Gaviotas

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Gaviotas (Spanish for seagulls ) is an ecological settlement in the eastern savanna of Colombia ( Vichada district ). It was founded in 1971 by Paolo Lugari, who brought engineers and scientists there to explore how to live sustainably in one of the most inhospitable areas in South America. Today around 200 people live there.

technology

Over the years, the community spawned several inventions, including a seesaw that powers a water pump and an eye-catching wind turbine in the design of a sunflower that is well adapted to the plains of Colombia. Lugari emphasizes that social experiments cannot simply be imported from temperate climates. In Gaviotas the aim is always to look for solutions that solve the problems in the local community.

Since existing solutions can often only be adapted at great expense, the inventions from Gaviotas often consist of changes to existing means of production, by means of which things can be produced inexpensively that would otherwise be unaffordable. One of the most widespread developments from Gaviotas is a water pump that taps into groundwater layers that are six times deeper than normal, and with less effort. Other pumps in the region raised and lowered a piston in the pump, while the engineers in Gaviotas created a pump that instead lets the piston rest, moving a PVC jacket around it.

When leading solar collector manufacturers explained the costs and the complex production of high-performance solar collectors , which would capture enough solar heat in the often covered area, the engineers of Gaviotas built their own collectors for water heating from simple building materials that were better adapted to the special requirements of the area. The eco-settlement also produces some building materials itself, including a unique brick from the region's soil.

It is believed that the savannah was part of the Amazon rainforest in pre-Columbian times , but that the rainforest boundary has shifted further and further over the centuries. The Gaviotas eco-settlement is known for planting more than a million and a half trees in the area. This was originally done to see what would grow there on the depleted soil of the Llanos . In the meantime they have become the most striking feature of the grasslands there. Due to the tropical climate, rainforest plants that used to be at home there again settled under the canopy of leaves that formed. The resin that is harvested from these trees is now a sustainable source of income for Gaviotas.

The settlement is largely self-sufficient. At some times of the year, diesel fuel is required. Work is currently underway to manufacture and market biodiesel.

history

The pragmatic approach distinguishes Gaviotas from many philosophies and ideologies. Initially, the project received financial support from the United Nations and groups seeking environmentally friendly solutions for population growth in the developing world . When they stopped funding in the 1990s, residents had to look elsewhere for an income. They recognized that the large pine forest is an extremely sustainable source of resin and the many products that can be made from it, such as turpentine, rosin and musical instruments.

The transformation of the Llanos will bring the residents a prosperous life, but this is not an example of the use of a low-tech approach. Gaviotas is largely apolitical. This strategy has allowed the settlement to thrive in the neighborhood of coca planters, paramilitary groups, military and guerrillas. There is also a distance to many eco-anarchist groups because there were initially close ties to the UN and the Colombian government.

literature

  • Alan Weisman: Gaviotas. A village reinvents the world. Translated by Ursula Pesch. (2012) ISBN 978-3492055079

Article in English:

Web links

Coordinates: 4 ° 33 '18 "  N , 70 ° 55' 16"  W.