Plants 4 Life

Plants 4 Life is a project in coordination with Chuck Corbett to develop sustainable agricultural methods for the islands of Kiribati and to help promote healthy eating habits away from Western exploit of unhealthy food imports. Too many of my friends and family in Kiribati have serious health issues, mainly diabetes, from excessive sugar intake and lack of proper nutrients. Pair these health issues with limited to no access to modern health support, creating a recipe for disaster. 184,000 people a year die from sugary drinks alone. Promoting a more plant based diet will benefit not only the people of Kiribati, but the people of the world as well. Supporters of Te Maeu Projects: https://www.temaeuprojects.org

Please help to support this local Kiribati startup if you are fortunate enough to do so.

Using branches, sticks, old metal gutters, washing machine parts, fishing floats, teapots, any thing to make a sustainable garden into a fun creative project. Finally the bean vines and others are starting to cover the stucture.

Between the Asparagus Bean Stalks, are teapots, frypan and a pot with Asian greens, and some type of tasty bushy spinach.

Chinese Yard Long Red Asparagus Bean

Here is the little sliver of land I am working with, on the right is asparagus beans. In the centre is the Te Maeu Projects Hydroponic Units, on the left Kiribati Squash Pumpkin, with eggplant and sick cabbage under attract for the vicious rolly-polly pill bugs. With the others asparagus beans. Out front is the Asparagus Trellis. Tarawa Kiribati under threat from climate change is also ground zero for an out of control sky rocketing population. There is no more land. This garden makes use of elevated planters vertical gardening and trellises.

The Te Maeu Projects Hydroponic Units. Absolutley impossible for me to grow Cucumber and watermelon using the brackish salty well water. But with these self contained units I just need to top up the rain water as needed, the result look good so far,

I dont know the name, but they said this was spinach.. what ever it is it goes great on salads, cooked or dried. Plus it is a easy to grow.

The Kiribati Flag is beautiful, The Pupkins are getting heavy.

Three Rock Melons

3rd Crop, first Bean. 1st Crop was just a single bean plant that we got a few seeds from. Second crop the rest of the seeds for the 3rd crop Asparagus could really be a game changer in Kiribati because they grow so well. The diet on Tarawa is high in tea with wads of brown sugar and white rice leading to high incident of NCD’s non communicable diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, etc. Each Garden helps lower NCD’s.

Another view with the elevated trellis for the asparagus over where the cars turn around for the beans. and the beautiful Tarawa Lagoon.

Happiness. There are 55,000 people on Tarawa and no melons no water melon available. They are not hard to grow and bring smiles of happiness. There are 135,000 people in Kiribati and no melons.

Lots of fun sharing a new the new found taste of happiness.

More than hamming it up, you see the happiness in each Delicious bite

Who We Are

The goal of Atoll Escapes is to empower the people of Kiribati through integrative tourism, helping promote local traditions and culture before it is lost to Westernization and big corporations building unsustainable models of tourism. You will be staying with local families in traditional houses, accommodated by locals who speak fluent English with a goal to share their culture and to treat you as part of their family.

“Ecotourism: Responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people” ~ Ties (The International Ecotourism Society)