In 2006 I changed my war denoting name Felipe Guerra, by demand of my friends, to AmenZen Rrague. Inspired in a more romantic Amen, meaning love in spanish (oppossed to how the catholic church uses it), in the wisdom of experience, the Zen, and inverting the syllables of my last name, which in spanish means war, to Rrague.

Born in Cali, Colombia, March 3 1977
Raised in Bogotá for 20 years and perfected in Medellín for the last 10 years.

Bilingual High School Degree Buckingham School 1995
Mandatory Military Service with Colombian Air Force 1996

Initiated in Industrial Engineering V semester Andes University 1996 - 1999
Initiated in Social Communication III Semester Javeriana University 1999-2000
Let down by the education system and voluntarily retired, started the road of learning by doing 2000

2001
Redesign and publishing of the website www.cicloruta.com for Colombiana TV

2002
Assistant Manager for Eastern House of Agriculture, family business.
Learning of the impact that agrochemicals produce in the Colombian society and proponent of organic agriculture kits for farmers, which were not supported by pressure of multinational corporations and the commercial interests prevailing in the moment.

2002
Production Manager Carolina Trujillo Lingerie
In research of the market of plastic bags I ended up producing women’s underwear which was the main market for ziplock bags with a friend who used to sell them. Victim of various thefts, swindles and the cruelty of the market I gave up this society.

2003 Certified Internet Webmaster Course
Creation of the website www.ereciclaje.com based on the research project led by my sister Maria Luisa Guerra for urban development in the ecology career in 2001.

Pioneer in the development of Multi user Projects in Medellín, managing the first apartment building that lowered the waste management fees and reinvested the savings in the social responsibility of paying good wages to recyclers (people who open trash bags, collect recyclables and transport them by foot to recycling warehouses where the materials are sold).

From 2003 to 2007, 22 residential developments were managed in the Metropolitan Area of Medellín, representing waste reductions between 60% and 90% with programs of permanent accompaniment of the recycler, training in the organic waste composting, and edible landscaping.
Work was done with 7 recyclers registering monthly average incomes between $500 to $1.500 dollars. (Colombian’s minimum wage is around $300 dollars/month and average recyclers will not reach this minimum)

In 2008 all this programs were terminated because our users argued that the cost was too high, that they already knew how to recycle and that other firms were doing our work cheaper. Keep in mind the whole operation was being financed by the savings our clients got in their waste management fees and the scale economy, and, that once they cancelled our services trash indexes were duplicated in the bests of cases.

2003 Introduction to Permaculture Course
Since then, I started the constant learning by the observation of nature, the application of techniques to repair ecosystems, create habitat, produce food and sustainable energy.
Participation in and set up of Gratamira Social Club Ecovillage where organic waste from LeBon Coffee Shop was processed and which recorded a 95% waste reduction.
Development of the Reproduction Center (recycling and production)located in a warehouse Downtown Medellín acquired by trading with LeBon Café the rent of the warehouse, for the recycling service to the Café. The center became a successful model of urban composting and agriculture. In 2009 this project was ended because the café was sold and the management changed.
2009 Manager at the Mendocino Ecological Learning Center, Willits, California, U.S.A.
Participation in the enlargement of the solar electric system, retrofitting the hydroelectric system, polyculture of orchard, cereals and fruit tree planting in the permaculture swales and berms. Installation of the drip irrigation system.
Presentation of the Portable Landfill Device and Zero Waste Program in a stand at Harmony Festival, Santa Rosa, California.
Certified Permaculture Design Course: Building an Ecovillage from the Earth Up with Living Mandala, Laytonville, California.
Coordinator of the Volunteers for Peace Camp at MELC, Willits, California, United Nations Program, with participants from 15 countries for 15 days.
CoFounder of Nutriclaje ,Non Profit Corporation, with the mission of providing food and cleaning the world through permaculture.
Installation of our first headquarters in Belén Altavista, where we offer trainings, and permanent services in waste management, sustainable building, ecological agriculture and renewable energy production.
Since 2007 member of Clean Up the World organizing clean up, educaction and planting events.
Composting Toilets set up for Pixelache Festival 2007, 5000 people, Bazar de la Confianza 2008, 20.000 people, and the Celebration of the 20 years of the Walking Club of Confiar, 2009, 400 people.

