TURNING WASTE INTO OPPORTUNITY AT FINCA HAMBURGO CHIAPAS, MEXICO

TURNING WASTE INTO OPPORTUNITY

FINCA HAMBURGO, CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Re-Creativa Sustentable Finca Hamburgo

At Re-Creativa, we are more than just a recycling project—we are a community of six women from Finca Hamburgo, deeply committed to turning waste into opportunity. What started as a simple idea has grown into a powerful initiative where we transform plastic waste into beautiful, functional products. Not only are we making a positive impact on the environment, but we are also creating economic opportunities for ourselves and other women in rural communities, right here in the heart of Chiapas, Mexico.

6 deeply committed women turning waste into opportunity in Chiapas, Mexico

Our Journey to Sustainability

Living in the lush mountains of Chiapas, surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, we’ve seen firsthand the challenges posed by plastic waste. There is little infrastructure here for waste management, and much of the plastic ends up in rivers or lands in open dumps, damaging our environment. We knew something had to change.

That’s when we teamed up with In Mocean and Finca Hamburgo, our home. Finca Hamburgo is a historic coffee farm in the heart of Chiapas, and it became the perfect foundation for us to build something meaningful. Together, we began the journey to create a space where we could recycle plastic waste and turn it into useful, sell'able products—helping the planet and creating opportunities for our community.

Education is a imperative component of addressing the plastic pollution.

Transforming Plastic into Creativity

It all started with a workshop. Nike, a passionate sailor and founder of In Mocean, reached out to us and offered to lead an introductory workshop at Finca Hamburgo. We invited women and children from the community to join, and together we learned how to make simple drafts from shredded plastic. Over two days, the idea of Re-Creativa started to take shape. We realized we could turn plastic waste into something more—something creative, useful, and impactful.

From that moment on, we knew we had to build something lasting: a community-led recycling workspace where we could create, learn, and contribute to a cleaner, greener future.

Earrings are just one of the items re-created from plastic waste

Setting Up Our Workspace

With support from In Mocean, the REESE Gruppe, and generous donors, we received the equipment we needed—machines like a shredder and an extruder. Just two weeks after our first workshop, Nike and Maria (co-founder of In Mocean) returned to Finca Hamburgo, and we got to work. We learned how to operate the machines, sort plastics, and use our creativity to make products that would not only help the environment but also generate income.

Our first creations were colorful earrings made from shredded plastic. We quickly began to experiment, crafting bowls and beams using the extruder. But it wasn’t just about making things—it was about learning how to run our new workspace as a small business. We discussed how to generate income, market our products, and sustain this new venture for the long term.

The machine that is used to shred the collected, washed, and sorted plastic.

Early Successes and Growing Together

As we took ownership of Re-Creativa, we named our workspace and even designed our logo. We set up an Instagram account to showcase our creations, and soon, the sales started rolling in. The money we earned helped support our families and fueled our passion for the project. With each new product, we saw our skills grow, and we began working on a new goal: our first prototype for a chair made from recycled beams.

What makes Re-Creativa so special is the sense of community we’ve built together. We are no longer just recycling plastic—we are creating something bigger than ourselves. The bond we share as we work, learn, and grow together is the heart of this project. We’ve even begun hosting workshops in schools and cultural centers in Tapachula, sharing our journey and encouraging others to join the movement.

Re-creativa is creating community on many levels to take waste, beautify their immediate environment, and create a new local economic opportunity.

A Beacon of Sustainable Change

For us, Re-Creativa is more than just a workspace—it’s a beacon of hope. It shows that even small, simple actions can lead to big changes. By turning waste into valuable products, we’re not only helping the environment, but we’re also creating opportunities, building a sense of community, and inspiring others to act.

As we continue to grow, we are more determined than ever to transform waste into creativity, opportunity, and empowerment. We know that this is just the beginning, and we’re excited to see where this journey takes us.

Join Us for a Recycling Workshop and Visit Finca Hamburgo

We’d love for you to come and visit us at Finca Hamburgo. Experience the beauty of our home and see firsthand the work we’re doing at Re-Creativa. Join us for a hands-on recycling workshop, where you’ll learn how we turn plastic waste into creative, functional products. It’s a chance to connect with our community, see the impact of our work, and be part of the positive change we’re building together.

From la Marina in Tapachula Chiapas it’s a 2 hour drive to Finca Hamburgo. For more information about the hotel, restaurant and spa, please contact Ulises: +52 962 153 2916.

Any information about coffee or the recycling workshop, I am happy to help.

+52 962 234 5076, lisaedelmann@fincahamburgo.com

Instagram: re_creativa_sustentable

Let me know of you need any more information.

Hear from you soon.

Lisa

by EDITOR

Minamitorishima Island, Japan

roughly translates to "Southern Bird Island"

Minamitorishima is located about 1,848 kilometers (1,149 miles) southeast of Tokyo, making it one of Japan's most distant territories.

