450. Leidy Janneth Fernández-Montiel, Zoelie Rivera-Ocasio y Alexandra Santos-Ocasio. Arte-Suelo-Ser .

·58 min·5 clips

Three women launch a virtual Caribbean Soil Museum using art to reconnect people with the ground beneath their feet.

The episode begins with host Sister Licia Avilés introducing the program Cuidando La Creación and its sponsors. She welcomes three guests involved in the Arte, Suelo, Ser project: Alexandra Santos-Ocasio, Zoely Rivera-Ocasio, and Leidy Janneth Fernández-Montiel. Alexandra shares her background as an artist and educator from Gurabo, Puerto Rico, who studied communications and art at UPR Río Piedras and earned a master's in art in Scotland. Zoely explains she is a soil scientist with a master's from UPR Mayagüez and is currently a doctoral candidate at Penn State, focusing on soil biogeochemistry and nutrient management. Leidy describes herself as an agricultural engineer from Colombia who came to Puerto Rico for graduate studies and now works as a lab technician at Penn State. The conversation centers on their organization, Arte, Suelo, Ser, and its flagship project, the Virtual Caribbean Soil Museum. Zoely recounts how the idea originated from her scuba diving experiences and evolved into a virtual museum to overcome geographical barriers. The project started in 2020 with a conference attracting 450 participants and has since grown to include Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and plans for the Dominican Republic and Cuba. The name Arte, Suelo, Ser reflects the integration of art, soil, and human connection, emphasizing that 'human' derives from 'humus,' the fertile soil fraction. The team discusses educational workshops where participants make paints from soil pigments, engaging all ages. They mention the museum website, suelosdelcaribe.org, offers resources in Spanish and English, including lesson plans for teachers and guided soil routes for families. The organization has 22 volunteers and additional projects like Ecosistema for urban forests and La Memoria de la Arcilla, a film project. The episode concludes with calls to action for Earth Day events and summer camp opportunities, highlighting the importance of soil awareness for environmental defense.

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