Environmental Brigades volunteers at University of Virginia will spend 7 days in Panama working alongside families of the rural communities of Piriati Embera and Embera Puru. They will be learning about the biodiversity of a tropical region and the potential of ecological productivity of the community members’ land by utilizing environmentally sustainable methods of agriculture that mimics the diversity and balance of plant life and living organisms which exist in a healthy ecosystem. Volunteers will also create, explain, and incorporate the use of organic fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides in order to boost soil nutrients naturally and deter common pests and fungi that normally bring harvest yields down. Additionally, participants in the brigade will research into and share alternative methods of waste management through informative materials and interactive workshops. A key component of brigade is to help raise the community's overall awareness of relevant environmental issues and their understanding of the repercussions of a degrading environment socially and economically while always keeping cultural sensitivity in mind. With these projects being picked up by student volunteers from various chapters across North America month after month, the environmental health of the community can be steadily improved while ensuring positive, lasting changes for generations to come.