Minamitorishima, also known as Minami Torishima or Marcus Island, is a remote, uninhabited raised coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Ogasawara Islands chain, which belongs to Japan. This small (less than 1 square mile) low lying island (less than 400 ft above sea level) was once mined heavily for guano, serves as a strategic location for airspace and maritime surveillance and is now the site of major sub sea floor rare-earth metal mining research and possibilities. Rare-earth metals are crucial in the making of high-tech products such as electric vehicles and batteries, and most of the world has relied on China for almost all of its needs. After China restricted exports of strategic rare-earth oxides (REO's) in 2009 Japan began to explore its sea floor for deposits. Among the rare metals found around Minamitorishima Island are cobalt and nickel — both essential for lithium-ion batteries.

Manganese nodules found in the seabed around Minamitorishima

Minamitorishima Island samples held by scientists from the University of Tokyo

Minamitorishima is considered Japan’s easternmost territory and plays a role in Japan's control over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Pacific Ocean. The island is off limits to civilians except for Japan Meteorological Agency staff, although reporters, documentary makers, and scientific researchers can sometimes get an entry permit. No commercial boat tours or flights visit the island, and civilians are currently not allowed access to Minamitorishima for tours or sightseeing, due to its use by the JSDF as an observation station.

The Research operation investigating the existence, location, and concentration of rare-earth metals has been focusing their efforts to collect samples from the sub-sea floor from around Minamitorishima island because this atoll makes a great base of operations. In 2013 a deep sea research vessel obtained seven deep sea mud core samples some 5000m below the sea level that revealed extremely concentrated REO in a mud layer 2-4m beneath the seabed around the island.

Researchers think that the deposits found are the result of hot plumes from hydrothermal vents that over hundreds of thousands of years have pulled materials out of the seawater and deposited them into the muddy seabed.

An effort began in 2018 to create detailed maps of rare-earth elements distribution. Researchers have found 16 million tons of REO mineralized sediments within the studied area which some say is equivalent to 75-100 years worth of rare-earth materials underneath Japanese waters — enough to supply to the world on a "semi-infinite basis," according to a study published in Nature Publishing Group's Scientific Reports. That supply term depends on the demand of course and it remains to be seen what and how human demands for products that utilize these REO's will change in time...especially if there are more suppliers than China.

Japanese Research Vessel Kaityo Maru 2 is supporting the acoustic mapping operation around Minamitorishima Island

The mapping and sampling process requires a wide range of specialists and organizations, cutting edge technology and equipment, and time. There are marine geologists using new high resolution acoustic profiling technology that creates a narrow acoustic beam that transmits information about the soft seafloor 6000m to 11,000m deep. The beam is then able to penetrate 200m into the sub-seafloor allowing researchers for the first time to gather sub-seafloor data. Concurrently, researchers have taken hundreds of deep sea core samples which is very slow and difficult work as well. One sample taken 5000m deep can take an entire day. Samples are sent to laboratories in Tokyo for analysis. Together they are building an understanding of the geologic history of the area like never before and hope that they will be able to discover where the soft sediment with the material from the ocean vents has settled.

Deep sea piston coring device.

Piston with lowers the core sampler. 700 samples have been taken in three years.

In addition to the islands particular geology, Minamitorishima is known to have a unique ecosystem, and though 'uninhabited' by humans, it provides a habitat for various bird species, hence the name, "Southern bird Island". Its isolation and distance from the mainland has allowed it to remain relatively undisturbed by human activity, which is important for preserving its natural environment. The island is also a significant site for marine life, with surrounding waters providing a rich habitat for marine species. With this in mind, while the researchers have made many findings about the geology of the surrounding seafloor, their efforts are colossal and not without impact. The drivers believe that results could be worth the effort. In the long term and in the short term one cannot forget to ask, What are the risks? Will the risks be outweighed by the rewards? What are the impacts of this work on the surrounding environment, the local, pelagic, and migratory animals. Could the repeated core sampling affect the plate tectonics? Could the acoustic beams disrupt other ocean acoustics? Have they already? What could be affected that is not being considered or seen at this time?

As all these questions begin to bubble up it is clear is that Minamitorishima’s isolation, strategic role, and environmental uniqueness make it an intriguing part of Japan’s territorial holdings in the Pacific. Japan is being strategic and hopefully considering so much more than the potential political and economic value of the extracted minerals for the human species.

It was the possibility of darkness that made the day seem so bright. -Stephen King

By Maurisa Descheemaeker on SV WHIRLWIND

Sources: https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-020-00525-x

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/06/22/japan/science-health/tokyo-island-rare-metals-find/

https://www.t-borderislands.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/minamitorishima/

by EDITOR

ENVIRONMENT