Regenerative Provisioning
Shani gives us an insight into the thoughts behind moving towards provisioning regeneratively. The ideas that support self-sufficiency and true sustainability, from growing more food onsite to sourcing package-free grains, are gradually evolving in the visual introduction to this project.
Is it Possible to Provision Regeneratively?
From the land; passing through those squeaking blue gates, young saplings of guanábana, aguacate and mango line the stony driveway as you are submerged into this random hub of chainsaws, dusty faces and endless bowls of gallo pinto.
This shipyard sees more and more seeds sown beneath its soils every week, as Yorleni and her team prepare for the onset of the wet season. Cracked and blindingly dry under the relentless rays of tropical sun, the earth cannot wait for those first refreshing moments of sweet and pungent rainfall. Just before clouds of shade, dark and moody, begin to roll in, the winds blow strongly across the mangrove, interrupting that heavy silence forewarning of an impending storm. You can feel the electrical energy as your senses become more alert and the mind clears.
The transformation in colour, touch and feeling is almost overnight as these infant trees, maracuyá seedlings and pumpkin vines will quickly hydrate and make the world green again. Plants will appear which we didn’t even sow or know existed, but the vision of creating a food forest, improving the soil and becoming more self-sufficient, will no longer seem so inconceivable.
Can these trees begin to provide us with delicious fruits in the not so distant future? Where does that bag of white rice come from and how were those beans actually produced? Does it really have to be wrapped in plastic? Is it better to eat locally-caught fish or lentils from Ethiopia; nutritionally, ethically or environmentally? Can it even be equally compared? I want to answer these questions and find out how this space can become its own “micro-regenerative” working environment, the best version it can be.
The goal is to create detailed guidelines and information on how to source a shipyard and ship’s provisions in a truly sustainable manner with the ultimate aim of becoming fully regenerative. Being truly regenerative will mean to create a net positive impact on a continual basis, both within the communities along the PAX Line, and at Ceiba’s origins: sourcing the best provisions as close to home as possible. This means taking into account many variables: seasonality, nutrients, availability, accessibility, storage, labelling, ethics and most importantly, the overall environmental impact each carrot or plastic sponge we use will have in its lifetime. And at what point does it become regenerative; how can each product positively impact the planet within its lifecycle?
Green Season in Costa Rica
Also, what can we do with all the inevitable waste products, the compost, the unavoidable single-use packaging, the dry toilet matter, the endless sawdust and wood offcuts? These will have to remain in the closed-loop system and serve a useful purpose, perhaps as fuel for the next step: compost to improve soil for plant growth, human waste converted to energy in a biodigester whilst generating high-quality fertilizer as a byproduct, or creating biochar from the wood offcuts in order to reintroduce nutrients into the degraded soil and sequester carbon.
Provisioning means not only looking at food, but also taking other essential household items into consideration. Can we source ethically-made bamboo toothbrushes for the entire shipyard crew? Is the hand soap actually biodegradable or is there an alternative to conventional washing powder that is perhaps also not wrapped in disposable plastic? These things may seem too small to be significant, however each little shard of plastic adds up and if we want to work towards an actual regenerative system, we must consider each input and output more equally.
SAILCARGO INC. founder, Danielle Doggett, picking bio-dynamic coffee beans at our sister farm in San Luis, Monteverde.
The idea is to do the most we can with the resources we have available and essentially base our daily practices on circular economy principles, in order to create a soil to shipyard-ship food system which strives to be as waste-free, sustainable and locally-sourced as possible. This goes alongside exploring the options of implementing self-sufficient mechanisms on board, such as solar stills, food driers, water purifiers and efficient waste-disposal systems. Ceiba will continuously strive to be positively impacting the people and places involved at all points of contact, working towards the ultimate goal: a regenerative shipyard and...
To the sea; a sailing cargo ship. Floating, suspended on the edge of the endless expanse of the Pacific, it is possible to catch a glimpse of her stem through the bright green foliage of the tropics. This tiny piece of land upon which she sits nestled amidst salty mangroves, can be a working example of how it can be possible to initiate these kinds of conscious practices in order to create healthier places of work and trade, which then can be replicated and transferred to life onboard.
If you pass at the right moment, you might see the ship emerge whole, filled with useful cargo and a crew sustained by satiating, nutritious and ethically-produced foods. The team will unfurl her sails, taking to foreign ports equipped with self-sufficient systems and the knowledge in mind that provisions of a positive nature already lay waiting to receive them en route. A cultural-, economical- and environmentally-beneficial exchange at each port of call. Ceiba herself becomes a closed-loop shipping entity: a model for regenerative trade.
It’s a romantic vision, but it is all possible, so let’s work towards this reality.
