For anyone curious about our Belize Eco Village (BEV) and master planned community based on permaculture, regenerative, renewable and sustainable principles, welcome to our BEV Bulletin 4 update. We are happy to hear from people asking great questions about our various planning, planting and progress for our project. These monthly bulletins are an easier and faster way to post our monthly progress. The first Thursday of each month we post a BEV Bulletin dedicated to sharing insights, pictures and stories. Earlier Morningstar NEWS blog posts have shared the values, vision and vocation we hold for our Belize Eco Village healthy habitat. We are finding more people eager to design, build and live a healthy lifestyle in a tropical paradise that is ideal to invest, live, visit and work. While searching for information and insights for living in Belize many people are also seeking new openings, opportunities and outcomes. Thanks to Zach from Texas who visited our project and took some great 360s and pictures.
There are many good reasons to take a closer look at Belize for a tropical paradise reboot, retreat and retirement haven. With some basic education and information you will be able to make better choices and decisions regarding whether Belize might be a great investment and lifestyle opportunity for you. If long term happiness, health and well being are high priorities than our Belize Eco Village may very well be a great choice for you. The goal of these BEV Bulletin posts is to educate and inform readers about the benefits of Belize and our eco community.
Belize Eco Village House #1
House # 1 construction is progressing nicely at our BEV project. After starting the foundation during the May trip June 19th, 2018 was a day to celebrate as the construction crew completed the stabilized compressed earth block walls. They then started making the concrete lentils for bracing over the doors and windows. Next will come the bond beam that holds the walls in place and supports the roof. House #2 foundation has been started.
With the dry season over and rain starting it is time for lazer focused planning, planting and progress. The June 2018 trip was primarily focused on working with the contractor and suppliers to keep our first Stabilized Compressed Earth Block (SCEB) home on schedule. Even though drainage, excavation and road repair work was mostly complete some equipment delays have cause construction interruptions because several early rains bogged down delivery trucks in the mud. I have learned some hard lessons it only takes one delivery or equipment delay to throw things totally off track. Based on many factors we are now rethinking the caretaker house which may be on top of a sea container with storage below, a seperate house on a foundation or a portable house. We are also still waiting on the Ministry of Health for approval of the compost toilet after they shared additional requirements they forgot to mention previously. With these two buildings plus a container we will have a solid base of operations for the construction team. We are still looking for a forty foot high cube container which are very hard to come by right now for materials storage.
The reopened and retrenched drainage with rebuilt dirt berms done in March passed their first tests to keep excess rain runoff from washing out our roads during the rainy season. A bulldozer contoured the land along and around Cabbage Hall road for a third day to return them to their previous engineered state. Then the excavator created the improved berms and drainage that is protecting the road from the excessive rains of the new rainy season. The berms are also providing ideal areas for planting coconuts, lime trees and pineapples during June and July. The dozer also further widened the community garden area along the electric lines and now it is time to clear out the roots and small trees for additional planting. We met with the contractor to mark locations for building retaining ponds for holding surplus water on the land longer and are waiting for a dry spell to begin digging. We are also considering creating contour swales in the future to hold even more water at higher elevations during the rainy season to be available later during the dry season.
Better Blocks for Better Buildings
While there are many benefits to using Stabilized Compressed Earth Block (SCEB) for home construction we discovered a few challenges building our first one that will influence future construction. Royale International Ltd is supplying the SCEB and we are pleased with their product. The block allow us to build a cool and cost efficient eco friendly home that is fire proof, mold proof, storm proof and termite proof. Each home will use rain gutters and cisterns to catch and store the abundant rainfall during rainy season. We are still waiting for the drilling contractor to drill a water well as an additional source of water. Belize Electricity Limited will come out in August to survey to install additional poles and power to new homes sites.
CSEB homes have a lower carbon and low water footprint. After looking at many options we chose them because they are easy to maintain and extremely energy efficient. While we are still analyzing the construction costs we feel our early Pioneers will be able to live in our Belize Eco Village in a small SCEB home (excluding Stamp Tax on lot and General Sales Tax – GST) for under $99 K. Once that investment is made a couple can live very comfortably on a small retirement or Social Security benefit of about a $1000 per month. Our community is 1.6 miles south of Maya Centre Village at 16.6 Mile Southern Highway a main paved road which offers regular bus services throughout Belize. Many residents and owners will not even need a vehicle for transportation.
Remember..typing Belize Eco Village into our blog search box will locate numerous posts outling the values, vision and visualization for our happy and healthy lifestyle community.
Healthy Habits & Habitats
In 2018 Morningstar NEWS will focus 50% on Healthy Habits and 50% on Healthy Habitats. Researching and role modeling proven principles for a transition town drives us to share words with wisdom. Our vision is attracting a wide variety of eco friendly people to help design, build and live in a more healthy and sustainable way. We invite ideas, insights and inspiration to help us focus our planning and progress. Sharing solutions, strategies, suggestions and systems will help us all design and develop better eco communities.
Where is Your Gap?
What actions, behaviors, beliefs and decisions regarding your habits and habitats are impacting your happiness and health? What is your motivation for making better choices to avoid health hazards and adopt healthy habits? Investing in our long term health helps protect our long term wealth. When we are happy, healthy and holistic we naturally shift to a more sustainable ecological, economical and environmental friendly lifestyle.
Mastery Action Plan (MAP)
Our daily habits and habitats directly impact our happiness and health. There are many reasons to consider our Belize Eco Village for a healthy future. What are you willing to do differently starting today to embrace better permaculture and sustainable choices in 2018? Creating a healthy habits code of conduct and mastery action plan will enhance our quality of life. Our happiness and health benefit from healthy challenges, changes and choices.
Call to Action
What comments, commitments or concerns come to mind regarding healthy habits and habitats?
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Micheal, sounds great! Sounds like you are making progress. I think you need to be talking to the more affluent as well as the people with a small SS income!! Praying everything continues to go your way! Ed!
Thanks Ed. Our goal is to be affordable to a wide range of people from Canada, EU, US and other countries.