Gaviotas
Encyclopedia
Gaviotas is an ecovillage
located in the llanos
of the Colombia
n department
of Vichada
. It was founded in 1971 by Paolo Lugari who assembled a group of engineers and scientists in an attempt to create a mode of sustainable living in one of the least hospitable political and geographical climates in South America.
that drives a water pump
and a "distinctive 'sunflower' design" windmill
that is well-suited to the plains in Colombia. Lugari notes that social experiments cannot simply import solutions from temperate climates. Gaviotas has made it a goal to always engineer solutions specific to the problems the community will be facing personally (Gaviotas Rising 1994).
Since already-existing solutions are often very costly to adapt, Gaviotas' innovations are often simple changes to a means of production that make otherwise expensive products available at affordable prices. One of the most widespread Gaviotas developments is a water pump that can tap aquifers six times as deep as conventional pumps with less effort being expended. While existing pumps in the region raised and lowered a heavy piston
in a pipe, the Gaviotas engineers created pumps that leave the piston in place and instead lift and lower a cheap, light PVC
sleeve around the piston (Weisman 1995).
When leading solar panel manufacturers explained the expenses and complicated manufacture of panels efficient enough to collect sunlight in the often overcast weather of the llanos, the Gaviotas engineers crafted homemade solar panels out of cheap building materials that were better suited to the peculiar climate of the region. The ecovillage also creates some of its own building materials like a unique form of quickcrete brick made with the dirt of the region.
times, the llanos were an extension of the Amazonian rain forest, but the rainforest border has been receding from the area for centuries. The Gaviotas village is noted for the planting of over 1.5 million trees in the area. While the trees were originally part of an experiment to see if any significant growth could occur in the desiccated soil of the llanos, they have become a significant feature of the grasslands. As a result of the shade these trees provide and the tropical climate of the area, the groundcover
began hosting tropical rainforest species which were once native to the region. Resin harvested from the planted trees has provided Gaviotas with a sustainable source of income.
While the village is largely self-sufficient, it regularly uses diesel fuel during certain seasons. Currently, a BioDiesel project is under way for market and local use.
and similar groups seeking environmentally friendly solutions to population growth
and Third World development
.
When these original donors began to pull funding from Gaviotas in the 1990s, the villagers looked elsewhere for their income. They realized that the impressive pine
forest was a sustainable
source of pine resin
used in the production of a wide variety of products like turpentine
and violins.
Their terraformation of the llanos allows Gaviotas to thrive, but it is not an example of low impact ecology
practiced by many eco-villages. Gaviotas is largely apolitical, a strategy which has allowed it to grow amidst the cocaine
growers, paramilitary
and insurgent guerrilla groups, and military
troops present in the llanos. The village is further separated from many eco-anarchist movements because of its early ties to the United Nations and the Colombian government.
Ecovillage
Ecovillages are intentional communities with the goal of becoming more socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Some aim for a population of 50–150 individuals. Larger ecovillages of up to 2,000 individuals exist as networks of smaller subcommunities to create an ecovillage model that...
located in the llanos
Llanos
The Llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the Flooded grasslands and savannas Biome....
of the Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n department
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of Vichada
Vichada Department
Vichada is a department of the Republic of Colombia in South America. Vichada is located in the eastern plains of Colombia, in the Orinoquia region within the Orinoco river basin bordering the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the north and east...
. It was founded in 1971 by Paolo Lugari who assembled a group of engineers and scientists in an attempt to create a mode of sustainable living in one of the least hospitable political and geographical climates in South America.
Technology
The community has produced a number of inventions and innovations over the years - notably including a children's seesawSeesaw
A seesaw is a long, narrow board pivoted in the middle so that, as one end goes up, the other goes down.-Mechanics:Mechanically a seesaw is a lever and fulcrum....
that drives a water pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
and a "distinctive 'sunflower' design" windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
that is well-suited to the plains in Colombia. Lugari notes that social experiments cannot simply import solutions from temperate climates. Gaviotas has made it a goal to always engineer solutions specific to the problems the community will be facing personally (Gaviotas Rising 1994).
