Going green: from Highland Park to Nicaragua

Peta Kaplan-Sandzer in Granada, Nicaragua

Peta Kaplan-Sandzer came to the North Shore via Israel and South Africa; we met her in Highland Park, and last saw her at the 2008 Artist Project, part of the “Art Chicago” exhibition. Peta was exhibiting larger-than-life paintings of stray dogs in Nicaragua; before that we had seen her smaller-scale landscape paintings – and then we heard that Peta and her husband, Ben Sandzer-Bell, are now living in Nicaragua.

It turns out that Ben, a VP of strategy for an aerospace company, saw the writing on the wall as oil prices rose to $147 a barrel, and began planning his exit strategy. He founded “CO2 Bambú” (bambú is Spanish for bamboo), a company designed to capitalize on cap and trade, the selling of carbon credits to offset the production of greenhouse gasses. Ben wanted “green” issues to be central to his work.

Peta, what is CO2 Bambú, and why Nicaragua?

CO2 Bambu is a bamboo-based “triple bottom line” company.  This means that while it is run with intent to generate financial returns for its shareholders, it also strives to have significant environmental impact (through large scale reforestation with bamboo) and to have meaningful social impact by improving living conditions in the communities where the company does business.

Can you expand on the “social issues” aspect of CO2 Bambú?

There are several layers of social impact that CO2 Bambu is having.  Firstly, there is the introduction of a new crop for farmers.  Then there is job creation, both in the communities that process bamboo for CO2 Bambu and in our own factory.  The greatest social impact comes from producing and selling low cost houses made of bamboo at a price that Nicaragua’s rural poor can afford.

Are you still painting?

Yes. The series of “Stray Dogs from Nicaragua” that I have been working on for the last two years just culminated in a large exhibit in

"Stray at Casares" by Peta Kaplan-Sandzer

Storm Lake Iowa, at the Witter Gallery.  And in a surprising development, a large globe depicting the use of bio-fuel as a strategy to reduce carbon emissions from oil, which I had contributed to Chicago’s Cool Globe public arts project in 2007 and which has since been touring the country, is now on its way to Copenhagen, Denmark where Cool Globes will be part of the Climate Change conference bringing together government representatives from around the world to negotiate a successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol.  As you see, the “green” theme runs deep in this couple!

You and Ben write a fascinating blog (greenglobaltrek.blogspot.com) about your life in Granada, Nicaragua. We know you have gotten involved with your Nicaraguan neighbors, buying school uniforms and supplies for some girls you befriended so they could attend school for the first time. Can you tell us more about that? How could Ageless North Shore readers get involved?

Silvia getting new shoes for school

There is a desperate need for help in this country.  Unemployment is over 30% and the average Nicaraguan family lives on less than $2 per day.  This level of subsistence makes food and shelter a priority for most and school is often seen as a “luxury”.  Even though public school itself is free, a child needs to have a backpack, supplies, shoes and a uniform.  This is sadly a non-starter for many families, especially since many are single-mother households with numerous children.  We have personally helped a number of kids who had expressed great desire to go to school and found that the cost per child of setting them up runs about $25 for the uniform, $10 for shoes and $10 for mandatory notebooks, pens & pencils, reading textbooks and backpack.  Your readers could help have a direct impact on a child’s life by making a contribution (of any amount).  The donors should specify if they would prefer to sponsor a boy or a girl and we will take the child to get a uniform and get ready for school, and we will email pictures of the lucky recipient of this financial gift.  For many it is the first time they will attend school.  Checks should be made to:

Peta Kaplan  (for “school supplies”)
Apartado Postal #246
Granada, Nicaragua
(please include a note with your email address)
Click here to read Peta’s story about outfitting some neighborhood girls for school.

How’s your Spanish?

Ben’s Spanish is fluent (helps that his native language is French) and mine is terrible, but I’m working on it — improving every day… When I first came to Nicaragua 3 years ago, I couldn’t say ONE word in Spanish.  Now I have basic communication, which is great because I can interact with people on a different level than before.

Ever coming back to Highland Park?

Unlikely.  I raised four boys and lived in HP for about 20 years.  Now that they are grown up and living in Northern California and Austin, Texas, I want to experience living in and traveling to as many different countries and cultures as I can.

Peta with neighbor kids