(Em)bracing Claverito’s Hillside for Sustainable Community Health

The people of Claverito are currently facing serious immediate and long-term challenges. A scarcity of topas and other building materials is leading to sinking homes. The pollution and erosion of the nearby hillside is harming plant and animal life and threatens an eventual collapse of the plaza above, cutting off safe access to the city. While protecting the hillside from further damage is paramount for the survival of Claverito, exploring the unrealized potential of the hillside may also hold the key to community flourishing. Terracing supported first by bamboo retaining walls and then by plant life has the potential to protect the hillside from further erosion while creating space needed for the growing and harvesting of useful food, herbs, and timber.

DUMPING HARMS ECOSYSTEM & BEAUTY

• Chemicals dumped on-site have killed plantings and degraded the soil.

• Litter attracts insects, and may hold water, creating breeding grounds for mosquitos.

• Litter encourages further dumping.

EROSION THREATENS INFRASTRUCTURE & PLANT LIFE

• Loosened foundations of stairs, utility poles, and other structures reduces community safety.

• The 30% slope and absence of nutritous topsoil discourages plant growth, limiting the ecosystem’s potential.

• A lack of topas and other building materials is causing amphibious homes to sink, threatening resident health.

Residents Grow Food And Medicine

• Residents are experienced gardeners who harvest nearby plants for personal use and sale.