This is the logo designed by Puerto Palomas students for their award-winning project, “CartoStone,” highlighting the ecological benefits of papercrete to build housing for low-income people in their community.
This summer, three Puerto Palomas students won a state-wide competition with their business proposal “CartoStone.” The project was inspired by Border Partners’ work with papercrete, a sustainable building material made from recycled materials and concrete. The students’ project advanced from first place at a regional competition in Nuevo Casas Grandes. Last month, they impressed the judges at the state competition and took first place once again.
One student, Brandon, is a recent recipient of a scholarship from the Velasco Education Fund, established in honor of Juan Velasco two years ago. The Velasco Fund, which our staff in Palomas helps manage, helps promising young students in the region with the resources they need to pursue higher education.
CartoStone Initiative
Border Partners employee holds a papercrete block, used to construct buildings in Puerto Palomas.
The students’ proposal focused on encouraging ecologically friendly building practices through recycling. The initiative is part of an effort to improve housing for low-income families. For the past many years, Border Partners has experimented with papercrete methods to improve insulation in buildings across Palomas. Our computer center, which provides free internet and devices for Palomas residents, is constructed entirely from papercrete blocks. Still, more research and experimentation with production is needed to pursue any future commercial or non-profit purposes with papercrete.
We commend the students for their work. It’s great to see that these talented young people are eager to take our innovations and advance these ideas. We look forward to seeing how they develop and make an impact to improve their community in the years to come, especially as they embark on their higher education journeys next year.
Congratulations to Brandon, Jonathan, and Alexis!