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A day to be one with nature
Center of Ecozoic of Living and Learning or CELLis a private institution that is located in Cavite. It started in January 1999 where Columbian Missionaries took over the 1.2 hectare land which was also rent free for 15 years. It’s vision to for humans to live in harmony in a just society is integrated with their mission which is to contribute to the great work of God. It’s goal is to operate a spirituality center that will let the people aware of what’s happening and what our earth is going through.
After one and a half hours of roadtrip we finally arrived in Cavite for the CELL visit. I immediately noticed the different atmosphere CELL has in comparison here in Manila. It’s peaceful ambiance gives comfort to us visitors and how comfortable their hut was for us to gather and have a fun and interactive orientation with our teachers and classmates together with our assigned facilitators from CELL. We were able to do a ritual wherein we were able to give respect to nature as well as the different directions, North, South, East and West. After some more orientation about the area, we were finally allowed to explore the different parts of CELL.
First, we went to their Biodigester wherein they produce methane gas for their own needs such as cooking etc. and the amazing part about this Biodigester is that its flame was produced through the human waste. Under the tubes that also help to produce the gas, is a septic tank that contains all the human waste. This way, we were able to see how CELL really contributes in helping our Mother Earth.
After discovering the biodigester, our group where divided into two for the facilitators to have a easier way of touring us in the area. For our group we started to go to a tree that has flowers that looked so unique. We were amazed when Kuya Benny told us that each tree has a correspondent bee in which these bees really take good care of the flowers and some fruits in the trees. We were also able to taste some of the herbs that were planted there to know their different taste and texture as well. The first plant that we picked tasted a lot like Sarsi or root beer and the second plant which was Stevia, tasted very sweet and delicious as well.
We were also able to check out the tree of Cacao and it is very noticeable how there are a lot of Cacao present in the tree. Kuya Benny further explained to us how they were able to raise the tree and how they also take good care of it. Just like the herbs, we also had the chance to taste the seeds of it and discover how delicious it is too. After looking through some more of the trees and their corresponding fruits. So for us to furthermore explore we went to their farming sections as well.
We were able to see different kinds of farming in CELL. First we went to the vermicomposting section where we discovered how they were able to maintain these worms and how their wastes contribute into being fertilizers for the plants. We also learned that the worms used in vermicomposting are not just ordinary worms but there’s a specific type of worm that should be used for it and they’re the African worms. Through these worms, it makes the organic farming of Kuya Benny and the whole CELL community easier for its wastes gives a lot of nutrients. Another type of farming that we discovered is the aquaphonics way of farming anfd how it was essential for the plants that are originally water based, making it easier to grow and reproduce.
An odd thing we saw in it though was the washroom of the priest that used to live there in CELL. It was high on the ground with no water inside. Its toilet was rectangular shaped. Kuya Benny again explained to us why it was like that and he told us that it is for their waste to be directly in the bottom making the soil rich in nutrients because their wastes serves as the fertilizer. It was also explained that these wastes can also make gases, another advantage of this type of bathroom or invention.
We also had the chance to interact with the rabbits in the cage and had the chance to feed them some plants as well which was very fun. Another fun activity that we were able to do was the picking of the Rambutan fruits. They were very sweet and tasted so fresh making it very delicious too. Kuya Benny also told us a touching yet sad tale of a tree though because its owner died so they believed that this tree died with him too.
After eating our lunch in the dining area with our freshly picked Rambutans, we went back to the hut and proceeded with the closing activities in the hut. We had a sharing of our experiences in small groups and how our generation is acting towards the crisis our earth is facing right now. We reflected with our wrong doings along with the things that we didn’t do and also the actions that we should do after the CELL visit. Our group then decided to make a skit of the things we were able to talk about and the explanation to them as well. For the last activity that we did in CELL our facilitators gave us the opportunity to be able to leave a sort of legacy by letting us plant some herbs and as a remembrance, they also gave us some two of their plants for us to take care of. Although we were stuck in traffic for six hours due to heavy traffic it was all worth it and it was nice that even just for a day, we were able to be one with nature despite our very busy academic schedule.
