Article in Revista Paula

20 km from Cabrero in the BíoBío Region of Chile is the first "transition town" in Latin America and the only one in Chile. It's called Villa El Manzano and is a tiny town that seeks to achieve ecological self reliance. Behind this project there are three brothers from Santiago who dream of changing the world.

Por Daniela González / Fotografía: Jonathan Jacobsen

No more than three streets. There is no pavement. There is no space, no cars, no-heeled shoes to hit the sidewalk. No noise, either, but I can hear perfectly, the wind hitting the leaves of the trees. That is what is most heard. And the birds singing. There are chickens that follow a black hen, there are horses in the gardens of the houses and in the center of this town, there is an unoccupied telephone booth that looks like the only trace of urbanism.

Here the whole land is sandy. But from it, almost miraculously sprout and grow tomatoes, Italian squash, blueberries, lettuce, potatoes, beans, peppers or chilies. The peach trees are loaded with juicy, sweet apples and red plums. Dry sand is beneath and yet, on the beets and carrots on the floor. The raspberry bushes are scattered and no wash them before eating. Because they are healthy. Because they never had a chemical that has helped it grow.

A man in plaid shirt, jeans and brown skin walks by. It is the first flowing through here in the last half hour of the Wednesday morning. His jockey orange says in large letters: "El Manzano. Transition toward a sustainable future. " In El Manzano all have a jockey as well.

The Villa El Manzano is located close to Cabrero and Los Angeles, right in the middle of the sands of the Bío Bío Region, formed after an ancient eruption of Antuco and left the territory with 90% volcanic sand. The sands are delimited by Itata and Laja rivers, and is the only sector of Chile that has this type of soil. Therefore, until recently, the people of El Manzano was not confident that their land had any bearing grace to plant more than pine.

But the Carrions arrived. Three brothers Javiera, Jorge and Jose who believed that organic farming could work here and even more: the dream was to achieve food sovereignty. Independent from supermarkets. Living in abundance. And cultivate respect for the land only, including pollute the least possible and avoid spending excessive energy.

In that spirit, the Carrion inspired the residents of Villa El Manzano and now this town, inhabited by 72 people, is the first "transition town" of Latin America and the only one in Chile: a town in transition seeks a day and hand of ecology, be self-sustaining. To be achieved decades away, but they go along.

There are already 10 families have Wormling in your yard in which all organic debris thrown from the garbage. Hence comes the plant fertilizer. Five houses are dry toilets, of those who have only one hole and instead of pulling the chain takes a handful of sawdust-designed to avoid wasting water. And every resident of El Manzano has a farm home. To fertilize their crops used to make compost with straw and animal droppings, which have lots of food, from their own soil-insured. The 30 families in the village do depend on the electrical system and pay the electricity bill, but do not hire drinking water, since in Arenales del Bío the groundwater are so on the edge of the surface, that if you make a hole six meters the fluid exits from the bottom. In each house there is a manual pump to get that water. They also have ponds for recycling rainwater and a longer claim to have renewable energy, a common garden and solar hot water heaters instead.

What Carrión being put in place at El Manzano called permaculture, a system that seeks to create human settlements environmentally sound and economically viable, producing what is necessary to meet the needs of those who inhabit it.

This method was created in the mid 70's by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and has become an international movement. Permaculture is taught in several colleges and the University globalized Gaia (which has branches in different permaculture eco-schools and centers, and teaches online courses and in several countries), are promoted eco-villages and eco-schools projects in different continents and peoples in transition proliferate since Transition Network (www.transitionnetwork.org) created the initiative in 2006. There are 348 transition towns in the world, distributed in 31 countries. El Manzano, who left in 2007, was the initiative number 91.

The lower branch of a tree, a blond boy two years out a peach. He takes it with his hands, chew with force and focuses on escape was not the juice that comes from the fruit. When finished, throw the remainder to grass and is playing among the raspberry bushes. His mother, Javier Carrion (32, agronomist), does not tell you in no time wipe your hands, you wash the fruit or pick up the pit. Because in the Manzano live in liberty, and if someone is hungry, just stretching your fingers and get something from the ground to fill.

Javiera is the largest of Carrión. With his brothers George (29, agronomist) and Joseph (25, agricultural technician) from children who visited the farm of his grandfather in El Manzano. Since that time the birth of her love for the land. And his restlessness. What concern was the wear on the planet, pollution, the inevitable collapse of the system. "Oil is running out, we are one hundred percent dependent on this fossil fuel, and climate change is increasingly evident," says Javier. "In a minute he thought that this model would work, but it is not. The economic system encourages increased consumption, carbon emissions, and power of rural people go to cities, "he adds.

A Jorge unrest began in her college years: "I am becoming more disenchanted, because in college you learned to control nature, not working to take its course," he explains. Responded by arming university groups to promote eco-agriculture and the farm, started its first plant experiments without chemicals.

Javier also had a dream to change the world. He worked in business until he had gathered silver and went to New Zealand to do a permaculture course. She returned with her husband Grifen Hope (35, planner and urban designer), who knows much about it. In 2007, the mother of Carrion was about to sell the farm. "We'll take care of," said the brothers.

Javiera went with Grifen to live there, Jorge arrived with his partner, Carolina Heidke (27, environmental engineer), and joined the younger brother, Joseph. And, as they want to change the world, began to work hard.

The first was to composting and gardening. It stated as a goal to motivate the community, so we began meeting with them every Saturday in the neighborhood councils. There, they spoke of ecological self-sufficiency and postulated transition to the town as town. In 2008 came the creation of Ecoescuela El Manzano, which offers courses and a diploma in permaculture.

The people of El Manzano not use the words permaculture or self-sustainability, but recognize that there has been a change since the arrival of Carrión. He is associated with savings and dignity of their own lifestyle. And appreciate it. Miguel Suazo (62, peasant) Javiera knew since I was a blonde girl playing among the trees. "But she can not remember" he says. "The Carrion are good people. If you are caught on the road takes you in the car. "

Michael is one of the people most committed to change the brothers are driving in El Manzano. For now, lives in a wooden shack, but is ready to move house to one that Carrión have helped to build with green building techniques. The walls are made of straw, adobe and wood. Has two rooms, small windows and grouped, and a dry toilet. There is also a Wormling, a hand pump and a garden with melons, corn, peas, beans and potatoes. "The other day I passed a person selling vegetables and I just had to buy tomatoes. Nothing more, "Miguel answered when asked what it means for him to be on track to be self-sustaining. He adds: "The Wormling, they say, give 70 kilos of fertilizer per year. And that is much savings. "

Other villagers have joined the excitement. Are Adriana Herrera (55), who has a greenhouse full of organic celery, tomatoes, beans and basil, Roxana Bravo (33), who built a dehydrator to dry mushrooms and fruits, and Edith Aravena (50) that makes homemade bread flour Fundo El Manzano and every Saturday without fail going to meetings where he learned the importance of self-sustainability.

"When we arrived at Manzano," says Jorge, "people just wanted to go to the city. We, however, are people who lived in modern times and decided to return to the simple life. In the future will come a Harvard doctor to ask a farmer how to survive, "he says with conviction.

The Carrion has been filled with projects. Funds obtained Environmental Protection Agency (FPA) of the State to invest in the town and buy supplies. Perform consistently permaculture courses outsiders who come for two weeks to live farm, eating vegetables, and learn about self-sustainability (see box). This year, even begin a Masters in permaculture, associated with the University of Gaia.

The schoolhouse municipality of El Manzano closed nearly two years ago for lack of children, but managed to keep it. Instead, they enter the school to a program of sustainable institutions of the Ministry of Environment. This meant that students learn permaculture in their classes and recycle waste. So also ensured that the inhabitants of El Manzano enroll their children in school.

Now they want to train teachers from other districts of the region to do likewise. Constantly advise the Municipality of Cabrera and have made some practice it has become: in charge of Local Development Program, for example, and not give away herbicides to farmers. Instead, give them Wormling. They also created the Chilean Institute of Permaculture, which is an association of other Chileans permaculture movement. And last but not least, organic blueberries exported to Canada. Still, feel they are missing a lot. "This is a blown up super self-demanding," says Javier.

If at any time the community of El Manzano particularly appreciated his particular style of life was in the days following the earthquake of February 27, 2010. In the same region of the epicenter, and treading sand that moved like ocean waves, felt safe. Safer than ever. While neighboring towns suffered from the supply, they never lacked water and food was always at hand in their own backyards. Then they understood that they ever taught in permaculture, to be sustainable means to take care of yourself.

We need not live in El Manzano to learn how to lead a self-sustaining. Carrion brothers teach permaculture workshops of 15 days in winter and summer. The activity is an ideal overview for parents and children, while adults attend theoretical and practical classes, small roam the fields or swim in the lagoon. Staying in tents and all meals are vegetarian, prepared with organic products.

Rates: True to its philosophy of community, Carrión charge differences in the way the purchasing power of their students. The 15-day workshop can cost from $ 300,000 to $ 750,000. The courses of three days, between $ 130,000 and $ 350,000.

Upcoming Dates: In February next year permaculture design certificate is from 2 to 27. In March, Gaia University courses taught three days from 4 to 12, from 14 to 18, and 25 to 27. The latter will be in the Cajon del Maipo Santiago.