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ECHO

Class discussions in Colloquium often include a problem or issue that is very complex. The issue tends to start as one element of an ecosystem that directly affects our lives, such as mosquitoes breeding the Zika virus, and quickly snowballs into a series of other problems like resulting pesticides killing bees, lack of pollination, and an eventual food desert as a result. Discussions like this can often be overwhelming, and it can seem very difficult to find an innovative solution to the issues we are talking about. Our field trip to ECHO showed us some of the solutions currently in place to solve another major issue: world hunger and the need for sustainable agriculture. Through the use of appropriate technologies and farming practices, the ECHO team is helping to feed many different parts of the world and communicate new ways of cultivating crops and livestock.

The alternative technologies portion of the tour was definitely the part about our trip that I found the most fascinating. Our guide, Doug, showed us how many different everyday items or even pieces of garbage can be used to make stoves, water purification devices, and even houses. Doug emphasized the necessity of inexpensive and easily replaceable parts, because much of the world is impoverished and cannot afford to fix elaborate and modern machine equipment. This exhibit opened my eyes to a new kind of recycling; one that makes use of old items without having to melt down plastic and create more emissions. ECHO's commitment to sustainability is present in every detail of their work, and I loved getting a new perspective on the concept of sustainability itself.





We were also taken through the farm at ECHO, where we got to see chickens, pigs, goats, and lots of different crops from around the world. I had a lot of fun trying fruits I had never even heard of, like "peanut butter fruit" that Doug had picked right off a tree. Many elements of the farm were closed systems, which are a key part of sustainable farming and a topic we have read about in class. It was cool to see an example of this on the farm, such as a tilapia farm fertilizing water that grows plants and duckweed, which in turn fed the tilapia. In this example, both the tilapia and the plants are food sources for humans, but the system sustains itself without producing any waste or emissions, and requiring very little effort from the ECHO team. I think it is important to teach more people about the potential of these systems, and the other sustainable practices ECHO has adopted. I appreciate the goals they are reaching every day, as well as their long-term goal of having an impact on world hunger. This field trip has given me hope for the recovery of our environment and showed me some easy things that I can do personally to make a difference.

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