The Source?

Lake Atitlan is a majestic force of nature. The combination of sheer magnitued and lush beauty leads one's eyes to behold the wonder of this world. The wind, the volcanoes, the forests, the water...

In other moments one may also see the drainage pipes, the barren dry land, the plastic & perhaps a dog shit or two... 

Here, we face many challenges, visible & obscure. Here, you'll find a collective of individuals creating solutions to face these problems of humanity and correcting the misalignment of our symbiotic relationship with nature.

We are a distributed autonomous organization of beings dedicated to the cause of pure water. To ensuring that in 50 years time, this place WILL be better than how we found it. The sheer magic of this Lake must be actively considered and caretaken for. For those incredible sunrises, sunsets, forests of birds, the colorful & enchanting people, the water that reflects the full moon sky.

We have, out of negligence and refusal of awareness built a system of concepts that blind us to the everyday actions we take, distrubing the peace, in cognitive dissonance. Like any fabled paradise of many cultures, we humans tend to destroy and then left for seldom solitude outside the gates of that once lush world. A distant memory of what we had. 

We refuse this, and act in every moment of opportunity to rise. Welcome to the Alto Lago Collective.

Using opensource technology we have the challenge to make and create the impact networks of passionate people to enact the momentum of a movement before we can no longer act in prevention. 

Our mission is to deploy a set of modular plastic nets we'll fabricate here with volunteers to collect the plastic washed away in the raining season at the 2 critical rivers of Quiscab & San Francisco that feed the Lake before June 2023.  This will cost less than Q20,000 (~$3,000).

The concept of a Turd Tax is that if you poop, you can donate at least Q1 everytime you take a dump on the Lake's ecosystem. That collectively we may raise the solutions inhouse and act on the senses of decay that we see around us. 

To scoop it up and away. a distant memory.

The hypothesis is to use these nets to capture the thouands of pounds of plastic that enter the lake through these urban rivers before it sinks or floats. Without needing a huge amount of people doing post damage beach cleanups. Ironically, nets are one of the oldest forms of technology we've had as humans, yet for many reasons it is a solution absent in the business plan of many people. 

A simple net.

Without the social media stunts, self agrandizing promotion, and flat out ego boosting that is commonly seen with current "nonprofits" & other organizations. The same groups that tout decades of existence yet can show nothing but vagueness. Only to raise "awareness" and of course funding. To seek media interviews & medals..

We aim to do this without the social media stunts, self agrandizing promotion, and flat out ego boosting. The old saying "follow the money" tells all. Using blockchain tech, every penny & action will be in a transparent chain of custody. Here there's no need to hide, when the world needs a hand, and the Lake some respect. Now, is the time! 

To reduce the plastic entering the Lake, before it happens, by collecting it at the source output. The 2 rivers that collectively bring about 70% fo the contamination. To then reuse this captured raw material, process it and then create recyclable art & furniture. Kickstarting a circular plastic economy as a community operated center.

Por suerte, no estamos solos. Hay gente increible alrededor del mundo haciendo magia. Tanto como Plastic Fischer y sus redes de plastico opensource y modulares que han ganado reconocimiento mundial. 

We are fortunately not alone. There are amazing people around the world solving these very same problems in different contexts and openly sharing the plans to reproduce. People like Plastic Fischer with their opensourced and modular nets who have garnered worldwide recognition.

Together with other initiatives and distributed colectives such as Precious Plastic, who have created immense opportunities by designing and freeing the plans to produce personal and semi-industrial machines to upcycle plastic. Tested and opened up the processes and business tools to establish solutions that create so many opportunities as a seed for eco-economies. Without the corporations, patents licenses , or absurd amounts of money.

Yes, it's possible.

Nets that capture + People that collect + Processing centers + Entrepenuers that innovate + Communities of support. We week no external depenendance here, only those who take this mission directly into the heart and act with passion towards a common goal. For a common home. The Lake. 

We are taking the initiative as the Alto Lago Cooperative to create and raise the funds to build, with the complete plans in hand from Precious Plastic, the semi-industrial machines. As an open community they have paved the way and support through real experience. With this we'll start the first upcycled plastic cooperative in Central America at the community level. 

Hoping that others will join we seek no thing other than to act now. There will be challenges and hostile people. Though, to not try and sit down watching the world decay is not in our life stories. No, this is not our purpose. 

It is to lead with open action.