubog, lata & bakal, bumbilya & baterya, and to my surprise, recycled gadgets like microwaves and toasters. When I was sitting there in front of all the materials they were trying to save, I felt kind of bad. I remembered our house and how we have so much stuff in storage, stuff that could be recycled and put to better use. What made me feel worse was how I know we dispose too quickly. I thought to myself, one day, I’ll come back and donate all we do not use anymore to this facility because surely, they’ll put it to much better use. I tried to reflect and ask myself what I did recycle at home and it was mainly paper. Surely, I can do much better than that.
Sad to say but we didn’t visit Zone 5, the wildlife zone, so Kuya Renato just told us what we could find there. The wildlife zone is 20% of the whole property and it is where CELL monitors lizards, snakes, civet cats, and other common land lizards that have been seen and that they keep around the area. The wildlife zone is also a sanctuary for birds that stay in the area for a shelter. The nature reserve pond is also considered part of the wildlife zone with its primary objective to attract creatures to the area because, as kuya Renato said, “Water attracts creatures. Where there is water, there is life.”
In my eyes, CELL is a place where there is absolute ecological balance, thus all creatures have a place. There is an area for human activities, for planting vegetation, for raising animals, for growing fruit trees and other local trees. There is conscious awareness that the soil, which is the very core of all life on land, is home for microorganisms that are equally necessary for ecological balance. This place, is truly a Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning; where there is a harmonious relationship and co-existence of all life an elements on the planet.
When the tour was over, we had our synthesis activity in the Brendan Hall,where we were first welcomed. We, the students, were divided into two groups and the teachers formed one group. We were tasked to synthesize our experience in CELL and answer the following questions: 1) Who are we as the new generation? 2) Where are we now? 3) What has to change in our generation? 4) What do we do now to create a just and sustainable future? It was quite the scene for me because there was no hierarchy and no level of seniority. We were all sitting on the floor, teacher and student alike, planning for a presentation to show to the bigger group; to present how much of an impact CELL was in our lives.
I remember discussing with my group members the answers to these questions. Today, we are a generation of technology, materialism, consumerism & throw-away culture. We are now indifferent of our surroundings because we are too pre-occupied with the trivial things like cellphones and internet and other gadgets. We act without consequence which is dangerous and risky. We don’t know how to relate anymore with, both, people and the environment alike because interacting, co-existing, and living with others is now done virtually, through a little metal screen box.
When all hope is lost, a burst of light would emerge from the darkness.
If not for facilities like CELL, I don’t know what would happen to our environment. If not for these people with a greater life’s purpose to care for our Mother Earth, there wouldn’t be anything left to take care of. The lack of awareness and too much indifference is something we should all change. Ignorance is definitely not an excuse. What’s worse that not knowing is knowing and not doing anything. Just because we are not directly affected by climate change, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t act and take responsibilities for our Planet. As said in one of the Ecological Principles, “Everything is connected to everything else.” In one way or another, our indifference will greatly affect us and it is only in a matter of time when we will look back and regret the fact that we could’ve done something but we didn’t. As part of the Environmental Education class, I re-announce my advocacy for the environment. I know there is not much I can do with my resources and my capabilities but I know for a fact that even the smallest of differences can make the greatest impacts. We will have to start ourselves. We have to start with awareness. We have to realize and accept that our earth is in danger because of climate change; climate change brought by various human activities. We have to realize that we can do something and not believe that we are limited to what we are now, to who we are now. We can go beyond ourselves and all it takes is a purpose, a goal. Taking are of the environment is not only for ourselves, our generation today but for the future generations to come. This is for when your grandchildren ask you, “What did you do for the environment when you were younger?” You can proudly look at them, smile and say, “I saved it little by little.”
***Pictures will Follow
