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Joined: Oct 1999
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What the Quintana Roo authorities and scientists never imagined in their wildest dreams, a Portomorelense (man from Puerto Morelos) did� he built the first house entirely made of Sargassum, which could represent a worldwide milestone.

Omar S�nchez V�zquez built Angelita - (he named the house in honor to his mother) - transforming the feared seaweed that invaded the beaches of Quintana Roo, into an organic, thermal and functional construction material, which by the way, costs 50 percent less than adobe bricks.

The invention utilizes the same technique used to make adobe bricks, and its hardness is resistant to hurricanes, confirmed the proud creator.

Owner of a nursery in Puerto Morelos, S�nchez Padilla said he will also constructing an office of seaweed partitions.

Angelita is a beautiful rustic house, featuring a visually attractive brown-reddish color, made of 100% Sargassum bricks, that do not smell bad (in case you were wondering).

"We grew up seeing how the adobe was made and we applied the same techinique to Sargassum, during the process the seaweed gets rid of the stinking odor, I think that making Sargassum houses is an excellent option", he emphasized.

Although he plans to patent his project, he says that the tons of Sargassum that was washed up by the tide on the Quintana Roo shores, would help build many houses, especially for the people of Quintana Roo.

The news are spreading rapidly throughout the world, as Sargassum is a problem that afflicts many nations such as the islands of the French Riviera, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, the United States and many other Caribbean islands. This shows once again how the Mexican intelect transforms problem into an area of opportunity.

Yucatan Times

Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Mexican Visionary Talks About Making Houses Out Of Seaweed

What authorities in Belize and Quintana Roo, Mexico and scientists never imagined in their wildest dreams, Omar Vasquez Sanchez has done! He built the first house entirely made of Sargassum, which could represent a worldwide milestone.

Omar S�nchez V�zquez originally from Jalisco, lived part of his childhood in California, USA and returned Mexico to fulfill his "Mesican dream" in his birth country and created a new industry with organic materials that preserve the culture and environment.

"I'm just a simple Gardner with a love for nature," stated Sanchez Vazquez. "I built my first home and named it after my mother "Casa Angelita" who taught me to respect the earth and value all things in life."

Omar is the owner of a nursery in Puerto Morelos and the director of Blue Green Mexico which has generated jobs to hundreds of people with all kinds of addictions including alcohol, drugs, anxiety, desperation and others who simply have the desire to want to work.

"I come to share a solution that is working against the problem of sargassum in Mexico," stated Omar. "We use 20k tons of sargassum to make 2,150 blocks and we currently have 100,000 blocks made and stored, enough to build 50 houses."

He explained that these houses are perfect for low income families as they are not expensive like cement bricks and have a durability of 120 years. The blocks are 100% organic (60% Sargassum 40% organic material), thermic and improves acoustics and are hand made.

"The sea is wise and is trying to tell us something. The arrival of sargassum is all our fault," stated Omar. "Feeling guilt myself I started doing these blocks. We need to take responsibility and take out the sargassum, help clean, generate employment, build the product and build houses. I have the patent for these blocks and other construction materials to be done out of sargassum."

Omar gave his word to those in attendance to donate the first ever Sargasso house to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. He is willing to share his ideas and have workers come to the island and work on cleaning up the island. This is a great opportunity for the island and Mayor Daniel Guerrero has accepted to visit his company in Mahahual, Mexico to better understand the concept of how things are done and to arrange for this to happen in our lovely island.

Present at the meeting were Mayor Daniel Guerrero, Mr. Andre Perez, Gary Greif, Jan Brown, BTIA representatives - Karen Brodie and Terry Anderson, BHA representatives Sandra Van Noord and Roannie Badillo and representatives of The Belize Tourism Board. Special thanks to Banana Beach Resort for having organized this meeting.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the Ambergris Today

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Sargassum Solution? Mexican entrepreneur says turn it into building material on Ambergris Caye.

The Mexican entrepreneur, currently residing in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, spoke about his masterpiece, a house he built entirely of Sargassum bricks. Sanchez named the house 'Angelita' in honor of his mother. "This project will create jobs and make housing more affordable for low-income families," he said. Sanchez explained that to create Sargassum building blocks, the method is like making adobe bricks. Water is used to wash the seaweed and make it stiff, and then it is put into brick molds. "The bricks are then left out in the sun to dry for ten days. What is very important is that this material is organic," said Sanchez. "It is 60% Sargassum and 40% organic." He indicated that a house built with Sargassum bricks will not be hazardous for anyone's health and is strong enough to resist inclement weathers even in hurricanes.

However, before anything materializes with the project on the island, authorities from the SPTC and the business sector are planning a trip to Mahahual, Mexico sometime in June, where Sanchez oversees a plant that produces Sargassum bricks. Sanchez pointed out that currently, they have 100,000 bricks, which are enough to build about 50 houses. "We can build homes for people here on the island and other parts of Belize," he said. "We would love for Belize to be the first country in the world to champion this project." According to him, he has not received adequate support in Mexico. Thus, he has chosen Belize for the genesis of this venture. The project aims to create jobs, keep the island beaches clean and attractive for tourists while providing islanders with low-cost housing.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun

Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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The collection and proper disposal of sargassum in coastal communities in the Central American and Caribbean regions is a challenge to local governments. On Ambergris Caye, it is no exception. Local government officials are working from several fronts to address the natural phenomenon that is causing serious concerns. Here are the details.



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