Week 3 Part B

ECHO Field Trip

I was particularly excited to go on our field trip to ECHO, I have had friends who have done service learning here and raved about what an interesting place it is. Although my friends have told me about this place, I still was not exactly sure what to expect when we arrived. I think ECHO has some really creative and interesting way to help farmers is developing countries. I thought it was very cool how different areas of the farm are designed for different climates and each one has a different way of using the land to help benefit the farmers. Some creative ways they were teaching farmers in developing countries are using a plastic 2-liter bottle for a light source. You cut a hole in the roof and then fill a plastic 2-liter bottle with water and stick it in the hole. By doing this the bottle creates the effect of having a light bulb, but you do not need electricity. Another thing they were teaching the farmers was simple hygiene, by using and old laundry detergent bottle filled with water and a bar of soap tied to it, the farmers could now wash their hands. This may stop the spread of bacteria and germs to the other members in the family. The farmer could work all day and wash his hands before he goes to help cook for his family. I really enjoyed the tour we went on it was an interesting place; we saw many of their interns working on the farm as we walked around. But I wish the interns did the tour for us, I would have loved to hear from younger people what they are doing at ECHO and their experiences they have had while they have been here.