Since 2007, the term Portable Landfill Device was created, to promote the technique of trapping unusable trash in plastic bottles and use them as bricks. A small water pond was build in Gratamira ecovillage, a Biocarbon filter in a displaced people community, a bench in shape of a cat, and a bench in a university through a Zero Waste day with the students.

2010 Clean Up the World Events Marathon 14 Cleanups all registered in the Clean Up the World website
Organization of the Sustainable Habitat Design Course, Learn By Doing, Santa Helena, Colombia, training 25 people from Bogotá, Medellín, Chile, Perú and Brasil.
Organization of the Sustainable Habitat Construction Course, Bello Oriente, Medellín, Colombia
Coteaching the Sustainable Habitat Design Course, Kapievi Ecovillage, Puerto Maldonado, Perú.
Celebration of the Clean Up the World Day, coordinating activities in Perú, Colombia and USA.
Conference about Portable Landfill Device, bottlebricks and Zero Waste during SolFest, Ukiah, California, USA.
Building of a Cow Shaped Bench, The Cowch, in the Ukiah Fairgrounds, California, USA.
Publication in the July edition of National Geographic magazine for Latin America
Aquaponic Systems and Permaculture Design Course, Finca Las Nubes, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

2011

Particiption in Bioconstruction of water storage tanks course with ECOTEC, Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
Organization of Bioconstruction Course and Technical Testing using PLD
Many recordings and screenings in main media.

Since 2004 I have not used public garbage collection systems and I don´t use public trash bins.

22 de Abril Dia de la Tierra 2012, Caminamos sin hacer Basura y sin Ensuciar el Agua. Caminata Fundación Confiar Basura Zero y Baños ecológicos
2012 Diseño de Permacultura Finca El Ensueño, Palomino, Guajira
2012 10 Torneo Beach Ultimate Basura Zero 400 deportistas
2013 A LIMPIAR PEREIRA CONSTRUYENDO CON ECOLADRILLOS Colegio INEM
2013 Asistencia de parto natural de nuestro hijo Adán, basura zero
2014 Reedición del libreto de guías con carácter permacultural, creación de huertas, y bosques alimenticios, casa mirador, comedor principal, zonas húmedas, coordinación de reciclaje y basura zero, creación de platos vegetarianos, helados y yoghurt para el menú de la maloka y zonas húmedas eco Hotel Tierra de Agua, Cocorná, Antioquia.
2014 Bioconstrucción Kiosko 1300 ecoladrillos I.E. Liceo Cocorná

Pictures of Mulch Contour Lines

2013 NewBorn in the Jungle

I found a permapartner, and our pregnancy and delivery was done in the most natural way possible.

Teaching Introduction to Permaculture in Medellín 2008

With my mentor Max Meyers from Mendocino Ecological Learning Center www.melc.us and my sister Ecology Graduate Maria Luisa Guerra, we taught permaculture in our permaculture warehouse downtown Medellín.

PIPI, POPO Y COMPOST

pee, poop, and compost in public events in Medellín, Colombia

eRECICLAJE and Permaculture on Colombian TV

The process of turning trash into bottlebricks, and building with them infrastructure for a sustainable future.

Taller Permacultura: Aprender Ahsiendo Perú 2010 Diseño de Hábitat Sostenible

Workshop held in Kapievi Ecovillage, Puerto Maldonado, Perú with local and foreign students for 13 days.

Taller de Permacultura Urbana durante el Festival ConSuma ConCiencia

Public composting and food gardening on a park in the city of Medellín.