Help Us Heal Guatemalan Rivers, Lakes and Oceans.

In the first half of 2025, HaciendoECO deepened its role as a leading platform for environmental education and waste-management initiatives in Guatemala. Through our National Education Contest “ ECOaprendiendo por el Agua“ and related programs, we reached over 59,000 people — including 55,000 students, 1,000 teachers, and 3,296 parents — while building alliances with 12 municipalities and 83 institutions.

This semester, we:

• Trained 1,000 teachers on waste classification, recycling, and composting under the national regulation Acuerdo Gubernativo 164-2021.
• Recovered over 46,000 lbs of recyclable materials and planted 2,219 trees, restoring two hectares of watershed area.
• Expanded our environmental education program “ECOreto21” on whatsapp — a scalable 5-week educational program — to 3,513 active participants, doubling our community size in six months.
• Consolidated municipal partnerships, providing direct coaching and technical guidance to 26 mayors and staff.
• Signed the Alianza por la Cuenca de Amatitlán, uniting public, private, and civil-society actors to protect Guatemala’s fourth-largest lake.
• Coordinated the donation and distribution of more than 100 menstrual cups, contribuiting on the menstrual health of at risk women and decrease long term the waste of disposable pads.

Key Achievements

National Competition – ECOaprendiendo por el Agua

• 207 schools participated in hands-on environmental projects.
• 1,000 teachers received structured training on:
• Practical implementation of Acuerdo 164-2021.
• Waste sorting, composting methods and creation of urban gardens.
• Creating sustainability plans in schools.
• Quantitative impact:
• 13,517 lbs of paper and cardboard recycled
• 9,938 lbs of glass, 8,319 lbs of PET, 4,635 lbs of aluminum collected
• 11,001 ecoladrillos produced
• 1,031 lbs of biohazard waste safely managed
• Recognition and incentives:
• 11 computer labs awarded to schools (benefiting 2,413 students).
• 7 playground sets made from 11,200 lbs of recycled plastic.
• 9 schools awarded water-purifying Ecofiltros.

Links:

• Our Educational Movement Social Media