The Revitalization + Sustainability Bamboo Workshop in Cuba

Transcription

1 The Revitalization + Sustainability Bamboo Workshop in Cuba June 21-28, 2017 Price: $2,850 from Charlotte (Limited to 18) "Take only photographs, leave only revitlizated places behind!" Join Dr. Joseph L. Scarpaci and Storm Cunningham for one week in Cuba to participate in a hands-on workshop about revitalization practices! Cuban bamboo is resilient, as are the people. It is a potentially useful and sustainable grass that has been under-utilized on the island. Unlike its Latin neighbor, Colombia, or parts of Southeast Asia, Cuba is only now exploring the many potentials of this miracle grass. 1 We join Cuban hosts engineer Carlos Martínez Romero and artist Gisela Rodríguez Vilaboy, in their interdisciplinary workshop in Havana s Chinatown for hands-on work in assembling small bamboo products and re-imagining revitalization. Overview We begin with a walking tour of Centro and Old Havana by Dr. Scarpaci, exploring urban planning issues of re-purposing buildings and vacant lots. Walking-tour topics include urban revitalization, impromptu loft-building, urban gardens, co-locating work/ job, and more. Our introduction to the bamboo workshop starts off with a short safety course on the use of certain machines (drill press, sanders, circular saw). Next, we tour local homes to get a sense of the kinds of household products that could be used by se- 1 The Bambusoideae subfamily belongs to the Poaceae (grass) plant family. More than one thousand species exist around the world, and they are grouped into about 90 genera. Cuba is home to seven of these species, four of which are native to the island.

2 nior citizens, toddlers, and other residents. Hosts Rodríguez and Martínez will provide feedback as small teams of two or three participants set out to use this sustainable material to satisfy a household need determined from their neighborhood/household reconnaissance. The emphasis is on discovery and creativity to meet local needs with local solutions, rather than a silver-bullet fix. Carlos Martínez in a bamboo stand in Mayabeque Province. In the middle of the week travel 90 minutes to a large bamboo stand where the Bamboo Center sources its raw material. We will learn about identifying different plants based on their age, diameter, color, and other attributes, and then spend some time transplanting seedlings along the riparian setting for future sustainable harvests (within five years). On our return to the city, we will stop off at a local beach. Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja, UNESCO World Heritage Size. Back in Havana, we will finalize team design projects, explore the rest of Metropolitan Havana through a city tour, and visit the most successful organic garden at the city edge where decades of experimentation, composting, worker stimulation, and business-to-business partnerships have launched a sustainable enterprise in what was previously vacant land near a public housing project.

3 About our Team Leaders Dr. Joseph L. Scarpaci has visited Cuba more than 80 times since 1990 and has co-published with Cuban experts in the fields of historic preservation, Cuban branding, landscape, and entrepreneurship on the island. He has served as Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Cuban Culture and Economy since 2010, and has introduced more than 800 American travelers to Cuba. Tel: (540) Read travellers' testimonies here. Storm Cunningham, Expert Guest, publishes Revitalization News: The Journal of Social, Economic, and Environmental Renewal. He is on top of the latest trends in urban-rural regeneration, nature, nature restoration, and economic resilience. George Ochs, Managing Director of JP Morgan, has called Storm The world s thought leader on community revitalization and natural resource restoration. His landmark first book (in 2002) was The Restoration Economy: The Greatest New Growth Frontier. storm@revitaliz.com.

4 Engineer Carlos Martínez Romero (right) is a graduate of Havana s premier design school, ISDE, and has a degree in engineering from the José Antonio Echeverría Polytechnic Institute. He is passionate about bamboo and his Chinese-Cuban heritage that surrounds his workshop in Havana s Chinatown. CarlosMartinezRobero Gisela Rodríguez Vilaboy (above right) brings her training in art to projects developed at the Bamboo Center. A native of Sancti Spiritus province, she has exhibited her works of art (most of them derived from bamboo) at major expositions in Cuba. GiselaVilaboy Cuba s re-use of disparate auto parts accounts for the running of most pre-1959 automobiles made in Detroit. Cubans know how to reduce, reuse, recycle, and re-purpose.

5 No Spanish, previous design or carpentry skills are required. Just an interest in Cuba, sustainability, revitalization and re-purposing! Colonial mansions are known for their vitreaux, stained-glass windows called medio puntos. Package Details Price, $2850, includes 2x- occupancy lodging at local B&Bs where breakfast will be served (+$200 for single-room). Breakfasts and dinners are included as lunch when we travel outside Havana and the day of arrival. B&Bs prepare American-style breakfasts (eggs, meat (optional), fruit, juice, bread, coffee). Five lunches at leisure. A list nearby sandwich shops, pizzerias, and restaurants will be provided. Evening meals will be at some of the finest home restaurants (paladares) selected by Dr. Scarpaci. We fly out of Charlotte together for logistical ease. Accommodations are clustered in the UNESCO World Heritage Site neighborhood (2-4 participants per apartment) and are within a 15-minute walk to Bamboo Center. Each participant will also receive one of several books authored by Scarpaci and Cunningham (see application page for selection and hyperlinks to book descriptions). Travelers should budget for five lunchues and out-of-pocket expenses such as water, gifts, and other purchases. No additional tipping of drivers, hosts, or experts is expected.

6 The Revitalization + Sustainability Bamboo Workshop in Cuba Last name: First: Address: City: State: Zip: Why do you want to go to Cuba? Sharing a room? Yes No If sharing, with whom? Note: Private room surcharge is $200 Passport Number: Country of Issue: Passport expiration date Food allergies/requests: Select one book from each author: Havana: Two Faces of the Antillean Metropolis (Scarpaci, Coyula & Segre.) Cuban Landscapes: Heritage, Memory and Place (Scarpaci & Portela) Plazas & Barrios: Heritage Tourism and Globalization in the Latin American Casco Histórico (Scarpaci) The Restoration Economy: The Greatest New Growth Frontier (Cunningham) Rewealth (Cunningham) A $100 non-refundable deposit secures a spot. Final payment is due May 15, 2017 in the amount of $2750 ($2950 if single room). If a participant cancels, the following refunds will be available upon written notice of cancellation to The Center for the Study of Cuban Culture + Economy: *Notice more than 90 days prior to departure: less a $500 cancellation fee. *Notice between 89 days and 61 days prior to departure: less a $1,000 cancellation fee. *Notice between 60 days and 30 days prior to departure: a refund less 50% of trip price. *No refund shall be issued if cancellation is received less than 30 days prior to departure date. *No refund shall be issued after the tour has commenced, nor for missed meals and services. Your signature acknowledges you agree to the cancellation policy: Send this form, a copy of the first page of your passport and checks --made payable to The Center for the Study of Cuban Culture + Economy-- to 800 Cupp Street, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA Questions?: joescarpaci@gmail.com, (540)