By Kate Robey | Charitable Trust Operations Manager
Dear Supporters,
We would like to share with you the complete plans for the Jalova Base upgrades in Costa Rica.
Jalova is a very special place, completely isolated and nestled in the incredible Tortuguero National Park (TNP), a 76 000ha section of protected rain forest. It is in this park that GVI runs a scientific research station that is run a by a team of GVI staff and volunteers. It is our aim to make this base as carbon neutral as possible and do all that we can to lessen the human impact that we unavoidably have on the pristine environment.
Our dwellings are located 100 metres from the beach and we have the capacity for 30 people at any one time. In conjunction with SINAC, we have identified 3 areas to focus our improvements on.
Water Treatment
Currently, the wastewater from the base is drained and seeps into the sand that is located only 100 metres away. In order to mitigate this, we have a plan to build bio-gardens. The bio-gardens will work as a filter for the grey- waters, treating it before it is filtered back into the ground.
Water for consumption is currently pumped to the base. By installing a rainwater harvesting system we will be able to collect water that we can then treat. We will also cut down on the need to use the generator which runs the pump.
Solid Waste Disposal
The solid waste is divided into organic (composting and non-composting) and inorganic (recyclable and non-recyclable) waste. We need to improve our compost area and create a better storage system in order to keep the animals away from the waste while we are waiting for it to be moved off the base.
Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy
At the moment, we make use of a diesel generator. We will be replacing this with a system of 10 solar panels connected to 20 batteries. This will produce enough energy to be able to power the entire base.
We are really excited about this project! We have started by purchasing a solar panel and 2 batteries and are waiting for more funding to come in so that we can start on the other upgrades.
You can read the full project proposal on our main project page.
With Gratitude,
GVI Charitable Trust
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