Since already-existing solutions are often very costly to adapt, Gaviotas' innovations are often simple changes to a means of production that make otherwise expensive products available at affordable prices. One of the most widespread Gaviotas developments is a water pump that can tap aquifers six times as deep as conventional pumps with less effort being expended. While existing pumps in the region raised and lowered a heavy piston
Piston
A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tight by piston rings. In an engine, its purpose is to transfer force from...
in a pipe, the Gaviotas engineers created pumps that leave the piston in place and instead lift and lower a cheap, light PVC
PVC
Polyvinyl chloride is a plastic.PVC may also refer to:*Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor*Peripheral venous catheter, a small, flexible tube placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medication or fluids...
sleeve around the piston (Weisman 1995).
When leading solar panel manufacturers explained the expenses and complicated manufacture of panels efficient enough to collect sunlight in the often overcast weather of the llanos, the Gaviotas engineers crafted homemade solar panels out of cheap building materials that were better suited to the peculiar climate of the region. The ecovillage also creates some of its own building materials like a unique form of quickcrete brick made with the dirt of the region.
Gaviotas Day
In the spring of 1998, the author of the book Gaviotas came and visited the students of Communications Arts High School in San Antonio, Texas, in what would later become known as 'Gaviotas Day.'Healthcare advances
The Gaviotas crew created a self-powered, functional hospital in 1980 which treated a substantial number of indigenous people who worked in the village as well as those in the outlying plains until the Colombian government passed legislation pressuring the hospital to close its doors in the 1990s. While the hospital is no longer operational, the application of Gaviotas pump technology in the surrounding region has increased the availability of clean water and is a reportedly effective form of disease prevention as long as the locals maintain the pumps (Weisman 1999).Environmental impact
It is estimated that, in pre-ColumbianPre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
times, the llanos were an extension of the Amazonian rain forest, but the rainforest border has been receding from the area for centuries. The Gaviotas village is noted for the planting of over 1.5 million trees in the area. While the trees were originally part of an experiment to see if any significant growth could occur in the desiccated soil of the llanos, they have become a significant feature of the grasslands. As a result of the shade these trees provide and the tropical climate of the area, the groundcover
Groundcover
Groundcover refers to any plant that grows over an area of ground, used to provide protection from erosion and drought, and to improve its aesthetic appearance .- Ecosystem :...
began hosting tropical rainforest species which were once native to the region. Resin harvested from the planted trees has provided Gaviotas with a sustainable source of income.
While the village is largely self-sufficient, it regularly uses diesel fuel during certain seasons. Currently, a BioDiesel project is under way for market and local use.
History
Gaviotas' pragmatic approach to its survival disassociates the village from many philosophies and political ideologies. Originally, the project received funding from the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and similar groups seeking environmentally friendly solutions to population growth
Population growth
Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement....
and Third World development
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
.
When these original donors began to pull funding from Gaviotas in the 1990s, the villagers looked elsewhere for their income. They realized that the impressive pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
forest was a sustainable
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
source of pine resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
used in the production of a wide variety of products like turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
and violins.
Their terraformation of the llanos allows Gaviotas to thrive, but it is not an example of low impact ecology
Environmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
practiced by many eco-villages. Gaviotas is largely apolitical, a strategy which has allowed it to grow amidst the cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
growers, paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
and insurgent guerrilla groups, and military
Military of Colombia
The Military Forces of Colombia are the armed forces of the Republic of Colombia.-Services:The Military of Colombia consists of:* National Army of Colombia * Colombian National Armada - Marines, Navy and Coast Guard attached* Colombian Air Force...
troops present in the llanos. The village is further separated from many eco-anarchist movements because of its early ties to the United Nations and the Colombian government.
Books
- Weisman, Alan. A Good Harvest. In Context #42, Context Institute: Fall 1995. http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC42/Colombia.htm accessed February 20, 2007
- Gaviotas Rising. All Things Considered. National Public Radio: Segment #06. August 29, 1994. Transcript #1589