A Catalytic Learning Experience (Español)

As the autumn sun gets lower in Chile, the cold sets in, and thousands of Chileans are still without a home, living in tents, awaiting government housing. Permaculture in Chile cuts to the chase and asks people what they really need and want.

Ecoescuela El Manzano anbd partner organisations CET Yumbel, Trabajo para un Hermano, Oficios de la Tierra, Bioantu and others are invited by local communities to provide short and long term planning advice in the design of resilient human settlements. In crises there is opportunity to make evolutionary jumps. The possibility exists, but will the Chilean people make their opportunity. The event ExpostSismo provides an unique opportunity for this emerging community to explore its role together.

ExPostSismo Yumbel

ExPostSismo Yumbel was a successful learning event on many scales. A 1000 m2 site in the middle of Yumbel was transformed into a living class room brimming with opportunities, spaces, and people for learning. A Mediagua (typical emergency houing in Chile) was installed and redesigned, the panels modified and insulated with recycled adobe. Manzana Verde from Concepción installed Tetrapack insulation in the walls and ceiling. The team of furniture makers from Masisa filled the space with low cost multifunctional funiture.

A straw bale wall was whipped up by the team from Los Lleuques, among other natural building techniques like light clay straw. A few compost toilets were put up, models of cheap greywater systems, no dig gardens, the famous herb spiral, vertical gardens, rainwater harvest and storage, gravity fed drip irrigation. There were mud ovens, rocket stoves, a chicken tractor, solar oven and dryers and a host of other technologies. A team of collaborators arrived from Santiago to Chanco, Pucon and beyond. The coaching team talked to people throught the day, Conexion Ritmica offered rhythm therapy for groups. Bioantu built an oven and showed a solar hot water heater and PV panels.

Many rich and fertile connections were made in Yumbel over the weekend of 16-17 of April 2008. People from all over the BíoBío region came by bus or by car, with their families and friends, with their whole communities, the board of directors, government institutions, schools and university representatives. There were workshops throughout the day ranging from entrepreneurial skills to participatory design, and bioconstruction. Various conversation spaces were created and facilitated, to engage people in dialogue about the current and future state of their communities. Guided tours of the site were given, with the regional BioBio permaculture network and the crew from Millawapi playing leading roles.  

The organising group built confidence and connections. They learned it is possible to work together and mobilise their respective organisations quickly and efficiently. They found a means of acting strategically to inspire and empower many people to apply small simple solutions in their own homes, that will improve qualiy of life and build resilience to future disturbances. In 16 days they created an event that can make an important contribution to the reconstruction process, not only in an economic and practical sense, but also in the emotional development of families affected by the Earthquake. ExPostSismo is a catalytic learning experience that builds engagement, alignment and commitment to solving problems in the design of sustinable human settlements.

A regional community came to realise that they exist and are not alone. A community that together has the values, knowledge, and skills to make a powerful contribution to the development of BíoBío Chile.