With the goal of building sustainable relationships of coexistence, basic regulations are agreed upon at the time of the sale of the properties between SEED and the lot purchaser. Here are some key points to know prior to purchasing a property.
Lot owners are required to pay a $1000 USD annual fee due the first of May of each year to pay for the cost of shared road maintenance, plot maintenance (lot cleanings 3x/year) and security of the project. With the payment of this fee, lot owners have access to parts of SEED property including trails to the rivers, waterfall, lookout, jungle trails, and community garden and recreation spaces.
Access to water
SEED offers lot owners access to well water for drinking that can be considered potable but not water that is regularly tested. Sustainable building practices such as rainwater harvesting is highly recommended to all lot owners for all other water needs.
Currently SEED has identified three sites for digging water wells. Water from the wells will be pumped to a small reservoir accessible from the road for lot owners to collect well water for drinking.
NOTE: SEED does not guarantee the quality of this water.
Security
There are approximately 90 hectares of conservation rainforest on the property that SEED works to protect from illegal hunters and squatters. SEED is also committed to prevent potential squatters from settling on any property in the project.
While lot owners are not on the farm, SEED workers keep surveillance on the entire project. If someone enters SEED, our workers notify them that SEED is a private property and that they must leave the farm immediately, otherwise the police will be contacted. SEED maintains a lock at each gate that has a combination which we share only with community members.
Other community security rules will be developed collectively by the lot owners. Once these rules receive the support of most of the lot owners (majority of lots), they will be implemented and enforced by lot owners. In the absence of a community-developed security policy, SEED continues to follow what it believes serves the security and wellbeing of the project and lot owners.
Farm and Animals
Annual fees do not cover the cost of maintenance of the integrated farm or its infrastructures. SEED considers the farm development and maintenance its own responsibility.
Access to the farm and other spaces on the property as mentioned is a privilege given to the lot owners who pay their annual fees. For the biosafety of the animals, lot owners are not permitted to enter the animal buildings.
Road Maintenance
The road on SEED property is inscribed in Costa Rican law as "servidumbre agrícola" a private road that legally belongs to all the lot owners as well as SEED. Sharing the cost of road maintenance has been and continues to be a shared responsibility between SEED and lot owners as agreed upon at the time of the purchase of a lot. Regardless of whether lot owners choose to visit or build on their lots, this is an agreed upon condition for purchase.
SEED initially invested over $60000 for building the access road. SEED is dedicated to maintain the quality of the internal roads, built under sustainable regulations and continues to invest extra money beyond its share for annual road maintenance.
Sustainable Living at SEED
Many of us want to live sustainably, but few know how, and even fewer have been able to fully put into practice what they know. At SEED we have been experimenting, learning and implementing sustainable living practices for close to ten years. We come by it honestly. Two of SEED co-founders have been researching and implementing sustainable agriculture, water, waste and energy management in academia for a combined 45 years. Other SEED co-founders bring years of experience in sustainable project management and eco-voluntourism both in Costa Rica and abroad. We understand that although nobody knows everything about sustainable living, collectively we can learn and strive towards a more sustainable and low impact way of living. More importantly, we value local knowledge and are fortunate to have built strong reciprocal relationships with the local communities around us. Our gardeners and animal care specialists have taught us much about appropriate management of local resources including sustainable forest management and use of local and low-cost methods for food production.
Responsible Food Production
We have learned a lot in the past ten years on best food production practices. We now enjoy in SEED a variety of local fruits such as mangos, mamones, araza,mangostan, guanabana, briba cas, guava, various banana species, pineapples, and many more delicious and organically produced fruits. We have large varieties of tubers such as yucca, malanga, taro, camote, etc. We produce our own organic eggs from our flock of diverse local chickens. Restaurants in Puerto Viejo are keen to showcase our locally produced lamb and we have recently added cows and are increasing the production of ducks. We exercise humane animal treatment. All our animals are free range and are cared for by our experienced workers.
We produce a variety of vegetables such as celery, packchoi, kale, green beans, tomatoes and cucumbers, and many species of herbs. We have begun to produce rice and beans, ingredients most used in local meals. We continue to experiment with ancient grains and new varieties of fruits and vegetables.
Sustainable Buildings
The building infrastructure at SEED is inspired by local architecture. We have homes and animal care facilities made of bamboo, wood and recycled tiles. We use concrete only when necessary and continue to responsibly use the fallen trees in our vast forests. To the best of our ability, we incorporate local knowledge in our built environment coupled with extensively researched technical and scientific knowledge and experience in biomaterial use.
Sustainable water and waste management
At SEED we are 100% off the grid! We harvest rainwater for most of our needs. Rainwater is a renewable source of freshwater and gives us water security and independence. Rainwater is soft and perfect for washing and cleaning. We have many sources of drinking water throughout the land in forms of wells and springs. Drinking water stations are available throughout the farm to provide natural and chemical free water.
We separate grey and blackwater and use locally proven technology to manage sewage. Different approaches are taken by various lot owners including septic systems, treatment ponds with water hyacinths for greywater, urine separation for fertilizing plants and humanure composting. By-products from animal operations and gardens are composted and used for food production.
We encourage minimizing and aim to reuse all all packaging for various purposes. We also practice proper incineration of inorganic waste to recover heat and produce biochar or ash for agricultural purposes.
Sustainable Energy
At SEED we are 100% off the grid! We use solar energy to power our homes and all our appliances including fridges and washing machines. We use solar dryers to dry fruits and herbs as well as tubers and produce flour from dried cassava, malanga, and castaña.
