WASTE AGAINST INKA CULTURE

Milleniums ago, inka peoples walked around these mountains. Some of them climbed to El Plomo Summit (over 5.400 m.s). The Inka Trail linked mapuche territories with Machu Pichu. A few years ago, a body of a four years old boy was founded in la Pirca del Cerro El Plomo. He was offered as a ritual sacrifice to divinity of mountains. He had yerba de coca in his teeth to avoid pain.

A useful shelter during that Trail was the big stone known as Casa de Piedra. Nowadays, this "Flintstones" model Stone House is used by arrieros during summer. Unfortunately, due to ignorance and lack of awareness of tourists (more nationals than foreigners) this monument, part of archeological and cultural heritage, is degraded by a lot of graffittis and waste.

I imagine a summer work camp to recover and re-value this place. Signals, paths to integrate this destiny in tourism routes, young volunteers from Europe and Latin america working together with local community to defend cultural heritage.

I love our logo.
I think it resumes our identity.
Green mountains, three people linked, blue sky and a rounded sun!

I understand those three people as collaboration among public, private and social sector, all of them working together for the sustainable development of mountains

I found this interestink links with really useful resources on alternative energies:

http://www.ceroco2.org/

http://www.terra.org/

VISIT FROM EGYPT

Last week we received the visit of an Egyptian delegation of Ministry of Education.
They were visiting Chile to learn about the School Food Program. This program was awarded as one of the five best practices in the world.

They were impressed by the scenic beauty of our landscapes.
They played with the snows. They patiently answered childrens' questions about piramids and mommies. Last year Farellones School received a delegation from Irak.

Didactics and learning sustainability
We can learn a lot about sustainable energy generation and its practical applications by playing.
I would suggest you to visit this website and enjoy playing with wind power:
http://www.windpower.org/es/kids/index.htm
... perhaps it can provide material for teachers too.

“Thinking globally and acting locally”
The concept of sustainable development is very recent, and sustainable tourism is even younger. Until recently sustainability as been presented as anti-development, however things are never that simple. In fact, sustainable development and sustainable tourism must be strategic. There must be a strategy for sustainability.

Strategies are implemented to move an organization, or a community, from a current competitive position to a more desirable future competitive situation. Well, is there anything more desirable for a community than high living standards of wealth, justice and environment? Well, sustainability, because it is a very recent paradigm, it both very difficult to achieve but can be very rewarding after achieved. Not to speak of the scarce resources to achieve it in the first place. That is way a local strategy for sustainability is paramount.

A strategy for sustainable development in the Cordillera should be based on the current reality but also involving a vision of the intended future. Questions like: what produces and services will we be offering? What products and services we do not want to offer? Which market do we want to target? Who do I want to compete with? And who I don’t want to compete with? Shall we focus on tourism or on any other activity? Which economical activities?

In many cases sustainable solutions are very simple to cheap to implement. Particularly in the waste and energy management, we can implement many small solutions, that when all together make a huge contribution for sustainability. Bio-waste (food waste, animal feces, bushes, cooking oil) can be easily converted in bio-gas or bio-diesel. By applying energy more efficiently and converting waste in power, the community can make a clear contribution for its living standards, and attract more and better tourism.

Our territory appeared again in the news last sunday!

Lo Barnechea, leader in the ranking on Local Management (El Mercurio, 11/09/2005)

Record Winter Season (El Mercurio, 13/09/2005)

New Master Plan for Farellones: (La Tercera, 11/09/2005)

I feel I'm making my way, step by step, trying to decide wisely...
learning from each conversation with each actor.
We are facing big, huge challenges...
but I'm full of hope and thrive to push all these dreams to come true.

however, I know that I will not be able to do it just by myself.
I've got lots of ideas... but, unfortunately, God only gave me two hands.

That´s why I should start to put my powerful networks in action!

big hugs of light!

Sierra Nevada Activa

In a near future, we hope to develop a website similar or better than this one:
http://www.sierranevadaactiva.com/esp/home/default.htm

It will surely be an inspiring model to imitate.

Don´t forget it and include it in your Gantt Chart.

Let me recommend you visiting this link just to read a pair of paragraphs on the new leading Director:

http://www.eitb24.com/noticia_es.php?id=85966

A few days ago, I took a pretty picture of our fire sunset. Enjoy the colours:

a new light is rising in my project.
it´s related with waste management and energy.
in this little community, it's much easier to develop little pilot experiences.
I talked with the recycling manager it´s quite possible to implement easily the first initiatives. great! glass, paper, PET, biodiesel, compost...
all of these words will be the key.
ops, I forgot telling you about my new neighbour... he will probably become into water next week before knowing his name...

BIODIESEL

Our Friends succeeded in their research about greener sources of energy.
Will they help us in our projects?
Read this links:
http://web.ceo.cl/609/article-69865.html

Our territory is in the news!
last week El Mercurio published interesting news about the next steps in urban development plans for Centro Cordillera.
you can read more about that following this link:
http://www.iconstruccion.cl/html_o/news/generic/nn162.html

"No todo es esquí, snowboard o senderismo en la zona cordillerana metropolitana. También es vivienda, hoteles, estacionamientos y áreas urbanas. Aún así, la regulación territorial en estos sinuosos suelos era bastante escasa. Por ello, varias instituciones desarrollaron en conjunto el proyecto de Plan Regulador Centro Cordillera, iniciativa que debutará públicamente dentro de las próximas semanas.(...)"

Well,

today I am a little bit tired.

I love waste my sunday evenings diving the web for free thanks to a hotspot in my neighbourhood.

Last week was exciting in my new job. I have been working for a month in this new project.

Lots of things to do. Many meetings with diverse actors... all the energy and enthusiasm when starting new initiatives.

That´s why I love Chile... here you can start up whatever you desire.

This is a whole country ready for entrepreneurs. In Europe, we often think and feel that everything is invented, everything is discovered. However, in this narrow piece of land at the end of the world, in this developing country, if you got a dream, you can make it a project and then, make it real, only if you have patience and will.

I will post a litte picture of my new home. It's a little Palafito. I still remember the first time I heard this funny word... Palafito. It was in my early years at school. We were studying social sciences in a rainbowed blue coloured book. One of the first lessons dealt about diverse houses and buildings where humans live all around the world. I always associated Palafitos with indigenous people, with Jungle, with Filipinas... and now I live in one of them, in the middle of the white snowed Chilean Andes.

best regards,

Tawots

HI Friends

this is only my firs message in the blog.
I am just learning.