Recycling underfoot Jan. 6, 2008

Happy New Year everybody! It's been a quiet time here in Beni Suef while all the schools are on Winter break. Our Operations and Security Director, Mr. Hanafi, has been passing the time by building stone walkways in front of the dorm rooms. They sure do look nice! And guess what - not only will they help to keep the rooms cleaner by keeping out the sand, but they're good for the environment too!

All of the stones used to build the walkways were recovered from an industrial production site, where they were just sitting in a pile waiting to be thrown away. Instead of purchasing pre-cut, perfectly shaped tiles, we chose to use the scrap pieces and save a little bit of waste in the process. It took a little bit more work on our end, because the tiles had to be fitted together by hand, but in the end we think it looks better, and it cost a lot less! So next time you're thinking about building a sidewalk, consider using recycled materials - you'll be pleased with the results!

Our own special biodiversity Dec. 20, 2007

Humans aren't the only ones coming to visit our site lately! It's amazing what kind of creatures you will find in the middle of the desert if you just give them a nice place to stay for a while. Recently sighted at our camp: chameleons, dragonflies, praying mantis, owls, storks, a wild fox, and an ibis!

The ibis in particular holds a special significance to Egypt, where it has long been considered a sacred bird. Associated with the god Thoth, they were the object of religious veneration in ancient times and were often raised to be sacrificed. Over one and a half million mummified ibis were found in the ruins at Saqqara!

New life at camp Dec. 12, 2007

Two new horses have been born at Kan Yama Kan in the last two weeks! Watching these newborn foals with their mothers has really been a treat. Our job in taking care of them has mainly been to make sure the mares have plenty to eat and get lots of time out in the open with their babies. The foals need plenty of sunlight to grow healthy and strong, and their mothers make sure they learn how to walk, trot, and run as quickly as they are able to.

We still haven't picked names for the newborns yet. If you want to help us name them, visit the Kan Yama Kan group on Facebook and make a suggestion! We'll pick the best names and let you vote to determine the winners. The most popular names will be given to the baby horses, so come help us pick today!

Get connected! Nov. 3, 2007

Kan Yama Kan Village now has a page on Facebook! Sign up for a free account at www.facebook.com and search for a group called "Kan Yama Kan." When you find us, click "Join Group" to add yourself to the group and connect with others who support our efforts. Chat with other campers, share pictures from your visit to our site, and keep up-to-date with what's happening at the center. We'll see you online!

Kan Yama Kan Village Aug. 20, 2007

The Mediterranean Center for Sustainable Development is situated on 120 feddans (acres) of undeveloped desert in Beni Suef governorate. The Nile River forms the western boundary of the property, and from here, 40 meters above the water level, visitors can witness magnificent sunsets over one of the largest islands in the Nile. To date, only 10 percent of the property has been developed; it is this area that is called Kan Yama Kan village.

Kan Yama Kan or "once upon a time" village is a living laboratory of sustainable development principles and practices. Simple, replicable practices to reduce, reuse and recycle are firmly in place. From the moment that visitors round the corner into the village, they can see sustainable development in action: the domed and vaulted buildings made from natural limestone block make use of passive solar design principles to keep the buildings cool in summer and warm in winter; the ornamental planting of fruit trees intercropped with fodder throughout the village provides food for humans and animals while simultaneously beautifying the area and creating a new habitat for indigenous and migrating birds; and the reuse of rocks, excavated during the building process as focal points in the garden beds, reduces the quantity of solid waste to be disposed of as a by-product of the construction process.

Hey you! What's with all the Fidgeting? Aug. 14, 2007

When a local farmer came to our gate with a young kit for sale last February, we hesitated to adopt the young fox, thinking it would encourage local farmers to separate the young from their mothers to earn some extra cash. But when he turned up again six weeks later with the same half-starved fox, we couldn't help but adopt the adorable and undernourished young fox. We immediately got on the Internet to research the fennec fox and discovered their wonderful traits and friendly nature. Within days the fox had tunneled half way across her pen. She was a perpetual motion machine, running in circles, jumping off the walls, always on the move; hence her name, Fidget the Fox.

Who needs the Discovery Channel? Aug. 5, 2007

In prehistoric times most of present-day Egypt was submerged under the sea. About 50 million years ago single-celled organisms resembling amoeba lived on the sea-bed right in the middle of what is now the Mediterranean Center for Sustainable Development. The sea was full of these flat, lentil shaped organisms belonging to the foraminifera family. But nummulites are not the only fossils that have been found at the center. One group of 4th graders from the Canadian International School in Egypt uncovered the fossil of a starfish which we have added to our collection of nummulites, sea urchins and fossilized coral.