Coming Soon to Vieques

One of the most interesting and innovative building projects we've encountered in PR is El Blok, a 22 room boutique hotel in enchanting Esperanza, Vieques "that is part sculpture and part contemporary tropical oasis."

This hotel will be LEED certified, features a roof top pool and will include a bar and restaurant serving locally grown food. It will be a while before you can book a reservation (set to open in late 2010), but once you can, be sure you do. Beyond the green design and mission, El Blok will unquestionably feature some of PR's finest hospitality. We should know... The owners are our friends Simon and Marija and we have experienced their special breed of hospitality on many occasions.

Read more about the project as reported in Caribbean Business.

INTERN TACKLES TOPO!

Summer intern, Henry Smith, hard at work with BigPrototype. Using the new laser cutter technology, Henry is creating a comprehensive site model of the Dos Ceibas development in Rincon, PR with contours of 0.5 meters.

Henry is stoked to be in NYC for the summer and wants to send a shout out to Leon and his brother, Chewy, for hooking up the sweet gig!

International Surf Day Rincon, Puerto Rico

Yesterday was International Surfing Day and it was observed in surf communities around the world. Here in Rincon, Puerto Rico we celebrated it by starting with a beach clean up inside the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve, followed by stand up paddle boarding by some, paddling on surfboards by others and a snorkel by the rest around the reserve, and we ended the day with a potluck lunch on Steps Beach. The sun was shining and the water was crystal clear....it was another gorgeous day in paradise!

International Surfing Day is held annually on the summer solstice. It was established by Surfing Magazine and Surfrider Foundation in 2004. It's not just for people that surf, it's for everyone that loves the beaches, oceans and waves. It's for people that are environmentally conscious and want to give back to the community. It's also a day for people to get outside and enjoy the water. It's an opportunity to invite people to come spend the day on the beach, together as a community, and that's what we did!

The good news is OUR BEACHES ARE PRETTY DARN CLEAN!!! We gathered about 10 bags of trash, some corrugated tin, two tires and broken flower pot. I have to say that the beaches here in Rincon seem remarkably cleaner than they were a few years ago. I think a lot of that has to do with the monthly beach clean ups we do with Surfrider Foundation. Also, due to the clean ups a lot more people are aware of the "keep our beaches clean" effort and whenever they go to the beach they pick up scraps of trash on their way out. Now, I'm not talking about masses of trash everywhere, but it's the cigarette butts or the plastic cup you see while lying on the beach that really bug me.

Anyhow...yesterday was a great success. Thanks to Joel Cordero for all the great photos. Thanks to Steve Tamar for tirelessly setting up the Surfrider tent. Thanks to Roger Wagner from 787 Surf School for carting all the tables and coolers back and forth. Thanks to everyone that made delicious food for lunch and helped clean our beach! Thanks to Surfrider Foundation, Kaenon and Monster Beverage for donating all the cool schwag that we gave away at the event. And thanks to David and Maureen Miller for donating about 30 lbs of delicious squash, free for the taking, from their farm.

Arte Acuatico Exhibit

The Aquatic Art Workshop is an after school art project spearheaded by Annette Blasini, Wess Merten and Leon Richter, all dedicated Surfrider activists.  The project involved 39 middle school students from the Jorge Seda Crespo middle school in Rincon.  The talented students were given various themes relating to the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve Tire Removal Project.  This project has been funded two years in a row by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and led by Wess Merten and Pauco, a local fisherman.  Over 475 tires have been removed from the reserve as well as clothing, plastics, fishing nets, abandoned boats and other debree that suffocate and threaten the coral reefs.  None of the clean ups could have been possible without the help of many volunteers week after week.

The students participated in two Saturday workshops led by Annette and Wess.  Their assignment was to paint a picture of what the marine reserve means to them, relating to certain topics such as marine life, coastal clean ups and pollution that affects the reef.  The paintings are being printed and bound into a book that will be available to the public as of June 25th, 2009 at the art exhibit on display at the Rincon of the Seas Hotel.  

Annette, Wess and Leon have been educating the students year after year about the importance of the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve.  Every student in the elementary, middle school and high school has been educated about the TPMR and taught  about the wonders of the natural beauty they have in their back yard.  I'm often reminded of that when our friends and family visit us from the states.  They're always in awe of the beauty and the marine life we have literally in our backyard.

I have to say I was incredibly impressed with the sophistication and talent of these students.  I had the opportunity to be a part of the first workshop when I volunteered to make lunch for the students.  Not only was I impressed with their talent but their focus to get the job done.  As soon as they finished eating they wanted to get back to their paintings.  

Many thanks to other volunteers.  Oliver Bencosme was ready and willing to document the project as the on site photographer.  Cuqui Gonzales graciously volunteered lunch for round two of the project.  Leon Richter, my husband and long time Surfrider Coordinator was there to oversee the project.  Wess, Annette and many teachers from the middle school offered their time on the weekends to help remind us  of the unique place that we are so lucky to live in.  I smile when I have those moments when I'm reminded of the fact that Rincon is a special place.  It's not something that can be created by hand, it's  natural wonder that we are lucky to be a part of.

DOS CEIBAS Planning Green

This video is the 1st of a 4 part series featuring Dos Ceibas entitled "Conscious Living." These videos by MTV Networks tell the story of our collaboration with BigPrototype as we explore sustainable strategies building custom tropical homes here in Rincón, PR.

Some of these strategies are dramatic, like the green roof on the Little Malibu House. Others, like orienting each home to take advantage of the prevailing trade winds, are more subtle, but equally significant.

The videos are airing on Logo Network and are part of the launch of the Saturn VUE Hybrid.

Shot in Rincón, PR in December 2008, the videos would not have been possible without the help of the Uncharted Studio's Tony Dooley who saved the shoot.

Check out the video above or watch it here, then please share it with friends and family.

Little Malibu House at Night

The Little Malibu House, the first of 8 unique custom designed residences at Dos Ceibas in Rincón, PR, is finally nearing completion. This house includes a number of green strategies to reduce its impact on the environment and to make it easier to maintain for its owners.

It's been a group effort. Many thanks to Johnno for his help and for this great photo.

Want to know more? Interested in being a neighbor? It's not too late. Your custom dream home in the tropics awaits... Contact Ali to learn more.

From the Big Screen to the Little Screen

While Salva Tres Palmas was on the big screen, my sister Sharon appeared on NBC's the Today Show to talk about healthy eating habits.

Sharon appears 90 seconds into the video.

One thing I learned from watching was how to choose the right type of carbohydrates. Sharon, a registered dietitian, said to choose carbs that are high in fiber and low in sugar (who knew?). Her rule of thumb for selecting carbs, which I really thought helped clarify things, was:

Pick carbohydrates that contain more than 3g of fiber and less than 10g of sugar (per serving).

Learn more from the video or at sharonrichter.com

Happy snacking.