MariposaPaulette
  • Words About This Blog
  • The Blog
  • Trade and Sustainability Website

Entry #3:  Chakra and chacra

10/5/2010

2 Comments

 
Picture
October 5, 2010  Entry #3

Chakra and chacra

I was recently reminded of another chacra:  a garden. The fact that chakras and chacras sound identical is intriguing. Both are about a healthy lifestyle through balance and integration. The photo shows my friend Oscar Santillán in his family’s chacra at Pakarinka Sisari in Agato, Ecuador.

In the chacra, many fruits and vegetables are planted together, instead of separated. Chacras are sustainable as defined by the Triple Bottom Line:  economy, social equity, and environment.  Families produce their own food, reducing reliance on fossil fuels for transportation and lowering costs. The nutrients in the soil make the foods more nutritious as compared to foods from the agro industry. The environment is also protected because chemicals are generally not used.  Each plant takes certain nutrients from the soil and puts back others, resulting in each of the plants making a different contribution to the system. Also, the plants are much more resistant to disease as compared to plants in a monoculture (one crop planting). Today, agricultural experts experiment with polyculture:  planting multiple crops in the same space. Planting chacras is a mature, sustainable agricultural method.   


Copyright © 2010, by Paulette L. Stenzel for the text and photo.
2 Comments
maryann lefevre hancock
10/9/2010 01:47:23 pm

You have some beautiful photography.

Reply
Paulette
10/9/2010 01:57:07 pm

Thank you for your kind words!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Paulette L. Stenzel

     I am Professor Emerita of International Business Law and Sustainability at Michigan State University (MSU). I continue  to teach part time at MSU and  coordinate the Broad College Ethical Leadership program Additionally, I advise Spartan Global Development Fund, a student-driven microfinance organization, and serve on its non-profit 501(c)(3) Board of Directors.  . 

    ​
    I am also  a mom,  learner, writer,  violinist, environmentalist -in -process, traveler, and avid reader.  
      
    ​Through research, service, and public speaking, I share information and perspectives  on teaching, ethical leadership, and the pursuit of more sustainable ways of living and doing business. 


    Photo above:  Francisco Vinega, Jade Artist,  Guatemala, with Paulette Stenzel.  
    Contact me at stenzel@msu.edu.

    Archives

    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    April 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2018
    April 2018
    October 2016
    July 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    November 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    November 2012
    July 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    June 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly