At La’Pai, Yago learned more about planting a food garden alongside the women participating in the program. Photo credit: Mateo Caride

Conservation Efforts in Argentina are the Beginning of a Larger Shift #fortheocean

11th Hour Racing Ambassador Yago Lange of Argentina is as enthusiastic about protecting his local waters as he is about sailing on them. For his ambassador project, Yago is taking his passion on the road to share his love of the ocean and meet others with that same passion. Together, they are building a larger movement, investing in their community to shift the way they coexist with nature.

To spark conversation, Yago and friends hosted two gatherings, dubbed “Garage Experiments,” that united over 70 individuals nearby Mar del Plata, Argentina to discuss solutions for the ocean and their general love for nature. The intimate gatherings are a testament to the many people that care deeply about the environment and are eager to learn about new ways of reducing their impact.

The group also built 20 compost boxes and placed them strategically throughout the community, and at hostels that are occupied by hundreds of travelers during the summer months. Not only does this help to educate travelers on the importance of reducing waste, but the staff at the hostels are well versed in explaining why composting is important, and this fosters more local discussions on the topic.

This year, Yago also worked with more than 30 local schools across Argentina to teach lessons about managing trash, recycling and composting, in addition to their regular school curriculum. As part of his own learning process, Yago audits his waste at home, and separates it based on material, to gain a better understanding of personal consumption habits and identify opportunities to reduce and reuse.

Ambassador Yago Lange demonstrates how to divide waste at home during a virtual workshop with students. Photo credit: Mateo Caride
Ambassador Yago Lange demonstrates how to divide waste at home during a virtual workshop with students. Photo credit: Mateo Caride

A partnership was established with La’Pai, a community garden center in Chapadmalal, Argentina that teaches people how to live off the land. Through the ambassador project, three women attended the regenerative agriculture courses that taught them how to grow vegetables, cultivate them, and how to produce seeds. Now, they are eager to start their own community gardens in their hometowns, and La’Pai is also planting a veggie garden that will be open for their community to learn and grow together.

Three women gained the knowledge of how to grow and cultivate vegetables, and produce seeds to plant their own community gardens in their hometowns. Photo credit: Mateo Caride
Three women gained the knowledge of how to grow and cultivate vegetables, and produce seeds to plant their own community gardens in their hometowns. Photo credit: Mateo Caride
At La’Pai, Yago learned more about planting a food garden alongside the women participating in the program. Photo credit: Mateo Caride
At La’Pai, Yago learned more about planting a food garden alongside the women participating in the program. Photo credit: Mateo Caride

Header image credit: Mateo Caride