| Despite recent loss
of the recycling location, it's possible to recycle your glass, plastic,
cardboard and paper in Tilaran now, but it's not easy and probably
won't be until volunteer recycler Edgar Badilla's fundraising plans
succeed. It's certainly not easy for Badilla, though he can be helped
if those who do persist in recycling will rinse containers and remove
labels and tops. Donations will help, too.
Losing the previous location
because of the sale of the building, Badilla is now located near
the Los Pinos center just as you reach Tilaran from Lake Arenal.
Coming up the hill from the bridge, take the second right - the
corner with a pile of old appliances and car parts - and circle
the small block in there until you encounter a narrow yard with
a grand pile of bagged recyclables. Badilla, whose day job is security
at the Banco Popular, has to rinse and de-label most of these objects
himself before they are trucked away to a processor.
Badilla heads the non-profit
Asociacion para el Desarollo Sostenible running the recycling program,
which has contracted with the Municipality for land where a new
recycling center will be built when enough funds are raised. Donations
have come in from the Municipality, Plantas Eolicas, and Movasa
but much more is needed. The conduit for donations is FUNDACA, the
non-profit Fundacion para el Area de Conservacion Arenal. You can
make donations to Capitacion de Recursos de FUNDACA in the Banco
Popular, account number 1610100371011738-5. Badilla's phone numbers
are 821-3747 (cel)
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and 695-8898 (home). Thanks
to Sandy Shaw of Fuentes Verdes for providing this information
Adding cultural enrichment
to environmental rescue, Tilaran hosted on March 15 Maria Elena
Carballo Castegnaro, the administrator of Costa Rica's Ministry
of Culture, Youth, and Sports, as well as the mayor and cultural
commission of Canas, the mayor of Tilaran, and local culture mavens,
including our informant Patricia Brenes, a cultural activist and
proprietor of Las Lenitas café.
The main accomplishment of
the day was the submission of the Culture Plan for Tilaran 2007.
It includes 1) construction of the Tilaran Culture House, 2) formation
of an artists' association, 3) opening of a public library for adults
and teenagers, 4) creation of a school of music, and 5) preparing
the 2007 Tilaran Art and Music Festival.
Minister Carballo and the others
were entertained at breakfast by local artists, participated in
an interview on Radio Cultural Tilaran, and toured the town, viewing
such things as the murals of the group Color and Vida para Tilaran
(Color and Life for Tilaran).
The grand opening of the new
children's library is just two days away (1 pm Sunday). The Ladies
of the Lake and plenty of volunteers have worked with great enthusiasm
and pride to provide this kids' educational and leisure resource
located across from the central park in a pink building beside the
school.
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